Los Angeles vs New York City: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

New York City edges ahead of Los Angeles on higher occupancy (60% vs 54%), stronger RevPAR (£47 vs £34).

Head-to-head metrics

	Los Angeles	New York City
Median occupancy	54%	60%
Median daily rate	£122	£117
Median RevPAR	£34	£47
Active listings	23,969	10,918
YoY occupancy	—	—
YoY daily rate	—	—
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Los Angeles vs New York City

On the money side of this comparison — what a listing actually earns against the nights it has available — New York City finishes clearly ahead of Los Angeles. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 38.7% higher in New York City: £47 against £34. New York City's listings run at 60% occupancy against 54% in Los Angeles, worth 6 extra points of booked calendar every year. Those gaps are wide enough to survive a normal year's variance.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. Los Angeles is the rate market: £122 a night against £117, some 4.1% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 54% occupancy. New York City is the volume market, filling 60% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £47 in New York City against £34. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Los Angeles is not simply the weaker market of the two. Los Angeles is the deeper market at 23,969 active listings against 10,918, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. Its strongest submarket, Sepulveda Basin, clears £202 RevPAR on its own — city medians hide that kind of spread. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Los Angeles nor New York City currently has a verified short-term rental regulation record in our register, so the comparison above is a yield comparison only. Regulation is the single largest source of downside in this asset class — an unverified market is an unpriced risk, not an absent one.

The two calendars also behave differently. Los Angeles peaks in August at 52.2% and bottoms in January at 30.5%; New York City runs from 67% in November down to 47.3% in January. Both swing by a similar amount across the year, so neither offers meaningfully steadier cash flow than the other.

Who each suits, then. Los Angeles suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry. New York City answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, dated 2025-11, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 11,708 active Los Angeles listings and 3,530 in New York City.

Frequently asked questions

Is Los Angeles or New York City better for Airbnb investment?

New York City, on the data we track. It leads on stronger RevPAR (£47 vs £34), higher occupancy (60% vs 54%), and higher median annual revenue (£17,064 vs £12,324). Los Angeles is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a deeper market (23,969 vs 10,918 active listings).

Which has higher occupancy, Los Angeles or New York City?

New York City, at 60% median occupancy against 54% in Los Angeles — a gap of 6 points. That is a real but modest edge; a well-run listing in Los Angeles can close most of it.

Which has higher nightly rates, Los Angeles or New York City?

Los Angeles, at £122 a night against £117 in New York City — roughly 4.1% more. The nightly rate is not the whole story, though. On revenue per available night — rate multiplied by how often the room actually sells — New York City comes out ahead at £47 against £34, so New York City's cheaper nights are more than repaid by how often they fill.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Los Angeles or New York City?

Los Angeles, with 23,969 active listings against 10,918 in New York City. Size cuts both ways: a deep market gives you comparables, contractors and an exit, while a thinner one means fewer near-identical rivals competing for the same search results.

How much can you earn from an Airbnb in Los Angeles vs New York City?

New York City earns more: roughly £17,064 a year for a median listing against £12,324 in Los Angeles. Those are gross booking revenues before cleaning, management, platform fees, furnishing amortisation and tax — budget for a meaningful share of them, and note that a median listing is a median operator, not a good one.

What is the best time of year to rent out an Airbnb in Los Angeles or New York City?

Los Angeles peaks in August at 52.2% occupancy and troughs in January at 30.5%; New York City peaks in November at 67% and troughs in January at 47.3%. Because the peaks fall in different months, the two markets are partly complementary — a portfolio holding one of each has a flatter combined calendar than either alone.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Los Angeles →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in New York City →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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