KALI TOVAR · STR MARKET INTELLIGENCE · 2026
Short-term rental performance across the market.
Annual average nightly rates, occupancy, and estimated revenue for 1-bedroom units across Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.
$178
Market avg. nightly rate
USD / night (Airbnb/VRBO annual avg.)
71%
Market avg. occupancy
annual avg.
88%
Peak season occupancy
Nov – Apr
$420
Top market (Punta Mita)
avg. ADR, Airbnb/VRBO
STR PERFORMANCE · 2026
Puerto Vallarta is a good rental market. That answer is free and worth exactly what you paid for it.
What is not free is buying into the wrong zone. Two 1-bedroom condos, same market, same week in July: one in Punta Mita at $334/night, one in Zona Romantica at $98/night. Same coastline. $236 difference per night. Annualized, that spread is the difference between a deal that funds itself and one you are subsidizing out of pocket.
Zone selection is the investment. Everything else is execution.
ZONE DATA · AIRBNB / VRBO · Q1 2026
Nightly rate and occupancy by zone
Annual average nightly rates and occupancy for 1-bedroom units on Airbnb/VRBO. Source: Market Intelligence · Kali Tovar, Q1 2026.
| Zone | Avg. ADR | Occupancy | Est. annual revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zona Romántica | $195 | 78% | $55,500 |
| Centro / Malecón | $165 | 74% | $44,600 |
| Marina Vallarta | $175 | 72% | $45,990 |
| Versalles / 5 de Dic. | $140 | 68% | $34,680 |
| Conchas Chinas | $280 | 75% | $76,650 |
| Amapas | $250 | 73% | $66,800 |
| Pitillal / East PV | $118 | 65% | $28,000 |
| La Cruz de Huanacaxtle | $158 | 70% | $40,400 |
| Riviera Nayarit | |||
| Nuevo Vallarta | $185 | 73% | $49,350 |
| Bucerías | $145 | 69% | $36,570 |
| Sayulita | $190 | 75% | $52,050 |
| Punta Mita | $420 | 68% | $104,200 |
Source: Market Intelligence · Kali Tovar · Q1 2026. ADR figures reflect Airbnb/VRBO annual averages for condo/apartment units. Individual unit performance may vary.
Your annual ROI is decided between Thanksgiving and Easter. Every dollar invested in optimizing your listing for December returns three times more than at any other point in the year.
ANNUAL REVENUE · BY ZONE
Estimated annual revenue, sorted by zone.
1-bedroom units, Airbnb/VRBO annual averages. Sorted descending by estimated annual revenue.
INVESTOR INTELLIGENCE
Key insights
Peak season is not a bonus. It is the business model.
Nov–Apr drives 68% of annual rental revenue. Optimizing your listing for December–January alone lifts gross yield 12–18%. A unit at 88% occupancy during those six months and 55% the rest of the year still produces a fundable return. A unit that never breaks 60% in peak season does not recover in summer. Know that number before you negotiate the price.
Three zones have zero platform competition. That is the arbitrage.
Conchas Chinas: 2 confirmed Booking.com listings on cliffside real estate next to Zona Romantica. La Cruz de Huanacaxtle: 5 listings between Bucerias and Punta Mita. Mismaloya: empty $130–$200/night band between two high-performing price tiers. List a quality unit on Booking.com in any of these three zones and near-zero competition is your default position. That does not require a better product. It requires a listing.
BEST VALUE · 2026
Best-value zones for STR investment
Zones where purchase price, yield potential, and market demand create above-average investor fundamentals.
Versalles / 5 de Diciembre
$140/night ADR. $146/night confirmed on Booking.com in peak season. Entry prices that no longer exist in Zona Romantica, with growing digital nomad and long-stay demand. You are buying yields at 2021 prices in a 2026 market.
Bucerias
$68/night entry point with beachfront access. $179/night boutique ceiling with a 9.2 score and 117 reviews. Below-market purchase prices with Nuevo Vallarta overflow driving occupancy up. Buyers who enter now own the position before it becomes the headline.
Marina Vallarta
72% annual occupancy. Highest-rated property in the zone scores 9.4 at $91/night (not a condo, a boutique hotel). The zone is dominated by all-inclusive resorts. Independent operators have a quality gap to fill by default.
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
Occupancy rising 4% year-over-year. $143/night market average. The $130–$280/night band is empty on Booking.com in a zone between Bucerias and Punta Mita. The buyers who made this bet in Sayulita a decade ago are not complaining about it now.
Versalles is 2026's sleeper hit: you are buying digital nomad rental yields at prices that no longer exist in Zona Romantica.
Every number above is context.
What matters is how it applies to the specific property, zone, and timeline you have in mind. Book a call and we build the case together.
Talk to Kali