Nashville, Tennessee Airbnb Market Data 2026

How much does a Nashville Airbnb make, and will Metro actually let you run the house you've got your eye on?

Well, in Nashville the permit gets settled before the money matters, because unless you're going to live in the home yourself, Metro Nashville only hands out new short-term rental permits in its commercial, mixed-use, office and downtown zoning districts, plus Specific Plan or PUD properties whose plan allows it. A permit the seller holds won't pass to you when you buy, either.

If your plan is to buy a place in East Nashville as a pure rental, make sure you've looked up that parcel's zoning before you run a single number, because a lot zoned residential can't get a new investor permit at all. I'm covering Nashville proper, run by the consolidated Metro government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee, and if you do find a parcel that qualifies, you'd be joining a market where listings grew about 6% over the latest twelve months while occupancy slipped, so each booking has a few more hosts chasing it than it did a year before.

How Much Do Nashville Airbnbs Earn in 2026?

BNBCalc's typical Nashville figure is for a four-bedroom-plus home, the largest group in the market, and buying that big doesn't cost you any yield, because typical gross yield barely changes from two bedrooms up.

The four-bedroom-plus group is also the one I'd trust least at face value. Its higher-performing third earns more than five times what its lower-performing third does, yet bigger listings drive much of that top end. Metro only permits homes with four sleeping rooms or fewer, and when I split BNBCalc's listing data by exact bedroom count, roughly a quarter of the 4+ group advertised five bedrooms or more.

Those bigger listings earn a median of about $107,700 against about $51,300 for four-bedrooms, roughly twice as much, and they fill just over half of the top third of the group by revenue. Does that make the high-end figure wrong? No, but much of it describes listings one new permit can't cover: some are genuine five-plus-bedroom houses, and many are two or more units booked together, each needing its own permit.

Expect experienced competition, too. As of September 2026, a large share of the filtered listings belonged to professional hosts, with stays averaging a little over four nights, so you'll often be pricing against people running rentals as a business. Running it yourself isn't the only option, and Nashville's short-term rental property managers are compared side by side, pricing included.

Across the whole market, the strongest tier of listings earned more than twice what the typical listing did in the twelve months to August 2026, on a noticeably fuller calendar, and only a very well-run house that can hold a permit gets near that, so I wouldn't budget on it.

Is the Nashville Airbnb Market Oversaturated?

Nashville is a little oversaturated, yes, because over the latest twelve months the number of listings grew about 6% while occupancy slipped about 2%.

Metric	Change over the year
Active supply	+6%
Average nightly rate	+3%
Purchase price	0%
Occupancy	−2%
Booking lead time	Down

BNBCalc market data across all listings BNBCalc tracks in the market, September 2025 to August 2026 against September 2024 to August 2025, rounded to the nearest whole percent. Each measure is averaged on its own, booking lead time shows its direction only, and a measure is left out when this year's data doesn't settle which way it moved. Purchase price follows home values rather than listings.

Listings rising while occupancy falls is the crowding signal I'd watch for, because it means guests aren't arriving as fast as new listings are, so the average home fills a slightly smaller share of its nights than it did a year earlier. Nightly rates didn't climb much either, up only about 3%, so it looks like hosts haven't had much room to charge more while their calendars thin. Put that together and I'd call Nashville mildly oversaturated right now: more hosts are competing for each booking, but occupancy has only slipped a couple of percent so far. Keep in mind that a single year can't tell you whether that's speeding up or starting to ease.

My read is that as long as listings keep outpacing guests, a new listing wins part of its bookings from hosts who were already there. I wouldn't skip Nashville for that, but I'd underwrite on the latest year's occupancy and wouldn't pencil in a recovery.

When Is Nashville's Peak Airbnb Season?

Does Nashville have one peak season or two? Two, which means bookings come in two bursts, and you'll want cash set aside for the thin stretch between the October peak and the March run.

