Beach townsRhode Island2026
Rhode Island Beach Towns
Newport, Middletown and Narragansett were the most booked of the 8 beach towns in Rhode Island on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 18,543, 11,736 and 8,876 stays. August is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 4.7 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
- Most booked of these 8
- Newport 18,543 stays
- Highest revenue per home of these 8
- Middletown $76,543 a year
- Highest rated of these 8
- Bristol 4.92 out of 5
- Lowest nightly rate of these 8
- Bristol $383 a night
- Longest typical stay of these 8
- Narragansett 5.9 nights
Ranking
Rhode Island Beach Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the beach and coastal towns in Rhode Island with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Newport | 18,543 | $461 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Middletown | 11,736 | $643 |
| 3 | Narragansett | 8,876 | $547 |
| 4 | South Kingstown | 5,950 | $433 |
| 5 | Portsmouth | 3,888 | $500 |
| 6 | Westerly | 3,617 | $517 |
| 7 | Bristol | 3,064 | $383 |
| 8 | New Shoreham | 2,577 | $709 |
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 August. Narragansett, Portsmouth and New Shoreham peak in July. Among guests who left a review, New York is the top home city in all 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 towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Newport
Of the 8 beach towns in Rhode Island with 100 or more homes, Newport had the most Airbnb homes, at 662, and had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 56%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Narragansett
Of the 8 beach towns in Rhode Island with 100 or more homes, Narragansett had the biggest share of homes that sleep 8 or more, at 58%, and had the longest typical stay, at 5.9 nights, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 7Bristol
Of the 8 beach towns in Rhode Island with 100 or more homes, Bristol had the highest guest rating, at 4.92, and had the lowest nightly rate, at $383, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 8New Shoreham
Of the 8 beach towns in Rhode Island with 100 or more homes, New Shoreham had the highest nightly rate, at $709, and was booked furthest ahead, about 98 days before arrival, 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 beach towns in Rhode Island, and January and February as the quietest. August is the busiest month in 5 of the 8, while Narragansett, Portsmouth and New Shoreham peak in July. Across the 8 towns, nightly rates run lowest in January, at about $459, and highest in July, at about $620. Across the 8 towns, stays run longest in July, at 5.5 nights, and shortest in October, at 3.1 nights.
August ranks first, February 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 | 4.6 nights | $609 |
| 2 | July | 5.5 nights | $620 |
| 3 | June | 4.4 nights | $575 |
| 4 | September | 3.4 nights | $545 |
| 5 | October | 3.1 nights | $491 |
| 6 | May | 4.1 nights | $513 |
| 7 | April | 5.3 nights | $477 |
| 8 | November | 4.0 nights | $463 |
| 9 | December | 3.5 nights | $461 |
| 10 | March | 4.8 nights | $462 |
| 11 | January | 4.4 nights | $459 |
| 12 | February | 3.7 nights | $460 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 96.5% come from within the United States. The top home cities among those guests are New York, Boston and Washington. Bristol draws the most from abroad, at 5.5%, among towns with 100 or more homes.
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
96.5% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 8 towns on this list, Middletown has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $76,543 a year. Of those 8, South Kingstown and Bristol share the highest occupancy, at 47%, and Bristol has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $383. The most booked of the 8, Newport, earns about $53,599 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 8
A year, AirROI estimate
- Middletown $76,543
- New Shoreham $64,847
- Portsmouth $60,031
- Newport $53,599
- Bristol $47,633
Highest occupancy of these 8
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- South Kingstown 47%
- Bristol 47%
- Portsmouth 46%
- Narragansett 44%
- Middletown 44%
Lowest nightly rate of these 8
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
- Bristol $383
- South Kingstown $433
- Newport $461
- Portsmouth $500
- Westerly $517
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular beach town in Rhode Island?
By AirROI's estimates, Newport is the most booked of the 8 beach towns in Rhode Island, with 18,543 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Middletown is second, with 11,736. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable beach town in Rhode Island?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among beach towns in Rhode Island with 100 or more homes, the lowest are Bristol ($383), South Kingstown ($433) and Newport ($461). 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 Rhode Island?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 8 beach towns it lists in Rhode Island are Bristol (115), New Shoreham (140) and Portsmouth (142). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What beach towns in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island with 100 or more homes, the highest are Middletown ($76,543), New Shoreham ($64,847) and Portsmouth ($60,031). Among the same towns, South Kingstown and Bristol share the highest occupancy, at 47%.
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 176,807 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.