A 4-bedroom vacation rental in Palm Beach County costs about 81% more to buy than one in Port St. Lucie, and it earns about 85% more. So a dollar of purchase price brings in nearly the same revenue in both places: about 11 cents a year. Palm Beach County pulls ahead at 3 bedrooms, and it is the market where nightly rates kept rising over the last two years.
The Treasure Coast figures here are Port St. Lucie and Stuart, two of the larger rental markets in St. Lucie and Martin counties. We manage vacation rentals in both regions, and we host guests in Port St. Lucie ourselves.
How do you compare vacation rental returns between two markets?
Revenue per dollar of home price is one year of booking revenue divided by what a typical home of the same size costs. A 4-bedroom that earns $86,700 and costs $798,000 returns 10.9%. The figure comes before management, platform fees, cleaning, and taxes. Use it to compare markets; profit depends on the costs that come out after.
How we measured:
- Revenue comes from AirDNA for entire homes with 3 to 5 bedrooms, over the 12 months from September 2025 through August 2026, compared with the same months two years earlier. Figures are averages per home.
- Palm Beach County revenue is AirDNA’s West Palm Beach market, which spans the county’s 13 rental submarkets. Port St. Lucie and Stuart are AirDNA’s city submarkets.
- Home prices come from the Zillow Home Value Index for August 2026: Palm Beach County as a whole, and the cities of Port St. Lucie and Stuart.
- Zillow’s number covers every home of that size, condos included. In Palm Beach County, many rentals sit near the coast, where homes can cost more than the county figure.
How much do vacation rentals earn in Palm Beach County vs Port St. Lucie and Stuart?
| Entire home, 3 to 5 bedrooms | Palm Beach County | Port St. Lucie | Stuart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue per home, last 12 months | $74,700 | $43,700 | $55,200 |
| Change over two years | +18% | +7% | +7% |
| Average nightly rate | $397 (+11%) | $228 (+3%) | $298 (+1%) |
| Occupancy | 61.7% | 61.6% | 60.0% |
| Homes listed (monthly average) | 1,978 (-1%) | 377 (+6%) | 92 (+18%) |
Source: AirDNA, September 2025 to August 2026 vs September 2023 to August 2024.
Occupancy ended up within two points in all three areas. Almost the whole revenue gap comes from the nightly rate. Palm Beach County guests paid $397 a night on average, up $38 in two years. In Port St. Lucie the rate rose $6. Our Palm Beach County income breakdown goes city by city.
The spread inside each market is wide. Revenue per home over the last 12 months:
| Revenue per home | Palm Beach County | Port St. Lucie | Stuart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $39,000 | $24,600 | $30,900 |
| Median | $62,900 | $41,200 | $51,000 |
| 75th percentile | $94,000 | $57,500 | $71,500 |
A home at the 75th percentile earns about 40% to 50% more than the median home in the same market. We built these ranges from monthly figures, so treat them as approximate.
Where does a dollar of home price earn more?
| Bedrooms | Palm Beach County | Port St. Lucie | Stuart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $530,000 home, $62,600 revenue: 11.8% | $377,000 home, $39,300 revenue: 10.4% | $478,000 home, $49,300 revenue: 10.3% |
| 4 | $798,000 home, $86,700 revenue: 10.9% | $440,000 home, $46,800 revenue: 10.6% | $747,000 home, $66,900 revenue: 9.0% |
| 5 | $1,340,000 home, $123,000 revenue: 9.2% | $520,000 home, $78,600 revenue: 15.1%* | Too few homes to measure |
Revenue: AirDNA, last 12 months, by bedroom count. Home values: Zillow Home Value Index, August 2026. *Port St. Lucie had 19 five-bedroom rentals, too few to rank on.
Palm Beach County compared with Port St. Lucie: a 3-bedroom home costs 41% more and earns 59% more; a 4-bedroom home costs 81% more and earns 85% more. Sources: AirDNA revenue September 2025 to August 2026, Zillow Home Value Index August 2026.
At 4 bedrooms the two markets land within a third of a point of each other. At 3 bedrooms, Palm Beach County returns 1.4 points more, because a 3-bedroom there costs 41% more than in Port St. Lucie but earns 59% more. Stuart trails both. Its home prices run 6% to 10% below Palm Beach County’s, while its revenue runs 21% to 23% lower.
Our local guides cover Port St. Lucie and Stuart in more detail. The Treasure Coast has more rental towns than these two. Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, Palm City, and Hobe Sound each have their own prices and results, and this comparison does not cover them.
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What costs differ between the two areas?
Two carrying costs differ between the areas, and they pull in opposite directions.
