Buy an Airbnb (Investment Property) in Northern Rivers
We find, check and secure Northern Rivers homes that can earn as short stays, then set them up for their first guest. Every property is checked against the local short-stay approval rules and real booking demand before you sign. Prefer a long-term rental? We buy those too, and test every Airbnb against its long-term rent so you always know your fallback.
Can you buy and run an Airbnb in the Northern Rivers? It depends on the council. Non-hosted stays are capped at 60 days a year in most of Byron Shire (365 days in mapped parts of Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads) and at 180 days in Ballina Shire and on certain land in the Clarence Valley; Tweed, Lismore, Kyogle and Richmond Valley have no state cap. In the last 12 months 3-bedroom houses sold at a $1,600,000 median in Byron Bay, $1,371,000 in Kingscliff, $838,250 in Yamba and $510,000 in Grafton.
What could this Northern Rivers home earn?
Found a property you like? Enter its address and see what similar short-stay homes nearby are earning, so you know whether the price stacks up before you offer.
- Yearly gross estimate from homes like it nearby
- Nightly rate and occupancy across the year
- Compared with long-term rent so you see the fallback
Revenue calculator
Want to check the Airbnb revenue potential?
Open the calculator and run a quick short-term rental revenue estimate without leaving this page.
Northern Rivers prices by suburb and bedrooms
Median sale prices and weekly long-term rents over the last 12 months. Pick a bedroom count, or turn on Compare and add as many as you like.
3-bedroom house in Banora Point · turn on Compare to add more bedroom counts
3 bedrooms
- Sales, 12 months
- 136
- Long-term rent
- $880 / wk
- Rent a year
- $45,760
- Gross yield
- 4.2%
- Price growth, 5 yrs
- +9.9% a yr
See every bedroom count in one table
| Houses | Units | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedrooms | Median price | Sales | Rent / week | Median price | Sales | Rent / week |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | $1,545,000 | 19 | $1,300 | — | — | — |
| 4 | $1,365,000 | 96 | $1,150 | — | — | — |
| 3 | $1,082,500 | 136 | $880 | $990,000 | 7 | $800 |
| 2 | $915,000 | 15 | $820 | $792,250 | 27 | $720 |
| 1 | — | — | — | $414,000 | 7 | $550 |
* Fewer than 5 sales, so treat the median as a guide only. Source: Stash Property, publicly available listing data, 12 months from 1 October 2025. Figures in AUD.
Who lives here, and how the market is moving
The figures a buyer should check before choosing a suburb. The Market card follows the Houses / Units and bedroom buttons above; People and Housing cover the whole suburb.
Market · 3-bed houses
- Median price
- $1,082,500
- Sales, 12 months
- 136
- Price growth, 12 months
- +13.9%
- Price growth, 5 years
- +9.9% a yr
- Days on market
- 28 days
- Leases, 12 months
- 80
- Days to lease
- 18 days
- Rental vacancy, all houses
- 0.6%
- Houses for sale, all sizes (Sep 2026)
- 92
People · whole suburb
- Population
- 16,460+3.6% over 5 years
- Aged 65 and over
- 32%
- Median household income
- $1,268 / week
- Advantage ranking
- 33rd percentileof Australian suburbs (SEIFA)
- Distance to Tweed Heads
- 5.2 km
Housing · whole suburb
- Owner occupied
- 77%
- Rented
- 21%
- Social housing
- 3.0%
- New homes approved, 12 months
- 4545 houses · 0 units
- Median rent, 2021 Census
- $440 / week
- Rental vacancy under 1% means a strong long-term rental fallback if you ever stop short-stay letting.
- A low owner-occupier share and lots of new approvals can mean more competing rentals. Check both.
- Days on market shows how quickly you could sell. Fewer days means an easier exit.
ABS Census 2021, ABS Estimated Resident Population, ABS Building Approvals (last 12 months, SA2) and ABS SEIFA 2021, as cited by Stash Property
Long-term rent is your fallback
A 3-bedroom house in Northern Rivers rents for $26,000 to $62,400 a year long term, depending on the suburb. A short stay only makes sense if it clears that comfortably after cleaning, platform and management costs, which is why we test both before you buy.
Follows the Houses / Units and bedroom buttons above. Turn on Compare to see several bedroom counts side by side.
| Suburb | Vacancyall houses | 3-bed rent a year | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alstonville | 0.4% | $38,324$737/wk | 4.3% |
| Ballina | 0.3% | $40,560$780/wk | 4.6% |
| Banora Point | 0.6% | $45,760$880/wk | 4.2% |
| Bogangar | 0.9% | $49,400$950/wk | 3.5% |
| Byron Bay | 1.0% | $62,400$1,200/wk | 3.9% |
| Casino | 0.3% | $30,160$580/wk | 5.8% |
| Casuarina | 3.9% | $55,900$1,075/wk | 3.3% |
| East Ballina | 0.5% | $42,640$820/wk | 3.4% |
| Goonellabah | 0.4% | $35,360$680/wk | 5.0% |
| Grafton | 0.6% | $28,600$550/wk | 5.6% |
| Kingscliff | 1.3% | $54,600$1,050/wk | 4.0% |
| Lennox Head | 0.5% | $46,800$900/wk | 3.3% |
| Lismore | 0.4% | $31,200$600/wk | 5.4% |
| Maclean | 0.3% | $31,720$610/wk | 4.5% |
| Mullumbimby | 0.7% | $49,400$950/wk | 4.4% |
| Murwillumbah | 0.6% | $41,080$790/wk | 4.4% |
| Ocean Shores | 0.9% | $48,360$930/wk | 4.0% |
| Pottsville | 1.3% | $44,200$850/wk | 3.6% |
| South Grafton | 0.7% | $26,000$500/wk | 5.5% |
| Suffolk Park | 1.5% | $62,400$1,200/wk | 5.1% |
| Tweed Heads | 0.4% | $46,800$900/wk | 3.2% |
| Tweed Heads South | 0.6% | $44,200$850/wk | 4.7% |
| Tweed Heads West | 0.8% | $44,460$855/wk | 4.7% |
| West Ballina | 0.5% | $39,260$755/wk | 4.7% |
| Wollongbar | 0.7% | $36,400$700/wk | 4.3% |
| Yamba | 0.5% | $34,320$660/wk | 4.1% |
Northern Rivers short-stay rules for buyers
Taken from the same verified council audit as our Northern Rivers management page. Open a question for the detail and the official source.
