Airbnb vs. Long-Term Rental in Calgary: Which Actually Earns More?

The Question Every Calgary Investor Eventually Asks

You bought the condo. Maybe you're moving out, upgrading, or you inherited a place and now you're staring at it wondering what to do next. Someone tells you to put it on Airbnb. Someone else says tenants are more stable. Your cousin had a nightmare guest. Your neighbour says he makes $4,000 a month on his basement suite.

Who do you believe?

At District One, we manage both. We've seen the spreadsheets on either side, and the honest answer is: it depends. But "it depends" is only useful if you know what it depends on. So let's get into it.

Long-Term Rental Income in Calgary: Steady, Predictable, Unremarkable

Long-term rentals have one thing going for them that short-term will never fully replicate: consistency. Your tenant pays on the 1st. You deposit it. That's the whole process for most months.

Typical monthly rents in Calgary right now run roughly $1,800 to $2,400 for a one-bedroom and $2,200 to $3,000 for a two-bedroom, depending on neighbourhood and condition. A managed long-term unit will cost you 8 to 10 percent of monthly rent in management fees, plus a tenant placement fee in the range of half a month's rent when someone new moves in.

On a $2,000/month unit, you're netting around $1,800 after management fees. Vacancy is low right now, Calgary's rental market is tight, and turnover costs are modest if you're landing decent tenants.

The math is clean. The risk is low. The ceiling is also, well, the ceiling.

Short-Term Rental Income in Calgary: Higher Upside, Wider Swings

Here's where it gets interesting.

According to Airbtics data from late 2024 through 2025, Calgary STRs average about CA$2,926 per month in gross revenue. The median sits a bit lower, around $1,622 per month, which tells you there's real spread in this market. Bottom-quartile listings pull in roughly $803/month. Top-quartile performers clear $2,836 or more. The top 10 percent? Those are clearing over $4,240 per month. We dig deeper into these numbers in our full Calgary Airbnb income guide.

Revenue also varies significantly by property size. A studio or one-bedroom typically earns $1,600 to $2,300 per month. A two- or three-bedroom home can generate $2,600 to $4,000 or more. In the right neighbourhood, during the right season, a well-managed property can do even better.

Calgary's average daily rate sits around $133 to $142, with median occupancy at about 52 percent. Top performers hit 87 percent occupancy at $240+ per night. That's not luck. That's strategy.

Seasonality is real. July is the peak, averaging $3,681 in monthly revenue at 63.8 percent occupancy. January is the floor. If your finances can't handle a soft February, that's worth knowing before you commit.

The Hidden Costs: Where the Numbers Get Honest

This is where a lot of people get burned. They see the gross revenue and forget to subtract reality.

Long-term rental hidden costs:

• Turnover maintenance (paint, deep cleaning, small repairs) every 1 to 3 years

• Occasional vacancy between tenants, typically 2 to 4 weeks

• Wear and tear that accumulates quietly until it doesn't

• The rare bad tenant situation, which can cost thousands and months

Short-term rental hidden costs:

• Cleaning after every single checkout (figure $80 to $150 per clean)

• Supplies: toiletries, paper products, coffee, dish soap, linens, towels

• Utilities, usually $150 to $300 per month

• Platform fees (Airbnb takes roughly 3 percent of each booking)

• Maintenance runs higher because the property gets used harder

• Calgary's new STR licence: $510 new, $260 renewal for non-primary residences, plus a $114 fire inspection fee

Total monthly operating expenses for a well-run STR typically land between $1,300 and $3,000 depending on property size and booking volume.

So that $4,200 gross month? After expenses, you might net around $1,900. Still solid, but not $4,200. The gross number is the headline; the net number is what actually matters.

The Time Factor: How Much of Your Life Does This Cost?

Long-term rental managed by a property manager: maybe two or three hours of your attention per year. You review statements, approve the occasional repair, and move on.

Short-term rental, self-managed: it's basically a part-time job. Guest messages at 11pm, coordinating cleaners on short notice, restocking supplies, monitoring reviews, adjusting pricing, handling calendar gaps. It's doable. It's also relentless.

