THE WORLD’S MOST EXPENSIVE AIRBNBS REVEALED & AUSTRALIA’S SURPRISE ENTRY
From Italy’s $93,000-a-night villas to a $20,000 Bowral château, a new global ranking showcases the priciest Airbnbs available in 2026.
5 min
From Italy’s $93,000-a-night villas to a $20,000 Bowral château, a new global ranking showcases the priciest Airbnbs available in 2026.
Airbnb is one of the most recognisable companies in the global hospitality and travel sector.
What started off as a home-swapping (or rather, air-mattress-and-breakfast) platform for travellers in 2007–2008 has evolved into one of the most lucrative short-stay accommodation marketplaces in the world.
Founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, the short-stay letting platform now boasts over 8 million active listings across more than 220 countries and regions, and facilitates hundreds of millions of bookings every year.
Whereas homes were previously swapped in a spirit of sharing, many properties now on the short-stay letting market are effectively holiday homes for their owners—residences that are never fully lived in.
While expensive stays are nothing new, have you ever wondered what the most expensive homes on Airbnb are?
A new report from Tradingplatforms has collated listings across the world’s most visited countries, providing a snapshot of the priciest stays available for January 2026.
To compile the ranking, researchers analysed 86 countries with the highest inbound visitor numbers, identifying each nation’s most expensive Airbnb during the period of January 14–17, 2026.
Prices were carefully gathered inclusive of taxes and fees, with any unrealistic or inauthentic listings removed. The study produced a global leaderboard, along with regional breakdowns, and included details on property type, total cost, bedroom and bathroom count, guest capacity, reviews, and premium amenities.
The findings reveal that luxury is spread across multiple continents, with Europe dominating the list.
Italy tops the global ranking with a property priced at €51,921 (AU$92,783) per night, while the second most expensive listing, in Mexico, comes in at €27,474 (AU$49,096) per night.
Australia doesn’t make the top 10 list, but a home in Bowral in the Southern Highlands of NSW comes in at number 14. La Gemme Estate, a French château set on 100 acres of private grounds, costs €11,351 a night, or just over $20,000 based on the exchange rate at the time of publication.
The home, at the end of a long, tree-lined driveway which meanders past a private pond with a fountain feature and a bridge, has eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a heated swimming pool, steam room, outdoor hot tub, and a library. The property can also host small weddings.
It is owned by Clayton Larcombe, the financial adviser turned fund manager, and his wife Kyara, who bought the “European Palladian style country estate” for $7.4 million in 2021, before undertaking a lavish renovation.
The World’s 10 Most Expensive Airbnbs for January 2026
Luxury Lake Garda View Resort, Gardone Riviera, Italy
Price per night: €51,921 (AU$92,783)
The priciest Airbnb in the world is the Lake Garda View Resort in Italy’s Gardone Riviera. The five villas, designed by internationally renowned architects such as David Chipperfield, Richard Meier and Marc Mark, can accommodate 84 guests. There’s even an internal hotel with high-end apartments pitched as being ideal for operational staff, productions, or guests.
Casa Tau: A Luxury Villa, Punta de Mita, Mexico
Price per night: €27,474 (AU$49,096)
Casa Tau is the second priciest Airbnb in the world for January. The 12-bedroom villa, on the beachfront of the prestigious Punta Mita Community in Los Ranchos, Mexico, can host 27 guests across five buildings. The focal point is the central swimming pool and hot tub with adjoining alfresco terrace. Casa Tau comes with twice-daily housekeeping, chef and laundry services, a 12-hour butler, and preference membership to the resort’s golf and beach clubs.
7-Bedroom Ultra-Luxury Villa, Dubai, UAE
Price per night: €25,728 (AU$45,976)
A new villa in Dubai, furnished with iconic pieces from the world’s most prestigious luxury brands like Fendi Casa, Versace Home, Bentley Home, and Roche Bobois, is the priciest in the UAE.
The seven-bedroom home features two private swimming pools — one infinity-edge, one indoor — and a fully equipped private lounge and entertainment club, complete with a bar, high-end audio-visual systems, and ambient lighting.
Country House, La Romana, Dominican Republic, Villa Cahey
Price per night: €25,055 (AU$44,773)
A private beach and a private chef, butler, bartender, and maids are just some of the inclusions at Country House in the Dominican Republic. The exclusive home, with uninterrupted views over the water, can host 24 guests across 12 bedrooms. Guests also have access to Casa de Campo amenities, including golf courses, dining, Minitas Beach Club, tennis courts, equestrian and shooting centres, and water sports.
Villa Riviera Serenity, Mae Nam, Thailand
Price per night: €24,536 (AU$43,846)
Thailand doesn’t have to be cheap. Villa Riviera on the popular island of Koh Samui is the country’s most expensive Airbnb. The five-bedroom villa is tucked into a jungle setting, but just 10 minutes from Bang Por Beach.
Villa Mirasol, Mali Lošinj, Croatia
Price per night: €20,305 (AU$36,285)
Villa Mirasol is an elegant Art Nouveau property boasting a spectacular location on the island of Lošinj, with a distinctive tower overlooking the idyllic Čikat Bay. The gated villa features five bedrooms and a spacious three-bedroom apartment with a separate entrance, as well as a secluded garden with terraces, ocean views, a private swimming pool, and a jacuzzi.
