Gold Coast Airbnb Market Report 2026

The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s strongest and most reliable short-term rental markets, and 2026 has reinforced that position. Visitor numbers are climbing, nightly rates are holding firm, and owner returns continue to outpace long-term rental by a wide margin. This report pulls together the data every Gold Coast property owner should know, drawn from Airbtics market data (February 2025 to January 2026) alongside our own portfolio performance.

Housala’s Gold Coast Airbnb management service manages properties across every major suburb on the coast, so the figures here reflect both the broader market and what we see day-to-day across the properties we run.

Market overview: the headline numbers

The median Gold Coast Airbnb property earned AU$92,000 in the period February 2025 to January 2026. That figure is the single most important benchmark for any owner weighing up short-term rental, and it comfortably exceeds what the same properties would return on a long-term lease.

Source: Airbtics STR Market Data, February 2025 to January 2026, with year-on-year comparison to the prior period.

Every key metric moved in owners’ favour over the year. Revenue up, rates up, occupancy up, and demand growing faster than supply. That last point matters: even with listing numbers up 8.1%, occupancy still rose, which tells you guest demand is comfortably absorbing the new stock.

Why short-term rental keeps winning

The gap between short-term and long-term rental returns widened again in 2026. A typical Gold Coast property returning AU$650 per week on a long-term lease (AU$33,800 per year) earned AU$55,000 to $80,000+ on Airbnb under professional management. That’s a 60 to 135% uplift, and it’s the clearest signal in the entire market.

Our Gold Coast Airbnb earnings guide breaks this down by suburb and property type, but the pattern is consistent: across every category, professionally managed short-term rental outperformed long-term rental in 2026.

Short-term vs long-term: 2026 returns 2-bed Broadbeach apartment: AU$36,400 long-term vs AU$78,000 Airbnb (+114%) 3-bed Burleigh house: AU$46,800 long-term vs AU$95,000 Airbnb (+103%) 3-bed Mermaid Waters canal home: AU$57,200 long-term vs AU$120,000 Airbnb (+110%) 1-bed Surfers apartment: AU$28,600 long-term vs AU$58,000 Airbnb (+103%)

Even after management fees and operating costs, net short-term rental income ran 50 to 70% ahead of long-term rent across the board. With professional management handling the day-to-day, owners captured this uplift without the time commitment that used to be the main argument for long-term leasing.

Suburb performance in 2026

Performance varied by suburb, but every major Gold Coast market delivered strong returns. The headline performers:

Metric Gold Coast 2026 Year-on-year change Median annual revenue AU$92,000 +6.4% Average daily rate (ADR) AU$320 +4.2% Occupancy rate 79% +1.8 pts Active listings 6,109+ +8.1% Annual visitor numbers ~4.9 million +5.3% RevPAR (revenue per available night) AU$253 +6.7%

Burleigh Heads and Palm Beach posted the strongest growth, reflecting the continued shift toward premium lifestyle suburbs. Broadbeach delivered the highest occupancy on the coast at 84%, driven by its mix of convention, casino, and beach demand. Canal homes continued to command the highest absolute revenue.

Demand drivers in 2026

Several factors strengthened Gold Coast short-term rental demand over the year:

1. Domestic tourism remained strong

The Gold Coast continues to be Australia’s favourite domestic holiday destination. Drive-market tourism from Brisbane and northern NSW stayed strong, and the suburb’s lifestyle reputation kept attracting repeat visitors and longer stays.

2. International arrivals recovered fully

International visitor numbers, led by New Zealand, Asia, and the UK, returned to and exceeded pre-2020 levels through 2025. International guests skew toward Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, where they support the strong nightly rates in those suburbs.

3. The events calendar delivered

Schoolies, the Gold Coast 500, Magic Millions, and a busy GCCEC convention schedule all delivered premium booking weeks. Owners with dynamic pricing captured the full upside of these events; the event calendar alone added 8 to 12% to annual revenue for well-managed properties.

4. Infrastructure investment continued

Light rail expansion, airport upgrades, and ongoing development tied to the 2032 Olympics all reinforced the Gold Coast’s position as a growing destination, supporting both visitor demand and underlying property values.

The 2032 Olympics tailwind

The approaching 2032 Brisbane Olympics strengthens the medium-term demand outlook further. The Gold Coast will host multiple events and serve as a major accommodation base, and the infrastructure investment in the lead-up is already lifting the area’s profile and visitor numbers.

Read our full guide to how the 2032 Olympics will affect Gold Coast Airbnb property owners. The short version: owners who build strong, well-reviewed short-term rental listings now will hold the most valuable accommodation inventory on the coast when the Games arrive.

Housala’s 2032 strategy for managed Gold Coast properties focuses on building review count, maintaining search ranking excellence, and optimising listing quality now, so our owners are positioned at the top of the market well before demand peaks.

Supply and competition

Listing numbers grew 8.1% over the year to 6,109+ active properties. For owners, the encouraging detail is that demand grew faster than supply, so occupancy rose despite the additional listings. The market is absorbing new stock comfortably.

What the growth in supply does mean is that listing quality matters more than ever. The gap between top-performing and underperforming listings widened in 2026. Professionally managed properties (better photography, dynamic pricing, faster response times, higher review scores) pulled further ahead of self-managed stock. The market rewards properties that are run well, which is precisely where professional management earns its keep.

Outlook for the rest of 2026 and beyond

The indicators all point in the same direction:

• Visitor demand projected to keep growing through 2026 and 2027
• Nightly rates expected to hold or rise modestly, supported by demand
• Occupancy likely to stay in the high-70s to mid-80s across major suburbs
• 2032 Olympics infrastructure continuing to lift the area’s profile
• Short-term rental’s advantage over long-term rental expected to persist

For Gold Coast property owners, the message from the 2026 data is straightforward: short-term rental is the stronger-performing option, the market is growing, and the owners who position well now will benefit most as demand builds toward 2032.