Month	Occupancy	Avg nightly rate
Sep 2025	37%	$329
Oct 2025	45%	$375
Nov 2025	38%	$331
Dec 2025	31%	$294
Jan 2026	26%	$254
Feb 2026	33%	$276
Mar 2026	43%	$344
Apr 2026	43%	$369
May 2026	43%	$391
Jun 2026	43%	$413
Jul 2026	41%	$364
Aug 2026	36%	$349

BNBCalc market data across all listings BNBCalc tracks in the market, month by month from September 2025 to August 2026. Occupancy and nightly rate are each their own monthly average.

October filled 45% of its nights at a $375 average rate, well above September and November on either side of it, while January filled 26% at $254, the year's lowest on both counts. The long run from March through July held between 41% and 43% occupancy, and rates climbed from $344 in March to the year's top of $413 in June. December, January and February are the months I'd budget around, because none of them filled more than a third of its nights and they carried the three lowest rates of the year.

The week swings harder than the year, though, and hosts already price for part of that swing: Friday nights book about 46% better than an average night and Saturdays close to 49% better, with weekend rates roughly 27% above average.

Midweek is the weak spot. Monday and Tuesday occupancy falls roughly a third below average and Wednesday about a quarter, while the rate drops only about 14% on each of those nights. If the listing were mine, that's where I'd start testing price and stay rules, because a weekend that already carries a 27% premium has far less left to give.

Where Should You Buy an Airbnb in Nashville?

Zoning decides which addresses you can use at all, so I'd ask two things about any part of town: does it earn, and could you get a permit there?

BNBCalc's market spills past the county line, mostly northwest toward Clarksville, but keeps 92.2% of its listings inside Davidson County, so I mapped each listing to Metro's 14 official Community Planning Areas. They're bigger than neighborhoods, closer to sides of town.

Davidson County by Planning Area

Rank	Planning area	Median annual revenue	Median nightly rate	Median occupancy	75th-percentile revenue
1	Downtown	$43,412	$365	33%	$63,604
2	Bordeaux / Whites Creek / Haynes Trinity	$40,493	$428	29%	$68,334
3	North Nashville	$40,102	$412	30%	$61,170
4	Parkwood / Union Hill	$36,337	$310	31%	$52,289
5	Green Hills / Midtown	$34,077	$303	32%	$58,561
6	West Nashville	$33,432	$305	33%	$47,063
7	East Nashville	$33,031	$307	31%	$46,682
8	South Nashville	$32,798	$302	31%	$46,639
9	Madison	$29,238	$259	30%	$34,632
10	Bellevue	$26,950	$201	34%	$37,650
11	Antioch / Priest Lake	$25,242	$215	34%	$34,805
12	Donelson / Hermitage / Old Hickory	$23,252	$230	31%	$35,346
13	Southeast	$22,129	$196	33%	$28,913
14	Joelton	$20,858	$283	34%	$34,502

BNBCalc listing data mapped to Metro Nashville's official Community Planning Areas, using each listing's trailing twelve months as of BNBCalc's summer 2026 listing updates. Each column is its own median, and the last is the 75th percentile, where an area's top quarter starts, so the columns don't multiply. Listing medians run well below market-wide averages, so compare areas with each other. Joelton and Bellevue rest on thin samples.

Downtown leading didn't surprise me, but the two areas behind it did. Bordeaux / Whites Creek / Haynes Trinity and North Nashville post the highest median nightly rates in the county, $428 and $412, with the lowest median occupancy, 29% and 30%, and that combination usually means big houses. It does here: 65% and 49% of their listings have four bedrooms or more, compared with 11% downtown.

Before you chase either, remember the permit rules: a residential lot won't get a new investor permit, and a home with more than four sleeping rooms can't be permitted at all.

Green Hills / Midtown holds the most listings of any area and lands mid-table on the median, yet its 75th-percentile revenue of $58,561 is fourth-highest in the county, so I'd only buy there if I were confident of running a better-than-average unit.

