Airbnb prices in Massachusetts vary widely in 2026. A modest stay in a lower-cost inland city may be near $150 per booked night, while larger homes in Boston, Salem, Cape Cod, or the Berkshires can cost $300 to $500 or more. Your actual total depends on the town, dates, property size, fees, and taxes.
Quick Answer
There is no dependable single statewide Airbnb price for Massachusetts. Current June 2026 market benchmarks range from about $133 in Worcester and $250 in Cambridge to $332 in Boston, $370 in Salem, and roughly $500 or more in some Cape Cod towns. Always compare the total for your exact dates.
Key Takeaways
- A realistic Massachusetts planning range is roughly $150 to $500+ per booked night, but premium coastal and large-group homes can cost much more.
- Boston’s June 2026 short-term-rental ADR was about $332, while Falmouth and Provincetown were close to $500 or higher.
- Third-party ADR data is not always the same as the nightly price shown on Airbnb or the final amount paid by a guest.
- Massachusetts lodging taxes can add a substantial amount, especially in Boston and Cape Cod communities.
- Hosts must check state registration, local licensing, insurance, zoning, condo, lease, and platform requirements before listing.
2026 Massachusetts Airbnb Price Snapshot
A statewide average can be misleading because Massachusetts includes urban apartments, college-area rentals, historic homes, ski-country cabins, island properties, and large Cape Cod vacation houses. Prices also change by bedroom count, guest capacity, day of the week, season, and local events.
The following benchmarks come from AirDNA pages updated July 5, 2026, using completed market data through June 2026. AirDNA tracks short-term rentals across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, so these are broader short-term-rental market figures rather than direct quotes for one Airbnb search.
| Massachusetts market | June 2026 ADR benchmark | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester | $133 | One of the lower urban benchmarks in the state |
| Cambridge | $250 | Strong demand near Boston, universities, and transit |
| Boston | $332 | High urban demand with major neighborhood differences |
| Salem | $370 | Historic tourism and strong autumn demand |
| North Adams | $204 | A lower-cost example in the northern Berkshires |
| Great Barrington | $450 | Shows the wide price spread within the Berkshires |
| Provincetown | $500 | Premium Cape Cod demand and limited coastal supply |
| Falmouth | $512 | Large coastal homes can lift the market average |
Note: ADR means average daily rate for booked nights. AirDNA states that its ADR calculations can include cleaning-fee revenue. ADR is therefore not necessarily the base nightly price shown in search, and it does not represent the final guest total after all taxes.
The town, property size, and travel dates usually matter more than a single Massachusetts-wide average.
Massachusetts by Region: Boston, Cape Cod, Berkshires, and Smaller Cities
Massachusetts does not have one uniform short-term-rental market. A studio near public transit, a four-bedroom beach house, and a rural cabin serve different guests and should not be compared as if they were equivalent.
Boston Neighborhood Price Spread
Boston’s short-term-rental ADR was about $332 in June 2026 market data. That figure is a broad city benchmark, not a guaranteed nightly price. The amount a guest sees can be lower or higher depending on the neighborhood, property size, parking, transit access, event calendar, cancellation policy, and length of stay.
Central locations and larger whole-home listings generally command more than private rooms or stays farther from major attractions. However, Boston also has strict eligibility rules that reduce the supply of legal residential short-term rentals.
When comparing Boston listings, use the same dates and guest count. A listing that appears cheaper may become more expensive after adding a cleaning fee, extra-guest charge, pet fee, parking, or a longer minimum stay.
Cape Cod Seasonal Rates
Cape Cod prices are highly seasonal and vary by town. June 2026 ADR benchmarks were about $512 in Falmouth and $500 in Provincetown. Large waterfront properties, homes with several bedrooms, and listings close to beaches can be much higher.
