Run your rentals before they run you. Cost-to-launch calculator for first-time Airbnb and STR hosts. All-in budget across acquisition, furnishing, launch, and 90-day reserve. Editable Excel. Every blog post says something different. Every TikTok says $5,000. Every podcast says $50,000. You have $40,000 saved. You want to launch your first short-term rental. Nobody can tell you what the actual all-in number is — including the line items you’d forget. This workbook gives you the all-in number in 30 minutes. 120 furnishing line items pre-populated with low / mid / high price ranges. Acquisition costs. Launch costs. A 90-day operating reserve treated as required, not optional. Year-one ROI projection so you know what you’re actually buying. WHAT’S INCLUDED Excel workbook (6 tabs): - Start — your launch budget headline, 90-day reserve readout, Y1 break-even occupancy, and a calming reassurance line (“Typical 2BR cabin: $32K-$58K mid finish”) - Acquisition — purchase price, down payment, closing costs, inspection, appraisal, title insurance, legal, loan origination. Defaults built in. - Furnish & Setup — the marquee tab. ~120 line items pre-populated across 8 zones (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living, outdoor, tech / smart-home, safety + supplies, linens + amenities). Three finish-quality columns (low / mid / high) with realistic Amazon-tier price ranges. Per-item override so you can pick low for the headboard and high for the mattress. - Launch Costs — professional photos, permits, business license, LLC formation, EIN registration, insurance binder, PMS setup, dynamic pricing tool, signage, lockbox. ~18 line items. - 90-Day Reserve — the operating runway. Mortgage P&I × 3, utilities × 3, insurance, cleaning reserve, maintenance reserve, marketing reserve, software subscriptions × 3. - Total + Y1 ROI — all-in total, cash invested (excluding mortgage principal), Y1 revenue projection (ADR × occupancy × available nights), Y1 net, cash-on-cash %, payback period, break-even occupancy. “Did you forget?” sidebar on the Furnish & Setup tab: a sticky checklist that flags the items new hosts skip — LLC, insurance binder, smoke detectors per code, CO detectors, fire extinguisher, first aid, exterior security cams, professional photos, pet supplies. Each row links back to its line item.
Related
- Furniture / Setup Budget Calculator
- First-Year Host Bundle
- Break-even Occupancy Calculator
- Aspiring Host Bundle
- Dynamic Pricing Calculator
What's inside
- Newbie Nina: 0-1 properties, just launching, has heard wildly different numbers
- Side-Hustle Sam: contemplating property #2, wants to know the all-in before signing
- Aspiring rental-arbitrage operators: the furnishing checklist applies cleanly (skip the acquisition tab)
- Anyone whose spouse asked "what's this actually going to cost?" and deserves a real answer
Get the workbook
Format: Excel .xlsx + how-to PDF. Excel 2016+, Excel 365, Google Sheets compatible. Instant download after checkout. 14-day refund, no questions. Lifetime updates within v1.