Most "best places to invest in Airbnb" lists run on host-reported guesses. This one doesn't. Brixfox continuously tracks 351,008 short-term-rental listings across 20 countries and 426 neighborhoods, capturing ~207 million daily availability snapshots and 4.6 million detected bookings directly from Airbnb and Booking.com calendars. We analyzed the most recent full quarter (April-June 2026) to answer one question: once a short-term rental is operating, where does it earn the most?
How we define occupancy (read this first)
There are two very different ways to measure occupancy. All tracked listings includes new, dormant and owner-blocked listings, which drags averages down. Performing listings -- the basis used here -- counts listings actually being rented (meaningful occupancy, with at least 25 days of calendar tracking). This reflects what an operating investment property realistically achieves. All figures below are performing-listing medians/averages for April-June 2026, in USD.
The index: markets ranked by median monthly revenue
| Market | Avg occ | Median occ | Median ADR | Median monthly rev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Barts | 54% | 53% | $1,017 | $13,702 |
| Turks & Caicos | 55% | 56% | $826 | $12,152 |
| Aruba | 63% | 63% | $300 | $5,422 |
| Barbados | 56% | 53% | $288 | $4,425 |
| Dubai | 71% | 88% | $173 | $3,697 |
| Sint Maarten | 52% | 50% | $236 | $3,626 |
| Greece | 59% | 60% | $209 | $3,455 |
| Portugal | 56% | 55% | $217 | $3,381 |
| Curacao | 57% | 58% | $200 | $3,129 |
| Spain | 52% | 53% | $201 | $2,990 |
| Bali (Indonesia) | 55% | 53% | $161 | $2,482 |
| Croatia | 53% | 47% | $156 | $2,332 |
| Mexico | 45% | 37% | $152 | $1,774 |
| Thailand | 52% | 48% | $110 | $1,580 |
| Vietnam | 51% | 47% | $99 | $1,326 |
Key findings
- Dubai is the occupancy leader of every market we track -- performing listings run 71% average and 88% median occupancy, the highest in the dataset, on a $173 median nightly rate. With 0% income tax on rental income, that is why Dubai net returns can beat markets with higher nightly rates.
- The luxury Caribbean wins on raw income. St Barts ($1,017 median ADR) and Turks & Caicos ($826) generate $12k-$14k median monthly revenue, on small premium inventory and high entry costs.
- Mediterranean Europe is the volume play. Greece, Portugal and Spain cluster at 52-60% occupancy and ~$3,000-$3,500 median monthly revenue across tens of thousands of performing listings -- the deepest, most liquid markets for buyers.
- Bali offers the strongest accessible-entry returns: ~55% occupancy and a $161 median ADR produce ~$2,482/month, at entry prices far below the Caribbean or Dubai (typically leasehold, not freehold).
- Occupancy and nightly rate trade off. No market wins both: the Caribbean has the rates, Dubai and the Med have the occupancy. The best risk-adjusted returns sit where high occupancy meets accessible ADR -- Dubai, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Bali.
Methodology
Brixfox tracks 351,008 STR listings across 20 countries via daily Airbnb and Booking.com calendar diffs, snapshotting availability and pricing each day (~207M snapshots) and inferring realized occupancy and nightly rates rather than relying on host-reported figures. Figures cover April-June 2026 and use performing listings -- actively rented, with 25+ days of tracking and a non-zero nightly rate -- to represent achievable operating performance. Revenue is estimated monthly gross in USD. Observational and informational, not investment advice.
About Brixfox
Brixfox is an AI-powered platform that helps investors find the most profitable short-term-rental properties for sale, ranked by verified Airbnb and Booking.com performance. It tracks 351,000+ listings across 20 countries, with for-sale markets live in Bali, the Algarve (Portugal) and Dubai. Founded by Ted and Rogier, formerly of VillasOfBali.com.
