STR Cash Flow Calculator: Monthly Projection with Mortgage and DSCR
Enter purchase price, financing terms, and operating numbers. Get monthly cash flow, debt service coverage, and payback timeline.
Ranch in Fredericksburg
3 bed, 2 bath
$1.8k/mo
Cash Flow
1.42
DSCR
$2.1k
Mortgage
Condo in Park City
2 bed, 2 bath
$2.4k/mo
Cash Flow
1.65
DSCR
$1.9k
Mortgage
Bungalow in Savannah
2 bed, 1 bath
$1.1k/mo
Cash Flow
1.28
DSCR
$1.4k
Mortgage
Monthly cash flow
DSCR
Debt service coverage
1.4x
What is a cash flow calculator?
Cash flow is what remains after every payment clears: revenue in, costs out, mortgage paid, balance left. DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) measures how many times the property's net operating income covers its mortgage. A DSCR under 1.0 means the property does not pay for itself.
This calculator projects cash flow month by month so you can spot the months that need reserves and confirm whether the property qualifies for a DSCR loan.
Try the calculatorHow does the cash flow calculator work?
Three steps. No account, no payment info. Enter your numbers and see monthly cash flow plus DSCR.
Enter revenue and occupancy
Your nightly rate and expected occupancy by month (or an annual average). This sets the gross revenue line.
Add operating expenses
Cleaning, utilities, insurance, property tax, management fees, platform fees, maintenance. Everything that comes out before debt service.
Add mortgage and see results
Loan balance, interest rate, and term. The calculator returns monthly cash flow and DSCR so you know whether the property covers its debt.
Why track cash flow monthly?
An annual average hides the months that drain your reserves. Monthly projection shows you exactly when revenue dips below costs and how large the shortfall is.
Monthly cash flow
$2,840
Average monthly (after mortgage)
Revenue
$6.2k
Expenses
$1.8k
Mortgage
$1.6k
DSCR 1.4x. Meets standard lender requirements.
What most operators miss about cash flow
Cash flow looks simple on paper. Three numbers trip up even experienced operators.
Seasonality kills annual averages
A property that averages $3k/month cash flow might run negative in January and February. Monthly projection catches the months you need reserves. Annual averages do not.
DSCR matters for financing
Most DSCR lenders require 1.2x or above. If your property runs at 1.1x, you will not qualify for the loan, regardless of your personal income. The gap between 1.1x and 1.2x is often one pricing decision.
Cash flow is not profit
Cash flow includes mortgage principal, which is not an expense (it builds equity). Profit excludes principal. Both numbers matter for different decisions. A property can be cash-flow negative and still profitable on paper.
Beyond estimates
The calculator tells you what it could earn. MagicBNB tells you what it actually did.
Connect your PMS and bank account. Every deposit gets matched against every payout. You get per-property financials from money that moved, not money that was estimated.
Bank-Reconciled P&L
Revenue rebuilt from deposits that cleared your bank, matched against payout records from your PMS. Per property, per month.
Smart Transaction Ledger
Every bank transaction auto-categorized and matched to the right property. No manual tagging, no spreadsheet reconciliation.
Channel Breakdown
See which platform (Airbnb, Vrbo, direct) actually pays more after fees. Stop guessing which channel to push.
Deal Analyzer
Run the numbers on a new property before you commit. Uses your actual portfolio data as the baseline, not market averages.
Milo AI Manager
Ask a question in plain English and get the answer from your own financial data. "Which property had the highest margin last quarter?"
Owner Statements
Branded PDF statements generated in one click. Send them to property owners or keep them for your own records.
More free STR calculators
This calculator projects monthly cash flow. These tackle the rest of your numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What DSCR do lenders require for short-term rental loans?
Most DSCR lenders require 1.2x or above. Some will go as low as 1.0x with a larger down payment or higher interest rate. If your property runs at 1.1x, you will not qualify for the standard DSCR loan regardless of your personal income. The calculator shows your DSCR so you can check before you apply.
How do I handle seasonal variation in a cash flow projection?
Annual averages hide the problem months. A property that averages $3,000/month cash flow might run negative in January and February when occupancy drops below 40%. Enter your slow-season revenue separately to find the months where you need a reserve to cover the mortgage.
What is the difference between cash flow and profit?
Cash flow includes mortgage principal payments, which reduce your bank balance but are not an expense (they build equity). Profit excludes principal. A property can be cash-flow negative and still profitable on paper, or cash-flow positive while showing a tax loss due to depreciation.
How much reserve should I hold for a short-term rental?
A common rule is 3 to 6 months of total costs (mortgage, insurance, utilities, maintenance). The calculator shows your monthly cash flow so you can identify exactly how many months of negative cash flow your reserve needs to cover.
Can MagicBNB track my actual monthly cash flow?
Yes. MagicBNB connects to your PMS and bank accounts, reconciles every deposit against every payout, and shows per-property cash flow from money that actually moved. You see the real number each month, not a projection.
Does the calculator include property taxes and insurance?
You enter total operating expenses, which should include property tax, insurance, utilities, maintenance, management fees, and any other recurring costs. The calculator does not itemize them, but the expense calculator does if you need that breakdown first.
Projections break the first month a booking cancels.
MagicBNB builds cash flow from real deposits and real expenses, synced from your bank daily. 14 days free.
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