Side-by-side comparison

New York City vs Oakland: 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

New York City edges ahead of Oakland on higher occupancy (32.9% vs 19.7%), stronger RevPAR (£55 vs £29).

Head-to-head metrics

 New York CityOakland
Median occupancy32.9%19.7%
Median daily rate£152£137
Median RevPAR£55£29
Active listings10,6701,411
YoY occupancy-9.3 pts+0.5 pts
YoY daily rate+31.5%+62.6%
Regulation risk——
Annual night capNoneNone
License requiredNoNo

Full analysis: New York City vs Oakland

On the money side of this comparison — what a listing actually earns against the nights it has available — New York City finishes decisively ahead of Oakland. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 88.9% higher in New York City: £55 against £29. New York City sells 13.2 more points of its calendar — 32.9% median occupancy against 19.7% in Oakland. That is not a rounding difference, and it compounds over a hold period.

New York City takes both halves of the yield equation, which is less common than it sounds. It charges more per night — £152 against £137 — and still fills more of the year, 32.9% against 19.7%. 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 £55 against £29.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Oakland is not simply the weaker market of the two. The twelve-month direction favours Oakland too: occupancy there moved +0.5 points while New York City moved −9.3 points. Nightly rates are also climbing faster in Oakland, +62.6% over the last year against +31.5% in New York City. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither New York City nor Oakland 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 York City peaks in September at 63.7% and bottoms in February at 38.9%; Oakland runs from 62.2% in September down to 35% 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 York City suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry. It is the contrarian side: buying it means buying a market that has cooled. Oakland answers to the same regulatory profile, so the split between them is operational rather than legal. 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 10,670 active New York City listings and 1,411 in Oakland.

Frequently asked questions

Is New York City or Oakland better for Airbnb investment?
New York City, on the data we track. It leads on stronger RevPAR (£55 vs £29), higher occupancy (32.9% vs 19.7%), and higher median annual revenue (£20,145 vs £10,679). Oakland is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on the better occupancy trend (+0.5 points vs −9.3 points year over year).
Which has higher occupancy, New York City or Oakland?
New York City, at 32.9% median occupancy against 19.7% in Oakland — a gap of 13.2 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 New York City shed 9.3 points and Oakland gained 0.5 points, so the gap is closing.
Which has higher nightly rates, New York City or Oakland?
New York City, at £152 a night against £137 in Oakland — roughly 10.3% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £55 in New York City against £29, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.
Which has stronger year-over-year growth, New York City or Oakland?
Oakland, on occupancy: +0.5 points over the last twelve months against −9.3 points in New York City. Nightly rates rose 31.5% in New York City and rose 62.6% in Oakland 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, New York City or Oakland?
New York City, with 10,670 active listings against 1,411 in Oakland. 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 York City vs Oakland?
New York City earns more: roughly £20,145 a year for a median listing against £10,679 in Oakland. 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 York City →
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
Market guide
Airbnb in Oakland →
Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation
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