Oceanside vs. Neskowin: Two Oregon Coast Markets, Not One Host Year

Jacob Mishalanie
Aug 21
9 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Empty Cape Meares lighthouse on the Oregon Coast, no people

Oceanside and Neskowin sit on the same stretch of the Oregon coast, roughly 20 minutes apart, but AirROI tracks them as separate short-term rental markets with separate numbers. Oceanside, filed by AirROI under the broader Netarts and Oceanside area, posted average annual revenue of $34,813 across 97 active listings. Neskowin, a smaller unincorporated beach community south of Oceanside, posted $38,932 across 154 listings over the same trailing twelve months, from August 2025 through July 2026. Those are two different towns, two different licensing jurisdictions, and two different guest bases, not one blended coastal year.

The gap matters because it is easy for a host or a property manager writing a market overview to average the two towns together and end up with a number that describes neither one accurately. Oceanside's occupancy sat at 41.8 percent with an average nightly rate of $272, producing revenue per available night of about $120. Year-over-year performance was down 2.1 percent, and active supply contracted 8.5 percent, a market that tightened slightly rather than one that grew. Neskowin's supply of 154 listings is over 50 percent larger than Oceanside's, which alone means its aggregate revenue figures will behave differently across a slow month or a storm-driven cancellation wave.

For hosts, the fix is simple bookkeeping discipline: file Oceanside's $34,813-on-97-listings year on its own line, file Neskowin's $38,932-on-154-listings year on a separate one, and never let a coastal-corridor summary quietly merge them. Buyers evaluating listings, lenders reviewing STR income projections, and hosts building their own pricing comps all need the town-specific number, not a blended average that overstates one town and understates the other.

Oceanside: $34,813 Average Revenue Across 97 Listings

Oceanside is filed by AirROI within the Netarts and Oceanside submarket, with 97 active listings over the trailing twelve months of August 2025 through July 2026. Average revenue per listing came in at $34,813, built on an average nightly rate of $272 and 41.8 percent occupancy. Revenue per available night, the metric that blends rate and occupancy into one comparable figure, worked out to roughly $120.

The market moved modestly negative year over year, down 2.1 percent, while active supply contracted 8.5 percent. That combination of fewer listings and slightly lower revenue suggests some marginal operators exited rather than a broad demand collapse; the properties that stayed active absorbed a larger share of a roughly flat guest pool. Typical stays run 3.2 nights, and guests book about 76 days ahead of arrival, giving hosts a reasonably long runway to adjust pricing and availability before the bulk of bookings lock in.

Oceanside and Netarts are both unincorporated communities governed by Tillamook County rather than an incorporated city government, so short-term rental rules run through Tillamook County Community Development at 1510-B Third Street in Tillamook, OR 97141. A county short-term rental operator license applies to properties in the area; hosts should confirm the current 2026 licensing fee directly with the county office rather than relying on a secondhand figure, since a single confirmed dollar amount for 2026 was not published as one fixed number at the time of this market snapshot.

Neskowin: $38,932 Average Revenue Across 154 Listings

Neskowin, a smaller beach community south of Oceanside, posted average revenue of $38,932 across 154 active listings over the same August 2025 through July 2026 window. That is a materially larger listing count than Oceanside's 97, more than half again as many active properties, which is one reason its aggregate numbers should not be read against Oceanside's without adjusting for scale.

Because Neskowin's revenue figure sits roughly 12 percent above Oceanside's on a per-listing basis, it is tempting to treat Neskowin as the stronger market outright and use its occupancy or seasonal curve as a stand-in for Oceanside's. That is the mistake this comparison is flagging: a packet or listing description that borrows Neskowin's occupancy pattern to describe an Oceanside property, or the reverse, is describing a market the guest will not actually experience. Each town has its own supply base, its own repeat-guest pattern, and its own peak-to-shoulder timing, even though both sit on the same short stretch of coastline.

Hosts operating in Neskowin should file their $38,932-on-154-listings year as its own comp set, separate from Oceanside's $34,813-on-97-listings year, when building pricing strategy, an appraisal packet, or a listing description for prospective buyers.

Why Blending the Two Towns' Numbers Misleads Hosts

Both towns share the same peak season: August is the busiest month coastwide, followed by June and September, with occupancy weakest in January and February the slowest month overall. That shared seasonality is exactly why it is easy to assume the two towns are interchangeable, since the calendar rhythm lines up even though the underlying revenue, occupancy, and supply do not.

A market summary that averages Oceanside's 41.8 percent occupancy with Neskowin's occupancy, or that reports one town's revenue-per-available-night figure as if it applies coastwide, produces a number that does not match either town's actual performance. Professionally managed listings make up roughly 47.4 percent of the active supply across this stretch of coast, meaning independent hosts still operate a substantial share of the inventory, and those hosts are the ones most likely to make pricing decisions off a market report, so an averaged or blended figure does real damage to their forecasting.

The practical rule: treat $34,813 and $38,932 as two separate facts about two separate towns, not two data points on the same trend line. A pricing model, a comp set, or a buyer's pro forma should cite the town it actually applies to.

Two Different Beaches, Two Different Guest Experiences

Oceanside is known for Oceanside Beach and the view of the Three Arch Rocks just offshore, a walkable, photogenic stretch accessed through a well-known beach tunnel that is the town's signature draw for both day-trippers and overnight guests. Neskowin's identity centers on its own beach and the Ghost Forest of ancient stumps exposed at low tide, along with Proposal Rock at the mouth of Neskowin Creek. These are genuinely different landmarks, and a listing photographed in one town should never be captioned as though it sits in the other.

