A little window-shopping in America's priciest neighborhoods
You don't need a $12.5 million house budget to enjoy a look around. Sometimes the fun of real estate is seeing what an extraordinary address offers: a private island, a hillside above Los Angeles, or enough desert space that the neighbors aren't part of the view.
This roundup offers plenty of that kind of window-shopping. Below are ten of its high-priced homebuying entries, followed by two Hamptons rental markets worth a separate look.
One distinction matters: the purchase figures are median listing prices, not completed sale prices. The rents are reported monthly averages, with seasonal luxury rentals affecting the picture. The roundup doesn't supply the underlying data dates or full methodology, so treat this as a tour, not a definitive market ranking.
The addresses with eight-figure asking prices
Newport Coast, California, 92657: $12.5 million. This Newport Beach enclave has the highest median listing price in the roundup. Its coastal setting is a large part of the attraction, although the median doesn't mean every home carries that price tag.
Beverly Hills, California, 90210: $10.495 million. The ZIP code hardly needs an introduction. Alongside its familiar name, the source points to limited land and international appeal as reasons this address continues to draw luxury buyers.
Fisher Island, Florida, 33109: $11.98 million. The setting is a 216-acre private island on Biscayne Bay, with waterfront homes and resort-like amenities. The purchase price isn't the whole budget here: association fees and amenity costs add to the expense of island living.
Seven more places where the setting matters
Bridgehampton, New York: $8.8 million. This eastern Long Island destination brings the Hamptons summer-home tradition into the mix. It's a different luxury proposition than a city address: somewhere to spend time away.
Bel Air, California: $7.947 million. Here, the appeal is being tucked into the hills while remaining in Los Angeles. Privacy, rather than beachfront access, is the feature to notice.
Water Mill, New York: $6.995 million. Part of Southampton, Water Mill pairs a quieter Hamptons atmosphere with substantial homes. Keep the name in mind; it appears again when the conversation turns to summer rentals. Montecito, California, follows at $6.495 million, with Spanish-style estates, ocean views, and proximity to Santa Barbara amenities sharing the billing with seclusion-inclined buyers' wish lists.
The $5 million neighborhood looks different in the desert
Paradise Valley, Arizona, 85253: $5.5 million. Mountains take the place of ocean views. Near Phoenix, the community's low-density setting and spacious lots offer a contrast to the coastal addresses that dominate this selection.
Rancho Santa Fe, California: $5.995 million. This largely residential San Diego County community offers privacy and space. The source also notes that its individual enclaves differ substantially, a useful reminder that one median can't describe every property.
Newport Beach, California, 92663: $5.995 million. The same median buys entry into a different conversation here, centered on beach access and coastal living. This is a separate ZIP code from Newport Coast's 92657.
The rentals deserve their own category
Water Mill, New York, 11976: $95,833 a month on average, according to the roundup. That's not a typo, but it needs context. High-priced summer stays help drive the reported average, so it shouldn't be read as a typical year-round lease.
Sag Harbor, New York, 11963: $41,809 a month on average. Another established Hamptons destination, it offers a second example of how dramatically luxury vacation markets can differ from an everyday rental search. These are averages, not the median asking prices used for the homes above.
For the rest of us, the useful part of this window-shopping may be noticing what catches our eye. An ocean view is one possibility. A little more distance from the neighbors is another.
