Coastal townsNorthern California2026
Northern California Coastal Towns
Crescent City, Bodega Bay and Trinidad were the most booked of the 10 coastal towns in Northern California on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 11,075, 7,419 and 7,011 stays. August is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 3.7 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
- Most booked of these 10
- Crescent City 11,075 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 10
- Stinson Beach $104,992 a year
- Highest rated of these 10
- McKinleyville 4.91 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 10
- McKinleyville $246 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 10
- Pacifica 4.5 nights
Ranking
Northern California Coastal Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the coastal and beach towns in Northern California with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Crescent City | 11,075 | $265 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bodega Bay | 7,419 | $577 |
| 3 | Trinidad | 7,011 | $370 |
| 4 | Fort Bragg | 6,937 | $394 |
| 5 | Sea Ranch | 6,203 | $528 |
| 6 | Pacifica | 6,028 | $428 |
| 7 | Mendocino | 4,937 | $363 |
| 8 | Gualala | 4,086 | $381 |
| 9 | McKinleyville | 3,930 | $246 |
| 10 | Stinson Beach | 3,676 | $893 |
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.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
5 of 8 are busiest in July. Sea Ranch and Pacifica peak in August, and Trinidad in June. Among guests who left a review, San Francisco is the top home city in 6 of the 8. Houses are the largest home type in all 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.
- Crescent City
Of the 10 coastal towns in Northern California with 100 or more homes, Crescent City had the most Airbnb homes, at 270, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Bodega Bay
Of the 10 coastal towns in Northern California with 100 or more homes, Bodega Bay had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 44%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Trinidad
Of the 10 coastal towns in Northern California with 100 or more homes, Trinidad had the highest occupancy, at 56%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 5Sea Ranch
Of the 10 coastal towns in Northern California with 100 or more homes, Sea Ranch was booked furthest ahead, about 70 days before arrival, and had the biggest share of houses, at 93%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 6Pacifica
Of the 10 coastal towns in Northern California with 100 or more homes, Pacifica had the longest typical stay, at 4.5 nights, and had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 24%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
August, July and June rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the coastal towns in Northern California, and February and January as the quietest. August is the busiest month in 3 of the 10, while Crescent City and Bodega Bay peak in July, and Trinidad in June. Across the 10 towns, nightly rates run lowest in March, at about $405, and highest in July, at about $461. Across the 10 towns, stays run longest in July, at 4.1 nights, and shortest in September, at 3.1 nights.
August ranks first, January 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 | August | 3.7 nights | $447 |
| 2 | July | 4.1 nights | $461 |
| 3 | June | 3.8 nights | $450 |
| 4 | September | 3.1 nights | $417 |
| 5 | May | 3.5 nights | $434 |
| 6 | October | 3.3 nights | $419 |
| 7 | March | 3.7 nights | $405 |
| 8 | April | 3.8 nights | $421 |
| 9 | November | 3.4 nights | $430 |
| 10 | December | 3.9 nights | $436 |
| 11 | February | 3.7 nights | $420 |
| 12 | January | 3.7 nights | $411 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 95.5% come from within the United States. The top home cities among those guests are San Francisco, Sacramento and Oakland. Pacifica draws the most from abroad, at 11%, among towns with 100 or more homes.
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
95.5% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 10 towns on this list, Stinson Beach has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $104,992 a year. Of those 10, Trinidad has the highest occupancy, at 56%, and McKinleyville has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $246. The most booked of the 10, Crescent City, earns about $45,891 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 10
A year, AirROI estimate
- Stinson Beach $104,992
- Bodega Bay $79,397
- Trinidad $71,469
- Sea Ranch $71,169
- Pacifica $67,143
Highest occupancy of these 10
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Trinidad 56%
- Crescent City 54%
- Pacifica 54%
- McKinleyville 49%
- Mendocino 45%
Lowest nightly rate of these 10
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- McKinleyville $246
- Crescent City $265
- Mendocino $363
- Trinidad $370
- Gualala $381
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular coastal town in Northern California?
By AirROI's estimates, Crescent City is the most booked of the 10 coastal towns in Northern California, with 11,075 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Bodega Bay is second, with 7,419. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable coastal town in Northern California?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among coastal towns in Northern California with 100 or more homes, the lowest are McKinleyville ($246), Crescent City ($265) and Mendocino ($363). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small coastal towns in Northern California?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 10 coastal towns it lists in Northern California are McKinleyville (105), Gualala (108) and Stinson Beach (113). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What coastal towns in Northern California 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 coastal towns in Northern California with 100 or more homes, the highest are Stinson Beach ($104,992), Bodega Bay ($79,397) and Trinidad ($71,469). Among the same towns, Trinidad has the highest occupancy, at 56%.
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 222,473 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.