Beach townsSri Lanka2026
Sri Lanka Beach Towns
Ahangama, Mirissa and Dikwella were the most booked of the 12 beach towns in Sri Lanka on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 7,271, 5,422 and 4,630 stays. January is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 5.7 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Ranking
Sri Lanka Beach Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the beach and coastal towns in Sri Lanka with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Ahangama, Southern | 7,271 | Rs 39,360 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mirissa, Southern | 5,422 | Rs 27,298 |
| 3 | Dikwella, Southern | 4,630 | Rs 41,582 |
| 4 | Galle, Southern | 4,199 | Rs 36,504 |
| 5 | Hikkaduwa, Southern | 3,746 | Rs 26,663 |
| 6 | Weligama, Southern | 3,490 | Rs 31,425 |
| 7 | Negombo, Western | 3,392 | Rs 17,776 |
| 8 | Matara, Southern | 2,448 | Rs 23,807 |
| 9 | Tangalle, Southern | 1,844 | Rs 29,203 |
| 10 | Talpe, Southern | 1,691 | Rs 86,656 |
| 11 | Unawatuna, Southern | 1,686 | Rs 30,155 |
| 12 | Rumassala, Southern | 1,186 | Rs 34,599 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5.
Money figures on this page are in Sri Lankan rupees, converted from US dollars at Rs 317 per US$, the typical rate from November 2025 to October 2026.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
7 of 8 are busiest in January. Dikwella peaks in November. Among guests who left a review, Germany is the top home country in 6 of the 8. Houses are the largest home type in 7 of the 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Ahangama, Southern
Of the 8 beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, Ahangama (Southern) had the most Airbnb homes, at 541, and had the highest occupancy, at 38%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Mirissa, Southern
In the 12 months to October 2026, boutiques and hotels were the largest home type in Mirissa, Southern, at 59% of homes.
- Dikwella, Southern
Of the 8 beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, Dikwella (Southern) had the highest nightly rate, at Rs 41,582, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, the United Kingdom was the top home country for Dikwella, at 26%.
- 4Galle, Southern
Of the 8 beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, Galle (Southern) had the biggest share of houses, at 57%, in the 12 months to October 2026. Among guests who left a review, the United Kingdom was the top home country for Galle, at 18%.
- 5Hikkaduwa, Southern
Of the 8 beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, Hikkaduwa (Southern) had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 20%, and was booked furthest ahead, about 44 days before arrival, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 6Weligama, Southern
Of the 8 beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, Weligama (Southern) had the longest typical stay, at 7.3 nights, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 7Negombo, Western
Of the 8 beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, Negombo (Western) had the lowest nightly rate, at Rs 17,776, and had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 29%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 8Matara, Southern
Of the 8 beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, Matara (Southern) had the highest guest rating, at 4.85, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
January, February and December rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the beach towns in Sri Lanka, and June and May as the quietest. January is the busiest month in 9 of the 12, while Tangalle and Rumassala peak in February, and Dikwella in November. Across the 12 towns, nightly rates run lowest in June, at about Rs 29,838, and highest in January, at about Rs 35,234. Across the 12 towns, stays run longest in January, at 6.6 nights, and shortest in September, at 3.5 nights.
January ranks first, May last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | 6.6 nights | Rs 35,234 |
| 2 | February | 5.9 nights | Rs 34,282 |
| 3 | December | 6.5 nights | Rs 34,916 |
| 4 | March | 4.7 nights | Rs 34,282 |
| 5 | November | 6.1 nights | Rs 32,694 |
| 6 | October | 5.4 nights | Rs 31,742 |
| 7 | April | 4.1 nights | Rs 34,916 |
| 8 | July | 5.5 nights | Rs 30,790 |
| 9 | August | 3.8 nights | Rs 31,107 |
| 10 | September | 3.5 nights | Rs 30,155 |
| 11 | June | 5.0 nights | Rs 29,838 |
| 12 | May | 4.5 nights | Rs 32,377 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, over 99% come from abroad. Among those guests, the largest groups from abroad come from Germany, the United Kingdom and India. The top home cities among those guests are London, Berlin and Bengaluru.
Top countries abroad
Among guests who left a review
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
Over 99% from abroad
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 8 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Dikwella has the highest estimated revenue per home, at Rs 5,052,406 a year. Of those 8, Ahangama has the highest occupancy, at 38%, and Negombo has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at Rs 17,776. The most booked of the 12, Ahangama, earns about Rs 3,554,809 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 8
A year, AirROI estimate
Highest occupancy of these 8
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
Lowest nightly rate of these 8
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular beach town in Sri Lanka?
By AirROI's estimates, Ahangama (Southern) is the most booked of the 12 beach towns in Sri Lanka, with 7,271 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Mirissa is second, with 5,422. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable beach town in Sri Lanka?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Negombo (Western) (Rs 17,776), Matara (Southern) (Rs 23,807) and Hikkaduwa (Southern) (Rs 26,663). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small beach towns in Sri Lanka?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 12 beach towns it lists in Sri Lanka are Rumassala (Southern) (108), Talpe (Southern) (134) and Unawatuna (Southern) (163). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What beach towns in Sri Lanka offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among beach towns in Sri Lanka with 200 or more homes, the highest are Dikwella (Southern) (Rs 5,052,406), Ahangama (Southern) (Rs 3,554,809) and Galle (Southern) (Rs 2,323,212). Among the same towns, Ahangama (Southern) has the highest occupancy, at 38%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on an ocean or sea coast with its own beach, seafront or harbour, or on a Great Lake with a public beach, and within about 10 km of the shore. The town's own listings can back that up, with 30% of its homes listing beach access, or 10% with ocean views, waterfront homes or beach in their titles besides. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 78,598 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.