Summer dates generally attract the strongest coastal demand. Holiday weekends, school vacation periods, and Saturday-to-Saturday rental patterns can also limit flexibility. Many Cape listings require longer stays during peak periods, so the total trip cost may matter more than the nightly average.
Taxes are also important on the Cape. Barnstable County municipalities are subject to the 2.75% Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund excise in addition to applicable state and local room-occupancy taxes.
Pro Tip: For a Cape Cod trip, compare a full seven-night total with shorter stays. A weekly discount can offset part of the higher summer nightly rate, but only when the dates and cancellation terms fit your plans.
Berkshires Price Range
The Berkshires also have a wide price spread. June 2026 ADR benchmarks ranged from about $204 in North Adams and $233 in Pittsfield to $450 in Great Barrington and $461 in Lenox.
This difference reflects property mix, guest capacity, proximity to cultural attractions, wedding venues, hiking areas, and town centers. It is more accurate to compare individual Berkshire towns than to assume the entire region averages about $250.
Lower-Cost Massachusetts Markets
Travelers who do not need to stay in Boston or a coastal resort may find lower rates in central or western cities. Worcester’s June 2026 ADR benchmark was about $133, while Springfield, Fitchburg, and other inland markets may also offer lower-priced options depending on the dates and property type.
Before choosing a distant listing to save money, include transportation, parking, tolls, and travel time in the comparison.
How Property Type and Amenities Affect Nightly Rates
Property type is one of the largest price drivers. A private room, studio, one-bedroom apartment, cottage, and five-bedroom beach house should not share the same expected rate.
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Property Type Premiums
Whole homes usually cost more than private rooms because guests receive more privacy, space, kitchen access, and sleeping capacity. Larger homes may also charge more because they can replace several hotel rooms for a family or group.
For a useful comparison, match listings by:
- Town or neighborhood
- Exact travel dates
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Maximum guest capacity
- Private room versus entire home
- Parking and transportation access
- Review score and number of recent reviews
- Cancellation policy
- Minimum-stay requirement
A four-bedroom house should be compared with other nearby four-bedroom houses, not with the overall city average.
Amenity-Driven Price Jumps
Basic features such as reliable Wi-Fi, heating, clean bedding, smoke alarms, and an accurate listing description are expected. They may help a property compete, but they do not automatically justify a premium price.
Amenities more likely to affect rates include:
- Waterfront access or a strong view
- Off-street parking in a dense city
- Air conditioning during summer
- A pool or hot tub
- Pet-friendly policies
- EV charging
- Outdoor dining or a fire pit
- Wheelchair-accessible entrances and bathrooms
- Multiple bathrooms for groups
- Professional workspaces for longer stays
Hosts should confirm that an amenity is legal, safe, insured, accurately described, and consistently available before charging more for it.
Seasonal Pricing Trends: Peak, Shoulder, and Off-Season
Massachusetts demand changes by destination rather than following one statewide peak month.
- Boston and Cambridge: Rates can rise around graduations, conventions, major sporting events, holidays, and busy fall travel periods.
- Salem: October tourism can create unusually strong demand, limited availability, and longer booking lead times.
- Cape Cod and the Islands: Summer is normally the most competitive period, especially for larger homes and beach access.
- The Berkshires: Cultural events, fall foliage, weddings, ski trips, and holiday weekends can affect demand.
- Central and western cities: Prices may be steadier but can still rise around college events, festivals, and large local gatherings.
Hosts should not raise prices based only on the month. They should review comparable listings for the same property size, location, and dates. Guests should search more than one date combination because shifting a trip by one or two nights can change both availability and minimum-stay rules.
Note: A market’s annual occupancy rate does not mean every property is booked at that level. New listings, luxury homes, private rooms, and professionally managed properties can perform very differently.
Fees and Total Cost: Cleaning, Service Fees, Taxes, and Minimum Stays
The advertised nightly price is only one part of the booking cost. For a fair comparison, divide the full trip total by the number of nights.
