Portland vs Rhode Island: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Portland edges ahead of Rhode Island on higher occupancy (37.8% vs 18.1%), stronger RevPAR (£54 vs £54).

Head-to-head metrics

	Portland	Rhode Island
Median occupancy	37.8%	18.1%
Median daily rate	£134	£286
Median RevPAR	£54	£54
Active listings	2,945	4,449
YoY occupancy	+0 pts	+0 pts
YoY daily rate	+57.9%	+38.9%
Regulation risk	—	—
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Portland vs Rhode Island

Portland finishes decisively ahead of Rhode Island 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 19.7 more points of its calendar — 37.8% median occupancy against 18.1% in Rhode Island. Nightly rates are also climbing faster in Portland, +57.9% over the last year against +38.9% in Rhode Island. 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. Rhode Island is the rate market: £286 a night against £134, some 114.5% more, but it converts fewer of those nights at 18.1% occupancy. Portland is the volume market, filling 37.8% of its calendar at a lower headline price. Revenue per available night settles it: £54 in Portland against £54. Rate is what you advertise; RevPAR is what you bank.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Rhode Island is not simply the weaker market of the two. Rhode Island commands 114.5% more per night, £286 against £134. Rhode Island's calendar is the flatter of the two — 13.6 points between its best and worst month against 33.1 in Portland — which makes debt service easier to underwrite. If your model leans on nightly rate rather than volume, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

Neither Portland nor Rhode Island 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. Portland peaks in September at 61.4% and bottoms in February at 28.3%; Rhode Island runs from 60.4% in October down to 46.8% in December. Rhode Island is the steadier of the two at 13.6 points peak-to-trough against 33.1 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Portland 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. Portland 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. Rhode Island 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 2026-09, filtered to listings with at least one booking in the last twelve months. Occupancy medians are drawn from 2,945 active Portland listings and 4,449 in Rhode Island.

Frequently asked questions

Is Portland or Rhode Island better for Airbnb investment?

Portland, on the data we track. It leads on higher occupancy (37.8% vs 18.1%), faster rate growth (+57.9% vs +38.9% year over year), and a thinner competitive field (2,945 vs 4,449 active listings). Rhode Island is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a higher nightly rate (£286 vs £134).

Which has higher occupancy, Portland or Rhode Island?

Portland, at 37.8% median occupancy against 18.1% in Rhode Island — a gap of 19.7 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 Portland was flat and Rhode Island was flat, so the gap is closing.

Which has higher nightly rates, Portland or Rhode Island?

Rhode Island, at £286 a night against £134 in Portland — roughly 114.5% more. The nightly rate is not the whole story, though. On revenue per available night — rate multiplied by how often the room actually sells — Portland comes out ahead at £54 against £54, so Portland's cheaper nights are more than repaid by how often they fill.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Portland or Rhode Island?

Portland, on occupancy: +0 points over the last twelve months against +0 points in Rhode Island. Nightly rates rose 57.9% in Portland and rose 38.9% in Rhode Island 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, Portland or Rhode Island?

Rhode Island, with 4,449 active listings against 2,945 in Portland. 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 Portland vs Rhode Island?

Portland earns more: roughly £19,616 a year for a median listing against £19,593 in Rhode Island. 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 Portland →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Rhode Island →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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