Mallorca vs Valencia: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Valencia edges ahead of Mallorca on higher occupancy (36.2% vs 11.5%).

Head-to-head metrics

	Mallorca	Valencia
Median occupancy	11.5%	36.2%
Median daily rate	£247	£116
Median RevPAR	£39	£37
Active listings	10,469	6,467
YoY occupancy	+0 pts	+11.5 pts
YoY daily rate	+20.7%	+33.5%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Mallorca vs Valencia

Valencia finishes decisively ahead of Mallorca on our composite of occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk — and it is the calendar rather than the price tag doing the work. Valencia sells 24.7 more points of its calendar — 36.2% median occupancy against 11.5% in Mallorca. The twelve-month direction favours Valencia too: occupancy there moved +11.5 points while Mallorca moved +0 points. That is not a rounding difference, and it compounds over a hold period.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. Mallorca is the rate market: £247 a night against £116, some 113.6% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 11.5% occupancy. Valencia is the volume market, filling 36.2% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £39 in Mallorca against £37. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Mallorca is not simply the weaker market of the two. Mallorca commands 113.6% more per night, £247 against £116. Mallorca is the deeper market at 10,469 active listings against 6,467, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Mallorca nor Valencia 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. Mallorca peaks in October at 54.1% and bottoms in April at 36.3%; Valencia runs from 62.2% in September down to 36.8% in December. Mallorca is the steadier of the two at 17.8 points peak-to-trough against 25.4 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Valencia concentrates its return into a shorter window and rewards operators who price the peak aggressively instead of holding a flat rate all year.

Who each suits, then. Mallorca suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry and who can hold rate through the shoulder season rather than discounting to fill the calendar. Valencia answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal: it is the market for an owner whose economics survive high turnover — more bookings, more cleans, more guest contact per pound of revenue. It is also the momentum side of this pair. 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 10,469 active Mallorca listings and 6,467 in Valencia.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mallorca or Valencia better for Airbnb investment?

Valencia, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (36.2% vs 11.5%), the better occupancy trend (+11.5 points vs +0 points year over year), and faster rate growth (+33.5% vs +20.7% year over year). Mallorca is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£247 vs £116).

Which has higher occupancy, Mallorca or Valencia?

Valencia, at 36.2% median occupancy against 11.5% in Mallorca — a gap of 24.7 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 Mallorca was flat and Valencia gained 11.5 points, so the gap is widening.

Which has higher nightly rates, Mallorca or Valencia?

Mallorca, at £247 a night against £116 in Valencia — roughly 113.6% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £39 in Mallorca against £37, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Mallorca or Valencia?

Valencia, on occupancy: +11.5 points over the last twelve months against +0 points in Mallorca. Nightly rates rose 20.7% in Mallorca and rose 33.5% in Valencia over the same window. One year of movement is a direction, not a trend — weigh it against the regulation picture before treating it as momentum.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Mallorca or Valencia?

Mallorca, with 10,469 active listings against 6,467 in Valencia. 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 Mallorca vs Valencia?

Mallorca earns more: roughly £14,076 a year for a median listing against £13,546 in Valencia. 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.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Mallorca →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Valencia →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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