TL;DR: Myrtle Beach short-term rentals averaged $26,100 in revenue per listing over the twelve months ending June 2026, at 53% occupancy and a $280 nightly rate. Nightly rates rose while bookings fell. A city ordinance adopted in December 2024 also restricts converting oceanfront rental units to long-term leases — which closes an exit strategy many buyers assume they have.

The Number Everyone Quotes, and the Three That Matter More

Myrtle Beach had 19,903 active short-term rental listings as of June 2026, according to AirDNA (July 2026). The average one earned $26,100 over the trailing twelve months.

That figure gets quoted constantly. Three others rarely do.

Revenue per listing fell 2.3 percent year over year. Occupancy fell 5.3 percent. The number of active listings dropped 6.0 percent. Meanwhile the average nightly rate climbed 8.4 percent.

Read together, those describe a market where hosts are charging more and booking less. Layer on a Myrtle Beach ordinance adopted in December 2024 that limits a common exit strategy, and the picture facing a 2026 buyer looks different from what most rental-income articles describe.

Myrtle Beach Short-Term Rental Income: What Listings Actually Earned

Here is the full performance picture for the trailing twelve months ending June 2026.

Myrtle Beach Short-Term Rental Market Performance, June 2026

  
       Metric Value Year-Over-Year Change 
  Active listings 19,903 − 6.0% 
 Average annual revenue per listing $26,100 − 2.3% 
 Occupancy 53% − 5.3% 
 Average daily rate (ADR) $280 + 8.4% 
 RevPAR $147 + 1.2% 
  
  
  

Metric	Value	Year-Over-Year Change
Active listings	19,903	− 6.0%
Average annual revenue per listing	$26,100	− 2.3%
Occupancy	53%	− 5.3%
Average daily rate (ADR)	$280	+ 8.4%
RevPAR	$147	+ 1.2%

Source: AirDNA, Myrtle Beach, SC short-term rental market data (updated July 5, 2026), reflecting the trailing twelve months ending June 2026.

One definition matters a great deal here. AirDNA defines annual revenue as trailing-twelve-month earnings before host expenses, including booked nightly rates plus cleaning and other guest fees. That $26,100 is a gross number. Management fees, cleaning costs, HOA dues, insurance, property taxes, maintenance, and platform fees all come out of it.

Rates Are Rising. Bookings Are Falling.

The tension in that table is worth sitting with.

Supply contracted 6.0 percent — roughly 1,270 fewer listings than a year earlier. Nightly rates rose 8.4 percent. Ordinarily, less competition plus higher pricing power would lift revenue.

It didn't. Occupancy fell far enough to cancel out the rate gains. RevPAR — occupancy multiplied by ADR — rose just 1.2 percent, while revenue per listing declined 2.3 percent.

Seasonality compounds this. AirDNA scores Myrtle Beach 43 out of 100 on seasonality, where the score reflects the gap between the lowest and highest monthly average revenue and a smaller swing scores higher. A 43 signals a wide swing between peak and trough months.

That's the trap in underwriting a Grand Strand rental. Annualizing a strong July calendar produces a number the shoulder season will not support.

Myrtle Beach scores 56 out of 100 overall on AirDNA's Market Score. The subscores are more revealing than the headline: rental demand 75, revenue growth 60, regulation 55, seasonality 43, and investability 92 — the last measuring local home prices relative to what rentals in the area earn.

Two City Rules That Change the Math

Regulation deserves its own look, and not from a score.

The City of Myrtle Beach Code of Ordinances defines a Visitor Accommodation — expressly noted as "aka short term rental" — as any living unit rented, leased, or sub-leased for under 90 continuous days. That 90-day line governs everything else.

Section 1808 — the Short-Term Rental Conversion Overlay Zone. Adopted December 10, 2024, this applies to commercial uses between Kings Highway and the Atlantic Ocean within municipal limits. In that corridor, buildings of more than two units that were constructed or used as Visitor Accommodations may not be rented or leased for 90 continuous days or more. Stringing together successive shorter leases to let one occupant stay past 90 days is expressly a violation. Owners legally operating with a long-term rental business license at adoption may continue, provided they maintain that license.

Read that carefully. The oceanfront overlay does not restrict short-term renting. It restricts the long-term exit. If your fallback plan was pivoting to annual tenants when the rental market softens, Section 1808 may foreclose it.

Licensing and city charges. Anyone renting one property or more must register the business and apply for a license under Sec. 11-25(f), and short-term rentals owe state and local accommodations taxes plus hospitality fees. The city imposes a 1 percent hospitality fee on gross rental proceeds (Sec. 2-262) and a 0.5 percent local accommodations tax (Sec. 2-273) — before state-level taxes.

Note also that AirDNA's regulation subscore is inferred from host and property behavior, not from a legal review. It's not a substitute for reading the ordinance that governs your parcel. Rules differ by jurisdiction and change over time — consult a licensed professional for your specific situation.

