Airbnb calculator · Australia
Type your suburb and see the net weekly figure for Airbnb against your current lease. Brisbane, Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast data, built on the same estimator we use for owner assessments. Every cost shown, no sign-up.
Suburb and bedrooms are enough. Add your rent to see the difference.
Short-term income uses Lane-managed comparables by region and bedroom count, with a small suburb adjustment. Net means after our 18% + GST management fee. Cleaning, consumables and damage cover cost you nothing, so they are not deducted.
Long-term net is your rent less the agent fee and a letting fee averaged over a typical 21.8 month tenancy. If you leave rent blank we show a typical lease for the same property, which is our estimate divided by 1.4.
84% is Lane's portfolio occupancy, not a market average. Break-even occupancy is the booked-night rate at which short-term net, after our fee and $70 a week for utilities and internet, equals your lease.
Property-specific forecast within 24 hours. Or talk to a director
Reading your Airbnb estimate
The figure is net weekly income after our 18% + GST management fee, built from 200 Lane-managed properties across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. It is the same Airbnb income calculator we use for owner assessments, so the estimate on this page and the one in your inbox come from the same data.
Each region is split into three bands (outer, inner and premium) by bedroom count, from one to five. Your suburb sits in one of those bands, with a small adjustment so two suburbs in the same band do not return identical numbers.
Bands are refreshed against our own booking data, not scraped listing prices. Listed rates are what hosts ask for. Ours are what guests paid.
Deducted: our 18% + GST fee. Not a cost to you: cleaning and consumables, which guests pay at booking, and damage cover, which is included. Platform booking fees are settled on the booking, not from your payout.
Still yours to cover, as with any rental: insurance, council rates, utilities and consumables. Section four below puts a dollar figure on each. See the full fee breakdown →
Market trackers put South East Queensland occupancy between 74% and 81%. Lane-managed homes run at 84% because every listing is re-priced twice a day and answered within minutes, day or night.
The estimate assumes you get that management. Self-managed listings in the same suburb usually land closer to the market rate.
Want the exact figure for your address? Send it through and a director sends back a property-specific forecast within 24 hours. No obligation, no sales follow-up.
Get my free rental assessment →South East Queensland, 2026
A whole home on Airbnb in Brisbane returned a median of $66,000 a year over the twelve months to January 2026, against a median house lease of $700 a week, or about $36,000. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast gaps are wider. Here are the published figures, with sources, so you can check the comparison yourself.
| Region | Lease, house1 | Lease, unit1 | Airbnb, median annual2 | Airbnb, per week | Nightly rate | Occupancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | $700 /wk | $620 /wk | $66,000 | $1,269 | $217 | 81% |
| Gold Coast | $950 /wk | $850 /wk | $92,000 | $1,769 | $313 | 79% |
| Sunshine Coast | $780 /wk | $690 /wk | $96,000 | $1,846 | $346 | 74% |
1 Domain Rent Report, June quarter 2026 (Brisbane, Gold Coast); Residential Tenancies Authority median rents, June quarter 2026 (Sunshine Coast). 2 Airbtics, entire-home listings, February 2025 to January 2026. Airbnb figures are before management, platform and running costs. A second tracker, AirDNA, reads the Gold Coast lower at 61% occupancy and a $243 nightly rate, roughly $1,040 a week. Our calculator bands sit between the two.
Median house lease against median Airbnb revenue divided by 52. Airbnb is before costs; section four deducts them.
Every South East Queensland market sits well under the 2.6% to 3.5% band REIQ calls healthy. A lease is easy to fill, so the Airbnb case has to be won on net income, not on whether you can find a tenant.
Airbnb management cost, line by line
A long-term lease costs about 10% to 12% of rent once the agent fee, letting fee and vacancy gap are counted. A Lane-managed Airbnb costs under 30% of revenue including our fee, the utilities a tenant would otherwise pay and the furniture, and starts from a much higher revenue line. Every item below carries a number or is labelled as an assumption.
