These Are the Most Expensive Neighborhoods in the U.S., According to Zillow Data

While the housing market is finally starting to turn around, the past few years have been rough for prospective buyers. Housing inventory hit record lows and home prices hit record highs, pushing many buyers to reconsider or postpone their dream of buying a home. Ironically, shows like Selling Sunset and the trend of "Zillow surfing" (scrolling through unattainable listings without any intent to buy) became increasing popular at the exact same time. Many millennials in particular (myself included) have found ourselves deeply entranced by multi-million dollar home listings—picturing our alternate lifestyles in lavish floor plans—even if the reality of affording even a moderately priced home is still far off.

That's why my interest was immediately piqued upon seeing the list of the most expensive neighborhoods across the country. To compile the list, CashNetUSA used real estate data from Zillow to identify neighborhoods in the towns and cities of all 50 U.S. states, then added together the house prices in each area and divided them by the number of properties to calculate the average price in every neighborhood. While the research names the most expensive neighborhoods in each state, it also shares the overall top 10 most expensive neighborhoods across the country, which are concentrated in just four different states. The top 10 list is primarily dominated by one very popular retirement state (you can probably guess what it is) along with California and New York.

Whether you're looking to buy an affordable home and need to know where not to look, or just want more ideas about what to search when doing your escapism pastime of Zillow surfing, keep reading to learn more.

Most Expensive Neighborhoods in Every U.S. State

Major cities—like Los Angeles and NYC—often come to mind first when discussing areas with a high cost of living, but that doesn't always match up exactly with the neighborhoods with the highest housing prices, as this data shows. The most expensive neighborhood in New York, for example, is Southhampton Village on Long Island. The average price of the most expensive neighborhoods in every U.S. state is $5,249,542, but America's most expensive neighborhood—Manalapan, Fla.,—far surpasses that at a whopping average house price of $39,761,000.

Top 10 Most Expensive Neighborhoods in America

1. Manalapan, Florida (Average house price: $39,761,000)
2. Palm Island, Florida (Average house price: $27,624,833)
3. Snowmass, Colorado (Average house price: $23,568,750)
4. Beverly Hills Gateway, California (Average house price: $22,771,957)
5. Port Royal, Florida (Average house price: $22,032,667)
6. Golden Beach, Florida (Average house price: $18,659,412)
7. Bel Air, California (Average house price: $18,581,775)
8. Southampton Village, New York (Average house price: $16,719,714)
9. Sagaponack, New York (Average house price: $16,016,944)
10. Trousdale Estates, California (Average house price: $15,870,100)
    

Florida is home to four of the top 10 most expensive neighborhoods in America. California and New York also have repeat spots on the list, with Hollywood's elite taking up real estate in Beverly Hills Gateway, Bel Air, and Trousdale Estates, and some of the richest families in New York (and America) holding vacation homes in Southampton Village and Sagaponack. Snowmass, Colorado—the third most expensive neighborhood—is one of America's most popular ski areas, and according to CashNetUSA, the area experienced a housing boom in recent years, with sales doubling between 2019 and 2021.

To learn more about the most expensive neighborhoods in the country, check out the full report from CashNetUSA.