What counts as a mid-term rental
A mid-term rental is a furnished home rented for one to six months at a time, often to traveling nurses, contractors, students, or families between homes. Rent is monthly. There are fewer guests, fewer cleanings, and less guest messaging than a nightly short-term rental.
How this mid-term rental calculator works
For the short-term side, it takes your nightly rate times occupancy times about 30.4 nights, minus platform fees, then subtracts monthly operating costs. For the mid-term side, it takes monthly rent, reduces it for vacancy between tenants, and subtracts operating costs. The headline shows how much more, or less, the short-term rental nets each month.
Leave your mortgage or lease out of both sides. It is the same either way, so it does not change the comparison.
What to put in each cost line
Short-term operating costs usually include cleaning, supplies, utilities, internet, software, insurance, and repairs. Mid-term costs are lower because turnovers are rare, but you often still pay utilities and internet. Use real quotes from your market, not national averages.
Find your break-even
Lower the short-term occupancy until the headline turns negative. That occupancy is the point where the mid-term rental wins. If your market's real occupancy is close to that number, the steadier mid-term income may be the safer choice.
The tax side
The average stay also changes how the IRS treats the property. With an average stay of 7 nights or less, a short-term rental can avoid passive treatment if you materially participate. That can let losses from depreciation offset other income. A mid-term rental with stays over 30 nights is a normal rental activity, so its losses are passive unless you qualify as a real estate professional. Check the STR loophole qualifier before you decide, since the tax result can matter as much as the cash flow.