Effective nightly cost = final booking total ÷ number of nights
The total may include:
- Nightly accommodation charges
- A cleaning fee
- Extra-guest or pet fees
- Airbnb service fees, depending on the listing’s fee structure
- State and local occupancy taxes
- Optional parking or amenities disclosed by the host
How Airbnb Service Fees Work in 2026
Airbnb uses two main fee structures for home stays:
- Split fee: Most participating hosts pay about 3%. Guests generally pay a service fee ranging from 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal.
- Single fee: The full service fee is deducted from the host payout. Most hosts on this structure pay 15.5%, while the usual range is 14% to 16%.
Certain hosts using property-management or channel-management software moved from the split-fee structure to the single-fee structure on April 13, 2026. Airbnb may change its fee rules, so hosts and guests should review the current Airbnb service-fee explanation.
U.S. guests now see a fee-inclusive total before taxes in Airbnb search results. The detailed breakdown remains useful for checking how the price was calculated.
Cleaning Fees
There is no dependable universal Massachusetts cleaning-fee average. Cleaning fees are optional, set by the host, and usually charged once per reservation rather than once per night.
This means a $120 cleaning fee adds $60 per night to a two-night trip but only about $17 per night to a seven-night trip. Longer stays can therefore have a lower effective nightly cost even when the base rate is unchanged.
Security Deposits
Most Airbnb hosts are not allowed to charge a security deposit. Select software-connected hosts and hotels may be permitted to collect one when it is properly disclosed. Guests should not assume that a deposit is standard, and they should not send undisclosed payments outside Airbnb.
Review Airbnb’s current security-deposit policy if a listing requests a deposit or card hold.
Massachusetts Occupancy Taxes
Massachusetts imposes a 5.7% state room occupancy excise on qualifying short-term rentals of 31 days or less. Cities and towns may add a local room occupancy tax of up to 6%, or 6.5% in Boston.
Additional charges may include:
- A 2.75% convention-center assessment in Boston, Worcester, Cambridge, Springfield, West Springfield, and Chicopee
- A 2.75% Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund excise in Barnstable County municipalities
- A community impact fee of up to 3% on certain qualifying short-term rentals where the municipality has adopted it
Massachusetts generally calculates room-occupancy tax on the taxable rent, including nonrefundable charges such as cleaning, linen, and booking fees. Refundable security deposits are generally excluded.
Warning: The applicable tax rate depends on the property’s exact municipality and classification. Guests should check the checkout breakdown, and hosts should confirm current rates through the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. This article is general information, not tax or legal advice.
Minimum-Stay Rules
Hosts may require two, three, seven, or more nights depending on the property and dates. Minimum stays are common for large vacation homes and peak travel periods.
A lower nightly rate is not a saving when the listing requires more nights than the guest needs. Compare the full required stay rather than multiplying an advertised rate by your preferred number of nights.
How Hosts Maximize Revenue With Pricing, Discounts, and Add-Ons
Dynamic pricing can help a host respond to seasonality, local events, day-of-week demand, and nearby competition. However, automated suggestions should have minimum and maximum limits. A tool does not know every detail of a property, its operating costs, or its legal restrictions.
A practical pricing workflow is:
- Choose 10 to 20 nearby listings with a similar bedroom count, guest capacity, property type, and quality level.
- Compare the same future dates and minimum-stay rules.
- Record the fee-inclusive guest price before taxes, not only the large nightly number.
- Separate weekdays, weekends, holidays, and major event dates.
- Set a minimum rate that covers variable costs and contributes to fixed expenses.
- Review booking pace and adjust gradually rather than making large reactive changes.
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Discount Strategies
Weekly and monthly discounts can reduce vacancy and turnover costs, but hosts should calculate the net result. A large discount may not make sense when utilities, supplies, platform fees, and wear increase with occupancy.
Last-minute discounts can fill an otherwise empty date, while early-booking discounts may help secure demand. Neither should be automatic across every season.
