How to price a mid-term rental

1. Price by the month, starting from AMR

Mid-term rentals are priced per month, so the starting point is the average monthly rate (AMR): the average asking monthly rent of active furnished monthly listings in your market. MTR Analytics publishes AMR and listing counts for every state, city, and ZIP it tracks on its free market data pages, averaged over up to the 12 most recent complete months.

AMR tells you what the market asks, not what your unit should ask. It mixes studios with four-bedroom houses and basic units with luxury ones, so treat it as the market's level and build your own number from the comps that look like your property.

2. Average vs median: which number to anchor on

Premium listings pull averages up. In July 2026, the average furnished monthly rate in Austin, TX was $2,685, while the latest-month median was $2,419. In Austin's 78704 ZIP the gap was wider: a $3,124 average against a $2,628 median.

Anchor on the median unless your unit is genuinely better than the typical comp. The median is what a normal, well-presented unit achieves; the average includes the handful of listings with views, pools, or designer interiors that a typical unit can't match.

3. Build a comp band for your exact unit

A useful comp set has four filters:

1. Same bedroom count. A one-bedroom and a three-bedroom in the same ZIP serve different tenants at very different prices.
2. Similar size and finish. Match square footage, bathrooms, and quality within reason.
3. Inside your demand radius. Use listings within the same 20- to 30-minute drive of the hospital, campus, or employer that generates your stays.
4. Active 30+ night listings only. Nightly listings and unfurnished leases price different products.

Drop obvious outliers, then read the band: the low end is your conservative planning number, the median is your launch target, and the high end is what standout units achieve. Comparables in MTR Analytics builds this band from the comps you keep.

4. Adjust for what's included

Monthly tenants compare total cost, so price the differences between your unit and the comps:

• Utilities and internet. All-in pricing is the norm. If your comps include utilities and you don't, you are more expensive than your rent suggests.
• Parking and laundry. Dedicated parking and in-unit laundry matter more to a three-month tenant than to a weekend guest.
• A real workspace. A desk, a good chair, and fast Wi-Fi are table stakes for remote and relocating professionals.
• Pets. A pet-friendly unit widens your tenant pool; charge a pet deposit or fee rather than lifting the base rent.

5. Set a launch price and earn your way up

A new listing has no reviews, so launch at or slightly below the median of your comp band and move toward the upper half once reviews and repeat placements arrive. The math favors filling the calendar: on a $3,000 per month unit, a single empty week costs about $690, more than a $100 monthly discount over a three-month stay.

6. Don't convert nightly rates

Multiplying a nightly rate by 30 overstates what a monthly tenant will pay. Nightly rates price short stays, weekend peaks, and frequent turnover, and the monthly discounts on vacation-rental platforms vary widely by host. Start from monthly comps, and use nightly data only to understand what a short-term operator in the same building could earn instead.

7. Check the price against long-term rent

A furnished monthly rate has to clear the unfurnished alternative by enough to pay for furnishing, included utilities, turnover, and vacancy. In the median U.S. ZIP code, furnished monthly rates ran 77% above the Census median gross rent in July 2026, and the middle half of ZIPs ranged from 47% to 110% (methodology).

If your price sits only modestly above what the unit would lease for unfurnished, the long-term lease may be the better deal. The underwriting guide walks the full comparison, and the Property Analyzer runs it for any address.

8. Price for stay length and season

Mid-term demand arrives in blocks. Travel-nurse contracts commonly run 13 weeks, so quote a rate for stays of three months or longer and consider a small discount for extensions, which save you a turnover. Watch the calendar of the institutions behind your demand: hospital contract cycles, academic terms, and seasonal work all shift when tenants arrive, so raise prices into your strong months and protect occupancy in the soft ones.

9. Re-price on a schedule

Check your comp band every month and before every vacancy. If a unit has no confirmed next tenant 30 to 45 days before the current stay ends, adjust the price or widen your channels then, not after the gap starts. Track inquiries per listing view: few inquiries at a normal view count usually means the price, not the photos, is the problem.

Frequently asked questions

What is AMR in mid-term rentals?

AMR is the average monthly rate: the average asking monthly rent of active furnished monthly listings in a market, averaged over up to the 12 most recent complete months. It is the mid-term equivalent of nightly ADR, and it is an asking rent, not booked revenue.

How much should I charge for a furnished monthly rental?

Build a band from active 30+ night listings with your bedroom count, similar size and finish, inside your demand radius. Launch near the band's median, adjust for what you include that comps don't, and move toward the upper half as reviews arrive.

How much more is a furnished rental than an unfurnished one?

In the median U.S. ZIP code, furnished monthly rates ran 77% above the Census median gross rent in July 2026, across 8,946 ZIPs. That gap is gross: it has to pay for furnishing, utilities, turnover, and vacancy.

Should utilities be included in mid-term rent?

Usually, yes. Monthly tenants expect all-in pricing with electric, water, gas, internet, and Wi-Fi included, so price utilities into the rent and compare against comps that do the same.

Should I charge by the night or by the month?

By the month. Monthly tenants budget, compare, and get reimbursed in monthly terms, and nightly pricing math built for short stays overstates what a 30+ night guest will pay.