Costs on a 2 bedroom unit at $620 a week
Costs on the same 2 bedroom unit, Brisbane inner
A 2 bedroom unit in inner Brisbane, weekly, at 84% occupancy. Cleaning, consumables and damage cover sit outside this chart because they cost you nothing. The same unit leased at $620 nets about $572 after the agent fee, before insurance, vacancy and re-letting.
Revenue is the Lane band for a 2 bedroom in inner Brisbane at 84% occupancy. Utilities and internet $3,600 a year and furnishing $18,000 over five years, each divided by 52. Platform booking fees are settled on the booking itself and are not shown.Is Airbnb more profitable than renting?
For a 2 bedroom in inner Brisbane, short-term net after our fee and utilities overtakes a $620 lease at about 46% of nights booked. On the Gold Coast, where leases are dearer, the line is nearer 64%. Lane's portfolio runs at 84%, which is why the typical result is a 40% uplift rather than a coin toss.
| 2 bedroom, inner | Lease net /wk | Airbnb net at 84%, after fee and utilities | Break-even |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane | $572 | $1,098 | 46% |
| Gold Coast | $785 | $1,047 | 64% |
| Sunshine Coast | $637 | $1,026 | 54% |
Lease net is the median unit rent less a 7.7% agent fee. Airbnb net is the Lane inner band after 18% + GST and $70 a week for utilities and internet, the cost a tenant would otherwise carry. Break-even scales occupancy against the 84% band. Enter your own rent in the calculator for your figure.
Net weekly income after Lane's fee and utilities as nights booked rise from 30% to 90%, against the same unit leased. Where the lines cross is break-even.
Airbnb vs long-term rental
Three owners run this calculator for three different reasons. The number matters most to the first, least to the second, and the third needs to read the fine print. Find yours below.
You are weighing net yield on the price you would pay, not on rent you already collect. Enter the property value above and read the yield row.
Short-term wins where occupancy holds above the break-even and the strata or council allows it. Check both before you sign.
For you the question is not Airbnb or lease. It is whether the figure landing in your account each fortnight is as high as it should be.
Compare net after fee, not the headline rate. Send your last three statements and we will show the difference. How we compare →
You want the beach place available to you. A lease locks you out for twelve months; short-term lets you block dates whenever you like.
A lease wins only if you want more than about 60 nights a year in a low-season location. Otherwise short-term keeps both the income and the keys.
| Where they differ | Long-term lease | Managed short-term rental |
|---|---|---|
| Your own use | None for the lease term, typically 12 months | Block any dates from your owner portal |
| Control over price | Set once, one increase per 12 months under Queensland law | Re-priced twice a day against local demand and events |
| Regulation | Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act, minimum standards, bond rules | Council rates category, some permit schemes, body corporate by-laws |
| Cash-flow pattern | Same amount every week, vacancy gap between tenants | Higher on average, varies with season and events, paid twice a month |
| Setup cost | Letting fee, condition report, unfurnished | Furnishing $12,000 to $25,000 if starting empty; $500 setup fee, deducted from first payout |
| Getting out | Wait for the lease to end or negotiate a break | Block the calendar, 30 days' notice to Lane, no exit fee |
Airbnb tax deductions
Less than most owners expect. Both are rental income, both get the same core deductions, and neither charges GST on rent. The differences are apportionment for your own use, faster depreciation on new furniture, and how a former home is treated for capital gains.
Estimate your after-tax position →General information, current at September 2026, not tax advice. Your accountant should confirm how each point applies to you.
If you block nights for yourself, the ATO expects interest, rates, insurance and depreciation to be claimed only for the share of the year the property was genuinely available to guests. A leased property has no such adjustment because you cannot use it.
Source: ATO, holiday homes and rental property deductions.
Residential rent is input taxed, so you do not add GST to a nightly rate or a weekly lease, and you do not register for it. The GST on our management fee is a business cost you can deduct in full, and claim as a credit only if you are registered for other reasons.
Source: ATO, GST and residential premises.
The 2017 rules stopped depreciation on second-hand plant in existing homes. New furniture, appliances and linen you buy to set up a short-term rental are still deductible over their effective life, which brings back a meaningful slice of a $12,000 to $25,000 fit-out.
