Naples Has 29% More Airbnbs Than Two Years Ago. Are Owners Still Making Money?

If it feels like there are a lot more Airbnbs around Naples than there used to be, you're not imagining it.

The number of active Airbnb and VRBO listings in the Naples market has jumped 29% over the past two years, with an average of approximately 6,444 active short-term rentals during the 12 months ending in August 2026.

That's a lot more properties fighting for the same vacationers.

But here's the plot twist:

👉 Naples' short-term rental market isn't exactly falling apart.

In fact, some of the latest numbers are surprisingly strong.

You'd think thousands of additional rentals would push prices down.

So far, that's not what the data shows.

According to short-term-rental analytics provider BNBCalc:

📊 Supply: +2% year over year
💰 Average daily rate: +15%
📈 RevPAR: +8%
🏡 Average annual revenue: ~$47,000
💵 Average nightly rate: ~$431
🛏️ Average occupancy: ~30%

That last number deserves some attention.

Only about 30% occupancy.

Naples Airbnb owners don't necessarily need to keep their properties booked every night. Much of the financial equation comes down to what they can charge when they are occupied—especially during Southwest Florida's peak season.

Here's where things get really interesting.

The average Naples short-term rental reportedly generates about $47,000 per year.

But averages don't tell the whole story.

🔻 Low-performing listings: ~$15,000/year
➡️ Average listings: ~$47,000/year
🚀 High-performing listings: ~$127,000/year

That's more than an eightfold difference between the bottom and the top.

Translation: Simply owning a property in Naples doesn't guarantee Airbnb success.

Location, property type, amenities, pricing, presentation, reviews and management can all help determine which end of that range an owner lands on.

You might assume the giant Naples vacation home with four bedrooms and a pool would produce the best return.

One-bedroom properties currently show the highest average gross yield at approximately 11%.

🔑 Median purchase price: ~$189,000
💵 Average annual revenue: ~$28,000
📈 Average gross yield: ~11%

Across the entire Naples market, average gross yield is approximately 7%.

But—and this is a BIG but—gross yield isn't profit.

That calculation doesn't include expenses such as:

💳 Financing🏠 Property taxes🛡️ Insurance🧹 Cleaning🔧 Maintenance💡 Utilities👨‍💼 Management fees

💸 Transaction costs

So an 11% gross yield definitely doesn't mean an owner is pocketing an 11% return.

Anyone who lives here already knows this one.

The strongest months for Naples short-term rentals?

Nightly rates also peak in March and hit their lowest levels in September.

And even the day of the week matters.

📅 Booking demand is highest on Saturday
📉 It's lowest on Tuesday
🎉 Weekend occupancy runs about 17% higher than weekday occupancy

Which brings us to one of the biggest traps for potential investors.

A Naples Airbnb can look fantastic if you're running your projections using February and March.

That's why year-round performance matters much more than the eye-popping nightly rate an owner might command during season.

BNBCalc's data associates Naples listings with pools with approximately 15% more annual revenue, or around $6,682 more per year.

About 77% of Naples short-term rentals already have one.

So a pool may no longer be a major differentiator.

It may simply be something vacationers expect when they're booking a Naples property.

Air conditioning is an even more extreme example. Nearly every short-term rental in the market has it.

🏊 A pool = increasingly expected❄️ A/C = basically mandatory

✨ Great presentation = where differentiation starts becoming important

There's another number prospective Airbnb owners should pay attention to:

63% of Naples short-term rentals are professionally managed.

Only about 37% are operated by independent hosts.

That changes the competition.

You're potentially going up against professional operators using:

📸 Professional photography💲 Dynamic pricing⭐ Review-management strategies📱 Automated guest communication

🧹 Professional turnover systems

When there are more than 6,400 active rentals competing for travelers, throwing a few iPhone pictures online and waiting for reservations probably isn't much of a business plan.

The latest numbers don't support the idea that Naples' Airbnb market is collapsing.

Actually, quite the opposite in a few important areas.

Despite substantially more competition:

📈 Average daily rates are up 15%
📈 RevPAR is up 8%🏠 Home-price benchmarks have recently declined

💰 High-performing rentals are still generating substantial revenue

But the market has clearly become more competitive.

And that's where the story has changed.

With 29% more listings than two years ago, roughly 30% average occupancy, and annual revenue ranging from approximately $15,000 to $127,000, buying the right property—and operating it well—matters more than ever.

If you're thinking about buying a Naples property and turning it into an Airbnb, don't start by asking:

“How much could this make in February?”

Because in Naples, peak season can make almost any short-term rental look attractive.

The quiet months may tell you whether you actually bought a good investment.

💬 What do you think? Is owning an Airbnb in Naples still a smart investment—or has the market become too crowded?

Data cited in this story comes from BNBCalc's Naples short-term-rental market data, primarily updated in August 2026. Revenue and yield figures are market-level benchmarks and should not be interpreted as projections for an individual property. Gross yields are calculated before operating expenses, financing, taxes and transaction costs.