Property tax rates are higher in Port St. Lucie. The 2025 total rate in the city runs 22.3 to 24.2 mills, or $22 to $24 per $1,000 of taxable value, according to the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser. Stuart’s total is 17.4 mills (Martin County Property Appraiser). In Palm Beach County it depends on the city, roughly 17 to 21 mills in the cities most buyers look at (Palm Beach County Property Appraiser). A rental is not a homestead, so the taxable value resets to the appraiser’s market value after you buy. The seller’s tax bill does not tell you what yours will be.
The homeowners policy moves the other way. The state’s July 2026 Property Insurance Stability Report put the average premium at $6,323 in Palm Beach County, $5,899 in Martin County, and $3,491 in St. Lucie County, as reported by WPTV. Ask your agent to quote short term rental use, since it can cost more than these averages. On a typical 4-bedroom, property tax and the average policy together take about 29% of a year’s revenue in Port St. Lucie and about 25% in Palm Beach County.
Management and platform fees are a share of revenue, so they take the same cut everywhere. Cleaning costs about the same per stay in every market, so it takes a bigger share where nightly rates are lower. Our breakdown of Florida management costs covers them.
Is Palm Beach County oversaturated with Airbnbs?
Not by the numbers. The number of 3 to 5 bedroom rental homes in Palm Beach County fell 1% over two years, while booked nights rose 9%. The mix shifted: 3-bedroom listings dropped from about 1,280 to 1,220, and 4- and 5-bedroom listings grew.
Several Palm Beach County towns limit short term rentals, which likely holds supply down. Boca Raton requires 30-day minimums in residential zones, the Town of Palm Beach requires three months, and Lake Worth Beach does not allow them. Delray Beach and Lake Park cap turnovers in some zoning districts. Florida law has barred new local bans since 2011, so those limits stay in place but cannot spread. Our guide to where you can run a short term rental in Palm Beach County goes town by town, and our post on Florida’s preemption law explains the 2011 cutoff.
Port St. Lucie and Stuart added 6% and 18% more homes over the same two years. Booked nights grew faster, 13% and 28%, so each home filled more nights even though nightly rates stayed nearly flat.
If you already own in Port St. Lucie or Stuart
Nightly rates barely moved over the last two years, up 3% in Port St. Lucie and 1% in Stuart. Bookings grew faster than new listings, though, so the average home in both places earned 7% more. If your revenue stayed flat, the gap is usually in the extra nights the market picked up.
The percentile table above gives you a way to place your home. A Port St. Lucie home earning $41,000 is at the median. One earning $57,500 is in the top quarter. When rates are flat, the homes above the median usually get there through the setup: minimum-stay rules that fit how guests actually book, a listing that shows the house well, and a strong review record. Our revenue management page covers how we handle pricing.
What to check before you buy in either area
- The town’s rules. Licensing and zoning vary by municipality. Port St. Lucie runs no city vacation rental permit program. Several Palm Beach County towns restrict rentals outright.
- The HOA or condo documents. Associations can ban short term rentals, and state law does not override them.
- The flood zone, which affects what the homeowners and flood policies cost.
- A revenue estimate for that address. A specific house can land well above or below its market’s average.
Frequently asked questions
Is Port St. Lucie a good Airbnb market in 2026?
For a buyer who wants a lower entry price, it can be. A 4-bedroom home in Port St. Lucie cost about $440,000 in August 2026 and earned about $46,800 over the prior 12 months, a 10.6% revenue-to-price ratio, close to Palm Beach County’s 10.9%. Nightly rates have been flat for two years and property tax rates are higher than in Palm Beach County, so the house has to perform above the median to stand out.
Is Palm Beach County oversaturated with Airbnbs?
Not by the numbers. The count of 3 to 5 bedroom rental homes fell 1% between 2024 and 2026 while booked nights rose 9% and the average nightly rate rose 11%. Local limits in towns like Boca Raton, the Town of Palm Beach, and Lake Worth Beach likely help keep supply in check.
Do Palm Beach County vacation rentals earn more than Treasure Coast ones?
Per home, yes. A 3 to 5 bedroom home in Palm Beach County averaged $74,700 over the last 12 months, against $43,700 in Port St. Lucie and $55,200 in Stuart. Per dollar of purchase price the gap mostly closes, because Palm Beach County homes cost more.
What does a 4-bedroom vacation rental earn in Port St. Lucie?
About $46,800 a year on average for an entire home, based on AirDNA data from September 2025 through August 2026. The median for all 3 to 5 bedroom homes was about $41,200, and the top quarter earned $57,500 or more.
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This article is general information, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Figures are market averages and will differ for any specific property.