Summary
An Airbnb on Roatán is a good idea if you'll use it yourself, much less as a pure income play: the average listing grossed about L 527,000 (about $19,600) over the 12 months to September 2026, but a non-resident owner of an average 2-bedroom condo keeps roughly nothing after taxes and costs.
Short-term renting is legal on Roatán, with no night cap, but a paid stay counts as lodging: RTN, IHT and ARSA paperwork, 15% ISV and a 4% tourism tax. As a foreigner, you can also only own one home on the island in your own name (Decree 90-90).
On October 4, 2026, the tourism minister said Airbnb hosts should pay taxes like hotels and that SAR is working on it. Nothing new is published yet, so price your nights as if those 19% will be collected.
The average nightly rate on Roatán is L 6,506 (about $240), from L 3,097 (about $115) in Sandy Bay to L 9,127 (about $340) in West Bay.
Occupancy averages 32%, so the average listing is booked about one night in three, with West End on top at 40%.
The season decides your year: the average listing made L 45,900 (about $1,710) in November 2025 and L 107,000 (about $3,970) in March 2026, because occupancy doubled while prices barely moved.
Running a 2-bedroom condo (Airbnb fee, co-host, HOA, power, upkeep) costs about $940 a month (about L 25,200), around 65% of what an average 2-bedroom brings in.
Bought at $320,000, that condo grosses 5.4%, keeps about 1.0% before income tax, and about -$350 a year after the 25% non-resident tax. A strong listing earning 50% more nets about 1.2%.
A 12-month lease at $1,200 a month, the top of what 2-bedrooms fetch in West End, leaves about $4,000 a year (1.25%) with far less work, more than the average Airbnb.
Competition is easing: active listings fell 7% to 777 in a year. West Bay (94) and West End (79) hold the most, and the island has 163 lodging establishments with 2,605 rooms on top.
The property market is slow: MLS sales fell 26% in the first half of 2026, and homes sold 7.7% to 10.1% below asking in the second quarter. That's your chance to buy at a price that works.
The 2-bedroom is the sweet spot: 224 active listings averaging L 466,000 a year (about $17,350), against L 319,000 (about $11,900) for 1-bedrooms.
Bottom line: buy a 2-bedroom condo in West End or West Bay at a negotiated price, aim for at least 7% gross on realistic numbers, register properly and plan to use it yourself part of the year. If the numbers only work untaxed, they don't work.
What rules apply to an Airbnb on Roatán?
Is short-term renting allowed in Roatán in 2026?
Yes. In October 2026, short-term renting is allowed on Roatán, for condos, houses, villas and townhouses alike.
There's no single Airbnb law. What applies is a mix of tourism registration with the Instituto Hondureño de Turismo (IHT), sanitary rules from ARSA, tax registration with SAR (the tax authority), and the rules of your building or community.
The key point: once you take money for nights, the authorities treat it as lodging, not as a regular lease. Ordinary residential rent is exempt from sales tax (ISV), lodging is not.
The first thing to check before buying is the condo or HOA bylaws. On Roatán, that's where an Airbnb plan most often dies, not at the town hall.
Ignoring the rules doesn't mean one big Airbnb fine. It means back taxes if SAR cross-checks your bookings, a closure order from the health authority, or an HOA that votes you out of the rental pool.
Are there minimum-stay rules or nights-per-year caps for Airbnbs in Roatán?
No. In October 2026, we found no minimum stay and no cap on nights per year for Airbnbs on Roatán, nationally or from the municipality.
The real limits are private: condo boards and gated communities in West Bay, West End or Pristine Bay can set minimum stays, guest caps or an outright ban. Ask the administrator for the rules in writing before you sign.
Sources and methodology: we checked the IHT tourism registry source, the Honduras digital tourism registration page, and AirROI market data. We found no Honduran rule similar to a 90-night cap; building rules still need a case-by-case check.
Do I have to live there, or can I Airbnb a secondary home in Roatán right now?
You don't have to live there. Honduras has no owner-occupancy rule for short-term rentals, and most Airbnbs on Roatán belong to owners who live abroad.
