Santa Cruz, CA
Unlock the data for all Markets
Annual revenue (actual)
$79.9k
12 mo avg
↑14%
from prior 12 mo
Occupancy rate
42%
12 mo avg
↑0%
from prior 12 mo
Avg daily rate
$441
12 mo avg
↑14%
from prior 12 mo
Gross yield
6.4%
Current potential
↓0.3 pts
vs prior-year prices
Lead time
40 days
12 mo avg
↑0 days
from prior 12 mo
Revpar
$168
12 mo avg
↑20%
from prior 12 mo
Methodology note: Figures reflect Santa Cruz market data as of October 2026. Data covers Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com listings. Values are seasonally influenced; rounding applied for readability.
Ranked by median gross yield across eligible homes. Each home’s annual room-revenue potential is compared with its ZIP- and bedroom-matched value, before expenses.
| Neighborhood | Revenue (potential) | Gross yield |
|---|---|---|
| San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley and Bonny Doon | $60.7K 60 listings | 8.0% 60 listings |
| Capitola and Soquel | $63.3K 118 listings | 7.4% 118 listings |
| Aptos, Rio del Mar and Seacliff | $74.2K 192 listings | 7.4% 192 listings |
| Pleasure Point, Twin Lakes and Live Oak | $85.6K 209 listings | 6.8% 209 listings |
| Santa Cruz | $65.1K 168 listings | 5.8% 168 listings |
Data as of 2026-10-06
Revenue per listing by bedroom
Annual revenue per listing, broken down by bedroom count. Compare which property sizes perform best.
Bedroom count:
0
1
2
3
4+
Short-term rental supply growth
Tracks how the number of active listings changes over time. Rising supply with flat revenue may indicate saturation.
Performance metrics by bedroom
Breakdown of revenue, property values, yields, supply, and cleaning fees for each bedroom type.
Bedrooms
Median revenue
Median home value
Gross yield
Supply
Amenity revenue impact
This estimate compares similar listings in this market. When local data is limited, we blend in state and U.S. results to prevent unusually high or low estimates.
| Amenity | Est. revenue impact |
|---|---|
| Hot Tub | +18% $14,379/yr |
| Pool | 🔒 +1•% · $••••/yr Revenue lift and listing count available in Markets |
| Gym | 🔒 +1•% · $••••/yr Revenue lift and listing count available in Markets |
| Sauna | 🔒 +8% · $••••/yr Revenue lift and listing count available in Markets |
| Barbecue | 🔒 +5% · $••••/yr Revenue lift and listing count available in Markets |
| Pets Allowed | 🔒 +5% · $••••/yr Revenue lift and listing count available in Markets |
| Parking | 🔒 +4% · $••••/yr Revenue lift and listing count available in Markets |
| Lake Access | 🔒 +3% · $••••/yr Revenue lift and listing count available in Markets |
Nightly rate by day of week
Average nightly rate for each day of the week. Most markets see higher rates on weekends.
Occupancy rate by day of week
Shows booking patterns throughout the week. Helps understand demand cycles.
Listings by channel
Listings by rental type
Listings by amenities
Listings by size
4+ bedrooms (0%)
Listings by availability
Length of stay by bedroom
3 bedrooms (5.1 nights)
1 bedroom (3.9 nights)
4+ bedrooms (3.8 nights)
2 bedrooms (3.7 nights)
Studio (3.3 nights)
Cleaning fee by bedroom
4+ bedrooms ($337)
3 bedrooms ($247)
2 bedrooms ($183)
1 bedroom ($116)
Studio ($87)
Professional host share
Independent hosts (52%)
Professionally managed (48%)
Housing market signals
See how home prices, supply, and buyer competition are changing before you invest.
Are home values in Santa Cruz going up or down?
Unlock five years of home value changes and Zillow's next-year forecast.
Which home type gives you the most space for the price?
Over the 12 months ending September 2026, the Santa Cruz market averaged 1,027 active Airbnb and VRBO listings, down 6% from a year earlier and down 13% over two years.
An average Santa Cruz listing earns $84K/year. High-performing listings earn $153K, while low-performing listings earn $27K.
Median Santa Cruz home prices by size are 1-bedroom $712K, 2-bedroom $929K, 3-bedroom $1.4M, and 4+ bedroom $1.7M.
Average occupancy in Santa Cruz is 40%, producing RevPAR of $180 per available night.
Rules vary across Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz: Strict. Hosted-only STRs allowed, owner-occupancy required, annual permit mandatory, 30-day minimum unhosted rentals. Active enforcement with high fines, regular audits. Capitola: Strict. Owner-occupied only, maximum 2 rooms, annual license required, density caps by zone. Active enforcement, violations prosecuted. Aptos (unincorporated Santa Cruz County): Moderate. Permit required, some owner-occupancy rules, varying by zone. Complaint-based enforcement, some unpermitted operations exist. Verify requirements for the property's jurisdiction.
The Santa Cruz Airbnb and VRBO market does not show clear signs of oversaturation. Supply has declined 6% year-over-year, while RevPAR has increased 28%, suggesting demand is outpacing available supply.
RevPAR is highest in July and June; it is lowest in January and February.
The most common amenities are Internet (99%), Heating (97%), TV (96%). The strongest positive revenue associations are Washing Machine (+57%), Bbq (+35%), Air Conditioning (+29%).
Average daily rate in Santa Cruz is $494, up 16% year-over-year. Rates peak in July and are lowest in October.
Guests in Santa Cruz book an average of 41 days in advance, up 4% from last year. Booking windows range from 34 days for 1-bedroom listings to 60 days for 4+ bedroom listings.
Booking demand is highest on Saturday and lowest on Tuesday. Nightly rates peak on Saturday and are lowest on Monday. Weekend occupancy is 61% higher than weekday occupancy.
For each eligible home, annual room-revenue potential is divided by a ZIP- and bedroom-matched home-value estimate. Groups show the median of those yields. Cleaning income is excluded. Gross yield is before expenses and financing.
(0)
Filters (0)