At the other end, Bellevue and Antioch / Priest Lake earn less but post some of the best median occupancy in the county at 34%. Both are worth a look if you'd live in the home yourself, because an owner-occupied permit is the only new permit Metro still issues on residential lots.

Downtown Nashville by Downtown Code Subdistrict

I gave downtown a second table for a legal reason: four of the Downtown Code districts (North, South, West and Central) are on Metro's short list of places where a new investor permit can still be issued, as long as the property sits at least 100 feet from a religious institution, a school or its playground, a park or a licensed daycare. I split the downtown planning area again by Metro's Downtown Code subdistricts.

Rank	Subdistrict	Median annual revenue	Median nightly rate	Median occupancy	75th-percentile revenue
1	2nd and Broadway	$78,872	$577	36%	$126,486
2	James Robertson	$61,835	$617	34%	$122,013
3	Hope Gardens	$59,504	$549	31%	$91,680
4	Core Historic	$57,134	$559	28%	$90,215
5	Core	$52,033	$404	34%	$149,757
6	Lafayette	$46,127	$343	35%	$67,727
7	SoBro	$44,824	$376	31%	$50,766
8	Rolling Mill Hill	$43,511	$346	36%	$46,711
9	Gulch South	$39,055	$349	33%	$54,394
10	Sulphur Dell	$34,105	$295	32%	$42,440
11	Rutledge Hill	$28,510	$274	32%	$46,329

BNBCalc listing data mapped to Metro Nashville's Downtown Code subdistricts, same listing period and column rules as the planning-area table, but a separate, finer Metro layer, so compare rows within this table only. Subdistricts too thin to measure reliably are omitted, and James Robertson and Rolling Mill Hill are thin enough to move.

2nd and Broadway leads downtown on a $577 median rate and 36% median occupancy, which ties for the best in the table.

Core is the one I'd be careful with. Its median of $52,033 sits under a 75th percentile of $149,757, the widest gap downtown, and more than a fifth of its listings advertise five bedrooms or more, so my guess is the top of that range leans on combined listings or houses the permit rules exclude. Hope Gardens leans even harder on big units, with 80% of its listings at four bedrooms or more and 38% at five or more.

Lafayette runs the other way, with the most downtown listings, 35% median occupancy and fewer than one in twenty listings at four bedrooms or more, so I'd read it as a steady smaller-unit market.

Where should you buy, then? If you'll live in the home, pick the planning area that suits your life and budget, because an owner-occupied permit works almost anywhere. If you won't, I'd start downtown, which earns the most and where four Downtown Code districts still allow a new investor permit. Both tables stop at what listings earn, so for the character of each part of town, read BNBCalc's Nashville neighborhood investing guide.

Which Amenities Make the Most Money in Nashville?

The one amenity BNBCalc's current model publishes openly for Nashville is a pool, associated with roughly 18% more revenue than comparable listings without one.

Nashville's pools aren't spread evenly, though. In the same listing data, 56% of downtown listings advertise a pool against 4% in East Nashville, and about 31% of one-bedrooms do compared with 8% of homes with four bedrooms or more. My read is that a Nashville pool mostly comes with the building rather than the backyard. The realistic way to get one is to buy into a building that has it, as long as its HOA or condo rules allow short-term rentals, which Metro makes you confirm on the application.

Keep in mind the model compares similar listings, so that 18% isn't only downtown out-earning everywhere else. Even so, it's a link and not a promise, so I wouldn't write that 18% into a pro forma.

Nine more amenities carry a measurable signal here: a sauna, a gym, internet, an EV charger, lake access, a hot tub, a barbecue, bicycles and a TV. Their values sit behind BNBCalc Markets, and I won't guess at them. BNBCalc also leaves out basics nearly every US listing already has, because they aren't an investment decision.

Cleaning fees count for more here than in a longer-stay market, because short stays mean more turnovers. As of September 2026, fewer than half of Nashville listings charged one, at $169 on average among those that did, and averaged over every listing, cleaning brought in about $2,716 a year. If you skip it, I'd fix that before buying any amenity, and don't forget that Tennessee sales tax applies to a required cleaning fee.

