Side-by-side comparison

Nashville vs Newark: which is better for Airbnb investment?

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

Bottom line

Nashville edges ahead of Newark on higher occupancy (48% vs 30%), stronger RevPAR (£44 vs £16).

Head-to-head metrics

 NashvilleNewark
Median occupancy48%30%
Median daily rate£127£77
Median RevPAR£44£16
Active listings7,6971,455
YoY occupancy+15.1 pts
YoY daily rate-6.4%
Regulation risk
Annual night capNoneNone
License requiredNoNo

Full analysis: Nashville vs Newark

On the money side of this comparison — what a listing actually earns against the nights it has available — Nashville finishes decisively ahead of Newark. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 166.7% higher in Nashville: £44 against £16. Nashville sells 18 more points of its calendar — 48% median occupancy against 30% in Newark. That is not a rounding difference, and it compounds over a hold period.

Nashville takes both halves of the yield equation, which is less common than it sounds. It charges more per night — £127 against £77 — and still fills more of the year, 48% 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 £44 against £16.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Newark is not simply the weaker market of the two. Newark's calendar is the flatter of the two — 22.2 points between its best and worst month against 31 in Nashville — which makes debt service easier to underwrite. Newark is the less crowded of the two — 1,455 active listings to 7,697 — so a well-run property has fewer near-identical rivals to out-rank. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Nashville nor Newark 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. Nashville peaks in October at 50.8% and bottoms in January at 19.8%; Newark runs from 43.5% in September down to 21.3% in February. Newark is the steadier of the two at 22.2 points peak-to-trough against 31 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Nashville 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. Nashville suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry. Newark 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 2025-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 3,438 active Nashville listings and 818 in Newark.

Frequently asked questions

Is Nashville or Newark better for Airbnb investment?
Nashville, on the data we track. It leads on stronger RevPAR (£44 vs £16), higher occupancy (48% vs 30%), and a higher nightly rate (£127 vs £77). Newark is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a flatter season (22.2-point swing vs 31).
Which has higher occupancy, Nashville or Newark?
Nashville, at 48% median occupancy against 30% in Newark — a gap of 18 points. That is a wide spread by short-term rental standards and usually reflects a structural demand difference rather than better hosting.
Which has higher nightly rates, Nashville or Newark?
Nashville, at £127 a night against £77 in Newark — roughly 64.3% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £44 in Nashville against £16, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.
Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Nashville or Newark?
We can only measure one side, so this comparison stays open. Nashville moved +15.1 points on occupancy year over year. Newark lacks a comparable snapshot from roughly twelve months earlier, and we would rather leave the cell empty than compare against a mismatched date.
Which is the bigger Airbnb market, Nashville or Newark?
Nashville, with 7,697 active listings against 1,455 in Newark. 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 Nashville vs Newark?
Nashville earns more: roughly £15,920 a year for a median listing against £5,972 in Newark. 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 Nashville
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
Market guide
Airbnb in Newark
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
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