New York City vs San Diego: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

New York City edges ahead of San Diego on higher occupancy (60% vs 48%).

Head-to-head metrics

	New York City	San Diego
Median occupancy	60%	48%
Median daily rate	£143	£275
Median RevPAR	£51	£80
Active listings	10,476	9,600
YoY occupancy	+0 pts	+0 pts
YoY daily rate	+21.9%	+65%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: New York City vs San Diego

New York City finishes clearly ahead of San Diego 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. New York City sells 12 more points of its calendar — 60% median occupancy against 48% in San Diego. New York City's calendar is the flatter of the two — 21.8 points between its best and worst month against 36.7 in San Diego — which makes debt service easier to underwrite. Those gaps are wide enough to survive a normal year's variance.

The two markets reach their revenue by different routes, which is what makes this pairing worth reading rather than just tabulating. San Diego is the rate market: £275 a night against £143, some 91.7% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 48% occupancy. New York City is the volume market, filling 60% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £80 in San Diego against £51. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because San Diego is not simply the weaker market of the two. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 57.9% higher in San Diego: £80 against £51. Nightly rates are also climbing faster in San Diego, +65% over the last year against +21.9% in New York City. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither New York City nor San Diego 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 June at 63.3% and bottoms in November at 41.5%; San Diego runs from 68.1% in July down to 31.4% in December. New York City is the steadier of the two at 21.8 points peak-to-trough against 36.7 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while San Diego 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. New York City 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 Diego 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 2026-06, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 3,580 active New York City listings and 4,235 in San Diego.

Frequently asked questions

Is New York City or San Diego better for Airbnb investment?

New York City, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (60% vs 48%), a flatter season (21.8-point swing vs 36.7), and a lower price point (£143 a night vs £275). San Diego is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on stronger RevPAR (£80 vs £51).

Which has higher occupancy, New York City or San Diego?

New York City, at 60% median occupancy against 48% in San Diego — a gap of 12 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 was flat and San Diego was flat, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, New York City or San Diego?

San Diego, at £275 a night against £143 in New York City — roughly 91.7% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £80 in San Diego against £51, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, New York City or San Diego?

New York City, on occupancy: +0 points over the last twelve months against +0 points in San Diego. Nightly rates rose 21.9% in New York City and rose 65% in San Diego 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 San Diego?

New York City, with 10,476 active listings against 9,600 in San Diego. 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 San Diego?

San Diego earns more: roughly £29,253 a year for a median listing against £18,509 in New York City. 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 San Diego →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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