STR Market Report
Santa Cruz County, CA
California • Short-Term Rental Market
Key Market Metrics
38%
Entire-home, active listings
Occupancy Rate
~11 nights booked per month on average
$282
Median, entire-home
Avg Nightly Rate
Typical price per night charged by whole-home hosts in this market
1,171
Had a review in past 12 mo
Active Listings
Whole-home Airbnbs with at least 1 recent guest review — active supply
$3,215
~11 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.
39%
Hosts with 5+ listings
Pro Host Rate
Significant investor presence — you'll compete with experienced multi-property operators
1.5/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.
🏖️ Demand Seasonality: Summer peak
Peak demand June–August; shoulder spring/fall; lower winter occupancy
Market Overview
santa-cruz-county-ca is an emerging short-term rental market with growing demand from tourism, business travel, and outdoor recreation. Detailed editorial content coming soon.
Top STR Neighborhoods
Premium Pricing Pocket
Unincorporated Areas
Avg nightly rate: $1,614
Highest Occupancy Pocket
City of Scotts Valley
Avg occupancy: 56.1%
Best Balanced Opportunity
Unincorporated Areas
Healthy mix of demand, pricing, and listing depth
- 1Unincorporated Areas
- 2City of Santa Cruz
- 3City of Capitola
- 4City of Scotts Valley
- 5City of Watsonville
Ranked by active listing count (Inside Airbnb data).
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Live Market Analytics
Source: Inside Airbnb · 2026-05-26Listing Locations & Pricing
Listing Types
- Entire Home82.2%
- Private Room13.9%
- Unknown2.1%
- Hotel Room1.7%
- Shared Room0.1%
Takeaway: entire home apt dominates this market snapshot.
Price Distribution (per night)
Takeaway: the highest concentration of listings sits in the $201–300 nightly range.
Occupancy Rate Distribution
Takeaway: most listings cluster around 0–10% occupancy.
Neighbourhood Breakdown (top 5)
| Neighbourhood | Listings ↓ | Avg Price | Occupancy | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated Areas | 979 | $1,614 | 38.8% | — |
| City of Santa Cruz | 429 | $344 | 47.3% | — |
| City of Capitola | 282 | $362 | 43.7% | — |
| City of Scotts Valley | 27 | $174 | 56.1% | — |
| City of Watsonville | 25 | $226 | 10.4% | — |
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?
Get professional analytics for Santa Cruz County
Our estimates are a starting point — these tools give you neighborhood-level occupancy, revenue projections, and comp analysis from live Airbnb data.
Real-time occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR by neighborhood. The industry standard for STR market research.
View Santa Cruz County data on AirDNA →Combines Airbnb data with traditional rental comps. Great for comparing STR vs long-term rental ROI.
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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.
Moderate market — Santa Cruz County has decent fundamentals but some limitations. Worth investigating further before committing capital.
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