Chicago short-term rentals, Apr 2026 to Oct 2026.
These are market numbers, not ours: the average across the PriceLabs comp sets of the Chicago listings we price (up to 88 in a month), each month set against the same month a year earlier. A comp set is the group of competing listings a property is priced against. Ours are mostly 2-bed (47%) and 4+ bed (29%) homes, so the rates run higher than a citywide median that includes studios and rooms.
| Month | Market occupancy (last year → this) | Market nightly rate, USD (last year → this) | Market RevPAR vs last year | Booking window | Average stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | 58% → 57% | $324 → $326 | +0% | 35 days | 3.9 nights |
| May 2026 | 64% → 67% | $442 → $456 | +10% | 44 days | 3.9 nights |
| Jun 2026 | 71% → 74% | $487 → $532 | +15% | 52 days | 4.0 nights |
| Jul 2026 | 74% → 76% | $507 → $541 | +11% | 52 days | 3.9 nights |
| Aug 2026 | 68% → 69% | $482 → $497 | +6% | 49 days | 3.9 nights |
| Sep 2026 | 65% → 70% | $410 → $472 | +25% | 49 days | 4.0 nights |
| Oct 2026 | 63% → 69% | $467 → $467 | +10% | 46 days | 3.8 nights |
Source: PriceLabs comp-set data for RevOpt-managed Chicago listings, Apr 2026 to Oct 2026. Booking window and average stay are this year's market averages. Our monthly data for Chicago starts in April 2026. For the full US year, see the United States page.
What moves revenue in Chicago.
1. Summer is the peak
Market RevPAR peaked at $410 in July, against $182 in April. Summer carries the season, so base prices and minimum stays for June to August deserve more attention than any other change.
2. Summer guests book early
The market's booking window stretched to 52 days in June, from 35 in April. Summer premiums need to be in place about two months out; raising them later means the best nights have already sold.
3. The shoulder months grew fastest
September market RevPAR was up 25% on last year, the biggest gain of the season. Occupancy ran 57–76% across these months; operators who priced the shoulders like low season left money behind.
4. Events and conventions are planned months ahead
Lollapalooza fills Grant Park in early August, the Chicago Marathon takes over in October, and McCormick Place runs large trade shows through the year. Those dates are known months ahead, so pricing them early, and holding, captures the premium.
What the wider Chicago market says.
Airbtics tracks every active short-term rental in Chicago, studios and rooms included, so it's a useful cross-check: median occupancy and nightly rate for Sep 2025–Aug 2026 against the twelve months before, and the change in active listings.
| Market | Median occupancy (prior 12 mo → last 12 mo) | Median nightly rate, USD | Active listings, year on year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 68% → 65% | $163 → $200 (+22%) | +3% |
Source: Airbtics market data (Sep 2025–Aug 2026; averages of monthly medians).
Across our US portfolios: +23% on the same listings.
Every US listing we manage that was live in both periods, April–September 2026 against 2025, set against each listing's own market: revenue +23% on the same 155 listings, against a market at +2%. Client names are withheld. How we measure results →
A revenue manager for your Chicago portfolio.
What you get
- A named revenue manager who prices every unit, every day, inside your PriceLabs and PMS
- Revenue projections for every listing, agreed with you up front
- A weekly pacing check for every listing against its market
- Chicago event calendars, seasonal base prices and minimum stays
- Monthly reporting in USD, ready to share with owners
Who it's for
- Operators with 10+ listings, or $1M+ a year in bookings
- Teams that answer to owners or investors for the number
- Under 10 listings? RevBnB, our AI pricing manager, is built for you