Investor market data · Ohio

Columbus, OH Rental Market for Investors

An estimated 74% of Columbus's active listings could cash-flow as a short-term rental — here's what the numbers say for investors, as of August 2026.

See what pencils →Run a DSCR

$299,900Median list price1,745 active listings

$39,709Median STR revenue / yrprojected, gross

Homes in Columbus that pencil right now

A sample of active Columbus listings whose DSCR clears 1.25 using short-term rental income projections we accept as a direct lender. These are spread across the price range, not ranked, and current as of August 2026.

$160,000DSCR 1.62
3 bed · 1 bath · 1,144 sqft
House in 43211 · built 1924
STR revenue
$24,994/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,029/mo
On the market 135 days · Listed by Coldwell Banker Realty
Scout this home & market: 3-bed house in Columbus
$180,000DSCR 1.84
3 bed · 2 bath · 2,705 sqft
House in 43222 · built 1915
STR revenue
$34,383/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,249/mo
On the market 215 days · Listed by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty
Scout this home & market: 3-bed house in Columbus
$200,000DSCR 1.43
2 bed · 1.5 bath · 1,201 sqft
House in 43207 · built 1900
STR revenue
$27,844/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,298/mo
On the market 34 days · Listed by Street Sotheby's International Realty
Scout this home & market: 2-bed house in Columbus
$229,000DSCR 1.66
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,410 sqft
House in 43232 · built 1967
STR revenue
$35,897/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,443/mo
On the market 43 days · Listed by Coldwell Banker Realty - New Albany/Gahanna Regional
Scout this home & market: 3-bed house in Columbus
$262,900DSCR 1.46
2 bed · 2 bath · 1,461 sqft
Condo in 43230 · built 1996
STR revenue
$47,127/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$2,147/mo
On the market 10 days · Listed by Remax Connection
Scout this home & market: 2-bed condo in Columbus
$289,900DSCR 1.92
3 bed · 2 bath · 1,519 sqft
House in 43230 · built 1900
STR revenue
$55,986/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$1,946/mo
On the market 73 days · Listed by The Raines Group, Inc.
Scout this home & market: 3-bed house in Columbus
$319,000DSCR 1.25
2 bed · 1.5 bath · 960 sqft
House in 43201 · built 1900
STR revenue
$41,185/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$2,192/mo
On the market 39 days · Listed by Engel & Volkers Real Estate Advisors
Scout this home & market: 2-bed house in Columbus
$389,790DSCR 1.86
4 bed · 2.5 bath · 1,811 sqft
House in 43228 · built 2023
STR revenue
$78,428/yr
Est. interest-only payment
$2,811/mo
On the market 10 days · Listed by D.R. Horton Realty of Ohio, In
Scout this home & market: 4-bed house in Columbus

Ask about Columbus deals →Run any address yourself

As of August 2026, we analyzed 1,745 active for-sale homes in Columbus, Ohio. The typical listing is priced at $299,900 and is projected to generate about $39,709 a year as a short-term rental.

After setting aside an estimated 20% for operating costs, an estimated 73.8% of those homes could still cover an investor mortgage payment on short-term-rental income — well above the 52.5% median across the 200 major metros we track, ranking Columbus #21 of 200 for cash-flow potential.

On market momentum: homes in Columbus sit a median of 52 days on the market, and 34% of active listings came on in just the last 30 days — a steadily paced 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 Columbus, 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 Columbus

Columbus is a broad cash-flow market right now: 779 of the 1,382 Columbus homes, condos and townhomes we can price confidently clear a DSCR of 1.25. Nine in ten of them are priced under $351,000.

Share of those listings clearing an DSCR of 1.25, by price and bedroom count. The smaller figure is the median DSCR for that group.
Price	1 bed	2 bed	3 bed	4 bed	5 bed
Under $150k	—	100%1.84	94%2.33	—	—
$150k–$250k	17%1.10	75%1.41	98%1.73	98%2.12	—
$250k–$350k	0%0.81	29%1.13	71%1.39	93%1.70	100%2.05
$350k–$500k	—	2%0.93	30%1.11	55%1.29	73%1.64
$500k+	—	0%0.60	0%0.77	3%0.87	15%1.03

Darker means a larger share of that group cash-flows. “—” means fewer than 8 active listings — too few to draw a conclusion from.

Columbus in full

Active for-sale homes analyzed	1,745
Median list price	$299,900
Median projected STR revenue (annual, gross)	$39,709
Median average daily rate (ADR)	$175
Median occupancy	63%
Median beds	3
Median size	1,410 sqft
Estimated cash-flow-positive share	73.8%
Median days on market	52 days
New listings (last 30 days)	33.5% of active