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About Short-Term Rental Break-Even Calculator: Occupancy & Profit
Estimate short-term rental revenue, operating costs, monthly profit and the occupancy rate required to break even.
Change the example inputs to match a scenario and review the methodology and limitations before using the result in a decision. Calculations run locally in your browser.
How the calculation works
Gross revenue & fees
Occupied nights = available nights × (occupancy % ÷ 100); gross revenue = occupied nights × nightly rate; platform fees = gross revenue × (platform fee % ÷ 100).
Total costs & monthly profit
Total costs = fixed costs + (occupied nights × variable cost per night) + platform fees; monthly profit = gross revenue − total costs.
Break-even occupancy
Contribution per occupied night = nightly rate × (1 − platform fee % ÷ 100) − variable cost; break-even occupancy = (fixed costs ÷ contribution per night) ÷ available nights × 100.
How to use this calculator
- 1Replace the example values with internally consistent inputs.
- 2Review all result cards and any not-applicable state.
- 3Compare multiple scenarios and verify important assumptions independently.
Understanding the result
Break-even occupancy is the minimum monthly occupancy rate needed to cover both fixed and variable operating costs.
If expected occupancy exceeds break-even occupancy, the rental generates positive estimated monthly profit.
If contribution per occupied night is zero or negative (variable costs and platform fees exceed the nightly rate), the unit cannot break even at any occupancy.
Important limitations
- Outputs are planning estimates and do not include every provider, accounting, financing, tax, legal, or operational factor.
- Invalid divisions are shown as not applicable rather than NaN or Infinity.
- Taxes, financing, seasonality and property appreciation are not automatically included.
- Occupancy and nightly rates are user assumptions.
- Local short-term rental rules and licensing requirements are not evaluated.
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Frequently asked questions
What is break-even occupancy in vacation rentals?
It is the percentage of available calendar nights that must be booked at the specified nightly rate to cover all monthly fixed and variable operating costs.
What are variable costs per occupied night?
Variable costs include per-stay cleaning expenses, guest supplies, laundry, consumables, and incremental utility usage caused by guest stays.
What are monthly fixed operating costs?
Fixed costs include insurance, HOA dues, internet, software subscriptions, base utilities, pest control, and marketing expenses that occur regardless of bookings.
Why does break-even occupancy show Not Applicable?
If platform fees and variable costs per night exceed the nightly rate, each booking loses money and the property cannot reach break-even.
Can break-even occupancy exceed 100%?
Yes. If fixed costs are high relative to the nightly margin and available nights, required occupancy may exceed 100%, indicating that nightly rates must increase to achieve break-even.
Is my rental financial data stored or uploaded?
No. All calculations run strictly in your web browser.
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