Luttrellstown Castle, Dublin, Ireland
Price per night: €19,090 (AU$34,114)
One of the oldest homes on this list is Luttrellstown Castle, which dates back to the 15th century. The 567-acre property has its own 18-hole championship golf course and a state-of-the-art alpine lodge-style clubhouse, alongside the iconic castle that takes its name from the Luttrell family, who held the estate for more than three centuries until 1811. It is another property well suited for large weddings—it’s where David and Victoria Beckham tied the knot in 1999.
Fantasia Villas, Katastari, Greece, The Imperial Spa Villa
Price per night: €18,880 (AU$33,739)
The Imperial Spa Villa in Katastari, near the island of Kefalonia, has its own private spot on the Greek coastline. The four-bedroom villa spans more than 2,000 sqm of living space and includes three heated swimming pools set among private tropical gardens.
Middle Cay, North Eleuthera, Bahamas
Price per night: €18,040 (AU$32,237)
A private two-acre island in the Bahamas makes the top 10 list of most expensive Airbnbs. The island is home to coconut tree groves, two private docks, a natural island swimming spot, and two open-concept villas that can sleep 19 guests. Guests can also use three underwater sea scooters, with likely sightings of bright tropical fish or a sea turtle or two.
Villa Tomazo, Marrakesh, Morocco
Price per night: €14,978 (AU$26,766)
Villa Tomazo in Marrakesh rounds out the list. The 10-bedroom villa features a large swimming pool, a hot tub, an outdoor fireplace, and a massage service.
A record-breaking $11 million sale at The Centennial Collection has set a new benchmark for luxury apartment living in Bondi Junction.
As interest rates, inflation and market sentiment fluctuate, investors are being urged to focus on data, not panic.
Australia’s housing affordability crisis is being fuelled by chronic undersupply, planning delays and rising development costs, as politicians continue to focus on the wrong solutions.
3 min
Australia’s housing crisis will not be solved by first-home buyer incentives or tax changes alone, with leading property figures warning governments must tackle supply constraints if affordability is to improve.
Speaking at the Kanebridge Quarterly Property Leadership Summit in Sydney last week, expert project marketing specialist Sam Elbanna, property investor and fund manager Paul Miron and property consultant Karla McNeice said that a lack of housing supply remained the central issue facing the market.
Elbanna, Director of CPM Realty with more than 30 years’ experience in project sales, argued that successive governments had focused too heavily on stimulating demand rather than addressing the barriers preventing new housing from being delivered.
“The misconception is that politicians think the way to solve the housing crisis is to drive demand,” he said.
“The reality is that’s not the way. This is a supply-side problem, and it needs to be solved on the supply side.”
Drawing on his experience in project sales, Elbanna said policies designed to help first-home buyers often had unintended consequences, pointing to previous grants that ultimately flowed through to higher property prices.
Instead, he said developers were facing increasing red tape, approval delays and rising costs, which were discouraging new housing supply.
“In the absence of stock, demand exceeds supply,” he said.
Miron, a Co-Founder and Fund Manager of Msquared Capital, said the housing debate had become overly focused on tax policy while overlooking broader structural issues.
He argued that affordability challenges stemmed from a combination of factors, including planning constraints, supply shortages, migration levels and interest rates.
“No-one can be 100 per cent certain on the real reason for property prices is going up,” he said.
“The reason why property prices are higher is a combination of interest rates, lack of supply, migration, vacancy rates and maybe taxes play a role.”
Miron was critical of recent federal housing policy changes, warning they could reduce the number of new homes being built and further constrain supply that was even highlighted in the budget.
He also highlighted the importance of the property sector to the broader economy, noting that residential real estate and related industries employed more than one million Australians.
McNeice, who advises developers on sales strategy and market intelligence, said understanding buyers had become increasingly important as affordability pressures intensified.
While affordability remained a major consideration, she said today’s buyers were focused on value rather than simply price.
“People are looking for value for money,” she said.
She said buyers were increasingly evaluating factors such as transport connections, walkability, nearby amenities and flexible living spaces that could accommodate changing family needs.
“What infrastructure is going on? Can I walk to the shops? Can I meet people at the local cafe?” she said.
The panel also discussed the mounting pressures facing developers, with Elbanna arguing that many projects become financially unviable from the moment a site is purchased.
“The viability of a development happens at the moment the site is bought,” he said.
He said rising construction costs, higher interest rates and overly optimistic feasibility assumptions had left some developers exposed as market conditions changed.
While acknowledging the growing number of smaller and first-time developers entering the market, Elbanna said property development required expertise across finance, construction, marketing and legal disciplines.
“It is actually a business that requires a level of expertise,” he said.
Looking ahead, the panel agreed opportunities remained in the market despite current challenges.
Miron said property should continue to be viewed as a long-term investment and cautioned against trying to time short-term market movements.
McNeice said success would increasingly depend on identifying projects that genuinely met changing buyer expectations.
Elbanna said affordable housing remained achievable, but developers needed to deliver more than just homes.
“We can provide affordable housing in this country,” he said.
“But we’ve got to wrap that affordable housing with the things that people want.”
As Australia’s housing affordability debate intensifies, the panellists agreed on one point: without a meaningful increase in housing supply, demand-side measures alone are unlikely to solve the nation’s property challenges.
The era of the gorgeous golden retriever is over. Today’s most coveted pooches have frightful faces bred to tug at our hearts.
From Italian vegetable-tanned leather to real-world training insight, Australian brand PK9 Gear is redefining what luxury means for discerning dog owners.
