Of all the questions Dublin property owners ask us, this is the one that comes up in almost every first conversation: what would my apartment actually make? Not a brochure number, not a best-case week annualised into fantasy — the real figure, after everything, landing in the bank each month. This post answers it as honestly as we can in writing, with a worked example from gross booking income all the way down to the owner's monthly transfer.
A quick note on where the numbers come from: everything in this post is based on what apartments under EirStay management actually earn, averaged across the year. Results vary with location, presentation and the corporate demand an operator can bring to a property — so treat the figures as a realistic picture of the managed model, rather than a rate any Dublin apartment earns automatically. We'll come back to what sits behind them later in the post.
The headline: typical gross monthly income
These are typical achieved monthly gross figures for apartments under EirStay management, blended across the year — busy conference months and quieter weeks averaged together, and net of the discounts that apply to longer corporate stays:
- Dublin 2 (city centre): one-bed around €3,700 per month; two-bed around €4,700; three-bed around €5,700
- Dublin 4 (Ballsbridge, Donnybrook): one-bed around €3,850; two-bed around €4,950; three-bed around €6,050
- Dublin 6 (Ranelagh, Rathmines): one-bed around €3,500; two-bed around €4,500; three-bed around €5,500
For context, RTB Rent Index benchmarks for new long-term tenancies in the same postcodes run roughly €2,050–€2,200 for a one-bed and €2,700–€2,950 for a two-bed. The corporate-let gross is consistently 60–75% above the long-term figure — before deductions on both sides, which we'll get to now, because gross is not what you keep.
A worked example: a two-bed in Dublin 4
Take the apartment we get asked about most: a well-presented two-bedroom in Donnybrook or Ballsbridge. Here is how a typical month flows through to the owner.
- Gross booking income: ~€4,950. A blend of monthly corporate guests — a relocating executive, a consultant pair on assignment — priced dynamically against the Dublin calendar.
- Empty-night allowance: −5% (~€250). No apartment books 365 nights a year. Changeover days between guests, cleaning turnarounds and the occasional short gap are real, so we model them rather than pretend they don't exist.
- Management fee: our fee comes off the remainder and covers everything — photography and listings, pricing, guest vetting, 24/7 guest support, housekeeping and linen, and maintenance coordination. We quote it precisely at assessment because it depends on the property; there are no other charges layered on top.
- Approved expenses: utilities, broadband and any agreed repairs pass through at cost, itemised line by line.
What lands in the owner's account, paid on the 7th of each month with an itemised statement, is typically well clear of what the same apartment would net on a capped long-term tenancy — usually by four figures a month — while the property stays in your control and is professionally maintained. For the full lease-versus-managed comparison, including the risk and flexibility sides that a single number can't capture, see our side-by-side comparison for Dublin landlords.
What moves the number up or down
Location does the heavy lifting. Corporate demand in Dublin concentrates where the guests need to be: Dublin 2 for the city-centre offices, Dublin 4 for the embassies, the RDS and Aviva corridor, Dublin 6 for relocating families who want village life within a short commute, Dublin 1 and 8 for value-conscious project teams. An apartment outside these corridors can still work, but the honest answer at assessment is sometimes "the numbers don't justify it" — and we'd rather say that than sign a property we can't fill.
Presentation is worth real money. The gap between a tired apartment and a well-styled one is not cosmetic — it shows up directly in the achieved rate and in how often corporate bookers come back. This is why styling and space design is part of our onboarding rather than an optional extra.
Size scales, but not linearly. A two-bed earns meaningfully more than a one-bed because it opens up consultant pairs and families; a three-bed adds relocation and project-team demand on top. Houses with parking and gardens command a further premium from senior executives and relocating families.
Why these figures are not a DIY benchmark
It would be convenient to read the numbers above as "what my apartment is worth on the short-let market." They aren't, and it's worth being precise about why.
First, the demand is not on the open platforms. The corporate guests behind these figures — relocations, project assignments, medics on rotation, production crews — largely book through company channels, relocation agents and repeat relationships. That pipeline is the asset. A new listing on the consumer platforms is competing for a different guest, at a different price point, with the platform's commission coming off the top.
Second, the regulatory ground is shifting. The Short-Term Letting Register is scheduled to come into force at the end of 2026, and once it does, the nightly tourist-let model will generally require planning permission that most Dublin residential properties will not get. The corporate model works because stays run beyond the register's 21-night threshold — but operating it means having a calendar of month-plus corporate bookings to fill, which brings us back to the pipeline.
Third, the operating standard is the price of the rate. Same-day turnarounds, vetted guests, 24/7 response, hotel-standard linen — corporate bookers pay the rates above because those things are guaranteed. Delivered part-time by an individual owner, any one lapse shows up in reviews and repeat bookings immediately. This is what full management actually involves, and it is a full-time operation, not a side project.
Get your actual number
Everything above is indicative — a genuine figure needs eyes on your specific property. Two ways to get closer to it:
The quick version: our Dublin yield calculator takes three inputs and shows the long-term-versus-corporate comparison for your area and apartment size in about a minute, using the same benchmarks as this post. No email required.
The real version: a free property assessment. We look at the location, condition and likely calendar for your apartment and come back with a realistic income range — including, where it's the honest answer, "this one isn't a fit." It costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Request a free assessment, or read about how the EirStay partnership works. We currently manage sixteen apartments across Dublin 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 and are selectively taking on additional properties in 2026.