Airbnb Break-Even Nightly Rate Calculator
Enter your monthly fixed costs, expected occupancy and fees to see the lowest nightly rate you can charge without losing money. Add a target profit to see the rate you actually need.
How the calculation works
Booked nights = nights in month × occupancy. Turnovers = booked nights ÷ average stay. The rate must cover fixed costs + turnovers × cleaning cost (+ target profit), after the platform takes its percentage:
Break-even rate = (fixed costs + turnovers × cleaning cost + target profit) ÷ (booked nights × (1 − platform fee))
Worked example
€1,800 fixed costs, 65% occupancy over 30 nights = 19.5 booked nights. With 3-night stays that's 6.5 turnovers × €45 = €292.50 cleaning. Total to cover: €2,092.50. With a 15% fee you keep 85% of each night, so the break-even rate is €2,092.50 ÷ (19.5 × 0.85) = €126.24 per night.
Track all of this every month, not just once
The calculator above is a one-off snapshot. The STR Host Toolkit is a 16-tab Excel & Google Sheets workbook that does it for up to 5 properties: profit per property after platform fees, VAT and tourist tax, occupancy that ignores owner stays, a 365-night calendar with double-booking flag, Airbnb vs Booking net comparison, ROI (cap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR), break-even rate, cleaning-fee calculator, a turnover checklist and guest message templates.
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FAQ
What is a break-even nightly rate?
It is the lowest average nightly price at which your rental's revenue, after platform fees, exactly covers all monthly costs. Anything below it loses money.
Should I include the cleaning fee I charge guests?
This calculator treats cleaning as a cost covered by the nightly rate. If you charge guests a separate cleaning fee that covers your cleaner, set the cleaning cost to the part that is not covered.
What platform fee should I use?
Use the share of the booking your platform keeps from you. On Airbnb's split-fee model hosts typically pay around 3%; on host-only fee pricing it is around 14-16%. Booking.com commission is usually 15% or more. Check your own payout reports.
Why does occupancy matter so much?
Fixed costs are spread over booked nights only. Lower occupancy means each night has to carry more of the rent, so the break-even rate rises quickly.