Estimate your Airbnb or VRBO revenue using Iowa market data. Property tax, insurance, and vacancy defaults are pre-filled with current Iowa averages. Cash-on-cash return separates a profitable STR from an expensive hobby.
Avg Cap Rate
7%
Median Price
$228K
Property Tax
1.25%
Vacancy Rate
8%
Local Factors
Nightly rate × occupancy determines your top line, but the real story is in what's left after expenses. STRs carry higher operating costs than long-term rentals — cleaning, furnishing, platform fees, utilities, and guest supplies all eat into revenue.
RevPAN (Revenue Per Available Night) accounts for vacancy — it's your gross revenue divided by 365. This metric lets you compare properties regardless of how they're marketed or how stay lengths differ.
Management costs are the biggest variable. Self-managing saves 20–30% but costs you time. Full-service STR management typically runs 20–25% of gross revenue. Factor in your time honestly.
Always stress-test with lower occupancy — markets shift, regulations change, and new supply comes online. A deal that only works at 80% occupancy is a deal that's one bad season from going underwater.
Annual Cash Flow
$-14,879
Cash-on-Cash Return
-24.6%
What does this mean?
This STR is losing money at these numbers. Either the nightly rate needs to increase, occupancy needs to improve, or expenses need to come down. Many hosts underestimate cleaning, furnishing, and platform fees.
Keep running the numbers
Short-term rental numbers look different in Iowa. Compare with long-term.