The honest answer is that it depends on how you get in. You can start an Airbnb for almost nothing, or you can spend tens of thousands of dollars. There are three main routes. Co-hosting an owner's property costs close to zero, because you never pay rent, a deposit, or for furniture. Rental arbitrage, where you rent a unit and re-list it, usually runs a first month, a deposit, and a few thousand dollars to furnish. Buying a property to host is the priciest path, with a down payment, closing costs, and renovation on top of setup. I have started along all three, and below is the real line-item math.

The short answer: three routes, three very different price tags

Most guides hand you one number. That number is usually wrong, because the cost to start an Airbnb depends entirely on which door you walk through. Here are the three routes and what each actually asks of you up front.

RouteTypical upfront costWhat your money buysCo-hosting / co-listingNear $0No rent, no deposit, no furniture. You manage someone else's place.Rental arbitrageFirst month + deposit + furnishingYou rent a unit you are allowed to sublet, then furnish it.Buying to hostDown payment + closing + setupYou purchase the property, then renovate and furnish.

The gap between these is not small. One route can start this weekend with money still in your pocket. Another can tie up a six-figure down payment. Pick the route that matches your capital, then use the checklist further down to size the furnishing bill.

Route 1: Co-hosting, the near-zero way in

Co-hosting is the route I point most beginners toward, because the startup cost is close to nothing. You manage another owner's property, handle the guests, the pricing, and the turnovers, and you take a share of the revenue. You never sign a lease, pay a deposit, or buy a single piece of furniture. The owner already did all of that.

Airbnb built this into the platform. Per Airbnb's own guidance on how co-host payouts work, the listing owner sets the split, whether that is a percentage of each booking, the cleaning fee plus a percentage, or a fixed amount, and the co-host has 14 days to confirm or decline it. In practice, co-hosts commonly charge somewhere between 10% and 30% of the booking, most often around 20%, though that is a market range set by agreement, not a fixed Airbnb rate.

Airbnb leaned into this model in October 2024 when it launched a Co-Host Network with roughly 10,000 vetted co-hosts across ten countries. If you want the walkthrough, I cover it in how to become an Airbnb co-host and how to start an Airbnb without owning property. The point for a cost article is simple: your startup budget here is your time, not your savings.

Want the cheapest way in? Co-hosting is how I tell most beginners to start, and Shaun teaches the exact system inside 10XBNB. Get the free Airbnb co-hosting training.

Route 2: Rental arbitrage, renting to re-list

Rental arbitrage means you rent a unit long term, get written permission to sublet it on Airbnb, and keep the spread between your rent and your nightly revenue. You do not own the place, but unlike co-hosting you are on the hook for the lease. That changes the math. Your upfront costs on this route usually include:

If your rent is modest and you furnish smart, you can open an arbitrage unit for a few thousand dollars plus your deposit and first month. If you are landing a pricier unit and buying everything new, the setup alone can climb past ten thousand. The difference between the co-listing model and arbitrage is worth understanding before you commit, and I compare them side by side in co-listing vs rental arbitrage.

Route 3: Buying a property to host

Owning is the most expensive way to start, and also the one with the most control. Here your startup cost is dominated by the purchase itself:

Because the number swings so widely with the property price and your down payment, I will not pretend there is a single figure. The honest framing is that owning to host starts in the tens of thousands of dollars and climbs from there. It is the highest-control route and the slowest to recover your money.

The furnishing and setup checklist (the cost people underestimate)

Whatever route you choose past pure co-hosting, you will furnish a place, and this is where budgets blow up. Below is a typical furnishing budget for a modest one-bedroom, based on what I actually spend outfitting units. Treat these as illustrative ranges, not fixed prices. Buying secondhand, your city, and how upscale you go all swing the numbers hard.

ItemTypical range (illustrative)Bed frame and mattress$300 to $900Sofa and living-room seating$400 to $1,200Dining table and chairs$200 to $700Linens, towels, and pillows (two to three sets)$200 to $500Kitchen: cookware, dishes, utensils, small appliances$250 to $700TV, basic electronics, and wifi setup$200 to $600Lamps, rugs, art, and decor$200 to $800Bathroom fittings and starter cleaning supplies$100 to $300Smart lock, smoke and CO detectors, fire extinguisher$100 to $350Professional listing photos$150 to $400Illustrative total, one-bedroomroughly $2,100 to $6,450

Two lines on that list earn back their cost faster than the rest. The bed comes first, because sleep quality shows up in your reviews more than almost anything else. I go deep on this in choosing the best mattress for an Airbnb, and it is worth reading before you cheap out on the one thing every guest uses for eight hours. The second is professional photos, because they are the cheapest way to raise your booking rate on day one. For the full room-by-room approach, see how to furnish an Airbnb.

The costs people forget: what you pay every month

Startup is a one-time hit. Running the place is ongoing, and these recurring costs decide whether the whole thing is worth it.

Add those up before you launch. Plenty of listings look profitable on the nightly rate and quietly lose money on turnovers and fees. Whether the numbers work in your market is the real question, and I walk through it in is Airbnb still profitable.

One more number to keep in mind is time to break even. Between furnishing, deposits, and the first slow weeks while a new listing earns its opening reviews, most hosts take a few months of bookings to recover their setup costs. Co-hosting skips that stage almost entirely, because there is little to recover in the first place. That single fact is why I keep steering beginners toward it before they spend a dollar on furniture.

How to start an Airbnb for less

If the furnishing table gave you sticker shock, here is how I would keep the entry cost down:

Once you have a system, the model grows without matching your savings. Co-hosting a second and third property costs you time, not another furnishing bill. That is the core idea behind how to start an Airbnb business, the pillar guide I point every beginner to.

Frequently asked questions

Can you start an Airbnb with no money?Yes, through co-hosting. You manage an owner's property and take a share of the revenue, so you pay no rent, deposit, or furnishing costs. It is the only route with a near-zero startup cost, and it is where I tell most beginners to start.

How much does it cost to furnish an Airbnb?For a modest one-bedroom, a realistic furnishing budget runs roughly $2,000 to $6,500, depending on whether you buy new or secondhand and how upscale you go. The bed, professional photos, and reliable wifi are the items worth spending on.

How much does Airbnb charge hosts per booking?Per Airbnb's service fees page, hosts on the split-fee model pay about 3% of the booking, while hosts on the host-only model pay around 15.5% (most between 14% and 16%). Guests pay a separate fee of about 14.1% to 16.5%.

Do you have to own property to start an Airbnb?No. You can co-host an owner's property, or you can rent a unit and sublet it as an Airbnb with the landlord's written permission, which is rental arbitrage. Owning is only one of three routes, and it is the most expensive.

What are the ongoing costs of running an Airbnb?Beyond startup, expect Airbnb service fees, cleaning on every turnover, restocking consumables, utilities and wifi, pricing and messaging software, and maintenance. These recurring costs, not the nightly rate, decide whether a listing actually profits.

Is starting an Airbnb worth it in 2026?It can be, but only if the numbers work in your specific market after fees and turnovers. Co-hosting lowers the risk because you invest time instead of capital. I break down the profit question in my guide on whether Airbnb is still profitable.

Want the co-hosting playbook? Shaun teaches this system inside 10XBNB. Get the free Airbnb co-hosting training.