What Puerto Vallarta’s 36% vacation rental occupancy estimate means for owners, from winter bookings to the costs that set your break-even point.
Puerto Vallarta’s vacation rentals had an estimated 36% occupancy through November 7, according to figures from rental pricing firm Beyond. If you rent out a condo here, the number to work out is how many paid nights your place needs to cover its bills. A unit can bring in enough to pay for management, maintenance and condo dues and still come up short once the mortgage is due.
Beyond estimated average revenue at US$25,081 per listing, with an average booked rate of US$319 a night. Its benchmarks for all of 2025 were 41% occupancy and US$21,291 in revenue. Those periods cover different parts of the rental calendar. The 2025 figures include the year-end holidays, while the 2026 snapshot ends in early November.
The citywide rate also covers a wide range of properties. In the breakdown released ahead of this week’s rental summit, budget rentals averaged US$97 a booked night and 31% occupancy. Premium rentals averaged US$650 and 41% occupancy. If you’re checking how your two-bedroom condo is doing, start with similar units in your building or nearby and look for rates guests actually paid.
Count the nights you put up for rent
Start with the nights you offered to guests, including the ones that booked. Leave out dates you blocked for your own visits or repairs. If you offered 300 nights and guests paid for 108, your occupancy was 36% on that basis. Use the same method for both years, and compare the same months. For winter dates that are still ahead, compare how many nights were already booked at this point last year.
The month matters in Vallarta. Local operator PVRPV reported July occupancy of 22.5%, down from 28.2% a year earlier. The same operator reported that its average January stay had grown to 26.5 nights, compared with 20.7 before the pandemic. Jalisco tourism officials expect a rebound this winter as reservations pick up. For your own budget, look at which weeks are filling and what those stays will pay.
What 36% could leave you after expenses
Take a condo offered for 300 nights a year at an average of US$200 per booked night. In this example, booking-related costs eat up 25% of room revenue. Condo dues, insurance, other fixed costs and money set aside for repairs add up to US$9,000 for the year. The owner also pays US$9,000 a year on the loan.
| Annual figures | 36% occupancy | 45% occupancy |
|---|---|---|
| Paid nights | 108 | 135 |
| Room revenue | US$21,600 | US$27,000 |
| Cash left after costs and repair reserve | US$7,200 | US$11,250 |
| Cash left after loan payments, before income tax | −US$1,800 | US$2,250 |
At that rate and cost, each paid night contributes US$150 toward fixed bills and the loan. The owner needs 120 paid nights, or 40% occupancy, to cover both. The rate and expenses here are hypothetical. A higher condo fee, a lower booked rate or a larger loan would push that break-even point up.
For your own numbers, pull the Airbnb earnings report, the Vrbo payout summary and any statements from your manager. Check which fees already came out of the payout before subtracting expenses. If your income arrives in dollars and you pay condo dues and repairs in pesos, put them in the same currency before comparing months.
What to ask for before you buy
Our October real estate report tracks what buyers paid. To see what a condo can bring in as a rental, ask for a full year of monthly booking and payout records for that unit, along with the current dues, any approved special assessments and the building’s written rules for short stays. If a manager will run the rental, check what the management fee covers and which bills you’ll still pay separately.
Then mark the dates you plan to use the condo yourself. If the seller’s records show that Christmas and New Year’s brought in some of the unit’s best rental income, take those bookings out of your budget before counting on the condo to cover its mortgage.
