Best places to buy Airbnb property in Alberta, Canada
Alberta is a truly unique place for aspiring property investors in Canada. It is home to many cities that can easily become an interesting destination for fresh Airbnb hosts. The region as a whole is actively developing right now, leading to the number of visitors growing every year. This opens some outstanding opportunities for successful business launches.
How to buy Airbnb property read here.
Best Cities for an Airbnb Investment in Alberta
The assortment of cities available for a short-term rental investment in AB is rather unique. On the one hand, it is home to cities like Calgary and Edmonton that are rather densely populated with Airbnbs. But on the other hand, there are towns that represent almost untapped markets, while the tourist interest for them is constantly growing.
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| Cities | Revenue |
| Wetaskiwin | $5,235 |
| Calgary | $1,500 |
| St. Albert | $1,327 |
| Lethbridge | $1,300 |
| Spruce Grove | $1,219 |
| Edmonton | $1,193 |
| Red Deer | $1,181 |
| Lacombe | $1,011 |
| Leduc | $993 |
| Cold Lake | $987 |
| Lloydminster | $979 |
| Grande Prairie | $928 |
| Beaumont | $857 |
| Medicine Hat | $838 |
| Fort Saskatchewan | $815 |
Calgary
Calgary is almost the exact opposite of the previous city on this list. It is the most popular place in the whole Alberta, both among guests and hosts. Logically, the competition there is extremely intense, as almost every street of the city is filled with actively rented-out properties. The positive news here is that new hosts would know what to expect from their future properties, as the data of existing rentals is very representative.
At the time of writing, there are more than 4,000 Airbnbs in Calgary, 79% of which are entire homes. Such an intense competition forces the hosts to lower the prices, so the Average Daily Rate in Calgary is only $110. The Occupancy Rate is 73%, which is surprisingly high for such levels of supply. The revenues of local hosts are around $1,500 per month.
Wetaskiwin
The City of Wetaskiwin is a perfect example for the last statement. At the time of writing, there is an unbelievable number of active properties there: only four hosts are currently operating in the city. It is located 70 kilometers south of Edmonton, which is a popular destination for visitors already. As the popularity of Edmonton grows, so does the number of tourists that would like to visit Wetaskiwin.
Of course, the data that is available for Wetaskiwin is not very representative, as its size is extremely small. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that out of four properties there, three are private rooms. The Average Daily Rate there is $209, but it is important to understand it is boosted by the only entire home property in the area. The Occupancy Rate is quite impressive, as it averages 90% throughout the year, while the average monthly Revenue reaches a whopping sum of $5,235. Even though this data may not exactly match the results of future properties, the potential of the city is obvious.
Lethbridge
Getting back to smaller cities, Lethbridge is the next on our list. It is located 210 kilometers south-east of Calgary. Just like Wetaskiwin, Lethbridge has its own airport, which itself boosts its potential for welcoming visitors a lot. In contrast to the first town we have reviewed today, there is some data to analyze from the properties that are located in Lethbridge.
Right now, the city is home to around 200 Airbnbs. The majority of them are entire houses with two bedrooms that are capable of accepting five guests at a time. The ADR in Lethbridge is $110, while the Occupancy Rate is 75%. Even though these parameters are very similar to the ones of Calgary, the monthly Revenues of hosts here are lower now: they earn $1,300, which is $200 less than in the previous city. This is associated with the huge decrease of demand in January.
St. Albert
St. Albert is located right in the suburbs of Edmonton: it is only 20 kilometers away from the city center. This makes the fact that it is an untapped market even more impressive, as the city right next to it currently has a thriving Airbnb market. St. Albert might be a great idea for a long-term investment: as Edmonton grows and attracts more tourists, some of them will surely decide to stay in the town nearby.
Much like the data on many other cities we’re going to review today, the information on St. Albert is not as representative, as there are only around 30 active properties there. 21 of them are entire homes. The ADR here averages $113, while the Occupancy Rates are 70%. Local properties generate $1,327 worth of monthly Revenues, which is already a better result than the one of properties in Edmonton itself.
Spruce Grove
Spruce Grove is another city in the suburbs of Edmonton, but it is located a bit farther: you will need to travel 34 kilometers to reach the city center. The situation here is extremely similar to St. Albert, although the city’s short-term rental market is developing with a slight delay, as it is located a bit farther. It might be a good idea to wait and see how the business in St. Albert develops first, and invest in Spruce Grove on similar conditions in case things are good enough.
At the time of writing, there are only 14 active properties in Spruce Grove: 9 entire homes and 5 private rooms. The ADR here is $139, but the number is clearly boosted by two luxurious properties that are rented out for higher prices. Nevertheless, the Occupancy Rates here are 45% throughout the year, while the Revenue is $1,219.
