Home Short-Term Rental Calculator and Portfolio Analyser
Short-Term Rental Calculator and Portfolio Analyser
An STR (short-term rental) calculator estimates what an Airbnb property earns after platform fees, cleaning, running costs and loan repayments. This Australian analyser models several properties in one view, so you can see the cash flow of each property and of the whole portfolio before you buy another.
Calculator hub
Investment, STR, and hybrid analysers
This keeps your Investment Portfolio Analyser and Short-Term Rental Analyser as separate working calculators, then adds a third hybrid version where each property can be set as either an investment property, a short-term rental, or one owner occupier inside the same portfolio.
What you can model
Your short-term rentals, property by property
For each property the analyser takes your nightly rate and occupancy to estimate booking income, then subtracts platform fees, cleaning, management and running costs and the loan repayments. The result is cash flow for every property and for the portfolio, so you can see which properties carry the others.
- Income
Set the nightly rate and occupancy for each property to see booking income.
- Fees and running costs
Add platform fees, cleaning, management and operating costs.
- Portfolio cash flow
See cash flow for each property and across the whole portfolio.
How it works
How to use the analyser
Enter each property's nightly rate, occupancy and costs, add the loan, then read the totals for each property and the portfolio. Finish by running a quieter year with lower occupancy. If the portfolio still covers its repayments and costs, the numbers are safer than a model built on your best month.
- 1Add your properties
Enter nightly rate, occupancy and costs for each short-term rental.
- 2Add the loan
Include the loan so the cash flow is after repayments.
- 3Read the totals
Review income, costs and cash flow for each property and in total.
- 4Stress-test it
Try a lower occupancy and a quieter year to see how the portfolio holds up.
Results are estimates from the numbers you enter. They are general information, not financial, tax or legal advice.
What goes in
What to put into an Airbnb calculator
A reliable Airbnb calculator needs honest inputs: a full-year average nightly rate, a realistic occupancy, every running cost and the real loan repayment. Leave one out and the property looks better than it is. Use your own booking data if you have it, or market data for the suburb if you are still buying.
- 1Nightly rate
Use the average across the whole year, not the peak-season rate. The short-term rental yield calculator shows what one property earns at that rate and occupancy before you add it here.
- 2Occupancy
Enter the occupancy you expect, then run it again 10 to 20 percentage points lower. Quiet months matter, so use a full-year figure rather than your best month.
- 3Fees and running costs
Count platform fees, cleaning, linen, utilities, insurance, council rates, maintenance and any management. The short-term rental business management calculator shows which properties make money and which lose it once those costs are in.
- 4Loan repayments
Use the real repayment, and test it at a higher interest rate too. The mortgage offset calculator models repayments, extra repayments and interest saved.
Next steps
Using the result to decide what to buy or change
Once the portfolio cash flow holds up in a quieter year, check the inputs against real booking data before you buy or change anything. A buyers agent can test the area and the rules, and a revenue manager can test the nightly rate and occupancy you assumed. The analyser gives estimates, so treat the result as a starting point.
Still choosing a property? Our Airbnb buyers agent and investment property buyers agent teams check the suburb, the local rules and the likely income before you commit.
Already own a short-term rental? Our Airbnb revenue management service sets nightly rates and tracks occupancy, the two inputs the analyser asks for first. If you want hands-off running, see full-service Airbnb management.
Weighing a purchase against renting? The rent vs buy calculator compares the options, and the mixed property portfolio analyser puts investment properties, Airbnbs and your own home in one scenario. More tools are on our calculators and resources page.
Short-term rental calculator: common questions
These are the questions investors ask most when they model an Airbnb or short-term rental in Australia: which rate and occupancy to use, which costs to include, how lenders treat the income, and how the analyser differs from the single-property yield calculator.
What does the short-term rental analyser model?
Occupancy, nightly rates, fees, cleaning and operating costs across several properties, with the cash flow for each property and for the portfolio.
What is an STR calculator?
An STR calculator estimates the income and cash flow of a short-term rental, such as an Airbnb. It combines nightly rate, occupancy, platform fees, cleaning, running costs and loan repayments. This analyser does it for several properties at once and for the whole portfolio.
Can I mix investment properties and short-term rentals?
Yes. Use the Hybrid Mixed Portfolio Analyser tab to combine investment properties, short-term rentals and one owner-occupied home in one scenario.
Which nightly rate should I use?
Use the average nightly rate across the whole year, not the peak-season rate, and test a lower occupancy too.
What occupancy should I use to stress-test an Airbnb?
Enter the occupancy you expect, then run it again with a lower figure, for example 10 to 20 percentage points lower. If the property still covers its loan repayments and costs, the numbers are safer. Use a full-year average, not your best month.
Which costs should I include?
Platform fees, cleaning, linen, utilities, insurance, council rates, maintenance, management or software, and the loan repayments. Leaving costs out is the most common reason a model looks better than the real result.
How do banks treat short-term rental income?
Lenders assess it differently, and some count only part of it. Check with your broker before you rely on the figure for borrowing.
How is this different from the yield calculator?
The short-term rental yield calculator checks one property. The analyser puts several properties and the loan in one view.
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Where do I find real occupancy and nightly rates for my area?
Our revenue management team can check your numbers against real booking data for your area. Book a free 15-minute call from the bottom of this page.
Is this financial advice?
No. The analyser gives estimates from the numbers you enter. For advice on your own situation, speak with a licensed financial adviser or accountant.
Facts checked 28 October 2026.
- Most Airbnb hosts pay a single service fee of 15.5%, so allow for it as a platform cost in the analyser (Airbnb Help Centre, checked 28 October 2026).
- The national gross rental yield was 3.85% in September 2026, up from 3.61% a year earlier, a baseline to compare a short-term rental against (Cotality, checked 28 October 2026).
- The national residential vacancy rate was 1.4% in September 2026 and advertised rents were 7.6% higher than a year earlier, so check what a long-term tenant would pay before you assume short-term income is better (SQM Research, checked 28 October 2026).
Want the numbers checked?
Our Airbnb buyers agents and revenue management team can check your numbers against real booking data for the area you are looking at, so the nightly rate and occupancy in the analyser come from the market rather than a guess. Book a free 15-minute call and we will go through them with you.