With a professional STR manager, most of that disappears. The tradeoff is management fees, which on STR typically come as either a percentage of revenue or a guaranteed rent model. More on that in a moment.

When Long-Term Wins

Long-term rental is the better choice when:

• Your property is in a lower-demand neighbourhood for tourism or business travel

• You want completely passive income and minimal involvement

• The rent-to-value ratio is strong and the numbers pencil out without optimization

• You have a mortgage with tight cash flow and need a guaranteed monthly figure

• You're holding the property long-term and don't want operational complexity

Consistency has real value. If sleeping soundly knowing rent hits your account every first of the month is worth more to you than chasing peak-season revenue, long-term is a perfectly rational choice.

When Short-Term Wins

Short-term earns more when:

• Your property is in Beltline, Kensington, Mission, Eau Claire, or another high-demand Calgary neighbourhood

• The property has something guests actually want: character, amenities, proximity to events

• You, or your manager, can genuinely optimize pricing and occupancy

• The property is a two- or three-bedroom that can command $3,000+ per month gross

• Calgary's vacancy rate stays above the 2.5 percent threshold that would trigger the moratorium on new non-primary STR licences (currently sitting at 4.8 percent, so you're fine)

The upside is real. A two-bedroom in the Beltline managed well can outpace long-term rent by $800 to $1,500 net per month once you account for expenses. Over a year, that's meaningful money.

The Hybrid Approach: Mid-Term Rentals and Corporate Housing

There's a third lane that doesn't get nearly enough attention.

Mid-term rentals, stays of 30 to 180 days, occupy a sweet spot that most investors overlook. You're not dealing with nightly turnover, but you're not locked into a 12-month lease either. Calgary's updated STR definition now covers stays up to 180 consecutive days, which opened the door for this model legitimately.

Corporate housing, travelling nurses, relocating professionals, film crew, pipeline workers on rotation, these are the guests who stay for months at a time, pay a premium over long-term market rent, and treat the property with respect because it's their actual home for a while.

For the right property, mid-term can deliver 15 to 30 percent more monthly income than long-term with a fraction of the nightly STR overhead. It's worth considering, especially for furnished units in professional neighbourhoods.

How District One Makes STR Pencil Out Better

Here's the honest version of what good STR management actually changes.

The difference between a median STR (pulling in $1,622 per month gross) and a top-quartile one ($2,836+) isn't usually the property. It's the pricing strategy, the listing quality, the review score, and the speed of response to inquiries. Those are operational advantages, not luck.

District One manages to 85 percent occupancy or higher on our properties. We use dynamic pricing that adjusts daily to Calgary events, seasonal demand, and competitor availability. We do the photography, the staging, the listing optimization, and the 24/7 guest communication. Our in-house cleaning team means turnovers happen on time, every time, not whenever a contractor is available.

We also offer two models: a profit-share arrangement where our fee is a percentage of what you earn (so our incentives are aligned with yours), or a guaranteed rent model where you know exactly what hits your account each month regardless of occupancy. That second option gives you the predictability of long-term with access to short-term upside. Visit our FAQ for more details on how each model works.

New properties typically launch within 7 to 14 days. We handle the STR licence application, the fire inspection coordination, the insurance requirements, and the setup. You hand us the keys; we run the operation.

So, Which Actually Earns More?

For a typical Calgary two-bedroom in a central neighbourhood: a well-managed STR likely earns more net income than long-term rental, often by a meaningful margin, but only if it's genuinely well-managed.

A poorly optimized STR in a weak location, with high vacancy and inconsistent cleaning, will underperform a boring long-term lease every single time.

The question isn't really Airbnb versus long-term. The question is whether your property, in your neighbourhood, with the right management, can outperform what a tenant would pay. Sometimes the answer is yes, comfortably. Sometimes it's not worth the complexity.

That's exactly what our free property assessment is designed to figure out. We look at your specific unit, your neighbourhood, the current Calgary STR market, and give you a realistic projection for both models. No pressure, no pitch, just numbers.

If you want to know what your property could actually earn, reach out to District One or call 403-978-6691. We'll do the math with you.