YESDo I need to register an Airbnb in NSW?
Yes. Every short-term rental in NSW must be on the NSW STRA Register before it is advertised. A new registration costs $65 and the annual renewal costs $25. The STRA property ID (PID-STRA) must be shown on every online listing.
We check the registration and fire-safety steps for a buyer before settlement, so the home can be listed soon after you get the keys.
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure — Short-term rental accommodation ↗
CHECKIs there a day cap on non-hosted Airbnb in the Northern Rivers?
It depends on the council. NSW caps non-hosted short-term rental at 180 days a year in the Ballina area and on certain land in the Clarence Valley. Tweed, Lismore, Kyogle and Richmond Valley are not on the capped list. Bookings of 21 consecutive days or more don't count towards a cap, and hosted stays have no day limit.
We confirm the cap that applies to the exact address before you buy.
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure — Short-term rental accommodation ↗
NOCan a non-hosted Airbnb in Byron Shire run all year?
Not in most of the shire. Since 23 September 2024 non-hosted short-term rental is limited to 60 days a year across most of Byron Shire. Mapped precincts in and around the Byron Bay town centre and at Brunswick Heads can operate up to 365 days a year. There is no cap on hosted stays.
We check whether a Byron Shire address sits inside a 365-day precinct before you make an offer.
Byron Shire Council — Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) or holiday letting ↗
CHECKWhat safety rules must an Airbnb meet in NSW?
Every NSW short-term rental must meet the STRA Fire Safety Standard: compliant smoke alarms (interconnected where there is more than one) and an evacuation diagram at the entry and in each bedroom. Apartments also need a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket in the kitchen. Hosts must follow the mandatory Code of Conduct and confirm fire-safety compliance when they register.
We check what a property needs to comply, and what that will cost, before you make an offer.
CHECKCan a strata building ban Airbnb in NSW?
Yes, in part. A NSW strata scheme can adopt a by-law that bans short-term rental in a lot that is not the host's principal place of residence. So a unit or townhouse investment can be blocked by its by-laws even when council and state rules allow it.
We read the strata by-laws and recent meeting minutes for any unit or townhouse before you commit.
NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure — Short-term rental accommodation ↗
From brief to first booking
Brief
Budget, suburbs, bedrooms, and how much you will use it yourself.
Shortlist
On-market and off-market homes, each with a short-stay revenue check.
Rules check
Planning, council approval category, by-laws, pool and fire compliance.
Negotiate
Price, conditions and settlement terms, with approval risk built in.
Launch
Setup, listing and pricing so it can take bookings soon after settlement.
Also buying near Northern Rivers
Buying an Airbnb or investment property in Northern Rivers FAQs
Can I run an Airbnb in the Northern Rivers?
Yes, but the day cap depends on the council. Most of Byron Shire allows 60 non-hosted days a year (365 days in mapped parts of Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads). Ballina Shire and certain land in the Clarence Valley allow 180 days. Tweed, Lismore, Kyogle and Richmond Valley have no state cap. Hosted stays have no cap anywhere in NSW, and bookings of 21 days or more don't count.
Which Northern Rivers suburbs are best for an Airbnb investment?
It depends on budget and the day cap. By sales volume the busiest were Banora Point, Goonellabah, Kingscliff, Grafton and Tweed Heads. 3-bedroom houses sold at medians of $1,082,500 in Banora Point, $1,371,000 in Kingscliff, $838,250 in Yamba, $1,402,500 in Lennox Head and $1,600,000 in Byron Bay.
What could an Airbnb in the Northern Rivers earn?
It depends on the town, the property and the day cap that applies. We model each home's likely nightly rate and occupancy from live comparable Airbnb listings before you buy, rather than quoting a regional figure.
Does a buyer's agent need a licence in the Northern Rivers?
Yes. In NSW a buyer's agent must hold a real estate licence (or work under a licensed agent's certificate of registration). Wealth Through Property is licensed in NSW and Queensland; in other states and territories we work through licensed partner agents.
What does Wealth Through Property charge as a buyer's agent?
See Our Fees on our Airbnb buyer's agent page (wealth-through-property.com.au/airbnb-buyers-agent/). We confirm the fee in writing before we start, and we don't quote fees on location pages because the scope differs from brief to brief.
What if I let the home long term instead?
Rental demand is strong. 3-bedroom houses leased at a $1,050 a week median in Kingscliff, $880 in Banora Point, $660 in Yamba and $550 in Grafton, and Stash shows house vacancy of 1.3% or less in each. That gives a fallback if short-stay rules change.
Find a home that can earn before you buy it.
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