Red Deer
The City of Red Deer is located right in the middle between Calgary and Edmonton. It is far away from here to other major cities, so it is not yet extremely popular among tourists. Surprisingly, the performance of Airbnbs here is comparable to the levels of Edmonton, while the competition here is very mild.
There are around 140 active rentals in the City of Red Deer. Taking its area in consideration, it is easy to say there is a lot of room left for new properties to be rented out. However, right now, it is unclear whether such properties will be successful, as the annual average Occupancy Rate here is only 59%. The ADR in the City of Red Deer is $107, which grants local entrepreneurs $1,181 worth of monthly Revenue.
Lacombe
Lacombe is a much smaller town located near the City of Red Deer. Expectedly, the conditions of its vacation rental market remind ones of the previous city, but on a smaller scale. In case the City of Red Deer grows into a major hub between Calgary and Edmonton, Lacombe has great chances to benefit from this success as well.
Right now, there are only eight properties rented out here, the ADR for them being $105. The Occupancy Rates average 63%, while the annual average monthly revenue is $1,011. Of course, this data is not really representative due to the small sample size.
Leduc
The City of Leduc has a similar market, but with more potential. Just like some of the previously reviewed towns, it is located in close proximity to Edmonton: it’s only 33 kilometers south of the major city. What makes it special is that it is the closest town located to the Edmonton International Airport. Logically, in case Edmonton continues to grow, the tourists will start flowing in here as well.
With that in mind, it becomes surprising that there are only 27 active rentals in the City of Leduc: twelve entire homes and fifteen private rooms. The ADR here is $95, which is connected with the high percentage of private rooms. The Occupancy Rates average 63% throughout the year, while the Revenues are $993 per month.
Cold Lake
This is a city built on the shore of its eponymous lake. It is located around 300 kilometers away from Edmonton, and there are no major cities nearby. Unlike with many other cities on our list, the development of the short-term rental market in Cold Lake does not have the benefit of having a city with a huge potential nearby, meaning it has only itself to rely on.
Admittedly, not so many entrepreneurs are willing to risk and invest in properties here, as there are only ten listings in the area. All of them are entire homes that are rented out for $79 per day on average. The Occupancy Rates are relatively high thanks to the low prices, as they average 72% throughout the year. The average Revenue of hosts in the City of Cold Lake is $987 per month.
Lloydminster
Lloydminster has a similar situation: its closest major city is Edmonton, which is 250 kilometers away. The city is very small, and the competition here is almost absent: there are only 43 listings here. The Average Daily Rates in Lloydminster are $81, which results in the Occupancy Rates of 69%. The revenues here are $979, which is lower than with many cities on our list but still rather decent, taking into account the low real estate prices here.
Grande Prairie
Grande Prairie is a small city located in the whole other part of Alberta. There are no major cities nearby, and it is hard to say the development of tourism is as rapid here as in some of the previously reviewed towns. Nevertheless, the results of local properties are still better than average.
The Average Daily Rate for properties in Grande Prairie is $96, while the Occupancy Rates average 59%. The average monthly Revenue here is $928, as it reaches its peak of $1,429 in October and its lowest point of $679 in March. There are 180 properties that are currently rented out in Grande Prairie, 130 of which are entire homes that can host up to five guests.
Beaumont
Beaumont is located closer to Edmonton than Lloydminster, but it is not located on the way to the airport. Therefore, the demand for properties here is lower. It is only a 30 km drive to the city center of Edmonton, so Beaumont is still a place with a potential.
For now, there are only 20 active listings here, all of which are entire homes. They are rented out for $78 per day, on average. The Occupancy Rates are 59%, reaching their peak in August and their lowest point in January. The average monthly Revenue of hosts is $857 here. Even though the results might not be as impressive right now, they might get a lot better in the future.
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is located 300 kilometers south-east of Calgary, so it is a rather remote location from the previously reviewed cities. It is small, but the performance of local Airbnbs is rather interesting. There are only 70 active properties here, and the ADR for them is only $66. Such a low price results in Occupancy Rates of 83% and average monthly Revenues of $838, which is better than in a lot of other places in AB.
Fort Saskatchewan
The last city on our list is also located right next to Edmonton. Right now, there are only 19 active properties there, and the situation here is the same as with other towns nearby. The ADR here is $95, while the Occupancy Rates are 59%. This results in a Revenue of $815, averagely generated by local properties every month. Even though it is the lowest result on our list, the city clearly has a potential for a successful future.
Edmonton
As already mentioned, the business in Edmonton is already doing great. However, it is the second city by the intensity of competition on our list. There are still neighborhoods that are not so densely packed with rentals, but some properties will always be around.
Currently, there are around 2,200 active Aribnbs, 80% of which are entire homes. The ADR in Edmonton is $96 because of the competition, and the same goes for Occupancy Rates, as they average 67% here. Nevertheless, local hosts manage to earn $1,193 worth of monthly income.
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