Side-by-side comparison

Mallorca vs Palma: which is better for Airbnb investment?

We compare the Spain short-term rental markets across occupancy, daily rate, RevPAR, year-over-year trend, and regulation.

Bottom line

Mallorca comes out slightly ahead on the composite of yield + regulation risk.

Head-to-head metrics

 MallorcaPalma
Median occupancy30%
Median daily rate£205
Median RevPAR£29
Active listings10,400
YoY occupancy
YoY daily rate
Regulation riskbanned
Annual night capNoneNone
License requiredNoYes

Full analysis: Mallorca vs Palma

Scored on median occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk together, Mallorca finishes decisively ahead of Palma. Its strongest submarket, Deyá, clears £86 RevPAR on its own — city medians hide that kind of spread. That is not a rounding difference, and it compounds over a hold period.

A full rate-versus-occupancy read is not available for this pairing. Mallorca runs £205 a night at 30% occupancy, but the source snapshot for Palma ships without enough priced listings to publish a comparable median. We would rather leave that comparison blank than assert one built on a handful of listings.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Palma is not simply the weaker market of the two.

We hold a verified regulation record for only one side of this pairing. Palma applies no annual night cap, requires a licence, and treats letting as a change of use needing planning permission, on a banned risk rating. Mallorca should be read as unverified rather than unregulated: check the local authority's own register before you underwrite anything there.

Who each suits, then. Mallorca suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry. Palma suits buyers who already hold compliant, grandfathered stock — not new entrants. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mallorca or Palma better for Airbnb investment?
Mallorca, on the data we track. It leads on a standout submarket in Deyá.
Is Mallorca or Palma riskier for Airbnb regulation?
We hold a verified regulation record for Palma only, so we will not rank the two. Palma applies no annual night cap, requires a licence, and treats letting as a change of use needing planning permission, and it is rated banned risk. Treat Mallorca as unverified rather than unregulated, and check the local authority directly before committing.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide
Airbnb in Mallorca
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
Market guide
Airbnb in Palma
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
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