Realistic Rental Yields: What Investors Actually Earn

Marketing materials love round, optimistic yield numbers. Here's what the actual data looks like for a typical, well-managed Riviera Maya short-term rental in 2026 — gross and net, not just the headline figure.

Gross vs. Net: The Number That Actually Matters

Gross short-term rental yields across the Riviera Maya typically run 7-11% annually for a well-located, well-managed property. That's the number most listings lead with. The number that actually determines whether the investment works for you is net yield — after property management commission, maintenance, HOA dues, insurance, and realistic vacancy — which typically lands in the 4-7% range.

What a Typical Property Actually Generates

A representative Riviera Maya Airbnb generates roughly $10,100 USD per month in gross revenue on average. After expenses, most owners take home somewhere between $3,000 and $7,000 per month, depending heavily on property type, location, and how well it's managed. That's a wide range, and the difference between the low and high end of it usually comes down to three things: occupancy, management quality, and how competitive the immediate submarket is.

Occupancy: The Number Behind the Number

Average short-term rental occupancy across the Riviera Maya sits around 47%, but that average hides real variation: Playa del Carmen runs closer to 51%, while Tulum — dealing with a larger wave of new supply — runs closer to 43%. With roughly 32,000 active short-term rental listings across the Riviera Maya as of early 2026, and Playa del Carmen and Tulum together accounting for nearly 30,000 of them, competition for bookings is real and location-specific.

Break-Even and Margins

Most hosts operate with net profit margins between 30% and 48% of gross revenue, and break-even occupancy — the point at which rental income covers carrying costs — typically sits around 25-30% occupancy. That's a meaningful cushion below the market average, which is part of why well-located properties tend to weather soft seasons reasonably well.

Sample Numbers, Laid Out

Reading These Numbers Like an Investor, Not a Buyer of a Vacation Home

The single biggest mistake we see is running a pro forma off the gross yield and top-quartile occupancy figures rather than realistic, market-average numbers. A property in an oversupplied Tulum segment at 43% occupancy behaves very differently, financially, than the same unit priced as if it will hit 65%. We cover how to actually build a defensible pro forma — including how management fees, RETUR-Q compliance costs, and seasonal swings factor in — in a dedicated article.

FAQ

Q: Do these numbers include property management fees?

A: The net figures do — property management commissions (commonly 20-30% of booking revenue) are one of the largest single deductions between gross and net.

Q: Are long-term rentals more predictable than short-term?

A: Generally yes, at the cost of lower peak-season upside — we compare the two strategies directly in a separate article.

Q: Does furnishing quality really affect yield this much?

A: Yes — well-furnished, well-photographed units consistently out-book comparable but dated units in the same building, sometimes by a meaningful margin in both occupancy and achievable nightly rate.

Want Real Numbers for a Specific Property?

Market averages are a starting point, not a substitute for building a real pro forma on a specific unit. Top Listings Riviera Maya can pull actual comparable performance data for buildings you're considering. Call +44 7513 075054 to get real numbers before you commit.