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

Bottom line

Mallorca and Valencia score similarly on the metrics that matter most for short-term rental returns. The right pick depends on whether you optimise for yield (lower regulation risk, higher RevPAR) or capital growth.

Head-to-head metrics

	Mallorca	Valencia
Median occupancy	30%	30%
Median daily rate	£205	£87
Median RevPAR	£29	£20
Active listings	10,400	6,234
YoY occupancy	—	—
YoY daily rate	—	—
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Mallorca vs Valencia

There is no clean winner between Mallorca and Valencia. Mallorca posts 30% occupancy and £29 RevPAR; Valencia posts 30% occupancy and £20 RevPAR. Weighted together with regulation risk the two finish inside the margin we are willing to call, which is the honest answer rather than an evasive one — a scoring gap this small would flip on the next data refresh. When markets are this close the decision stops being about the market and starts being about the deal: what you pay, what it costs to run, and how quickly you could exit.

Mallorca takes both halves of the yield equation, which is less common than it sounds. It charges more per night — £205 against £87 — and still fills more of the year, 30% against 30%. 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 £29 against £20.

A tie does not mean the two are interchangeable — it means each holds something the other does not. Across a full year the median Mallorca listing grosses £10,710 against £7,451 in Valencia. Valencia is the less crowded of the two — 6,234 active listings to 10,400 — so a well-run property has fewer near-identical rivals to out-rank. Pick the one whose advantage matches how you intend to operate, because the composite score will not do that job for you.

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 51.7% and bottoms in April at 33.6%; Valencia runs from 64.4% in September down to 36.7% in November. Mallorca is the steadier of the two at 18.1 points peak-to-trough against 27.7 — 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. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, dated 2025-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 7,915 active Mallorca listings and 3,224 in Valencia.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mallorca or Valencia better for Airbnb investment?

Neither pulls clearly ahead. Mallorca runs 30% occupancy and £205 a night; Valencia runs 30% occupancy and £87 a night. Once occupancy, revenue per available night and regulation risk are weighted together the two finish within a couple of points of each other, so the decision turns on purchase price, how far you are willing to travel, and which rulebook you would rather work under.

Which has higher occupancy, Mallorca or Valencia?

Effectively neither — they are level. Mallorca sits at 30% and Valencia at 30%, a 0-point difference that is inside the noise of a median drawn from a listings snapshot.

Which has higher nightly rates, Mallorca or Valencia?

Mallorca, at £205 a night against £87 in Valencia — roughly 136.3% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £29 in Mallorca against £20, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Mallorca or Valencia?

Mallorca, with 10,400 active listings against 6,234 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 £10,710 a year for a median listing against £7,451 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.

What is the best time of year to rent out an Airbnb in Mallorca or Valencia?

Mallorca peaks in October at 51.7% occupancy and troughs in April at 33.6%; Valencia peaks in September at 64.4% and troughs in November at 36.7%. 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 Mallorca →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Valencia →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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