New Orleans vs San Mateo County: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

New Orleans edges ahead of San Mateo County on higher occupancy (60% vs 36%), stronger RevPAR (£47 vs £32).

Head-to-head metrics

	New Orleans	San Mateo County
Median occupancy	60%	36%
Median daily rate	£103	£126
Median RevPAR	£47	£32
Active listings	4,939	2,302
YoY occupancy	—	+9.7 pts
YoY daily rate	—	+0.6%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: New Orleans vs San Mateo County

On the money side of this comparison — what a listing actually earns against the nights it has available — New Orleans finishes decisively ahead of San Mateo County. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 47.8% higher in New Orleans: £47 against £32. New Orleans sells 24 more points of its calendar — 60% median occupancy against 36% in San Mateo County. 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. San Mateo County is the rate market: £126 a night against £103, some 21.4% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 36% occupancy. New Orleans is the volume market, filling 60% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £47 in New Orleans against £32. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because San Mateo County is not simply the weaker market of the two. Nightly rates favour San Mateo County: £126 against £103 in New Orleans, a 21.4% premium. San Mateo County is the less crowded of the two — 2,302 active listings to 4,939 — so a well-run property has fewer near-identical rivals to out-rank. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither New Orleans nor San Mateo County 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. New Orleans peaks in August at 52.2% and bottoms in December at 29.9%; San Mateo County runs from 55.7% in September down to 30.8% in February. Both swing by a similar amount across the year, so neither offers meaningfully steadier cash flow than the other.

Who each suits, then. New Orleans suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry and whose economics survive high turnover — more bookings, more cleans, more guest contact per pound of revenue. San Mateo County answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal: it is the market for an owner who can hold rate through the shoulder season rather than discounting to fill the calendar. 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 1,475 active New Orleans listings and 1,249 in San Mateo County.

Frequently asked questions

Is New Orleans or San Mateo County better for Airbnb investment?

New Orleans, on the data we track. It leads on stronger RevPAR (£47 vs £32), higher occupancy (60% vs 36%), and higher median annual revenue (£17,123 vs £11,585). San Mateo County is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£126 vs £103).

Which has higher occupancy, New Orleans or San Mateo County?

New Orleans, at 60% median occupancy against 36% in San Mateo County — a gap of 24 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, New Orleans or San Mateo County?

San Mateo County, at £126 a night against £103 in New Orleans — roughly 21.4% 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 Orleans comes out ahead at £47 against £32, so New Orleans's cheaper nights are more than repaid by how often they fill.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, New Orleans or San Mateo County?

We can only measure one side, so this comparison stays open. San Mateo County moved +9.7 points on occupancy year over year. New Orleans 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, New Orleans or San Mateo County?

New Orleans, with 4,939 active listings against 2,302 in San Mateo County. 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 New Orleans vs San Mateo County?

New Orleans earns more: roughly £17,123 a year for a median listing against £11,585 in San Mateo County. 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 New Orleans →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in San Mateo County →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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