The catch for a foreigner is ownership, not renting. Roatán sits inside the 40 km coastal and island strip of Article 107 of the Constitution, and Decree 90-90 only lets a foreigner buy one urban residential property of up to 3,000 m² for their own use. Renting it out part of the year is common, but a bigger plan needs a tourism project declaration with IHT.
If you're not there, you need a reliable local co-host: guest arrivals, cleaning, power cuts, water and repairs need someone on the island the same day.
Do I need a short-term rental license or a business registration to host in Roatán?
There's no single "Airbnb license." What you need is an RTN (tax number) with SAR, registration in IHT's Registro Nacional de Turismo, and ARSA sanitary licensing when the rental is run as lodging.
On the tax side, lodging carries 15% ISV and the 4% tourism tax that IHT says SAR collects. Don't mix it up with the 4% ZOLITUR rate you'll hear about on the island: that one is about capital gains when you sell, not nights sold to guests.
Typical documents: RTN, passport or company papers, property title or authorization to operate, and details and photos of the unit. There's no fixed public price for the whole process, so budget for an accountant and a lawyer rather than assuming it's free.
Are there neighborhood bans or restricted zones for Airbnb in Roatán?
There's no island-wide zoning ban in 2026. The restrictions are inside buildings and gated communities: West Bay condos, West End buildings, Pristine Bay, Lawson Rock, Palmetto Bay and quiet residential pockets of Sandy Bay or French Harbour.
Owners there care about noise, parking, gate security, shared pools and road wear, and they vote the bylaws. A building that allows nightly rentals today can tighten its rules next year.
One area to treat apart: Próspera, the charter city on the island. ZEDEs were declared unconstitutional in September 2024, and Próspera is still fighting Honduras in an arbitration claim of about $1.63 billion. Its own rules for rentals aren't a safe base for an investment.
Is the government about to tax Roatán Airbnbs like hotels?
It's moving that way. On October 4, 2026, Tourism Minister Andrés Ehrler told La Prensa: "If I pay taxes as a hotel owner, the person doing this kind of rental should pay taxes too." He said platforms should be regulated and that SAR is working on it.
As of October 22, 2026, nothing new has been passed: no Airbnb law, no automatic collection by the platform. But the existing rules already apply: 15% ISV and the 4% tourism tax on lodging, plus income tax.
Roatán is where hotels feel it most. The island had 163 lodging establishments with 2,605 rooms in March 2025, against 777 active Airbnb listings today. And demand is there when it counts: Roatán hotels reported more than 90% occupancy during the Semana Morazánica holiday in early October 2026.
What to do now: get your RTN, register with IHT, keep every booking statement, and set your nightly rate so it still works if 19% of what guests pay goes to SAR. A listing running for two years without filing can owe more than a year of income.
How much can an Airbnb earn in Roatán in 2026?
What's the average nightly price on Airbnb in Roatán in 2026?
The average nightly rate on Roatán was L 6,506 (about $240) over the 12 months to September 2026. We found no reliable median.
Size matters as much as the average: a 1-bedroom averages L 3,853 (about $145) a night and a 2-bedroom L 5,499 (about $205). Large villas pull the island average up.
The biggest pricing factor is the beach you're on: West Bay charges about three times Sandy Bay for the same night.
How much do nightly prices vary by neighborhood in Roatán in 2026?
A lot. West Bay averages L 9,127 (about $340) a night, West End L 4,511 (about $170) and Sandy Bay L 3,097 (about $115).
For comparison, Utila averages L 3,591 (about $135) and La Ceiba, on the mainland, L 2,581 (about $96).
Coxen Hole, Gravel Bay, Dixon Cove and the inland areas are cheaper still, but AirROI doesn't publish separate figures for them. Guests pick them for airport access and price, not for a beach holiday.
What's the typical occupancy rate in Roatán in 2026?
The average occupancy on Roatán was 32% over the 12 months to September 2026. West End does best at 40%, West Bay sits at 34% and Sandy Bay at 33%.
Month by month, the island went from 24.5% in November 2025 to 53.1% in February 2026, then back down to 28.3% in August 2026.
