Thinking about buying a place near Port Canaveral and turning it into a vacation rental? You’re smart to run the numbers first. With steady cruise traffic, rocket launch tourism, and year-round beach demand, Cape Canaveral can work well if the math pencils out. In this guide, you’ll see the demand drivers, rules and taxes, realistic revenue and costs, and two clear pro formas you can adapt to your property. Let’s dive in.
Why Cape Canaveral STRs draw bookings
Port Canaveral fuels consistent, week-in, week-out demand. The port reported a record month for cruise guests in March 2025, reinforcing strong pre and post-cruise stays (Port Canaveral news).
Rocket launches and Kennedy Space Center also bring event-driven spikes and multi-night bookings. The Space Coast Office of Tourism reports substantial overnight visitation and strong tourism impact across Brevard County (Space Coast tourism impact).
Beaches, family trips, and proximity to Orlando round out a diverse guest mix. The result is a baseline of steady occupancy with pronounced peaks during launch windows, cruise-heavy months, and holidays.
Know the rules and taxes before you list
City registration and inspections
Cape Canaveral requires vacation rental registration and compliance with city code, including inspections and occupancy calculations. Fees, forms, and minimum-stay rules can change, so review the current Code of Ordinances and program details before you buy or list (Cape Canaveral code).
State and county taxes you must collect
Short stays of six months or less are subject to Florida’s 6% transient rental tax (Florida statute) plus Brevard County’s 5% Tourist Development Tax, remitted monthly (Brevard TDT). That’s 11% total on the rental subtotal, typically collected from the guest and passed through to the state and county.
HOA and building rules
Many condo and HOA communities have rental restrictions, minimum-stay rules, and registration requirements. Always confirm building bylaws and the latest municipal guidance to avoid fines and listing interruptions.
Revenue benchmarks and seasonality
- Typical market ranges show ADR around 170 to 210 dollars and occupancy about 60 to 65 percent, with RevPAR in the 120 to 140 dollars range. These are market-level medians that vary by property size and location within Cape Canaveral (AirDNA overview).
- Seasonality favors late winter and spring, with additional spikes tied to major launch events and holidays (seasonality context).
- Guest mix matters. Cruise travelers often book shorter stays, while launch watchers tend to stay multiple nights. Your minimum-stay strategy should reflect that mix.
Costs to include in your model
Fixed and periodic ownership costs:
- Mortgage principal and interest
- Property taxes (use a county estimator for a specific address)
- Insurance, including wind and possibly flood. Florida coastal premiums are higher than the U.S. average, so get quotes early (Florida insurance context)
- HOA or condo dues if applicable
Operating and turnover costs:
- Cleaning per stay (often 75 to 250 dollars depending on size)
- Utilities, internet, trash
- Consumables and linen replacement
- Repairs and routine maintenance
- Platform fees. Airbnb’s fee model varies, so check your listing’s current host fee structure (Airbnb fee guidance)
- Property management. Full-service management commonly runs 20 to 35 percent of gross, with lighter co-host options at 10 to 15 percent (management fee ranges)
Taxes and pass-throughs:
- Florida transient rental tax 6% and Brevard TDT 5%. Treat these as pass-through when you model net.
Capital expenditures and reserves:
- Furnishings, appliance and HVAC replacement, roof and exterior maintenance, storm deductibles. Budget a yearly reserve.
Simple formulas that work
- Annual gross revenue = ADR × Occupancy rate × 365
- Net operating income (before mortgage and taxes) ≈ Gross revenue minus platform fees, management, cleaning, utilities, routine maintenance, insurance, property tax, and a CAPEX reserve. Treat the 11% tax as pass-through.
Two pro formas you can copy
Assumptions below use market medians and local context. Adapt the inputs to your specific building, block, and furnishing level. Revenue excludes pass-through state and county taxes.
