A short-term rental income calculator for Excel and Google Sheets: see net profit, margin, payback and the occupancy you need to break even before you commit.
Get it on Payhip →In short: This short-term rental calculator spreadsheet works out one listing's month: booked nights from your occupancy, gross revenue, platform and management fees, cleaning per turnover, then rent or mortgage, utilities, internet and supplies. It returns net monthly and annual profit, margin, furnishing payback and the break-even occupancy: 53.7% on the shipped example.
20-second demo — real numbers, with audio 🔊
Works in Microsoft Excel and in Google Sheets (File, Open, Upload). Inputs are the yellow cells; everything else is a live formula you can click and read.
The file ships with this example listing. These are the workbook's own results:
| Line | Result |
|---|---|
| $150 a night at 75% occupancy over 30 days | 22.5 booked nights, $3,375.00 revenue |
| 3-night average stay | 7.5 stays a month |
| Platform fee 3% | $101.25 |
| Cleaning $75 x 7.5 turnovers | $562.50 |
| Rent $1,500 + utilities $250 + internet $70 + supplies $120 | $1,940.00 |
| Total monthly expenses | $2,603.75 |
| Net monthly profit | $771.25 |
| Annual net profit | $9,255.00 |
| Profit margin | 22.9% |
| Furnishing payback ($8,000 / $771.25) | 10.4 months |
| Break-even occupancy | 53.7% (16.1 booked nights a month) |
How the break-even occupancy is worked out: fixed costs are $1,940 a month. Each booked night nets $150 less the 3% fee, less $25 of cleaning ($75 over a 3-night stay), which is $120.50. $1,940 / (30 days x $120.50) = 53.7%, or 16.1 booked nights. The example runs at 75%, 21.3 points above that line; below 53.7% the listing loses money every month. If a night nets nothing after fees and cleaning, the sheet says so instead of printing a number. The demo's 3% platform fee is Airbnb's split-fee host rate, a structure Airbnb says it is phasing out; under the single host-only fee most hosts pay 15.5% (Airbnb: service fees, read 11 October 2026). Type 15.5 in the platform fee cell and the same listing nets $349.38 a month ($4,192.50 a year) and breaks even at 63.6% occupancy (19.1 booked nights).
Hosts and would-be hosts testing one listing, including rental arbitrage where the cost is rent rather than a mortgage. It models an average month from your own inputs; it does not pull market data for an address. For the expense side in detail see the Airbnb expense spreadsheet guide, and to compare against a lease see Airbnb vs long-term rental.
An honest comparison. A free template is the right choice if you only need a form to fill in, and software is the right choice if you need scheduling, invoicing or bank feeds. This file is for getting the number right.
| This spreadsheet | Free blank template | Subscription STR data tools | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculates net profit, payback and break-even occupancy from your costs | Yes | Only if you build it | Varies |
| Estimates revenue for an address from market data | No, you enter rate and occupancy | No | Often the main feature |
| Shows every formula | Yes, every cell | Yes, if you built it | Often hidden |
| Where it runs | Your own Excel or Google Sheets file | A spreadsheet | The vendor's app and account |
| Cost | $14.99 once | Free | Monthly subscription |
Get the free 50/30/20 Budget Starter and see exactly how the live formulas work — no risk, no card.
Estimate revenue (nightly rate × occupancy × nights), subtract all operating costs (cleaning, utilities, platform fees, restocking, management and mortgage), and compare the net against your furnishing/startup spend to find payback. The STR Profit Calculator does this automatically.
Short-term rentals can earn more per month but cost more to run and carry more vacancy risk. Run both sets of numbers before you commit — the calculator shows net profit and payback so you can decide with data, not hope.
Yes, both — it's a spreadsheet with live formulas.
Yes, $14.99 one-time. Also in the $49 bundle.
Estimate monthly revenue from nightly rate times booked nights, subtract platform and management fees, cleaning per turnover and your fixed costs, and compare what is left with the furnishing cost. In the sheet's example, $3,375 of revenue leaves $771.25 a month and pays back $8,000 of furnishing in about 10.4 months.
Net monthly profit = nightly rate x days x occupancy, minus platform fee, management fee, cleaning per stay x number of stays, rent or mortgage, utilities, internet and supplies. Profit margin is that figure divided by gross booking revenue.
Fixed monthly costs divided by (days in the month x what one booked night leaves after platform fee, management fee and cleaning). The sheet prints it: on the shipped example, $1,940 of fixed costs and $120.50 per booked night give 53.7%, or 16.1 nights a month, against 75% actual occupancy.
