Vacation Rental Investment in Port Aransas: The Real Numbers

The Market-Wide Revenue Numbers

AirDNA's Port Aransas short-term rental market data reports average occupancy around 46%, an average daily rate near $489, and average monthly revenue near $47,798 per unit. Those are market-wide averages across the full range of Port Aransas listings, not a guarantee or a typical outcome for any specific property -- individual property performance varies enormously based on location (waterfront versus a few blocks back), unit size and quality, management quality, and pricing strategy. Treat these figures as a starting reference point for building your own property-specific pro forma, not as a promise.

Occupancy in the mid-40% range, combined with a relatively high average daily rate, reflects the town's genuinely seasonal demand pattern -- strong nights during Spring Break, summer, and major holiday weekends, offset by materially quieter stretches in the off-season months, even accounting for the Winter Texan snowbird population that does provide some off-season demand.

The Mandatory Permit Process

Any Port Aransas property intended for rental periods under 30 days must hold a Short-Term Rental permit under Chapter 12, Article VIII of the city's Code of Ordinances (established via Ordinance No. 2022-02). The permit requires submitting detailed information about the property, the operator, and a designated local contact person before the property can be used or advertised as an STR, and it must be renewed annually by December 31 -- with a fee that is explicitly not prorated, meaning a mid-year purchase doesn't get a discount on that year's registration. Registered properties must display a placard near the primary entrance showing the registration number and contact information, and the city maintains a dedicated STR compliance hotline for reporting issues. This is real, mandatory, enforced regulation, not an optional formality -- confirm a specific property's current permit status, and the city's current process for transferring or reapplying for a permit under new ownership, directly with the city's Development Services department before assuming rental income is available from day one of ownership.

The Real Cost Stack Behind the Revenue Number

The AirDNA revenue figures above are gross revenue, not profit, and Port Aransas's cost stack is genuinely heavier than a typical inland STR market. Property tax alone runs a combined nominal rate of $1.2303 per $100 of valuation -- on the reported 2024 median home value of $588,700, that's roughly $7,200-plus a year before any other cost. Insurance is a three-policy stack in this TWIA county with First Street Foundation reporting 93.3% of local properties at current flood risk: a standard homeowners policy, TWIA or private wind/hail coverage, and separate flood insurance. Add in the city's annual STR permit fee, professional property management (commonly 20-30% of gross revenue industry-wide, though this page does not have a Port-Aransas-specific confirmed management-fee figure), routine maintenance in a salt-air coastal environment, HOA dues if applicable, and utilities, and the gap between AirDNA's gross revenue figure and actual net cash flow can be substantial. Build a full, property-specific pro forma with a local property manager and accountant before relying on the gross revenue figure alone.

Seasonality: Spring Break, Summer, and the Off-Season

Port Aransas's demand calendar is sharply seasonal. Spring Break (typically March) is the single most intense period, with local reporting citing an estimated 100,000 visitors on a peak Friday or Saturday and citywide alcohol-on-the-beach ordinances (prohibiting possession between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.) specifically enacted to manage the resulting crowds. Summer weekends and major holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day) are the next tier of peak demand. The Whooping Crane Festival every February draws a different, smaller, but real visitor segment centered on birding tourism. Off-season months see materially lower demand, offset partially by the Winter Texan snowbird population that favors longer-stay winter rentals over short nightly bookings -- a distinction worth understanding, since a property optimized for nightly STR turnover may not be the ideal fit for capturing that longer-stay winter market, and vice versa.

Hurricane Risk and Insurance as an Investment Variable

Hurricane Harvey's August 25, 2017 direct Category 4 landfall at Port Aransas, which damaged roughly 85% of homes in town, is a real, relevant risk factor specifically for an income-property investment thesis here -- a major storm doesn't just risk physical damage to the structure, it can also mean weeks or months of lost rental income during repair, on top of the repair costs themselves and any insurance deductible. Build storm risk into your investment math explicitly: understand your specific windstorm and flood insurance deductibles, and consider whether a reserve fund for post-storm lost-income periods is part of a realistic investment plan for this specific market, rather than treating hurricane risk as background noise.

Location Within the Market Matters More Than the Market Average

AirDNA's citywide averages blend performance across a wide range of property types and locations -- master-planned resort communities like Cinnamon Shore and Palmilla Beach Resort, individually owned Gulf-front condos, and properties several blocks back from the beach all factor into the same market-wide number. Proximity to the beach, unit size and sleeping capacity, and whether a property sits within an amenity-rich master-planned community (with shared pools and resort-style features that can help justify a higher nightly rate) all meaningfully affect where a specific property is likely to land relative to the citywide average. This page does not have a location-segmented performance breakdown within Port Aransas specifically; ask a local property manager for comparable-property performance data for the specific location and property type you're evaluating, rather than assuming the citywide average applies uniformly.

What This Page Doesn't State

This page states AirDNA's real, source-attributed market-wide occupancy and revenue figures and the real, mandatory city STR permit structure, without inventing a specific net-profit projection for any individual property. It does not state a specific property-management fee percentage confirmed for Port Aransas specifically, a specific property's likely net cash flow, or the current STR permit fee amount, since none of those were independently confirmed as fixed, current facts. Build a full, property-specific pro forma with a local property manager, accountant, and insurance agent before making an investment decision. Nothing on this page is financial or investment advice.