Scenario A: Conservative, full-service managed
- Property type: 2-bedroom near Cape Canaveral
- ADR: 175 dollars; Occupancy: 58% ⇒ Gross revenue ≈ 37,048 dollars
- Platform fee: 3% ⇒ 1,111 dollars
- Property management: 30% ⇒ 11,114 dollars
- Average stay: 2.5 nights; Clean per stay: 120 dollars ⇒ ~85 turns ⇒ 10,200 dollars
- Utilities, internet, routine maintenance: 6,000 dollars
- Insurance + property tax: 6,500 dollars
- CAPEX reserve: 2,000 dollars
- Estimated net operating income before mortgage ≈ 37,048 − (1,111 + 11,114 + 10,200 + 6,000 + 6,500 + 2,000) = 123 dollars
Note: If your platform uses a host-only fee near 15%, platform costs would be about 5,557 dollars here, reducing NOI by roughly 4,446 dollars.
Scenario B: Stretch case, optimized and co-hosted
- Property type: 2-bedroom near Cape Canaveral
- ADR: 205 dollars; Occupancy: 65% ⇒ Gross revenue ≈ 48,636 dollars
- Platform fee: 3% ⇒ 1,459 dollars
- Co-host or light management: 10% ⇒ 4,864 dollars
- Average stay: 3 nights; Clean per stay: 120 dollars ⇒ ~79 turns ⇒ 9,480 dollars
- Utilities, internet, routine maintenance: 6,000 dollars
- Insurance + property tax: 5,500 dollars
- CAPEX reserve: 2,000 dollars
- Estimated net operating income before mortgage ≈ 48,636 − (1,459 + 4,864 + 9,480 + 6,000 + 5,500 + 2,000) = 19,333 dollars
What this shows: small changes in ADR, occupancy, management approach, cleaning cadence, and fee structure can flip your outcome. Run multiple cases before you commit.
Local levers that improve returns
- Price around cruise schedules and launch dates to capture peaks.
- Tune minimum stays for your guest mix. Shorter for pre-cruise nights; longer around launches and holidays.
- Offer safe, convenient parking and easy access to the port and beach.
- Stage and photograph professionally to lift ADR relative to comps.
- Protect your permit by enforcing quiet hours and occupancy rules.
What could change the math
- Insurance volatility. Shop early and budget conservatively for coastal coverage (insurance context).
- Regulatory updates. Confirm city registration, minimum stays, and HOA bylaws before you list (Cape Canaveral code).
- Supply growth. New hotels and STRs can pressure ADR and occupancy in peak seasons.
Next steps: Build your Cape Canaveral pro forma
- Pull ADR and occupancy comps for your specific street or building (market snapshot).
- Map cruise calendars and key launch windows to set pricing and minimums.
- Confirm city registration, HOA rules, and required inspections.
- Get written quotes for insurance, utilities, cleaning, and management.
- Model three cases: conservative, expected, and optimistic. Treat 11% taxes as pass-through.
Ready to pressure-test a property or compare neighborhoods near the port? Connect with Edgar Rodriguez for bilingual, data-forward guidance on short-term rentals across Cape Canaveral and the Space Coast.
FAQs
Cape Canaveral STR performance: How many nights can I expect to book?
- Market medians point to roughly 60 to 65 percent occupancy, but performance varies by block, building, and quality of the listing.
STR pricing: What ADR should I model near Port Canaveral?
- A reasonable starting range is 170 to 210 dollars ADR for typical units, then refine using comps for your exact area and property type.
Taxes on short-term rentals: What do I have to collect?
- For stays of six months or less, collect 6% state transient rental tax plus 5% Brevard TDT, then remit per state and county rules.
Permits and compliance: Do I need a city license to operate?
- Yes. Cape Canaveral requires registration and inspections for vacation rentals; verify current forms, fees, and occupancy rules with the city.
Management costs: What do local managers charge?
- Full-service programs commonly run 20 to 35 percent of gross revenue, while co-host models range about 10 to 15 percent.
Insurance planning: How much should I budget for a coastal STR?
- Coastal premiums in Florida run higher than average; request quotes early and include wind and flood where applicable to avoid surprises.
