Owner guide
How much does a guesthouse in the Medina of Tunis earn?
Occupancy, nightly rates, seasons, commission and costs. We start from the real figures of our own homes, put them in the context of public data, then build the accounts of a four-room guesthouse step by step.
By Hichem Mathlouthi, managing director of KasbahostPublished 7 min read
What our own figures show
Most articles on guesthouse income in Tunisia quote figures without saying where they come from. We do the opposite. The figures below are Kasbahost data, Sept. 2025 – Oct. 2026. They come from the yield report in Diarna, Kasbahost's in-house software, for 10 September 2025 to 10 October 2026, and cover 3,374 nights sold across our guesthouses and apartments in the Medina of Tunis.
Occupancy (nights sold over nights open, unit by unit) differs by type of property: 73% in our guesthouses (Dar Zyne, Dar Majoul, Dar Dou) and 58% in our apartments (Dar Baba, Dar Kenza, Dar Omi). Across all units, Saturday nights ran at 74%. The table shows median rates actually achieved per room per night outside peak season: rates sold, not rates advertised.
| Home | Type | Median achieved rate |
|---|---|---|
| Dar Zyne | Guesthouse, 5 rooms and suites | TND 121–240 |
| Dar Majoul | Guesthouse, 3 rooms | TND 138–173 |
| Dar Dou | Guesthouse, 4 rooms, courtyard pool | TND 217–242 |
| The Oukala apartments | Apartments | TND 92–118 |
The gap between houses is wider than the gap between seasons: a pool, a terrace or a suite moves the price more than a busy month does.
Seasonality in the Medina of Tunis
The Medina does not follow the rhythm of the beach resorts. Its guests come for the city, its monuments and its events, so the seaside summer peak is not the benchmark.
| Period | Weeks | Occupancy | Average nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 1–12 (January to the third week of March) | 64% | TND 155 |
| Spring | 13–17 (late March to late April) | Highest of the year | TND 171 |
| Autumn | 42–48 (mid-October to late November) | 58% | TND 160 |
| December | month of December | 71% | TND 166 |
| Whole period: guesthouses | 10/09/2025 – 10/10/2026 | 73% | — |
| Whole period: apartments | 10/09/2025 – 10/10/2026 | 58% | — |
We only publish periods for which the analysis is consolidated, so May to mid-October is not broken down here. If you want to block dates for your own use, autumn costs you less than spring. With Kasbahost, owners block their dates in the online owner area.
What public data say
National tourism. In 2024 Tunisia welcomed around 10.26 million visitors, with tourism receipts of TND 7.494 billion. In 2025 arrivals passed 11 million by 22 December, and receipts reached TND 7.886 billion by that date, up 6.3% according to the Central Bank (La Presse, 25 December 2025). By the end of July 2026 there had been about 5.83 million arrivals, up 2.6% (Business News, 6 August 2026). These are the figures reported by the business press; for final annual figures, refer to the publications of the national tourist office (ONTT) and the statistics institute (INS).
A figure often quoted, national hotel occupancy of around 35% at 20 July 2025 (tourist office data via African Manager), mixes every region and category. There is no published figure for Tunis, and it says nothing about a Medina guesthouse.
Private estimates for Tunis. There are no official short-term rental statistics. Two private companies publish estimates based on Airbnb listings, and they disagree:
| Source | Scope | Occupancy | Average nightly rate | Average annual revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbtics | Tunis, about 431 active listings, Nov. 2024 – Oct. 2025 | 55% (median) | about USD 46 | about USD 9,000 |
| AirROI, quoted by a blog | Greater Tunis, about 1,930 properties, 2025–26 | about 40% | about USD 72 | about USD 9,000 |
These are private estimates, built by these companies from online listings using their own methods. They cover mostly whole apartments across the city, without breakfast or reception, so they do not describe a Medina guesthouse, and we do not set them against our own figures.
The numbers for a four-room guesthouse
Take a four-room guesthouse in the Medina, comparable to Dar Dou. As reported in the press (WebManagerCenter, 2013), the order of 29 July 2013 limits a guesthouse to five rooms and fifteen guests; check the rules that apply to your property with the national tourist office (ONTT).
Gross turnover = rooms × nights in the year × occupancy × average nightly rate
| Scenario | Occupancy | Average rate | Nights sold | Gross turnover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cautious: the whole year like our autumn | 58% | TND 155 | about 847 | about TND 131,300 |
| Central: our guesthouse occupancy | 73% | TND 160 | about 1,066 | about TND 170,500 |
The TND 160 in the central scenario sits between our seasonal averages (TND 155–171); it is not a published annual average. On that scenario, 5 points of occupancy are worth about TND 11,700 a year and TND 10 on the average rate about TND 10,700.
