Madison vs Monona: Two Stays, Keep the Files Apart 2026

Madison is $25,721 on 284 listings. Monona is about $68,825 on 30 listings. Fitchburg sits later. Typical Madison listings earned about $25,721 last year from 284 active rentals, AirROI trailing twelve months from August 2025 through July 2026. The average night was $226. Occupancy was 44.1 percent. Revenue per available night was $103. Year over year is minus 14.2 percent. Active supply moved plus 6.4 percent. The three strongest city months are August, September, and October. August is the busiest. February is the slowest. Occupancy is weakest in July. Most guests arrive from Chicago, then Madison. Stay is 12 nights, booked about 62 days ahead. Call Madison Zoning TRH at 608-266-4551 ext. 3. Email zoningtrh@cityofmadison.com. Zoning Counter, Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Treasury for Transient Room Tax sits at the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 101. A short-term rental is the rental of any partial or whole structure for sleeping for less than 30 consecutive nights, called a Tourist Rooming House under Wisconsin law. Three permits are required before advertising or operating: a Transient Room Tax Permit from City of Madison Finance, a Dane County Hotel/Motel/Tourist Rooming House license from Public Health Madison and Dane County, and the Zoning Tourist Rooming House Permit from Zoning. Zoning will not issue ZTRHP until the other two permits are in hand. ZTRHP fees are a $300 one-time application fee and a $100 annual renewal. The ZTRHP year runs July 1 to June 30. The unit must be the host's primary dwelling while operating and for the 12 consecutive months prior. Primary residence is the true home for at least 183 days in a calendar year. Host present: no night cap. Host absent: maximum 30 nights per licensing year. Occupancy is the lesser of twice the legal bedrooms or 12 people; children under 12 do not count..

Two Cities Share a Region in the Copy, Not One Year

Two cities share a region in the copy. They do not share one year. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Madison Getaways is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus.

Madison Is $25,721 on 284 Listings

Madison is $25,721 on 284 listings at $226. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. Market a Madison Stay is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus.

Monona Is Another Year, Not This Extract

Monona listings earned about $68,825 last year from 30 active rentals on the current AirROI extract. Keep that stay on its own line. Monona is another hall. Keep that city on its own line. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Madison STR Rules is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole.

Keep Those Files Apart

Keep those files apart. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Madison Shoulder is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown.

The Isthmus Is Not the Neighbor Walk

The Isthmus is not the neighbor walk. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Madison Remote Stays is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock.

Guests Who Typed the Wrong Occasion

Guests who typed the wrong occasion need a recut, not a blend. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Monona is not the Isthmus. DIY vs Hire in Madison is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus.

Fitchburg Is a Later City File, Not This Extract

Fitchburg is another municipality. This city pass does not invent a Fitchburg AirROI year. Keep that stay unlabeled until a dedicated pin exists. Middleton sits later as another city stay, unlabeled in this city pass. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. Fitchburg is not downtown. Who Books Madison is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay.

How a Host Should Split These Two Markets

How a host should split these two markets is to file two occasions, two halls, and two captions. Write this heading as the stay a host can actually file. We market. We do not take the lock. Buying a Madison Rental is already live on Crest and Cove. Use it. Do not paste a satellite year into a city tile. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026. Monona is not the Isthmus. Fitchburg is not downtown. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026.

Hosts who underwrite Wisconsin capital stays should keep $25,721 on 284 city listings, call 608-266-4551 ext. 3, and leave Monona and Fitchburg on their own lines. We market. We do not take the lock. Write the city or the satellite the guest typed. Keep $25,721 on 284 city listings on its own line. August is the city peak. February is the city hole. Call 608-266-4551 ext. 3 before you advertise a Madison stay. Three permits sit before advertising. Confirm 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did a typical Madison listing earn last year?

AirROI's trailing-twelve-month extract from August 2025 through July 2026 puts the typical Madison listing at about $25,721 across 284 active rentals, at a $226 average night and 44.1 percent occupancy. Revenue per available night was $103, and the year-over-year change was minus 14.2 percent even though active supply grew 6.4 percent. That combination, more listings competing for a smaller revenue pool, is worth flagging to any host or buyer pricing a 2026 Madison stay.

Can Monona numbers be blended into a Madison year?

