London vs Paris: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Paris edges ahead of London on higher occupancy (28.5% vs 17.5%), stronger RevPAR (£53 vs £31).

Head-to-head metrics

	London	Paris
Median occupancy	17.5%	28.5%
Median daily rate	£173	£182
Median RevPAR	£31	£53
Active listings	47,121	40,621
YoY occupancy	+1.1 pts	+0 pts
YoY daily rate	+34.3%	—
Regulation risk	medium	high
Annual night cap	90	120
License required	No	Yes

Full analysis: London vs Paris

On the money side of this comparison — what a listing actually earns against the nights it has available — Paris finishes narrowly ahead of London. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 70% higher in Paris: £53 against £31. Paris sells 11 more points of its calendar — 28.5% median occupancy against 17.5% in London. The margin is thin enough that a single strong year in London would close it, so treat the ordering as a lean rather than a verdict.

Paris takes both halves of the yield equation, which is less common than it sounds. It charges more per night — £182 against £173 — and still fills more of the year, 28.5% against 17.5%. A market that leads on price and utilisation at once is normally one where demand has outrun supply, rather than one where hosts are discounting to keep the calendar busy. RevPAR reflects the double advantage at £53 against £31.

That verdict needs a caveat, because London is not simply the weaker market of the two. London carries the lighter regulatory rating of the pair — medium risk against high in Paris — which is the difference between planning around a rulebook and planning around a moving target. There is no short-term rental licence to obtain in London, where Paris requires one before the first guest arrives. If your model leans on regulatory headroom, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Regulation separates the two more sharply than the yield figures do. London is rated medium risk; Paris is rated high. In practice London caps entire-home letting at 90 nights a year and requires neither a licence nor registration; Paris caps entire-home letting at 120 nights a year, requires a licence, and treats letting as a change of use needing planning permission. The licence is the practical hurdle: it is a fee, a wait, and a record the authority can revoke — none of which exists on the London side today.

The two calendars also behave differently. London peaks in September at 67.9% and bottoms in February at 50%; Paris runs from 73.6% in October down to 55% in February. Both swing by a similar amount across the year, so neither offers meaningfully steadier cash flow than the other.

Who each suits, then. London suits an owner who expects to use the property personally for part of the year, or to run a hybrid calendar around the 90-night ceiling. It is also the momentum side of this pair. Paris suits an owner who expects to use the property personally for part of the year, or to run a hybrid calendar around the 120-night ceiling. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, dated 2026-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 47,121 active London listings and 40,621 in Paris.

Frequently asked questions

Is London or Paris better for Airbnb investment?

Paris, on the data we track. It leads on stronger RevPAR (£53 vs £31), higher occupancy (28.5% vs 17.5%), and a more generous night cap (120 vs 90 nights). London is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on lower regulation risk (medium vs high).

Which has higher occupancy, London or Paris?

Paris, at 28.5% median occupancy against 17.5% in London — a gap of 11 points. That is a wide spread by short-term rental standards and usually reflects a structural demand difference rather than better hosting. Over the last twelve months London gained 1.1 points and Paris was flat, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, London or Paris?

Paris, at £182 a night against £173 in London — roughly 5% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £53 in Paris against £31, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Is London or Paris riskier for Airbnb regulation?

Paris, rated high risk against medium in London. In practice Paris caps entire-home letting at 120 nights a year, requires a licence, and treats letting as a change of use needing planning permission; London caps entire-home letting at 90 nights a year and requires neither a licence nor registration.

Which is cheaper to get licensed in, London or Paris?

London, because it does not require a licence at all. Paris does require one; we do not hold a verified fee for it, so budget the local authority's published rate rather than an estimate from us. A licence fee is small next to a purchase price, but the waiting period is dead time — it delays your first booking, not just your paperwork.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, London or Paris?

London, on occupancy: +1.1 points over the last twelve months against +0 points in Paris. One year of movement is a direction, not a trend — weigh it against the regulation picture before treating it as momentum.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in London →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Paris →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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