So don't model a Roatán Airbnb like a city apartment rented all year. Easy arrival, beach or dive access, air conditioning that works, backup water and power, and fast replies are what lift a listing above average.
What's the average monthly revenue per listing in Roatán in 2026?
The average Roatán listing earned about L 43,900 a month (about $1,640), or L 527,000 a year (about $19,600), before any cost or tax.
By area, it's about L 60,100 a month (about $2,240) in West Bay, L 30,300 (about $1,130) in West End and L 16,850 (about $630) in Sandy Bay. By size, a 2-bedroom averages L 38,800 a month (about $1,450) and a 1-bedroom L 26,600 (about $990).
Quick math: a L 5,500 night (about $205) booked 10 nights a month makes L 55,000 (about $2,050) in gross revenue, before taxes, fees, management, power and upkeep.
What's the typical low-season vs high-season monthly revenue in Roatán in 2026?
The average listing made L 45,900 (about $1,710) in November 2025, the weakest month, and L 107,000 (about $3,970) in March 2026, the best one. February 2026 was close behind at L 102,000 (about $3,810), and August 2026 came back down to L 59,600 (about $2,220).
The swing comes from occupancy, not price: occupancy more than doubled from November to February, while the average nightly rate moved only about 9%, from L 5,777 to L 6,293.
High season runs from January to April with Semana Santa, then a smaller bump in June and July for diving and family travel. September to November is slow, apart from short holiday spikes. Many hosts keep almost the same price all year: raise rates for February and March, and cut minimum stays in the slow months.
What's a realistic Airbnb monthly expense range in Roatán in 2026?
For a 2-bedroom condo earning the island's 2-bedroom average, we count about $940 a month (about L 25,200) in running costs, before taxes. That's about 65% of gross revenue.
The biggest fixed cost is the HOA: $300 a month at Blue Vista in West End and $500 at Acqua di Mare in West Bay (MLS listings, 2026).
Power comes next. RECO charges L 6.11 per kWh up to 150 kWh and L 8.95 above (September to November 2026), so a condo running air conditioning for guests pays around L 4,980 a month (about $185) for 600 kWh.
Add a co-host at about 10% of bookings, Airbnb's host fee of about 3%, and upkeep of about 1% of the price a year for salt air, the pool and repairs. Cleaning is usually paid by guests: the median cleaning fee on Roatán is L 2,094 (about $78) per stay.
Full-service management costs more than a co-host, and a villa with a pool, garden and staff costs far more. We found no reliable published rate for full management on the island, so get two written quotes.
What's realistic monthly net profit and profit per available night for Airbnb in Roatán in 2026?
In our 2-bedroom example, the owner keeps about $275 a month (about L 7,400) after lodging taxes and costs, but before income tax. That's about $9 (about L 240) per available night.
A non-resident owner then owes 25% on the rent, which takes the result to slightly below zero (about -$29 a month).
Break-even occupancy for that unit is about 24% before income tax and about 34% after the non-resident tax. The Roatán 2-bedroom average is 33%, so an average listing sits right at break-even.
That's why the gap between average and good hosts is everything here: the average listing doesn't make money, the well-run ones do.
What net yield does a foreign owner really keep on Roatán?
Very little. Here's the full calculation for a 2-bedroom condo in West End bought at $320,000 (about L 8,590,000), close to the 2026 asking prices at Blue Vista ($315,000 and $328,500).
Gross revenue: L 466,000 a year (about $17,350), the AirROI average for a Roatán 2-bedroom (L 5,499 a night, 33% occupancy). Gross yield: 5.4%.
Lodging taxes: if your price has to include 15% ISV and the 4% tourism tax, about 16% of what guests pay goes to SAR, or about $2,770 (about L 74,400) a year.
Costs: Airbnb fee $520, co-host $1,740, HOA $3,600, power $2,230, upkeep $3,200. What's left before income tax: about $3,290 (about L 88,300), a 1.0% net yield.
Income tax: a non-resident owner pays 25% on the rent, about $3,650 (about L 98,000) here. Final result: about -$350 a year, so a net yield around zero. A resident is in a different situation, but the 10% regime above L 15,000 of monthly rent covers ordinary leases, not lodging, so ask an accountant how your Airbnb profit will be taxed.