Putting Revenue Against What You'd Pay

Now the denominator.

According to CCAR MLS (April 2026), the median condo price in Myrtle Beach ZIP codes 29572 and 29577 was $208,500, down 12.4 percent year over year. Single-family sat at $478,000. Across the full CCAR coverage area, condos carried 8.1 months of supply versus 4.3 for single-family.

Set $26,100 in gross revenue against a $208,500 condo and you get roughly 12.5 percent gross yield. Treat that as directional only, for two reasons. AirDNA's market boundary and CCAR's ZIP-code definition are not the same geography. And gross revenue is not net income — the city's 1.5 percent in local charges is only the first deduction.

Still, the direction is informative, and it maps to that investability score of 92.

Property type deserves weight here too. Condos cost less to acquire but carry HOA dues, potential special assessments, and rental restrictions the code doesn't govern. Our breakdown of whether renting out a Myrtle Beach property makes sense in 2026 works through that comparison.

One design note worth flagging. In a market where ADR is rising and occupancy is falling, the nightly rate is the lever that still moves. That rewards properties built for it — durable finishes, guest-oriented layouts, adequate parking, and separate owner storage. Myrtle Beach requires one parking space per bedroom for Visitor Accommodations, which constrains what you can operate on a given lot. New construction lets you plan around those constraints rather than inherit them.

If you're weighing a Myrtle Beach purchase with rental use in mind, the numbers above are a starting point rather than an answer — occupancy at 53 percent and a wide seasonal swing mean the specific parcel, its zoning, and its layout matter more than the market average. We're glad to walk through how build cost, flood zone requirements, parking, and floor plan decisions affect what a property can realistically command. Start the conversation whenever you're ready — no obligation.

FAQ SECTION

How much does the average Airbnb make in Myrtle Beach?

According to AirDNA (July 2026), the average active Myrtle Beach short-term rental listing earned $26,100 over the twelve months ending June 2026 — down 2.3 percent year over year. That figure is gross revenue before host expenses, and it includes cleaning and other guest fees alongside nightly rates. Management fees, HOA dues, insurance, property taxes, maintenance, and platform fees all reduce it. Treat $26,100 as a starting benchmark for a typical listing, not as projected income for a specific property.

What is the average occupancy rate for Myrtle Beach short-term rentals?

Occupancy averaged 53 percent over the twelve months ending June 2026, down 5.3 percent from the prior year, per AirDNA (July 2026). That's the share of available nights actually booked, averaged across active listings. Occupancy also swings hard by season — AirDNA scores Myrtle Beach 43 out of 100 on seasonality, indicating a wide gap between the strongest and weakest revenue months. Underwriting off peak-season performance will overstate what a property earns across a full year.

Can I convert a Myrtle Beach oceanfront rental to a long-term lease?

Possibly not, depending on location. Under Section 1808 of the City of Myrtle Beach Code, adopted December 10, 2024, buildings of more than two units constructed or used as Visitor Accommodations between Kings Highway and the Atlantic Ocean cannot be rented or leased for 90 continuous days or more. Successive shorter leases used to extend one occupant past 90 days also violate the provision. Owners holding a long-term rental business license at adoption may continue if they maintain it. Verify your specific parcel with the city and consult a licensed professional.

What taxes and fees does Myrtle Beach charge on short-term rentals?

The City of Myrtle Beach imposes a 1 percent hospitality fee on gross rental proceeds (Sec. 2-262) and a 0.5 percent local accommodations tax (Sec. 2-273). Anyone renting one property or more must also register the business and obtain a license under Sec. 11-25(f), and short-term rentals owe state accommodations taxes in addition to these local charges. Rates and rules change — confirm current obligations with the city and a licensed tax professional before projecting net income.

Is Myrtle Beach a good short-term rental market in 2026?

AirDNA scores Myrtle Beach 56 out of 100 on its Market Score (July 2026), on a 40-to-100 scale. The subscores tell a more useful story: investability 92, rental demand 75, revenue growth 60, regulation 55, and seasonality 43. Strong demand and favorable pricing relative to home values, offset by heavy seasonal swing. Note the regulation subscore is inferred from host behavior rather than a legal review, so it doesn't substitute for checking the ordinance governing your parcel.

Should I buy a condo or build for short-term rental use?

It depends on your capital and how much control you want. According to CCAR MLS (April 2026), the median Myrtle Beach condo sold for $208,500 versus $478,000 for single-family. Condos cost less upfront but carry HOA dues, special assessments, and rental restrictions. With nightly rates rising 8.4 percent while occupancy falls, per AirDNA (July 2026), properties built for rate performance — durable finishes, guest-oriented layouts, adequate parking — have an advantage. New construction lets you design to that rather than retrofit.