How do I compare a short-term, medium-term, and long-term rental?

Short-term vs medium-term vs long-term calculator

Change any figure. The comparison updates instantly and highlights the strategy that keeps the most after operating costs, maintenance, and a reserve for capital expenditures.

Built by Denver McClure, founder of Apollo Advising. Updated October 12, 2026.

Short-termNightly rate$Occupancy%Hotel occupancy tax%Who pays it

Cleaning and supplies a year$Platform fees a year$Utilities and internet a year$Monthly fees (HOA, lawn, pool, pest)$/moManagement%Furnishing upkeep a year$Maintenance%CapEx reserve%

Gross rent$39,420

Operating costs$27,297

What is left$12,123

Medium-termMonthly rent$Months booked a yearCleaning between stays a year$Listing fees a year$Utilities and internet a year$Monthly fees (HOA, lawn, pool, pest)$/moManagement%Furnishing upkeep a year$Maintenance%CapEx reserve%

Gross rent$30,000

Operating costs$14,200

What is left$15,800

Long-termMonthly rent$Months leased a yearLeasing and turnover a year$Monthly fees (HOA, lawn, pool, pest)$/moManagement%Maintenance%CapEx reserve%

Gross rent$25,300

Operating costs$8,119

What is left$17,181

Long-term keeps the most: $17,181 a year, $1,381 more than medium-term and $5,058 more than short-term. Gross rent differs by $14,120.

Gross rent varies by $14,120. What is left varies by $5,058. Your numbers, one year, three strategies.

What is leftOperating costsBar length is gross rent

Short-term

$12,123

$39,420

Medium-term

$15,800

$30,000

Long-term

$17,181

$25,300

Short answer. Estimate gross rent for each strategy, then subtract every operating cost: cleaning, platform fees, utilities, monthly fees, management, furnishing, maintenance (often 10% of rent), and a capital expenditure reserve (often 5% of rent). Gross rent is usually highest for short-term rentals, but what is left can land close to or below a long-term lease.

What the calculator includes

Every operating cost that changes how much each strategy keeps: cleaning, platform and listing fees, utilities, monthly fees such as HOA dues and lawn or pool service, management, furnishing upkeep, leasing and turnover, maintenance, and a reserve for capital expenditures like roofs, HVAC, and water heaters. Maintenance starts at 10% of rent and the CapEx reserve at 5%, which are common starting points; raise them for an older property or a short-term rental with heavy turnover.

Hotel occupancy tax applies to short-term stays. In most places it is added to the guest's bill and passed through to the state and city, so it is not a cost to you. If your nightly rate already includes it, switch the setting and it comes out of what you keep. Texas charges a 6% state rate, and most cities add their own, so check your city's total.

Mortgage, property tax, and most insurance are roughly the same whichever way you rent, so they are left out to keep the comparison clean. Insurance for a short-term rental often costs more, so add the difference to that column if it applies.

The defaults are the same illustrative house used in our guide. Replace them with your own rates, occupancy, and costs. For occupancy, use what comparable listings near you actually achieve, not the best month of the year.

What it cannot tell you

Whether your city or HOA allows stays under 30 days
How many hours each strategy will take you
The cost to furnish the property in the first place
How seasonal your market is

The strategy comparison guide covers each of these.

Want a second set of eyes on the numbers?

$199 per hour, billed in 15-minute increments, or $499 for a three-hour block. The first 30 minutes are free.

Book a free call Book a session

Go deeper

Airbnb, medium-term, or long-term: comparing what you keepA side-by-side of costs, time, and rules, with a worked example on the same house.Return on equity: the rental number most owners never checkHow to calculate it, why it drifts down as a property appreciates, and what it does and does not tell you about selling.

Free guide: what would your Airbnb earn as a 30-day rental?

The five-step method from Denver's paid client reports, with a worked example and a fill-in worksheet. Covers cleaning fees, platform fees, breakeven rent, and the slow-month hybrid.

This tool is general education, not legal, tax, investment, insurance, or lending advice. Results depend entirely on the figures you enter. See our disclosures.