No. Monona's extract runs about $68,825 across 30 listings, well above Madison's $25,721 across 284 listings, and Monona is a separate municipality with its own hall and its own demand pattern. Folding that figure into a Madison-wide claim, in a listing, a packet, or a comp set, would badly overstate what a city address actually earns. Keep the two towns on separate lines.

Which months carry the Madison calendar?

August, September, and October are the three strongest months on this extract, with August the busiest revenue month, February the slowest revenue month, and July the weakest occupancy month specifically. Those are three distinct data points, not one seasonal story, so price each month against its own number rather than assuming summer is uniformly strong. Isthmus and Capitol-adjacent demand tracks that August-through-October window, not a flat June-to-August bump.

Where do Madison guests come from, and how far ahead do they book?

Chicago is the leading origin market, with Madison itself as the second-largest source, and the typical stay runs 12 nights booked about 62 days out. That is a notably longer average stay than a typical weekend-getaway market, consistent with visiting family, university-related travel, or extended work trips into the city. Superhost share sits at 71.5 percent, with professionally managed listings holding an 8.1 percent share and the platform Remotely managing 22 of the 284 listings.

Does a 30-night minimum mean Madison occupancy is higher than it looks?

No. About 56.3 percent of listings, or 160 of the 284 active rentals, carry a 30-night minimum, yet the citywide typical stay is still 12 nights and occupancy still sits at 44.1 percent. That minimum is a platform filter a host can set, not a measure of how full the calendar actually runs, and February stays the revenue floor regardless of how many listings use that filter.

What permits does a Madison short-term rental actually need before advertising?

Three separate permits are required before advertising or operating: a Transient Room Tax Permit from City of Madison Finance, a Dane County Hotel/Motel/Tourist Rooming House license from Public Health Madison and Dane County, and a Zoning Tourist Rooming House Permit (ZTRHP) from Zoning, which will not issue until the other two are already in hand. ZTRHP carries a $300 one-time application fee plus a $100 annual renewal, on a July 1 to June 30 license year, and the unit must be the host's primary residence for at least 183 days a year both while operating and for the 12 months prior. Call Madison Zoning TRH at 608-266-4551 ext. 3 or email zoningtrh@cityofmadison.com to confirm current status before advertising.

How does the host-present rule affect how many nights I can rent?

When the host is present, there is no cap on the number of nights the unit can be rented. When the host is absent, the licensing year caps unhosted nights at 30, and occupancy itself is capped at the lesser of twice the number of legal bedrooms or 12 people, with children under 12 excluded from that count. Those are Zoning's stated rules on this pass, not a platform estimate, so confirm current specifics at the 608-266-4551 ext. 3 desk before setting a house policy.

What should a Madison buyer or lender packet actually cite?

A defensible packet cites the $25,721 typical year across 284 city listings, the 44.1 percent occupancy figure, the August-September-October peak window, February as the revenue floor, supply up 6.4 percent against revenue down 14.2 percent year over year, and the 608-266-4551 ext. 3 Zoning TRH contact for permit confirmation. Monona's $68,825 figure belongs in the packet only if clearly labeled as a separate suburb, never blended into the Madison city line.

Is Monona the same rental market as Madison?

No. Monona is a distinct municipality with its own AirROI extract, its own $68,825-on-30-listings figure, and its own permitting process separate from Madison Zoning TRH. A listing, a comp set, or a management pitch that treats an Isthmus address and a Monona driveway as one market is combining two different demand pools and two different regulatory desks into a single misleading number.

What actually draws a guest who searches for Madison specifically?

Guests typing Madison are typically looking for the Isthmus, downtown, Lake Mendota, or the Wisconsin State Capitol, not a generic Wisconsin-capital photo set. Listing copy and photography built around those specific, walkable landmarks tend to outperform captions vague enough to describe Monona or Fitchburg just as easily. That specificity is also what keeps a Madison listing from reading like a satellite-town stay wearing the wrong label.

Related Reading

More PLACE, STATE reading already live on Crest & Cove.

• Madison Getaways: Cite $25,721, Keep Monona Off the File

• Buying a Madison Rental: Cite $25,721, Keep Monona Off

• Madison STR Rules: Confirm ZTRHP Before You Advertise 2026

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Send the listing if it still wears Monona copy on an Isthmus driveway.

Name the place. Do not mint a blended metro year. Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.