Airbnb has no public API - how to get listing and price data for any city (Python)

Airbnb does not provide a public API for listing data, leaving data researchers with limited options. They can use static datasets, pay for market analytics subscriptions, or collect public search results themselves. This article focuses on the third method, but it requires workarounds since Airbnb's search limit is 270 listings per query.

The solution is to split the query into smaller chunks by nightly price bands, then use map quadrants if a band exceeds the limit. Deduplication is done using listing IDs. An Apify Actor called "exhaustive mode" automates this process. In a test run for Porto over four nights, it retrieved 330 unique listings from 28 sub-queries in 50 seconds, surpassing the single-query limit.

To use the Actor, import necessary libraries (csv, os, requests), make a POST request to the Actor's run endpoint with the required parameters (locations, checkIn, checkOut, exhaustive, maxItems, and currency). The response will contain a JSON list of listings, which can be saved to a CSV file.

Be aware that priceTotal includes cleaning and service fees, which can skew market statistics. To get accurate market prices, either increase maxItems or narrow the search parameters (location, price range, roomType). The Actor provides a warning if maxItems is reached prematurely.

Pricing details for the Actor: $1.20 per 1,000 listings, and $2.00 per 1,000 for listing details. A sample script and runnable example are available on GitHub. Always remember that the data is public only, and Airbnb's terms prohibit automated access, so use responsibly and adhere to local regulations.