Analysis reveals that Bradford offers the best combination of low house prices and high Airbnb revenue, according to international payment firm RationalFX, which analysed data from AirDNA and the ONS for 27 British cities.

The research discovered that it would take nine years of Airbnb income to pay off a property purchase in Bradford, compared to 42 years in Luton. In fact, Luton, London and Leicester are the UK’s least profitable cities to be an Airbnb host.  

The average house price in Bradford (£135,000) can return a monthly revenue of £1,229 through an Airbnb listing. Swansea came in second, with an average of £1,100 in Airbnb revenue taking 10 years to pay off the city’s median property price, which is £143,500. In addition, a high occupancy rate of 62% over the past 12 months makes the popular Welsh beach city highly cost effective for hosts.

Out of the 27 cities in the analysis, 18 have a median house price below £250,000. Stoke-On-Trent was the third most profitable city to be an Airbnb host. With a monthly revenue rate of £1,030, it would take 12 years to pay off the city’s median property price of £151,000.