Puglia vs Rome: which is better for Airbnb investment? (2026)

Bottom line

Rome edges ahead of Puglia on higher occupancy (26.3% vs 6.6%), stronger RevPAR (£41 vs £8).

Head-to-head metrics

	Puglia	Rome
Median occupancy	6.6%	26.3%
Median daily rate	£100	£159
Median RevPAR	£8	£41
Active listings	24,702	27,717
YoY occupancy	+0 pts	+3.3 pts
YoY daily rate	+38.2%	+45%
Regulation risk	—	medium
Annual night cap	None	None
License required	No	No

Full analysis: Puglia vs Rome

On the money side of this comparison — what a listing actually earns against the nights it has available — Rome finishes decisively ahead of Puglia. Revenue per available night — rate and occupancy combined, the figure that actually reaches an owner — is 425.1% higher in Rome: £41 against £8. Rome sells 19.7 more points of its calendar — 26.3% median occupancy against 6.6% in Puglia. That is not a rounding difference, and it compounds over a hold period.

Rome takes both halves of the yield equation, which is less common than it sounds. It charges more per night — £159 against £100 — and still fills more of the year, 26.3% against 6.6%. 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 £41 against £8.

That verdict needs a caveat, because Puglia is not simply the weaker market of the two. Puglia's calendar is the flatter of the two — 10 points between its best and worst month against 38.4 in Rome — which makes debt service easier to underwrite. Puglia sits at the cheaper end at £100 a night against £159, which lowers the bar for filling shoulder-season dates and usually tracks a lower purchase price too. If your model leans on that dimension, the ordering above can reasonably flip.

We hold a verified regulation record for only one side of this pairing. Rome applies no annual night cap and requires registration but no licence, on a medium risk rating. Puglia should be read as unverified rather than unregulated: check the local authority's own register before you underwrite anything there.

The two calendars also behave differently. Puglia peaks in August at 49.3% and bottoms in November at 39.3%; Rome runs from 67.3% in October down to 28.9% in February. Puglia is the steadier of the two at 10 points peak-to-trough against 38.4 — easier to underwrite against a mortgage — while Rome 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. Puglia suits buyers who want a conventional, lightly regulated entry. Rome 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 24,702 active Puglia listings and 27,717 in Rome.

Frequently asked questions

Is Puglia or Rome better for Airbnb investment?

Rome, on the data we track. It leads on stronger RevPAR (£41 vs £8), higher occupancy (26.3% vs 6.6%), and a higher nightly rate (£159 vs £100). Puglia is not the weak side of this pair, though — it wins on a flatter season (10-point swing vs 38.4).

Which has higher occupancy, Puglia or Rome?

Rome, at 26.3% median occupancy against 6.6% in Puglia — 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 Puglia was flat and Rome gained 3.3 points, so the gap is widening.

Which has higher nightly rates, Puglia or Rome?

Rome, at £159 a night against £100 in Puglia — roughly 59.2% more. Revenue per available night agrees rather than contradicts: £41 in Rome against £8, so the rate premium survives contact with the occupancy figures.

Is Puglia or Rome riskier for Airbnb regulation?

We hold a verified regulation record for Rome only, so we will not rank the two. Rome applies no annual night cap and requires registration but no licence, and it is rated medium risk. Treat Puglia as unverified rather than unregulated, and check the local authority directly before committing.

Which has stronger year-over-year growth, Puglia or Rome?

Rome, on occupancy: +3.3 points over the last twelve months against +0 points in Puglia. Nightly rates rose 38.2% in Puglia and rose 45% in Rome 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, Puglia or Rome?

Rome, with 27,717 active listings against 24,702 in Puglia. 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.

Go deeper on each city

Market guide

Airbnb in Puglia →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

Market guide

Airbnb in Rome →

Occupancy, ADR, neighborhoods, regulation

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