Optional Add-Ons
Optional services such as early check-in, late checkout, parking, equipment rental, or local experiences must be accurately disclosed and handled according to Airbnb’s payment rules. Hosts should not surprise guests with mandatory charges after booking.
Gross Revenue Is Not Net Income
A high nightly rate does not guarantee a profitable rental. Hosts should calculate:
Net operating income = booking revenue − platform fees − cleaning − utilities − supplies − maintenance − insurance − management − permits − applicable taxes paid by the host
Mortgage payments, major capital repairs, furnishing replacement, and income taxes may also affect the owner’s final return.
How Guests Save: Timing, Length of Stay, and Comparison Tips
Guests can often reduce costs without negotiating directly with a host.
- Use flexible dates: Search one or two days before and after the preferred trip.
- Compare weekdays and weekends: Sunday-through-Thursday stays may cost less outside event periods.
- Check longer-stay discounts: Compare the total for six nights with seven nights, or 27 nights with 28 nights.
- Search nearby towns: Include transportation and parking before deciding that a distant stay is cheaper.
- Compare effective nightly cost: Divide the final total by the number of nights.
- Review cancellation terms: A cheaper nonrefundable booking may carry more financial risk.
- Confirm guest count: Extra-guest fees can change the total after the number of travelers is entered.
- Check included amenities: Free parking, laundry, and a kitchen may offset a higher nightly rate.
A polite message can be reasonable for an extended stay or an unbooked last-minute period, but a host is not required to discount. Keep all booking and payment communication on Airbnb.
Pro Tip: Open each listing’s full price breakdown after entering the correct dates, guest count, and pets. Compare the final trip total and cancellation policy, not only the search result’s nightly figure.
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Quick Pricing Checklist for Hosts and Guests
Guest Checklist
- Enter the exact dates and number of guests
- Check the full fee-inclusive price and taxes
- Calculate the effective cost per night
- Review cleaning, pet, parking, and extra-guest charges
- Confirm the minimum stay
- Read the cancellation policy
- Check recent reviews for accuracy and cleanliness
- Verify that essential amenities are included
- Keep payments and messages on the platform
Host Checklist
- Compare equivalent listings in the same local area
- Use separate weekday, weekend, peak, and off-season rates
- Set minimum and maximum pricing guardrails
- Calculate net income after all operating costs
- Disclose every mandatory fee through the correct Airbnb field
- Keep the calendar, amenities, and house rules accurate
- Confirm state registration and local permits
- Review insurance, zoning, lease, condo, and HOA restrictions
- Recheck tax and platform rules when they change
Massachusetts Rules Hosts Must Check
Pricing is only one part of operating a legal short-term rental in Massachusetts.
State Registration and Tax Collection
Massachusetts short-term-rental operators generally must register their properties with the Department of Revenue through MassTaxConnect. Airbnb states that Massachusetts listings without the required registration information may be blocked from hosting short stays.
Airbnb generally collects and remits applicable Massachusetts occupancy taxes for bookings completed on its platform. Hosts remain responsible for registration and for handling any taxable bookings or obligations not covered by the platform.
Boston Short-Term-Rental Rules
Boston defines a residential short-term rental as occupancy for fewer than 28 consecutive days for a fee. Eligible residential units are generally limited to owner-occupied condominiums and owner-occupied single-family, two-family, and three-family buildings.
Boston’s main residential categories include limited share, home share, and owner-adjacent units. The owner must use the property as a primary residence and generally live there for at least nine months of a 12-month period.
Hosts must register with the City, display an active registration number in the listing, renew annually, comply with occupancy limits, and meet other notification and safety responsibilities. Review the current Boston short-term-rental requirements before listing.
Liability Insurance
Massachusetts requires short-term-rental operators to have at least $1 million in liability coverage for each short-term rental. Platform-provided coverage may satisfy the requirement when it provides equal or greater protection, but hosts should verify the policy terms and any exclusions.
