Galveston Airbnb Market Data
& Investment Analysis

Galveston is Texas's beach destination, the state's busiest cruise port, and the densest short-term rental market in Texas. Its short-term rental market holds 6,718 active entire-home listings across 8 neighborhoods that Surge tracks. Over the twelve months ending September 2026, the average listing earned $45,899 in gross revenue at a $300 average nightly rate and 44% occupancy, for revenue per available night of $138. Revenue per listing is up 6.1% year over year.

Galveston suits investors who want the highest nightly rates in Texas and a pure leisure play, and who can carry windstorm and flood insurance plus a slow winter. Occupancy is structurally lower than the big metros, so underwrite on annual revenue rather than nightly rate, and confirm the unit is licensed before it is advertised.

July is the peak by a wide margin as beach season, cruise departures, and family vacations overlap; January is the slowest month, when many island homes sit mostly empty. The average Galveston listing earned $8,083 in July against $1,854 in January, a 4.4x swing between the best and worst month. Homes near the Strand, the cruise terminal, and UTMB hold the steadiest off-season demand from cruise passengers and medical travel, while beachfront and Bolivar Peninsula homes are highly seasonal but earn the most per booking.

Galveston Island itself is the core, with the East End and Strand historic districts, the Seawall beachfront, and the West End beach communities; Port Bolivar across the ferry is an unincorporated peninsula of large beach houses with the highest revenue in the market; and the mainland bay towns (Kemah, League City, Dickinson, Texas City, La Marque, Santa Fe) mix boating leisure with Houston-commuter housing.

By gross revenue the strongest neighborhoods are Port Bolivar, Santa Fe, and Galveston, averaging $54,231, $50,172, and $40,922 a year. Nightly rates span $142 in Texas City to $447 in Port Bolivar. On the Surge Score, which also weighs demand consistency and regulatory risk, League City, Texas City, and La Marque rank highest. For value, League City, Texas City, and Kemah pair below-median nightly rates with above-median occupancy. The full ranking is on the Galveston neighborhoods page.

Galveston requires every STR unit to hold a $250 annual, non-transferable license through the Rentalscape portal, with the GVR registration number shown on every advertisement and a local contact who can respond within an hour. The ordinance was comprehensively updated in November 2025 (Ord. 25-060); Hotel Occupancy Tax is 9% city plus 6% state. Read the full Galveston STR regulations, including every suburb's rules and the tax filing requirements.

Revenue scales with size. A one-bedroom in Galveston averages $23,583 a year at $143 a night, while a four-bedroom averages $63,336 at $445. Larger homes earn more per booking but usually run lower occupancy, so compare revenue per available night, not just nightly rate, when you choose a floor plan. Among tracked amenities, listings with a ev charger earned about 48% more than the Galveston baseline; the Insights tab ranks every amenity by revenue, rate, and occupancy lift.

Model a specific purchase with the Galveston investment analysis and calculator. Data on this page comes from Surge market data on entire-home listings and was last refreshed 2026-10-18.