Is Airbnb Legal in Nashville?

Yes, but whether it's legal for you depends on who lives in the home and how the parcel is zoned, and I'd check both before trusting any revenue figure.

Every short-term rental in Metro Nashville needs a permit from Metro Codes before it's listed or advertised, and as of August 2026 there are two kinds, which I've checked against Metro's own code and permit pages.

An owner-occupied permit covers a home you live in yourself. It's allowed in essentially every zoning district that allows homes, although the owner has to be a person rather than an LLC or a trust, and lots in single-family and two-family zoning districts get one permit each.

A not-owner-occupied permit is the one investors need. Metro only issues new ones in a set list of commercial, mixed-use, office and downtown zoning districts, plus Specific Plan or PUD properties whose plan allows it. It won't issue new ones on residential or agricultural zoning such as AR2a, R, RS and RM, and while existing permits there can be renewed, they don't survive a sale. Even retitling the property from your own name into an LLC counts as a change of ownership and cancels the permit, and if I were buying to invest, I'd confirm that before any revenue figure.

Every new investor permit is also subject to the 100-foot buffer, unless the Metro Council approves an exemption for the address after a public hearing, which takes 21 votes.

A permit only covers a home with four sleeping rooms or fewer, and occupancy can't exceed twice the sleeping rooms plus four, so 12 at most. Stays can't run shorter than 24 hours or longer than 30 days, and your permit number has to appear in every online listing.

The permit costs $313 a year. You'll also need $1,000,000 in liability coverage per occurrence and written notice to every adjacent owner before you apply, plus a safety certification from a licensed architect, engineer or home inspector for a single-family or two-family home, or a Fire Marshal inspection in a multifamily building. Your HOA can be stricter than Metro, and I'd read its bylaws before making an offer.

Metro takes complaints about unpermitted rentals through hubNashville, and the penalties are the part I'd take most seriously. Operating without a permit carries a $50 fine for every day, each counted as its own offense, followed by a one-year wait before the property can be permitted if Metro's zoning administrator makes the finding, or three years if a court does.

Then there's the tax on every stay. Tennessee's 7% sales tax and Davidson County's 2.75% local rate (raised from 2.25% in February 2025) come to 9.75%. Metro adds its own 7% hotel occupancy tax, so a guest pays roughly 16.75% on top of your rate and fees, plus a flat charge per room night. A platform that qualifies as a marketplace under Tennessee law collects and pays both taxes on its bookings, but direct bookings are yours to handle.

Davidson County also holds all or part of six small cities with their own governments: Belle Meade, Berry Hill, Forest Hills, Goodlettsville, Oak Hill and Ridgetop. If a property sits in one, ask that city about its rules as well. BNBCalc's Nashville market also reaches parts of Clarksville, which isn't under Metro at all, so a property there answers to Clarksville's own short-term rental rules.

Our Nashville short-term rental regulation guide explains which zoning districts qualify, walks through the application steps and lists who to call at Metro Codes. If the zoning on a parcel isn't clear-cut, I'd ask Metro Codes for a zoning letter before making an offer, and keep in mind Metro started charging a fee for those in April 2026.

Where Does This Nashville Airbnb Data Come From?

Once the zoning checks out, the question becomes whether the numbers do, and every figure in this guide comes from BNBCalc Markets, BNBCalc's tool for market research. It also shows which operators run listings in a market and how they perform, which is worth a look before you buy in Nashville, because a large share of the city's listings are run by professional hosts, and plenty of the people you'd be pricing against do this for a living.

How Do You Estimate Airbnb Revenue for a Nashville Property?

You won't find the two things that decide a Nashville deal in any market average: the parcel's zoning, and how many sleeping rooms one permit covers.

Narrow it down in stages. Pull up the Nashville market page for current revenue and the monthly pattern, compare it with the best Tennessee markets by gross yield while you're still choosing a city, and once you have a house, put its address into BNBCalc with your real price, financing and operating costs.

