Moab, UT short-term rental market report (2026)
Grand County, Utah. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesStrict (4/5)
- 4-BR typical value$652K
- FEMA riskVery Low
- Demand drivers within 50 mi3
- People within 300 mi10.4 million
- ClimateFour-season
Everything STR HUB holds on Moab, UT in one place, in the order an investor needs it: whether you can operate, what the numbers are, why and when people come, who can reach it, and what could go wrong.
Every figure comes from a named dataset listed under Sources and method, dated September 21, 2026. Where we do not hold a figure, that part of the report is left out rather than estimated. The Opportunity Score here is partial: it was calculated without revenue data, with the cash-flow component assumed to be below average, so it can understate the market.
Can you operate in Moab?
What the rating rests on: prohibits residential short-term rentals in nearly all zones, including A-2, C-1, C-3, C-5, R-2, R-3, R-4, and RA-1.
Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
Which way the rules are moving
Tightening. The rules we hold report a recent or pending change.
the city adopted Municipal Code 17.09.700 (amended by Ordinance 2024-03 in June 2024), which prohibits residential short-term rentals across nearly every residential and commercial zone.
Classified from the regulation text we publish; a direction is only kept when the sentence it rests on appears word for word in that text.
The numbers
We have not verified revenue figures for this market yet.
Home values in Grand County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Grand County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
What it costs to own
Screening figures, not a bill or a quote. The tax rate is a county-wide median for owner-occupied homes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022); second homes and rentals are often taxed more heavily, and a purchase usually resets the assessed value. Expected annual loss is from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Housing market momentum
County-level, for-sale housing market: it says nothing directly about STR bookings. A relative ranking among tracked markets, not a forecast. Sources: Realtor.com Economic Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index.
Why people come
3 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Moab. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Parks and public lands
- Arches National Park
- When
- Year-round; peaks April, May, June (by recreation-visit volume, 2025).
- Attendance
- 1,511,740 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025)
- STR angle
- Moab's dense short-term-rental supply is sustained largely by back-to-back Arches and Canyonlands day-trip traffic.
- Canyonlands National Park
- When
- Year-round; peaks April, May, September (by recreation-visit volume, 2025).
- Attendance
- 796,057 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025)
- STR angle
- Shares the Moab STR market with Arches; combined visitation is the primary demand driver for Moab short-term rentals.
Outdoor activities
- Moab (Slickrock Trail & desert riding)
- When
- Spring and fall are prime; summer is very hot.
- STR angle
- Bikers and Jeepers arrive in groups with trailers and lots of gear, on top of Arches and Canyonlands park traffic (tracked separately). Townhomes and houses with garages, trailer parking and a bike-wash area are the proven format.
- Source
- Wikipedia: Moab, Utah
When they come
Four-season climate: comfortable months are spread across the year without one dominant season. 4 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F. Warmest month: July (average high 98°F). Coldest: January (average low 24°F).
- Jan40°24°Cold
- Feb45°26°Cool
- Mar56°35°Cool
- Apr69°44°Comfortable
- May79°55°Comfortable
- Jun91°65°Hot
- Jul98°73°Hot
- Aug96°70°Hot
- Sep86°61°Comfortable
- Oct68°44°Comfortable
- Nov53°33°Cool
- Dec41°26°Cold
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 40 | 45 | 56 | 69 | 79 | 91 | 98 | 96 | 86 | 68 | 53 | 41 |
| Average low (°F) | 24 | 26 | 35 | 44 | 55 | 65 | 73 | 70 | 61 | 44 | 33 | 26 |
| Precipitation (in) | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 |
| Snowfall (in) | 3.2 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 8.1 | 9.1 | 9.8 | 11.6 | 12.9 | 13.9 | 13.5 | 12.6 | 11.5 | 10.4 | 9.1 | 7.6 |
This is climate and events, not booking data. Monthly normals are 2019-2023 averages from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis) at the market pin. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Mesa County, CO | 156,131 |
| Garfield County, CO | 61,683 |
| La Plata County, CO | 55,983 |
County populations (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022) summed for every county whose centre lies within each straight-line radius. Straight lines are shorter than roads, so read these as generous upper bounds, not drive-time counts.
What could go wrong
| Hazard | FEMA rating | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Very Low | 58.6 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 32.7 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 25.8 |
| River flooding | Very Low | 25.4 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 5.0 |
| Hail | Very Low | 2.5 |
This is a county-level index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination. A coastal or wildfire-fringe rental can carry far more exposure than its county average suggests. FEMA does not model hurricane and coastal flooding for this county, which is not the same as zero risk. Get property-level flood, wind and wildfire quotes before you buy.
Market context
Housing and jobs in Grand County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018-2022. Vacation-home share is housing units held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. All three describe the whole county, not one town or neighbourhood.
What is within 15 km of the Moab pin
Counts of features mapped in OpenStreetMap within 15 km of the market pin. A fixed radius favours dense metros, and map coverage varies by area.
Similar markets
The 4 tracked markets whose numbers sit closest to Moab's. Each links to its own report.
Closest by normalised distance across the figures both markets hold (typical 4BR value, revenue, occupancy, regulation rating, vacation-home share, tourism job share, 4+ bedroom share, amenity score, population within 300 miles, comfortable months and FEMA risk score). At most 2 of the 4 come from Utah, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Moab on the map
Open Moab on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Moab STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Moab?
STR HUB rates Moab's short-term rental rules 4/5 (Strict) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). That rating was derived from the regulation text we hold and has not yet been reviewed by a person. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Moab?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Grand County is valued at $652,207 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $573,269, with all-home values down 1.6% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What brings visitors to Moab?
3 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Moab: Arches National Park (1,511,740 published attendance), Canyonlands National Park (796,057 published attendance) and Moab (Slickrock Trail & desert riding). Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
What natural hazards affect Moab?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Grand County "Very Low" overall, with a score of 10.3 out of 100 (a national percentile). The highest-scoring hazards we track there are wildfire and earthquake. It is a county-wide index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination.
When is the weather best in Moab?
4 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F (April, May, September and October). Four-season climate: comfortable months are spread across the year without one dominant season. These are 2019-2023 climate normals, not booking data.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research.
- Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), county level. Data provided by Zillow Group.
- Housing, employment and population figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2018-2022.
- Natural hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, county level.
- Amenity counts: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Climate normals: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (CC BY 4.0), 2019-2023 averages.
- Park visitation: National Park Service, NPS Visitor Use Statistics.
- Demand drivers: each entry links its own published source in the list above.
Figures come from the STR HUB national dataset dated September 21, 2026 and this page is regenerated whenever that dataset is rebuilt. County-level figures describe Grand County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood. The Opportunity Score (0-100) is a screening heuristic that weighs revenue (35%), regulatory climate (25%), tourism employment (15%), nearby amenities (15%) and large-home supply (10%) relative to the other tracked markets.
Confirm before you act. Short-term rental rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction, and work with a licensed local agent who knows which properties can legally operate. This report is screening data, not investment, legal or tax advice.
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