Warning: A platform listing does not prove that a property complies with every city, town, building, lease, condo, zoning, insurance, or safety rule. Hosts should verify all requirements before accepting reservations.
How to Use Massachusetts Airbnb Price Data Correctly
Market averages are useful for orientation, but they are not a quote for a specific trip or a revenue promise for a specific property.
When reading an ADR figure, check:
- The month covered by the data
- Whether the figure is annual, monthly, trailing 12 months, or a future forecast
- Whether cleaning fees are included
- Which booking platforms are included
- Whether the data covers booked nights or all available nights
- The typical bedroom count and property mix
- Whether luxury homes are lifting the average
- Whether taxes and platform fees are excluded
For guests, a live search with exact dates is the best source for the current bookable price. For hosts, market data should be combined with nearby comparable listings, actual booking pace, operating costs, and current local rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Airbnb price per night in Massachusetts?
A good price depends on the town, dates, property size, guest count, and included amenities. Current market benchmarks range from about $133 in Worcester to $500 or more in some Cape Cod towns. Compare similar listings and calculate the final cost per night.
How much does an average Airbnb cost in Boston?
AirDNA reported a Boston short-term-rental ADR of about $332 using completed data through June 2026. That is a broad market benchmark, not the final price for every Airbnb. Neighborhood, property size, dates, fees, and taxes can move the total considerably.
How much does an Airbnb cost on Cape Cod?
Cape Cod prices differ by town and season. June 2026 ADR benchmarks were about $512 in Falmouth and $500 in Provincetown. Small off-season units may cost less, while large waterfront homes in summer can cost far more.
What is the best Massachusetts Airbnb market in 2026?
There is no universal best market. Salem may have strong October demand, Cape Cod can command high summer rates, Boston offers urban demand, and some inland cities have lower acquisition or guest costs. Hosts must compare regulation, seasonality, expenses, occupancy, property price, and net income before choosing a market.
How much tax is added to a Massachusetts Airbnb?
The state room occupancy excise is 5.7%. Local taxes and special assessments may also apply. Boston, certain convention-center cities, Cape Cod communities, and qualifying units subject to a community impact fee can have higher combined rates. Check the exact municipality and booking breakdown.
Are Airbnb cleaning fees and service fees included in the displayed price?
Airbnb shows U.S. guests a fee-inclusive total before taxes in search results. Taxes are shown before booking, and guests can open the price breakdown for details. Some properly disclosed hotel or software-connected-host charges may follow different collection rules.
Do Massachusetts Airbnb hosts need a license?
Hosts generally need state tax registration, and many cities or towns have separate registration, licensing, zoning, inspection, or owner-occupancy rules. Boston requires eligible residential short-term rentals to register and display an active registration number.
Conclusion
Massachusetts Airbnb prices cannot be reduced to one dependable statewide average. Current 2026 benchmarks range from roughly $133 in Worcester to $500 or more in some Cape Cod markets, with Boston near $332 and large differences across the Berkshires.
Guests should enter exact dates and guest counts, inspect the full price breakdown, include taxes, and compare the effective cost per night. Hosts should use equivalent local listings, calculate net income rather than gross revenue, and confirm registration, tax, insurance, zoning, and local licensing requirements before setting rates.
Sources
- AirDNA Boston Short-Term Rental Market Data — June 2026 Boston ADR, occupancy, listings, and market methodology.
- AirDNA Falmouth Short-Term Rental Market Data — current Cape Cod ADR benchmark.
- AirDNA Great Barrington Short-Term Rental Market Data — current southern Berkshires benchmark.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue: Room Occupancy Excise Tax — state, local, Cape Cod, convention-center, and community impact tax rules.
- City of Boston Short-Term Rentals — eligibility, registration, occupancy, and host responsibilities.
- Airbnb Service Fees — current split-fee and single-fee structures.
