Amalfi Coast vs Lake Como: what does a villa really earn?
| What we measure | Amalfi Coast | Lake Como |
|---|---|---|
| Nightly rate, high season | €1,150 | €1,700 |
| Nightly rate, low season | €450 | €600 |
| Nights sold, high season | 70 | 60 |
| Nights sold, low season | 40 | 30 |
| Total nights sold per year | 110 | 90 |
| Gross annual income | €98,500 | €120,000 |
| What an agency takes | 35% | 35% |
| Net, self-managed on a platform | €83,200 | €101,000 |
| Net, through an agency | €64,000 | €78,000 |
All figures on this page are shown in euros, on both sides, so the two columns can be compared. The individual market pages show local currency.
The number that actually changes the answer
An agency in either market takes about 35% of what the guest pays, before a single bill is settled. Manage the villa yourself on a platform and you lose about 15.5%. On these numbers that is €83,200 net in Amalfi Coast and €101,000 net in Lake Como, self-managed. The fees also stack: an agency that then lists your villa on a platform hands the platform its cut too, and total commissions above 40% are common.
The two markets do not earn their money the same way
Amalfi Coast sells 70 nights at €1,150 and 40 outside the peak. Lake Como sells 60 at €1,700 and 30 outside it. Lake Como concentrates its year into fewer, more expensive nights. Amalfi Coast spreads it across more of them. The annual totals can land close together while the risk does not: the concentrated market punishes a lost peak week far harder than the longer season does. Which of the two you want depends on whether the villa has to pay for itself, or merely help.
Because it is the most misleading number in this business, and it is the one every other site quotes. An occupancy rate of 50% sounds moderate. Multiply it by 365 and you have implied 182 nights sold. A seasonal villa does not sell 182 nights. It sells the weeks people want and stands empty the rest of the year, and nobody is even trying to rent it in November. The occupancy model overstates seasonal markets by roughly a factor of two. We count nights actually sold, and nothing else.
What we know here, and what we are still estimating
Both benchmarks on this page are our estimates, built from comparable markets and public rate data. They are not yet confirmed by an operator who set the prices and paid the staff in Amalfi Coast or Lake Como. We label them that way rather than pretend to a certainty we do not have. If you own in either market and tell us what you actually earned, this page gets better and you get to see where you truly sit.
Which of the two is your villa in?
Three questions and we will tell you what yours specifically can earn, not what the market average earns. Free, and free permanently.
Estimate my villa →Questions owners ask about these two markets
Does a luxury villa earn more in Amalfi Coast or in Lake Como?
Lake Como, by about 22%. Roughly €98,500 a year in Amalfi Coast against €120,000 in Lake Como, for the same well-maintained 4-bedroom villa, professionally marketed. That is gross. What reaches your account depends on whether you self-manage or hand it to an agency, and the gap between those two outcomes is larger than the gap between these two markets.
How many nights a year does a villa actually rent in Amalfi Coast and Lake Como?
About 110 in Amalfi Coast and 90 in Lake Como, on our benchmark. Nights sold, not occupancy. We never quote an occupancy percentage because multiplying one by 365 flatters a seasonal market by roughly a factor of two: the villa is not on the market for most of the year, and nobody is trying to sell it in November.
Is Amalfi Coast or Lake Como the better investment?
This page cannot tell you, and anyone who claims it can is selling you something. Rental income is one half of a yield. The purchase price is the other half, and it varies more between two streets than it does between two countries. A high gross on a very expensive property is frequently a worse investment than a modest gross on a cheap one. Get both numbers before you decide.
What does an agency take in Amalfi Coast compared to Lake Como?
About 35% in Amalfi Coast and about 35% in Lake Como, of everything the guest pays, before a single bill is settled. Self-managing on a platform costs about 15.5%. Nobody publishes these figures because every party in the chain benefits from the owner not knowing them. Our team has worked both sides of that trade, which is how we know.
Estimates are based on destination benchmarks and property attributes, not on a formal appraisal. Amounts are shown in local currency using approximate conversion rates. Actual results depend on marketing, pricing strategy and seasonality. Last updated 24/07/2026.