Palm Bay, FL Rental Market for Investors
An estimated 63% of Palm Bay'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 1,297 active for-sale homes in Palm Bay, Florida. The typical listing is priced at $349,990 and is projected to generate about $35,658 a year as a short-term rental.
After setting aside an estimated 20% for operating costs, an estimated 63.0% of those homes could still cover an investor mortgage payment on short-term-rental income — well above the 53.1% median across the 200 major metros we track, ranking Palm Bay #56 of 200 for cash-flow potential.
On market momentum: homes in Palm Bay sit a median of 66 days on the market, and 22% 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 Palm Bay, 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 Palm Bay
Palm Bay works for investors, but the window is specific: 273 of the 1,089 Palm Bay homes, condos and townhomes we can price confidently clear a DSCR of 1.25. Nine in ten of them are priced under $366,000.
| Price | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed | 5 bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $150k–$250k | 59%1.28 | 95%1.66 | — | — |
| $250k–$350k | 27%1.14 | 38%1.20 | 33%1.19 | — |
| $350k–$500k | — | 4%0.93 | 9%1.02 | 21%1.03 |
| $500k+ | — | 0%0.68 | 0%0.64 | 0%0.76 |
Darker means a larger share of that group cash-flows. “—” means fewer than 8 active listings — too few to draw a conclusion from.
Palm Bay in full
| Active for-sale homes analyzed | 1,297 |
|---|---|
| Median list price | $349,990 |
| Median projected STR revenue (annual, gross) | $35,658 |
| Median average daily rate (ADR) | $167 |
| Median occupancy | 59% |
| Median beds | 3 |
| Median size | 1,824 sqft |
| Estimated cash-flow-positive share | 63.0% |
| Median days on market | 66 days |
| New listings (last 30 days) | 22.4% of active |
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Estimates for educational purposes. Final terms subject to credit, property & program approval.
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Prefer to talk now? Call or text Chad: 858-353-8331.