How Much Do Airbnb Hosts Make After the New Fees?

The honest answer: it depends on four things

Every "average Airbnb host earnings" number you see online is misleading. What you actually make depends on four things: your nightly rate, your occupancy, your fixed running costs, and the platform fee you now pay. Change any one of these and the answer moves by hundreds a month.

Why the 15.5% host-only fee changes the maths

Airbnb finished rolling out its single 15.5% host-only service fee in late 2025, and the last hosts on connected property management software joined in mid 2026. Guests no longer pay a separate Airbnb fee — the whole commission comes out of your payout, and it applies to your cleaning fee too.

If you are running earnings numbers with the old 3% host fee in mind, you are overstating your take-home by 10–15%. Full breakdown here: Airbnb host fees in 2026.

Example 1: one-bedroom apartment, 18 nights a month

• Nightly rate: $180. Bookings: 6 × 3 nights. Cleaning fee: $70
• Gross booking value: (18 × $180) + (6 × $70) = $3,660
• Airbnb 15.5% host-only fee: −$567
• Cleaner payout: −$300 (6 × $50 net after cleaner keeps most of the fee)
• Consumables, linen refresh, guest amenities: −$120
• Real deposit: around $2,673 before tax

Airbnb's dashboard for the same month would flash something closer to $3,660 — the gross number. The real difference is nearly $1,000.

Example 2: three-bedroom family home, 12 nights a month

• Nightly rate: $420. Bookings: 3 × 4 nights. Cleaning fee: $180
• Gross booking value: (12 × $420) + (3 × $180) = $5,580
• Airbnb 15.5% host-only fee: −$865
• Cleaner payout: −$390 (3 × $130 net)
• Consumables, pool chemicals, garden upkeep prorated: −$220
• Real deposit: around $4,105 before tax

Bigger homes look better on paper but the fixed costs — utilities, insurance, maintenance — sit under the same booking count, so a slow month bites harder.

The costs most hosts forget

• Software: PMS, dynamic pricing, channel manager (often $60–150/month combined)
• Loan or mortgage interest allocated to the short-stay portion of the year
• Insurance top-ups beyond your standard home policy
• State levies — Victoria's 7.5% short-stay levy is a live example for AU hosts
• Income tax and, above the threshold, GST on your short-stay income

What a good month actually looks like

A well-priced one-bedroom in a solid AU market typically nets $2,000–3,500 a month after fees but before tax. A well-run family home nets $3,500–6,000. Superhost badge, consistent occupancy above 65%, and a smart upsell strategy push those numbers up. Read Airbnb upsells that guests actually pay for for a practical list.