Pacific Grove vs Portland: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Portland edges ahead of Pacific Grove on higher occupancy (60% vs 42%).

Head-to-head metrics

	Pacific Grove	Portland
Median occupancy	42%	60%
Median daily rate	£239	£80
Median RevPAR	£67	£32
Active listings	191	3,143
YoY occupancy	+10.8 pts	+14 pts
YoY daily rate	+6.3%	+2%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Pacific Grove vs Portland

Portland finishes decisively ahead of Pacific Grove 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. Portland sells 18 more points of its calendar — 60% median occupancy against 42% in Pacific Grove. Portland is the deeper market at 3,143 active listings against 191, which usually means better comparables going in and a wider buyer pool coming out. 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. Pacific Grove is the rate market: £239 a night against £80, some 200% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 42% occupancy. Portland is the volume market, filling 60% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £67 in Pacific Grove against £32. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Pacific Grove 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 107.9% higher in Pacific Grove: £67 against £32. Across a full year the median Pacific Grove listing grosses £24,349 against £11,708 in Portland. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Pacific Grove nor Portland 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. Pacific Grove peaks in October at 62.5% and bottoms in May at 30.7%; Portland runs from 55.9% in November down to 27.8% in January. Portland is the steadier of the two at 28.1 points peak-to-trough against 31.8 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Pacific Grove 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. Pacific Grove 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. Portland 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. It is also the momentum side of this pair. Every figure above comes from the same Inside Airbnb snapshot pipeline on both sides, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 77 active Pacific Grove listings and 1,114 in Portland.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pacific Grove or Portland better for Airbnb investment?

Portland, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (60% vs 42%), a deeper market (3,143 vs 191 active listings), and the better occupancy trend (+14 points vs +10.8 points year over year). Pacific Grove is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on stronger RevPAR (£67 vs £32).

Which has higher occupancy, Pacific Grove or Portland?

Portland, at 60% median occupancy against 42% in Pacific Grove — 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. Over the last twelve months Pacific Grove gained 10.8 points and Portland gained 14 points, so the gap is widening.

Which has higher nightly rates, Pacific Grove or Portland?

Pacific Grove, at £239 a night against £80 in Portland — roughly 200% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £67 in Pacific Grove against £32, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Pacific Grove or Portland?

Portland, on occupancy: +14 points over the last twelve months against +10.8 points in Pacific Grove. Nightly rates rose 6.3% in Pacific Grove and rose 2% in Portland 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, Pacific Grove or Portland?

Portland, with 3,143 active listings against 191 in Pacific Grove. 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 Pacific Grove vs Portland?

Pacific Grove earns more: roughly £24,349 a year for a median listing against £11,708 in Portland. 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 Pacific Grove →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Portland →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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