Platform commission. Booking.com typically takes 15–18% (Eldorado Immobilier, 2025); Airbnb is rolling out a host-only fee of around 15.5% (Hostfully, 2026). These rates come from industry sources, not a published Tunisian tariff, so check your own contract. Direct bookings through The Landlord website and app carry no platform commission. If every night in the central scenario were sold through the platforms, commission would come to roughly TND 25,600 (15%) to 30,700 (18%), leaving about TND 140,000–145,000.
Tourist tax. Guests pay it; you collect and pay it over. It belongs in neither your revenue nor your costs. See our guide to the tourist tax in Tunisia.
Management. If you delegate, the manager's commission is calculated on revenue achieved. Kasbahost's rate is given at the viewing. As a public benchmark, The Landlord advertises 20% excluding VAT in Tunis. If you manage yourself, that line becomes your time and wages: our guide on managing yourself or hiring a manager compares the two.
Tax on your income. We found no official source setting out how nightly furnished-letting income is taxed (property income or business profits, VAT). Ask your local tax office (recette des finances) and take advice from an accountant. With Kasbahost, withholding tax appears on your statements.
Running costs to budget for
There is no reliable public data on running costs in Tunis, and they depend heavily on the house, so we give categories rather than invented amounts. Fill them in with your own quotes:
- Staff: day and night reception, housekeeping, maintenance, breakfast.
- Breakfasts: fresh produce, drinks, tableware.
- Linen: sheets, towels, laundry, replacement.
- Guest supplies and consumables.
- Energy and water: air conditioning, heating, gas.
- Internet and TV subscriptions.
- Maintenance and repairs: plumbing, lime wash, joinery, pool.
- Insurance, software, accountancy.
Two Medina specifics weigh on costs: the lanes are pedestrian, so deliveries, linen and luggage go by hand or trolley; and old houses need constant upkeep. Weekly pricing reviews, listing on Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Agoda plus direct bookings, and well-run arrivals are the levers that make the difference. See how we apply them on our page on guesthouse management in the Medina of Tunis.
Estimating your own property
Every house is different. The simplest starting point is our revenue estimator, which gives a range from property type, area and number of rooms. We then refine it during a visit, using the rates our neighbouring homes actually achieve.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a four-room guesthouse in the Medina of Tunis earn?
Using the averages from our own homes between September 2025 and October 2026 (73% occupancy in our guesthouses, average nightly rates of TND 155 to 171 depending on the season), a four-room guesthouse turns over roughly TND 130,000 to 170,000 a year before platform commission, running costs, tax and management fees. It is not a promise: every house is different.
What occupancy can a Medina guesthouse expect?
Occupancy was 73% in our guesthouses and 58% in our apartments between September 2025 and October 2026 (Kasbahost data, nights sold over nights open). It varies with the season: spring is the busiest period and autumn the quietest. The figure depends on location, the product and how the house is run.
Which is the best season in the Medina?
Of the periods we analysed, spring (weeks 13 to 17, late March to late April) is the strongest: it is the busiest period, at an average of TND 171. Autumn (mid-October to late November) is the quietest: 58% occupancy across all units, at TND 160.
What do Airbnb and Booking.com charge?
Booking.com usually takes 15–18% of the booking value. Airbnb is moving hosts to a 'host-only' fee of around 15.5%. These rates come from industry sources rather than published Tunisian tariffs, so check your own contract.
Can I estimate what my own property would earn?
Yes. Our revenue estimator gives a range based on property type, area and number of rooms. We then refine the figure after a visit.
Sources
Sources consulted on 13 October 2026. Several pages could not be opened directly by our research tool because of network restrictions; their content was taken from search-engine extracts.
- Kasbahost data, Sept. 2025 – Oct. 2026: Diarna yield report, 10/09/2025 – 10/10/2026, 3,374 nights sold.
- La Presse, tourism receipts reach TND 7.886 billion in 2025.
- Business News, arrivals to end of July 2026.
- African Manager, arrivals and hotel occupancy at 20 July 2025.
- Airbtics, Airbnb revenue in Tunis (private estimate).
- Cyril Jarnias, AirROI data on Tunis (private estimate quoted by a blog).
- Eldorado Immobilier, Airbnb, Booking and Abritel commission comparison (February 2025).
- Hostfully, Airbnb host fees and the 15.5% model (2026).
- WebManagerCenter, order of 29 July 2013 on guesthouses (16 August 2013).
- The Landlord, published management fees (public benchmark).
Let's talk about your property
What could your house earn?
Tell us where it is and how many rooms it has. We'll come and see it, then give you an estimate based on the rates our Medina homes actually achieve.