A strong listing booked about half the nights and earning 50% more, about $26,000 (about L 698,000), does better: 8.1% gross, about $9,450 before income tax (3.0%) and about $3,990 after the non-resident tax (1.2%).
Compare that with a plain 12-month lease. 2-bedrooms in West End were quoted at $700 to $1,200 a month in May 2026. At $1,200, the same condo grosses 4.5%, residential rent pays no ISV, the tenant pays the power, and after HOA, upkeep and the 25% tax you keep about $4,000 a year (1.25%). That beats the average Airbnb with a fraction of the work.
What to aim for: a price that gives at least 7% gross on realistic AirROI numbers, an HOA at or under $300, and a plan to use the place yourself part of the year.
How competitive is Airbnb in Roatán in 2026?
How many active Airbnb listings are in Roatán in 2026?
Roatán had 777 active Airbnb listings over the 12 months to September 2026, 7% fewer than a year earlier.
That's the opposite of the mainland, where listings jumped 67.5% in Tegucigalpa and 59.5% in San Pedro Sula. On Roatán, some owners gave up or switched to long leases, which is good news for hosts who already run well-reviewed units.
Add the hotels: 163 establishments with 2,605 rooms on the island (March 2025). Airbnb is a big part of the beds, not a niche.
Which neighborhoods are most saturated in Roatán in 2026?
West Bay (94 listings) and West End (79) are the most crowded, about 27% of the island's listings together with Sandy Bay (35). They're also the areas that earn the most, so the crowding hurts less than it looks.
The real saturation is in look-alike condos: in West Bay and West End, guests compare dozens of similar 1 and 2-bedrooms by photos, reviews and price.
Quieter options exist in Sandy Bay, Palmetto Bay, Camp Bay, French Harbour and mid-island homes, but demand there is thinner and access, security and management have to be strong.
What local events spike demand in Roatán in 2026?
The best months are February and March (53.1% and 48.3% occupancy in 2026), with Semana Santa on top, then June and July for diving and family travel.
Shorter spikes come from Honduran holidays and island events: the Semana Morazánica in early October 2026 pushed Roatán hotels above 90% occupancy, the CMAS Caribbean Cup freediving competition was held in August 2026, and the Roatan International Fishing Tournament runs every September. Christmas and New Year close the year.
Visitor numbers are rising: Honduras counted 1,804,153 visitors in the first half of 2026 (+18.5%), but 1,210,860 of them came on cruise ships, and cruise passengers don't sleep in Airbnbs. Set your peak prices and minimum stays 60 to 120 days ahead, earlier for February and Semana Santa.
What occupancy differences exist between top and average hosts in Roatán in 2026?
Big ones. The island average is 32%, but West End listings average 40%, and in February 2026 the whole island averaged 53.1%. A well-run unit that keeps its peak-season pace longer can reach about half the nights over a year.
As our yield example shows, that's the difference between losing money and making a little: at 33% the average 2-bedroom breaks even, at about 50% it nets around 1.2% after the non-resident tax.
Expect 12 to 24 months to get there: reviews, repeat guests, search ranking and a reliable cleaning team take time to build.
Which price points are most crowded, and where's the "white space" for new hosts in Roatán right now?
The most crowded segment is the ordinary 1-bedroom and small 2-bedroom condo between roughly L 3,850 and L 5,500 a night (about $145 to $205), where listings look alike.
1-bedrooms book a little more often (36% against 33% for 2-bedrooms), but they earn far less over a year. The gap is in clearly better units: a well-designed 2-bedroom with real air conditioning, backup water and power, Wi-Fi that works for remote workers and easy beach or dive access.
Big villas above West Bay prices can work too, but only with a pool, a view and staff you trust, and their costs rise just as fast as their rates.
Is Roatán's slowing property market a chance for Airbnb buyers?
Yes, if you use it. MLS sales on the island fell 26% in number and 32% in value in the first half of 2026 compared with the first half of 2025, and there were 3.7 new listings for every sale in the second quarter.