Source: ATO, depreciating assets in residential rental properties.
If the property was your main residence, letting it short-term does not by itself lose the CGT exemption. The six-year absence rule can cover both Airbnb and leased periods, provided you do not claim another home as your main residence at the same time.
Source: ATO, treating a former home as your main residence.
Airbnb rules, Brisbane to Noosa
No South East Queensland council bans short-term letting, and only Noosa requires a permit. What changes between councils is the rates category your property moves into and, in a few zones, whether a planning approval is needed. Here is the September 2026 position for each.
Checked against council publications on 9 September 2026. Rates loadings and permit fees are set each financial year, so confirm the current figure with your council or ask us during your assessment.
Brisbane 2032
Queensland has set a target of 14,700 extra hotel rooms by 2032. The current pipeline delivers roughly a quarter of them, because hotel construction costs have outrun what room rates can repay. The gap between visitors and beds is where short-term rentals sit, and it is the reason Brisbane City Council walked away from tighter short-stay rules this year rather than toward them.
The uplift does not end with the closing ceremony. Across previous host cities, room nights grew 8.4% in the second year after the Games and 7.5% in the third as the new venues, hotels and transport kept pulling events. An owner who lists in 2026 has six years of review history and pricing data by the time that peak arrives. Read the full 2032 hotel shortage analysis →
Sources: Property Council of Australia and CBRE, Queensland accommodation pipeline, May 2026; post-Games room-night series across previous host cities, same report.
Airbnb vs renting FAQ
Short answers to the nine questions we get most often when someone runs the calculator and then picks up the phone.
Usually Airbnb, by around 40% net for a professionally managed property in Brisbane, the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast. Our Queen Street one-bedroom clears $1,038 a week net against roughly $650 leased, and a Maroochydore two-bedroom $948 against $705. The gap narrows in outer suburbs and closes if occupancy falls under about 60%.
Market medians for a whole home sit near $66,000 a year in Brisbane, $92,000 on the Gold Coast and $96,000 on the Sunshine Coast (Airbtics, Feb 2025 to Jan 2026). A Lane-managed two-bedroom in an inner suburb typically nets $1,200 to $1,500 a week after our fee. Type your suburb above for the band that applies to you.
For a two-bedroom at regional nightly rates, short-term net after management and utilities passes a typical lease at roughly 45% to 65% of nights booked. Lane's portfolio runs at 84%, which is where the 40% uplift comes from. The calculator above shows your exact break-even once you enter your current rent.
It uses booking data from 200 Lane-managed properties, banded by region and bedroom count, so it is a realistic estimate for a well-presented home under active management. It cannot see your view, floor level, parking or finish. A free rental assessment looks at those and comes back with an address-specific figure within 24 hours.
Budget $12,000 to $25,000 for a two-bedroom, including beds, linen, kitchenware, smart lock and styling. New furniture and appliances are depreciable, so the cost comes back through your tax return over several years. Already furnished? We can have you live within 48 hours. Furnishing packages →
Yes. You keep the calendar and block any dates you like, which is the main reason owners with a beach place choose short-term over a lease. Own use reduces income in proportion to the nights taken and the ATO expects deductions to be apportioned the same way. The calculator's Refine panel models this.
Income is taxable either way and the same deductions apply: management fees, interest, rates, insurance, depreciation. If the home was your main residence, the six-year rule can preserve the CGT exemption while it is let. Residential rent is input taxed, so there is no GST on nightly rates. General information only. Airbnb tax calculator →
Brisbane requires no permit; the proposed 2025 short-stay local law is not proceeding, though whole homes let over 60 nights move to a higher rates category. The Gold Coast has no permit or cap, but the correct rates category and $10 million public liability cover apply. Noosa runs a permit scheme. Brisbane rules →
In Queensland a body corporate by-law cannot ban short-term letting where residential use is allowed, though it can enforce noise, parking and common-area rules, and some buildings hold an onsite letting agreement worth reading. Most residential loans permit short-term letting, but check your loan conditions before switching.
.png)