New York for the penthouses, the auctions and the restaurants; the Hamptons for the summer; Aspen for the winter; Miami for the new money and the art; Los Angeles for the estates; Napa for the wine. The United States is where the largest fortunes spend, and the market is scaled accordingly.
Stay
- Aman New York, the Carlyle, the Mark
- The Little Nell, Aspen
- Four Seasons Surf Club, Miami
- Hotel Bel-Air and the Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles
Shop
- Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue, New York
- Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills
- Bal Harbour Shops, Miami
- Auctions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s New York
Dine
- Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, Atomix, New York
- Carbone, wherever it opens
- Providence and Nobu Malibu, Los Angeles
- The Surf Club Restaurant, Miami
Gavalia’s rules
- Purchase costs are low (1 to 3 percent) but annual property taxes are high (1 to 2 percent of value), and New York adds a mansion tax of up to 3.9 percent.
- Non-residents face US estate tax on American property above a low threshold; hold through a structure and take advice.
- Florida has no state income tax, which explains Miami and Palm Beach; Aspen and Jackson Hole are the mountain equivalents of that migration.
New York
Billionaires’ Row on 57th Street, the pre-war co-ops on Fifth and Park, the townhouses of the West Village, the lofts of Tribeca: Manhattan offers every kind of trophy home, priced accordingly. Aman New York, the Carlyle and the Mark are the hotels; the auction weeks in May and November set global prices for art, watches and jewelry; the restaurants are the best in the country.
The Hamptons and the coasts
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the East End of Long Island is the summer capital of American wealth: shingle houses behind hedges in Southampton and East Hampton, oceanfront estates from 20 million dollars, private clubs and a social calendar. Palm Beach is its winter counterpart, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard the New England alternatives, Malibu the Californian one.
Aspen and the mountains
Aspen is the most expensive ski town in the world: the Little Nell at the base of Ajax, homes on Red Mountain from 30 million, private jets at the county airport. Jackson Hole, Vail and Park City follow. The season is Christmas to March; summer in Aspen is music, hiking and half the price.
Miami and Los Angeles
Miami has become a financial and cultural capital since 2020: Art Basel, the Surf Club, branded residences by every house, no state income tax. Los Angeles remains the city of estates: Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Holmby Hills and the Malibu coast, with the Hotel Bel-Air as its living room.
The property market
Manhattan prime 20,000 to 60,000 dollars per square metre, with Billionaires’ Row penthouses above 100,000; Hamptons oceanfront 15,000 to 40,000; Aspen 30,000 to 60,000; Miami Beach waterfront 15,000 to 35,000.
Regions in United States
Try it yourself
Destination MatcherMonth, mood and budget: the three countries or regions that fit, with the season and the hotels.Villa Cost CalculatorPurchase price and country: taxes, fees, annual running costs and the ten-year total, with rental income if you let it.Questions people ask
Where is the most expensive real estate in the United States?
Manhattan’s Billionaires’ Row for apartments, Aspen and Palm Beach for houses, Malibu and the Hamptons for oceanfront.
Can foreigners buy property in the USA?
Yes, freely. Purchase costs are low but property taxes and estate-tax exposure for non-residents require planning; use a US attorney and a cross-border tax advisor.
When is the Hamptons season?
Memorial Day at the end of May to Labor Day at the start of September, with July and August at the peak.
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