Clearwater, FL Rental Market for Investors
An estimated 60% of Clearwater's active listings could cash-flow as a short-term rental — here's what the numbers say for investors, as of October 2026.
As of October 2026, we analyzed 882 active for-sale homes in Clearwater, Florida. The typical listing is priced at $362,500 and is projected to generate about $48,262 a year as a short-term rental.
After setting aside an estimated 20% for operating costs, an estimated 60.3% of those homes could still cover an investor mortgage payment on short-term-rental income — roughly in line with the 53.1% median across the 200 major metros we track, ranking Clearwater #66 of 200 for cash-flow potential.
On market momentum: homes in Clearwater sit a median of 74 days on the market, and 25% of active listings came on in just the last 30 days — a slower-moving market, which shapes how much room there is to negotiate.
For a DSCR loan — which qualifies on the property's rental income rather than your personal income — that's a relatively healthy setup: in Clearwater, a meaningful share of listings throw off enough short-term-rental income, after costs, to cover an estimated investor mortgage payment.
What actually works in Clearwater
Clearwater works for investors, but the window is specific: 273 of the 702 Clearwater homes, condos and townhomes we can price confidently clear a DSCR of 1.25. Nine in ten of them are priced under $477,000.
| Price | 1 bed | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed | 5 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $150k | — | 78%2.08 | — | — | — |
| $150k–$250k | 14%0.86 | 65%1.45 | 100%1.78 | — | — |
| $250k–$350k | — | 37%1.14 | 60%1.42 | — | — |
| $350k–$500k | — | 10%0.88 | 39%1.18 | 83%1.58 | — |
| $500k+ | — | 0%0.38 | 5%0.65 | 22%0.97 | 30%1.10 |
Darker means a larger share of that group cash-flows. “—” means fewer than 8 active listings — too few to draw a conclusion from.
Clearwater in full
| Active for-sale homes analyzed | 882 |
|---|---|
| Median list price | $362,500 |
| Median projected STR revenue (annual, gross) | $48,262 |
| Median average daily rate (ADR) | $203 |
| Median occupancy | 64% |
| Median beds | 2 |
| Median size | 1,400 sqft |
| Estimated cash-flow-positive share | 60.3% |
| Median days on market | 74 days |
| New listings (last 30 days) | 24.7% of active |
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Estimates for educational purposes. Final terms subject to credit, property & program approval.
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