That shows in prices: homes that sold in Q2 2026 closed 7.7% below asking when the price had never been cut, and 10.1% below the reduced price when it had. On a $320,000 condo, that's $24,600 to $32,300 off.
For an Airbnb buyer, the price is the one lever you control. Our example condo grosses 5.4% at $320,000; you'd need to pay about $248,000 to reach 7% on the same average revenue, so either negotiate hard or find a unit that clearly beats the average.
What to check before you offer: the seller's real booking history (Airbnb payout statements, not a spreadsheet), the HOA rules on short stays, 12 months of power bills, and whether the unit is already registered with IHT and SAR.
What property works best for Airbnb in Roatán right now?
What bedroom count gets the most bookings in Roatán in 2026?
2-bedroom units are the biggest group on Roatán (224 active listings) and earn L 466,000 a year on average (about $17,350), against L 319,000 (about $11,900) for 1-bedrooms (137 listings).
1-bedrooms fill a little more often (36% against 33%), but the 2-bedroom earns about 46% more because couples, divers and small families pay for the extra room.
Utila shows the same pattern: L 298,000 a year (about $11,100) for a 2-bedroom against L 181,000 (about $6,750) for a 1-bedroom.
What property type performs best in Roatán in 2026?
For most buyers, the best bet is a 2-bedroom condo in West End or West Bay, bought at a negotiated price, with an HOA you can live with.
West Bay listings earn the most, L 721,670 a year on average (about $26,900), but you pay for it in purchase price and HOA. West End earns less per listing, L 363,539 (about $13,550), with the best occupancy on the island at 40%.
Villas earn more per night but carry pool care, gardeners, staff, repairs and big power bills. A condo with shared security and maintenance keeps guests happy without making you run an estate from abroad.
Our methodology
This article estimates what a residential Airbnb really earns on Roatán in 2026, area by area and by size, and what a foreign owner keeps after lodging taxes, running costs and income tax.
All revenue, nightly rate, occupancy and listing figures come from a single platform, AirROI, covering October 2025 to September 2026 (monthly series to August 2026), so we never mix providers in one calculation. Purchase prices come from Roatán MLS listings and the Roatan Reef MLS report; HOA fees from MLS listings; power prices from CREE's official RECO tariffs. The yield example and all percentages are our own calculations.
The rules come from official sources: the IHT law and Registro Nacional de Turismo, ARSA's lodging rules, SAR on RTN and ISV, IHT on the 4% tourism tax, Article 107 of the Constitution and Decree 90-90. Recent news on platform taxation and hotel demand comes from La Prensa and La Tribuna (October 2026).
We checked these figures in October 2026. Conversions use about 26.85 lempiras per US dollar.
Limits: AirROI averages are pulled up by large villas; the long-lease rents are an indicative local range, not an average; we found no reliable full-management rate for the island; and the yield example relies on our assumptions (600 kWh of power a month, upkeep at 1% of the price, a 10% co-host, taxes included in the nightly price). How the 25% non-resident tax applies to Airbnb income should be confirmed with a Honduran accountant.
Key sources used for this analysis include AirROI Roatán, AirROI Bay Islands, AirROI Utila, IHT visitor arrivals 2021-2025, IHT tourism indicators 2020-2024, IHT Registro Nacional Turístico, the RNT online procedure, Ley del Instituto Hondureño de Turismo, IHT on the tourism tax, ARSA lodging rules, SAR on ISV, SAR FAQs, PwC Honduras personal income tax, PwC Honduras tax administration, Calcularya Honduras tax reference, ZOLITUR, Constitution, Article 107, Decree 90-90, CREE Roatán tariffs, RECO tariff information, Roatan Reef MLS report Q2 2026, Roatán MLS, Blue Vista 102, Roatán MLS, Acqua di Mare, Island Properties Roatan MLS listings, GoPro Caribbean cost of living, Roatan Property Management, Roatan Life Vacation Rentals, CMAS Caribbean Cup 2026, Roatan International Fishing Tournament, Roatan Tourism Bureau, Próspera disclaimer, La Prensa on apps and lodging, La Prensa on the ICSID claim, La Tribuna on the Semana Morazánica and La Tribuna on 2026 tourism.
