The Short Answer: Airbnb Photography Cost
Airbnb photography costs about $155–$350 for a standard shoot of a typical rental in 2026, the same range real estate photographers charge for listing photos: across 40 Florida photographers on PropPhoto, the typical package is $239. A package priced for rentals runs $445–$775 by size, and a luxury half or full day $950–$1,500.
Those are other companies' published prices, read November 8, 2026, not ours. Mark Studios photographs rentals in Palm Beach County and quotes each property, so there is no Mark Studios price on this page.
The gap between those numbers is mostly the license. Darian Rundall Photography, which shoots mountain homes from Wrightwood to Big Bear in California, charges $375 to photograph a 2,000-square-foot home for a sale listing and $525 to photograph the same home for Airbnb. Its sale-listing photos are licensed for the length of the listing or one year, whichever ends first, and are "not for Airbnb/STR use".
Airbnb Photography Prices by Route
| Route | Published price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb's pro photo program | Not published; quoted per listing | A matched local photographer where Airbnb has one. Hosts report $100–$400, per Hostaway's 2024 guide |
| By the hour on Snappr | $169 first hour, $279 for two, $110 each extra hour, plus a 15% fee | Every edited photo (All-inclusive tier), 48-hour delivery |
| Florida listing-photo package | $239 typical, $155–$350 range | 25–50 edited photos, 24–48 hour delivery |
| Rental package priced by size | $445 up to 1,500 sq ft, $775 at 3,500–4,500 | Up to 50 images, detail shots and a license for as long as you own the home, at Darian Rundall |
| Luxury vacation rental day | $950 half day, $1,500 full day | 20 or 36 photos, with staging on the full day, at PanaViz in Hawaii |
| Through a property manager | $250 one-time onboarding, plus $25 per extra property | A photoshoot with the listing setup at Evolve, which then takes a 10% or 15% management fee |
With Snappr's 15% fee added, one hour comes to about $194 and two hours to about $321.
As Hospitable described it in 2024, Airbnb's own program quotes by listing, takes the cost out of your future payouts, offers one shoot per listing and refunds nothing once the shoot starts. Hostaway adds that you can't choose the photographer. Check the current terms in your hosting dashboard.
In South Florida, GoPhotos in Boca Raton sells Airbnb shoots with 24-hour delivery. Its Airbnb page sends you to the same pricing page as its listing packages, $189 to $549 for homes up to 4,000 square feet, so ask whether the rental license costs extra. Flylisted, which covers Jupiter, Palm Beach and Miami, scopes rentals on a 20-minute call and sends a fixed quote within 48 hours, and Driven Exposure Media quotes vacation rentals individually.
Why an Airbnb Shoot Costs More Than a Listing Shoot
Darian Rundall's price sheet lists both jobs:
| Home size | Sale listing (MLS) | Vacation rental | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 sq ft | $325 | $445 | +$120 (37%) |
| 1,500–2,500 sq ft | $375 | $525 | +$150 (40%) |
| 2,500–3,500 sq ft | $445 | $635 | +$190 (43%) |
| 3,500–4,500 sq ft | $495 | $775 | +$280 (57%) |
Three things account for the difference:
- The license. A sale listing needs photos for a few months; a rental needs them for years. Darian Rundall licenses MLS photos "for duration of listing or 1 year, whichever ends first" and rental photos for "as long as the owner owns the property", and neither license transfers to a buyer.
- Detail shots and delivery. The rental package includes detail images and up to 50 photos, and its delivery is 48 hours against 24 for a sale listing. Most homes come back with 30–40 photos, and a one-bedroom cabin with about 20.
- Styling. Hospitable's guide says Airbnb photographers charge more than real estate photographers because the work needs staging and attention to detail, and GoPhotos says Airbnb photos "need to sell an experience".
So photos from your home's sale, or a cheap MLS package, may not be licensed for Airbnb. Get the terms in writing.
How Many Photos a Rental Listing Needs
Vrbo sets the floor. Its photo guidelines require at least 6 photos at all times, and a listing that drops below 6 for more than 30 days can be suspended indefinitely. Photos must be at least 1024 × 683 pixels, ideally 3840 × 2160 or larger, and horizontal displays best. Vrbo may reject black-and-white photos, collages, text overlays, watermarks and close-ups, so tell your photographer which platforms the set is for.
Six is the minimum, not the target. Hostaway's guide suggests 20–40 photos, and rental packages deliver about that many. Under Airbnb's own program, Hospitable says the photographer takes 2–3 images per room.
What the Add-Ons Cost
| Add-on | Published price |
|---|---|
| Drone photos | $60 added to a GoPhotos package; $200 for 3–5 aerials at Darian Rundall; $250 with a PanaViz shoot |
| Twilight | $20 a photo for a virtual twilight edit at GoPhotos; $200 for a real twilight image at Darian Rundall |
| Extra detail shots | $85 at Darian Rundall |
| Walkthrough video | $250 with drone at GoPhotos; starting at $375 at Darian Rundall |
| Social media reel | $165 at Darian Rundall; $250 at GoPhotos |
| 3D tour | $200 for Matterport at GoPhotos; $155 per scene at PanaViz |
| Rush delivery | $75 same-day at GoPhotos; $165 same-night at Darian Rundall |
Drone work needs a commercial pilot. The FAA requires a Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107 for any paid flight, so ask whoever you book whether the pilot holds one.
How to Book an Airbnb Shoot Without Surprises
Send these with your first message and every quote can be compared line by line:
- The address, square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms, which set the base price.
- Every platform the photos will run on: Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, your own booking site, social media and print.
- The license: that the photos can be used for short-term rental marketing, for how long, and what happens if you sell.
- The photo count, and whether detail shots of the kitchen, the pool and the amenities are included.
- The staging: who cleans, who makes the beds and brings props, and whether the photographer styles the rooms.
- The turnover window: a date between guests, and a delivery deadline before your next check-in.
Where Mark Studios Fits
We photograph vacation rentals, hotels and other properties across Palm Beach County, Broward and Martin, and film the walkthrough and reels on the same visit. Hosts anywhere can send their own footage for vacation rental and hotel property tours, edited in-house. If you're comparing local photographers first, our list of the best photographers in Boca Raton sets out who shoots what. We've delivered 8,000+ orders for 4,500+ clients and are Top Rated on Fiverr with a 4.9★ rating; whoever you book, get the photo count, the add-ons and the license written into the quote. Selling a home rather than renting it? Our real estate photography cost guide covers sale-listing prices, and real estate videography cost covers the video.
The Bottom Line
Airbnb photography costs about $155–$350 for a standard shoot of a typical rental in 2026, $445–$775 for a package priced for rentals, and $950–$1,500 for a luxury day. The difference is mostly the license and the photo count, so get both in writing before you compare quotes.
