Short-Term Rental Calculator
Airbnb and VRBO income looks big until fees, turnovers, and slow months show up. Model the full year and find the occupancy your mortgage depends on.
Ideas for you
Load a Texas scenario, then make it yours. Every number updates as you type.
The property
On the edge
At 64% booked, after fees, cleaning, every running cost, and the mortgage.
- Nets $194 a month with every cost and the mortgage covered.
- Cash-on-cash of 1.9% falls short of the 8% target.
- Debt coverage of 1.11x sits below the 1.25x most investor lenders look for.
- A long-term tenant might earn close to this with far less work. Run it through the rental calculator to compare.
Cash flow goes negative below 60.4% occupancy.
Today: 64.0%. Breaking point: 60.4%.
Stress test: where it breaks
One input at a time, everything else held where you set it. The last column is where the money runs out.
| Input | Today | Breaks at |
|---|---|---|
| Occupancy | 64.0% | 60.4% |
| Nightly rate | $305 | $289 |
| Interest rate | 7.25% | 8.36% |
Where the bookings go
About 234 nights booked a year, 7.0 stays a month.
- Nightly revenue
- $5,937
- Cleaning fees collected
- $1,147
- Gross bookings
- $7,084
- Platform fees
- -$1,098
- Management / co-host
- -$1,275
- Cleaning
- -$939
- Repairs & replacements
- -$354
- Utilities & internet
- -$410
- Supplies
- -$120
- Property tax
- -$567
- Insurance
- -$308
- Other costs
- -$90
- Before the loan (NOI)
- $1,923
- Mortgage (principal & interest)
- -$1,729
- Monthly cash flow
- $194
What this means
Short-term rentals earn more per night and cost more to run. Before you buy, check the city’s STR permit rules and HOA restrictions, and compare the same house as a long-term rental. If the gap is small, the steadier lease may be the better deal.
These results are estimates for educational purposes only and do not constitute a credit decision or loan approval.
From nightly rate to monthly cash flow
Multiply the nightly rate by the nights you actually book, add the cleaning fees guests pay, and you have gross bookings. Then the platform, the cleaner, the co-host, utilities, upkeep, taxes, insurance, and the mortgage each take their cut.
Cash flow = Rate × booked nights − fees & costs − mortgage
- Booked nights: 365 times occupancy. 65% booked is about 237 nights a year.
- RevPAN: revenue per available night: the nightly rate times occupancy. It lets you compare a pricey, emptier listing with a cheaper, fuller one.
- Break-even occupancy: the occupancy where cash flow hits zero. The wider the gap to your assumption, the safer the deal.
A $338,000 Wimberley cabin at $305 a night, 64% booked, 25% down at 7.25%, $28,000 to furnish, with an 18% co-host.
- Booked nights a year
- about 234
- Gross bookings / mo
- $7,084
- Running costs / mo
- -$5,161
- Mortgage
- -$1,729
- Monthly cash flow
- $194
It cash flows, but only 1.9% cash-on-cash on $122,600 in, and break-even occupancy is about 60%, just four points under the plan. Dropping the co-host changes the picture: try the Self-managed idea.
How Kwalifai grades a short-term rental
Hits all three targets
Positive cash flow, at least 8% cash-on-cash on everything you put in (furnishing too), and bookings cover the mortgage 1.25x after running costs.
Cash flows, misses a target
It cash flows, but thinly. A long-term tenant might earn about the same with far less work.
Negative at your occupancy
At the occupancy you assumed, the bookings don’t cover the costs and the loan.
Blind spots that flatter an STR
Spring-break occupancy
Summer weekends aren’t the year. Use a 12-month average that includes the slow months.
Guessing at fees
Host-only pricing on major platforms is around 15% to 16% of the booking. Check current fees for your listing type.
Free furniture
Furniture, linens, and kitchen gear are real cash in. Leave them out and cash-on-cash looks inflated.
Skipping the city code
Many Texas cities and HOAs restrict or permit STRs. A ban can turn the deal into a long-term rental overnight.
Short-term rental questions, answered
Still unsure how a lender will see your deal? Ask Lowi AI for a scenario review.
Other investor calculators
Long-Term Rental
Hold-for-income math: true monthly cash flow, cap rate, and cash-on-cash.
BRRRR
Recycle your capital: what the refi returns and what it pays you after.
Fix & Flip
Net profit after loan, holding, and selling costs, plus your break-even sale.
Multifamily
Rent roll in, building-level returns out. Duplex to 75 units.
Book the numbers before the guests.
Lowi AI can compare second-home, DSCR, and investment loan options for a vacation rental. No credit check to start.
These results are estimates for educational purposes only. They are not financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, and they are not a credit decision, loan approval, or commitment to lend. Verify every figure, including rents, taxes, insurance, and rehab costs, before making a decision. Kwalifai is a technology platform. Mortgage services are provided by a licensed loan originator (NMLS #2528067), licensed in Texas, enrolled with Ensure Home Loans LLC (NMLS #1666674).