Guests searching for Oceanside and guests searching for Neskowin are, in practice, looking for different walkable amenities, different beach access points, and often a different pace. Neskowin trends quieter and more residential, while Oceanside sees more day-tripper traffic tied to its beach access and tunnel. A listing description that borrows scenery language from the neighboring town to pad out a page will read as inaccurate to any guest who has visited either place, and it risks a mismatched-expectations review after the stay.

Guests Who Book the Wrong Town Need a Recut Listing, Not a Blended Caption

Most guests booking either town arrive from the Portland metro area, with Vancouver, Washington a close second, both roughly a 90-minute to two-hour drive from this stretch of coast. That shared origin market is another reason the two towns get mentally merged: the same drive-market audience is searching for an Oregon coast rental broadly before narrowing down to a specific town.

When a guest arrives expecting Oceanside's beach access and tunnel walk but has actually booked a Neskowin property near the Ghost Forest, the mismatch shows up in reviews and in refund requests, not just in a slightly-off listing description. The fix is not a caption that tries to cover both towns; it is a listing page, photo set, and title that commit fully to the town the property is actually in, even if that means a narrower search audience.

Where Pacific City Fits In (and Where It Doesn't)

Pacific City sits a short distance north of this Oceanside and Neskowin comparison and is its own separate short-term rental market with its own listing count, revenue figures, and seasonal pattern. It deserves its own dedicated report rather than being folded into a broader north-coast corridor summary alongside these two towns. Grouping three coastal towns into one blended figure compounds the same averaging problem discussed above, just across three markets instead of two.

Hosts who operate in more than one of these towns, Oceanside, Neskowin, or Pacific City, should keep a separate performance file for each property by town, using AirROI's trailing-twelve-month figures as the baseline for each one, rather than building a single combined coastal portfolio summary that obscures which town is actually driving revenue.

How to Split Your Marketing Between the Two Markets

In practice, that means four things for hosts working either market: file the correct trailing-twelve-month revenue figure for your specific town, $34,813 on 97 listings for Oceanside or $38,932 on 154 listings for Neskowin; use only photography and copy that describes the beach, walk, and landmarks your guest will actually experience; cite the correct county contact and licensing pathway for your property's jurisdiction; and keep occupancy, average daily rate, and seasonal curve data segmented by town in any pricing tool or comp spreadsheet.

Professionally managed listings account for roughly 47.4 percent of the combined supply across this stretch, which means independent hosts still control a majority of inventory and have the most to lose from copying a competitor's, or a neighboring town's, numbers into their own pricing strategy. Two towns, two years, two guest experiences: keep them on separate lines, and each listing will read as more credible to the guest who has already done the research to land on the right page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Oceanside and Neskowin the same rental market?

No. Though they sit on the same stretch of Oregon coast about 20 minutes apart, AirROI tracks them as separate markets. Oceanside posted $34,813 in average revenue across 97 listings; Neskowin posted $38,932 across 154 listings, both for the trailing twelve months of August 2025 through July 2026. Cite Poulsbo City Hall at 360-779-3901 when the question is regulatory.

What is Oceanside's average short-term rental revenue?

Oceanside averaged $34,813 per listing across 97 active properties, with an average nightly rate of $272, 41.8 percent occupancy, and revenue per available night of about $120. The market was down 2.1 percent year over year, with active supply contracting 8.5 percent. Keep AirROI's August 2025 through July 2026 year labeled when you quote about $34,149.

What is Neskowin's average short-term rental revenue?

Neskowin averaged $38,932 per listing across 154 active properties over the same period, a larger supply base than Oceanside's, which is one reason the two towns' occupancy and revenue patterns should not be assumed to match. Leave Port Orford's about $37,640 on 54 listings on its own line.

Why shouldn't hosts average these two towns' numbers together?

Because they describe different supply sizes, different occupancy rates, and different guest experiences. A blended figure overstates one town and understates the other, which misleads pricing decisions, buyer pro formas, and lender income projections built off the report. Seattle then Portland origin stays demand literacy, not a fiber promise.

How are the beaches different between the two towns?

Oceanside is known for Oceanside Beach and its view of the Three Arch Rocks, along with a walkable beach-access tunnel. Neskowin is known for its own beach, the Ghost Forest of exposed ancient stumps, and Proposal Rock. Listing photography should always match the town the property is actually in.

Where do most guests booking this stretch of coast come from?

Portland is the top origin market, with Vancouver, Washington a close second, both within roughly a two-hour drive. Guests searching broadly for Oregon coast rentals often need to be routed to the correct town-specific listing rather than a description that tries to cover both towns. Confirm the parcel is inside Poulsbo before you spend on furnishings.

Does Pacific City belong in this comparison?

No. Pacific City is a separate short-term rental market just north of this stretch of coast, with its own listing count and revenue trend. It merits its own dedicated report rather than being folded into an Oceanside and Neskowin summary. A 30-night minimum is a platform filter, not occupancy proof on 5.4-night stays.

What's the licensing situation for Oceanside-area hosts?

Oceanside and Netarts are unincorporated communities governed by Tillamook County. A county short-term rental operator license applies, administered through Tillamook County Community Development at 1510-B Third Street, Tillamook, OR 97141. Hosts should confirm current 2026 fees directly with the county rather than relying on a secondhand figure. Photograph Front Street only when the walk matches this driveway.

Work with Crest & Cove Creative

Oceanside STR marketing fails when a costume Oregon coast packet replaces what this driveway can keep overnight. Guests deserve the stay the gallery and house rules can actually hold.

We help independent hosts keep Oceanside stay lines honest against the overnight they can deliver, with a line this driveway cannot keep left on labeled lines. Decide what you can rewrite yourself this week, then hire only the gap that remains. Send the live listing if the about block still could sit on the wrong town.

Reach out at crestcove.co or (256) 998-7502.