I'd run four checks on any Nashville deal before trusting a spreadsheet. Confirm the zoning and which permit you'd hold, and don't count on the seller's permit, because it ends at closing. Underwrite what one permit covers, four sleeping rooms at most, even when comps advertise eight, because those are often several units booked as one or a house a new permit won't cover. I'd plan for January, the year's emptiest and cheapest month, at 26% occupancy and a $254 average rate. And I'd price against the guest's full bill, with roughly 16.75% in tax plus the nightly charge sitting on top of your rate.

When a city decides which homes can operate, a lot of the averages you'll read mix in homes you couldn't get a new permit for. So price the home you can legally run in the market as it is today, not the bigger listing down the street.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does an Airbnb Make in Nashville?

The typical listing in the Nashville market earned about $57,500 a year at about 38.3% occupancy over the year through August 2026, according to BNBCalc market data. The strongest tier earned more than twice that. Among listings with four or more bedrooms, the five-plus median is roughly twice the four-bedroom median, and many of those bigger listings are two or more units booked together. A Metro Nashville permit covers one home with no more than four sleeping rooms.

Is Airbnb Still Profitable in Nashville in 2026?

For the right permitted property, yes, although the market is getting more crowded. Across all listings BNBCalc tracks, supply rose about 6% in the twelve months to August 2026 while occupancy fell about 2%, and the average nightly rate rose about 3%. New investor permits are also limited to certain zoning districts.

What Is the Best Month for Airbnb in Nashville?

June had the highest average nightly rate of the year at $413, across all listings BNBCalc tracks, and October filled 45% of its nights, well above the months on either side. Occupancy also stays high from March through July, while December through February is the slow stretch, with the lowest occupancy and nightly rates of the year. Friday and Saturday are the busiest nights of the week. Figures cover September 2025 to August 2026.

Can Investors Get a Short-Term Rental Permit in Nashville?

Only in certain zoning. As of August 2026, Metro Nashville issues new not-owner-occupied permits in listed commercial, mixed-use, office and downtown districts, plus Specific Plan or PUD properties whose plan allows it, and not on residential or agricultural zoning such as AR2a, R, RS or RM. Existing permits in residential zones can be renewed but end when the property changes hands, including a move into an LLC. New permits must also sit 100 feet from religious institutions, schools, parks and licensed daycares unless the Metro Council votes an exemption.

How Many Bedrooms Can a Nashville Short-Term Rental Have?

A Metro Nashville short-term rental permit only covers a home with no more than four sleeping rooms, and Metro Codes states that properties with more than four bedrooms cannot be permitted. Maximum occupancy is twice the number of sleeping rooms plus four, which caps a four-bedroom home at 12 guests. Bigger listings are often two or more units booked together, each needing its own permit.

How Much Tax Do Nashville Airbnb Guests Pay?

A stay in Nashville carries Tennessee's 7% state sales tax, Davidson County's 2.75% local sales tax and Metro Nashville's 7% hotel occupancy tax, about 16.75% on top of the rate and fees, plus a flat charge per room night. Sales tax also applies to required cleaning and booking fees. Qualifying marketplaces collect and pay the sales and local occupancy taxes on bookings they handle; direct bookings are the host's job.

Which Part of Nashville Earns the Most on Airbnb?

Downtown leads Davidson County's official planning areas on median annual revenue at $43,412, followed by Bordeaux / Whites Creek / Haynes Trinity at $40,493 and North Nashville at $40,102. Inside downtown, the 2nd and Broadway subdistrict leads at $78,872 on a $577 median nightly rate. All four are medians of listings' trailing twelve months, mapped to official Metro Nashville boundaries.

How Many Airbnbs Are There in Nashville?

BNBCalc's Nashville market page counts about 11,000 active listings, and as of September 2026 about 7,000 of them cleared BNBCalc's activity filter. Professional hosts operate a large share of those, and 92.2% sit inside Davidson County. Across all listings, supply grew about 6% in the year to August 2026.