Airbnb's trending neighbourhoods for FIFA aren't in Vancouver
If you’re visiting Vancouver during the FIFA World Cup, then you might be bracing yourself for the exorbitant cost of accommodation — or maybe considering skipping staying in the city altogether.
The games, held from June 11 to July 19, with seven matches held in Canada, are pushing up hotel prices to sky-high levels — even with FIFA recently cancelling thousands of nightly room bookings.
For example, according to a search on Expedia for a room stay from July 1 to 9, the DOUGLAS is $1,605 per night, the Metropolitan Hotel by Marriott is $888 a night, and the Level Vancouver – Yaletown Seymour is $1,019 a night.
This might be why some people are looking to municipalities outside of Vancouver to stay in.
Airbnb recently sent Daily Hive Urbanized data on “which [Metro Vancouver] neighbourhoods are trending for tournament-time stays.”
And despite that, FIFA games are held Downtown Vancouver, two of the trending neighbourhoods during tournament time are in Delta and Langley Township, requiring a lengthy commute to BC Place.
North Delta is approximately an hour commute by transit to BC Place. It has seen year-over-year bookings increase by 295 per cent.
Another neighbourhood that’s seen large year-over-year growth is Willoughby‑Willowbrook in Langley Township. It’s just under a two-hour commute to BC Place.
In Vancouver, Killarney has seen the most year-over-year bookings (just about a 35-minute commute).
“While we can’t say definitively why certain neighbourhoods have experienced higher growth, a couple of factors are likely at play,” said Alex Howell, Airbnb’s policy lead for Canada, in an email to Daily Hive Urbanized.
She said it could be something to do with the fact that North Delta and Willoughby-Willowbrook simply “are located outside the City of Vancouver and are subject to more reasonable short-term rental rules.”
She said these municipalities allow people to list their secondary suites in primary residences (like basement suites), which makes it more accessible and affordable for locals to host.
An Airbnb in Killarney from July 1 to 9. (Airbnb.ca)
“By contrast, residents within the City of Vancouver are required to pay an annual licensing fee of over $1,000 to operate as a host on top of the provincial fee, which is a meaningful barrier, particularly for first-time hosts.”
However, Vancouver has still seen a spike in short-term rental growth. The City had a 130 per cent increase recorded this January, year-over-year. The City received 257 new applications in January 2026, 145 more than they received in January 2025, according to a statement they sent Daily Hive Urbanized.
While the City didn’t attribute the increase to the FIFA World Cup, the games are expected to draw in over 200,000 people to Vancouver.
Earlier this year, Airbnb started offering new hosts $1,015 if they listed their home and hosted their first guests by July 31, 2026.