STR Market Report
Columbus, OH
Ohio • Short-Term Rental Market
Key Market Metrics
34%
Entire-home, active listings
Occupancy Rate
~10 nights booked per month on average
$120
Median, entire-home
Avg Nightly Rate
Typical price per night charged by whole-home hosts in this market
1,972
Had a review in past 12 mo
Active Listings
Whole-home Airbnbs with at least 1 recent guest review — active supply
$1,224
~10 booked nights / month
Est. Monthly Revenue
Directional gross booking revenue estimate before fees, expenses, and seasonality shifts
Licensed
Permit required — manageable for most operators with proper compliance
Regulatory Risk
Quick Investor Read
Higher-risk setup due to weaker demand, pricing constraints, or regulation. Underwrite conservatively.
Market Dynamics
2 nights
Typical host minimum
Median Min Stay
Most common minimum booking length. Short = weekenders welcome. Long (7+ nights) = weekly guests only.
55%
Hosts with 5+ listings
Pro Host Rate
Over half of supply is run by professional investors — a highly competitive market
2/mo
Median reviews per month
Booking Velocity
How quickly typical listings earn new reviews — a proxy for how often properties get booked. Higher = stronger demand.
88%
Have a permit on file
Licensed Listings
High compliance rate — regulations are actively enforced here. Budget for permitting before listing.
☀️ Demand Seasonality: Year-round demand
Strong demand across all seasons — minimal seasonal revenue volatility
Market Overview
Columbus, Ohio is an underrated STR market with solid fundamentals: Ohio State University creates enormous visitor demand around football Saturdays (peak weekends can 4-5x normal ADR), a growing tech sector, and the Short North arts district drives food tourism. The STR market benefits from relatively light regulations and lower acquisition costs compared to coastal markets, making the cap rate math attractive. Short North and German Village are top-performing neighborhoods year-round, with the whole metro seeing spikes around Buckeyes home games.
Top STR Neighborhoods
Premium Pricing Pocket
Downtown
Avg nightly rate: $3,037
Highest Occupancy Pocket
Northland
Avg occupancy: 47.3%
Best Balanced Opportunity
Downtown
Healthy mix of demand, pricing, and listing depth
- 1Short North
- 2German Village
- 3Victorian Village
- 4Italian Village
- 5Franklinton
Ranked by active listing count (Inside Airbnb data).
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Live Market Analytics
Source: Inside Airbnb · 2025-09-26Listing Locations & Pricing
Listing Types
- Entire Home82.6%
- Private Room17.3%
- Shared Room0.1%
Takeaway: entire home apt dominates this market snapshot.
Price Distribution (per night)
Takeaway: the highest concentration of listings sits in the $51–100 nightly range.
Occupancy Rate Distribution
Takeaway: most listings cluster around 0–10% occupancy.
Monthly Seasonality (from booking calendar)
Peak month in this snapshot: Sep (49.9% occupancy).
Neighbourhood Breakdown (top 15)
| Neighbourhood | Listings ↓ | Avg Price | Occupancy | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near North/University | 884 | $156 | 37.4% | — |
| Near South | 492 | $127 | 31.2% | — |
| Near East | 335 | $129 | 29.9% | — |
| Downtown | 181 | $3,037 | 39.2% | — |
| Clintonville | 121 | $151 | 39% | — |
| West Olentangy | 119 | $140 | 36.7% | — |
| Northland | 106 | $110 | 47.3% | — |
| Eastmoor/Walnut Ridge | 89 | $117 | 37.3% | — |
| North Linden | 85 | $141 | 31.9% | — |
| South Linden | 82 | $114 | 36.9% | — |
| Franklinton | 78 | $109 | 39.5% | — |
| Northwest | 38 | $173 | 25.9% | — |
| Rocky Fork-Blacklick | 36 | $132 | 35.7% | — |
| Far North | 34 | $91 | 37.9% | — |
| Eastland/Brice | 33 | $114 | 24.6% | — |
Source: Inside Airbnb. Click column headers to sort.
Analytics derived from Inside Airbnb public datasets. Data reflects the snapshot date above. Not financial advice.
Want verified, real-time data?
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Investment Score Breakdown
Score formula: Occupancy (max 45 pts) + ADR (max 30 pts) + Regulatory environment (up to 25 pts). Max score: 100.
Challenging market — lower occupancy, rate constraints, or restrictive regulations make Columbus a higher-risk choice for new STR investors.
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