The exorbitant asking prices for luxury properties in the city mean that these dwellings are not destined for the average homeowner. Some homes spend months, even years, on the market, waiting patiently for that perfect buyer who will wear the coveted Manhattan address like a badge of honor. Because, unsurprisingly, the priciest residences are to be found in Manhattan; no other borough even comes close in terms of home prices. Yet when these fabulous homes do manage to find an owner, you can be sure that they’ll make the news, just like Ken Griffin’s $240 million new condo at 220 Central Park South did earlier this year.
As summer closes in and the streets of New York start to fill will tourists and prospective homebuyers, we thought we’d take a stroll around the boroughs to find the 20 most expensive homes for sale on the market right now. Unsurprisingly, our top 20 ended up featuring only properties in Manhattan, so we thought we’d expand our search to include the other boroughs as well.
We extracted the top 10 most expensive residential listings on the market right now in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, to give any prospective homebuyers reading us plenty of options to choose from, at a wide range of prices. Keep reading to see what we found.
The 2 Priciest Homes for Sale in NYC Each Ask $85+ Million, Come With Insane Amenities
It will surely not come as a shock to anyone that the 20 priciest active listings in the city are located in Manhattan. It will also be of no surprise that these properties are asking prices that are well above the million-dollar mark. However, even for those of us who’ve gotten used to seeing such numbers on Manhattan properties, the price tags on some of these homes seem absolutely bonkers. That is until you realize that the properties themselves are bonkers; you won’t believe the amenities that some of these homes are packing.
Take the first property on our list, and the priciest home for sale on the New York City market right now. Located at 12 East 69th Street, this six-level home looks like it’s been plucked out of 19th Century France and then squeezed in between two townhouses on 69th Street. From the outside, it looks unassuming; there’s nothing on the exterior to give away the opulence that resides within. It’s only when you look inside that you start to understand why this property comes with an $88 million price tag.
12 East 39th Street, image courtesy of BHS
The palatial property on the Upper East Side has been on the market for many months. It came very close to being sold in 2017 for $80 million, in what would have been the priciest townhouse sale ever recorded in New York City, but that deal ultimately fell through. The $80 price tag was actually a bargain, as the property was asking $114 million when it first hit the market in 2013.
The 20,000-square-foot townhouse was built in 1883 and completely renovated in 2005. It features 6 bedrooms, 11 (!) bathrooms, a 3,400-square-foot basement, and a 2,650-square-foot rooftop terrace. There is also a formal dining room that can accommodate more than 40 guests, a massive, fully equipped kitchen, a movie theater, a double-height library, and a saline swimming pool. The master bedroom suite on the fifth level includes two full baths and two large dressing rooms, one of which is wired as a panic room. The final touches are the heated exterior steps and sidewalk, which will surely come in handy during the winter.
The second-priciest residence for sale in NYC right now is an unusual listing, as it’s actually a combination of 13 individual units marketed as a single, 15,000-square-foot duplex at 635 West 42nd Street. The apartment is located within The Atelier Condo, an exclusive residential complex in Hell’s Kitchen, and is asking $85 million, or roughly $5,667 per square foot. What’s crazy about this listing is not the sky-high price tag, but the amenity package that comes with it.
Should you decide to buy this spacious duplex, you will get the following: two seats on a trip to outer space; a million-dollar yacht with docking fees paid for five years; two Rolls Royce Phantoms; a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster; weekly dinner for two at an upscale NYC restaurant for a year; courtside season tickets to the Brooklyn Nets for one year; a Hamptons mansion rental for one summer; live-in butler service for a year; and a private chef. And these are just the bonus perks. We’re not even going to get into the 10 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms that this condo unit includes.
Unit 45 at 635 West 42nd Street, image courtesy of River 2 River Realty
If you’re interested in living at The Atelier Condo but you don’t need all of those ludicrous amenities, then there might be a better option for you further down on our list, at #19. Apartment 27K is another listing that combines several individual units into one, and it’s asking $50 million. Mind you, that’s not exactly cheap, but you get the same on-site amenities and 12,500 square feet of space for a much better price than the condo above.
Manhattan is clearly out of reach for regular homebuyers, particularly when it comes to luxury residences, as even the 20th most expensive property has an asking price of $50 million. So it might be time to cross the Brooklyn Bridge and see what the market has to offer on the other side.
Luxurious Brooklyn Condo With Stunning Views of the Manhattan Skyline Asks $16.9M
Over the past few years, Brooklyn has turned into a hip and sought-after place to live, and a more fresh and laid-back alternative to the overpriced Manhattan. Well-connected through public transportation, the borough is a more affordable choice for those who work in Manhattan but can’t afford to live there, too. The difference in pricing is obvious at first glance: the two priciest listings in Manhattan are actually asking more than the top 10 priciest listings in Brooklyn, combined.
That’s not to say that by choosing to live in Brooklyn, you’d be skimping on luxury, as there are some very fancy properties on the market right now in the borough. The most expensive residence on sale is a stunning five-bedroom, five-bathroom condo at One Brooklyn Bridge Park, a massive 432-unit residential complex launched in 2008. The complex was originally built in 1928 and previously operated as an industrial warehouse. Today, it houses luxury condominiums with awesome views of the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, and the Downtown Manhattan skyline.
The $16.9 million, 8,500-square-foot condo comes with a myriad of on-site perks available at The Atelier, including a state-of-the-art fitness center, a movie screening room, a virtual golf simulator, and two landscaped courtyards--one of which includes a putting green.
Apartment #1216 at 360 Furman St (One Brooklyn Bridge Park), via CityRealty
Brooklyn offers a good mix of different luxury options, from sky-high condos to single-family mansions and stylish townhouses. It might seem pricey at first to pay almost $17 million for a five-bedroom apartment, but think about it this way: $17 million isn’t enough to buy any of the 20 priciest residences in Manhattan, not even close. But if you want to go for something more affordable, you might want to look elsewhere, like Queens or The Bronx.
The Price of a Manhattan Condo Will Get You 10 Luxury Mansions in Queens
The top 10 most expensive residences for sale in Queens right now amount to a total of $51 million, combined, which is roughly the price tag asked by the 20th most expensive listing in Manhattan. So, if you have $50 million to spend, you have an interesting choice to make. You could either buy a six-bedroom townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, or you could buy 10 properties in Queens. We’ve already seen what Manhattan has to offer, so now let’s take a look at these Queens residences, so you can make an informed choice.
The most expensive home for sale in Queens at the moment is a seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom Mediterranean-style waterfront villa in the Whitestone neighborhood. The villa has a $7.9 million price tag, less than half the asking price of Brooklyn’s priciest condo. Located at 602 158th Street, the property boasts 10,000 square feet of living space nestled within a gated community. It has all the amenities you’d expect in a stylish home like this, including a four-car garage, fireplaces, an elevator, state-of-the-at kitchen, as well as a swimming pool, a dock for a 60-foot boat, gazebo and barbecue area.
602 158th Street, Queens, via Douglas Elliman
If you want to live in an actual house and not in an apartment surrounded by noisy neighbors and heavy traffic, then you’ll find some very appealing options in Queens. Commuting to Manhattan might be a hassle, but the prices are situated in two entirely different leagues. If you want even more affordable options, then you might want to check out the homes we’ve found in The Bronx.
$5.6M Will Get You Complete Privacy and Downton Abbey Vibes in The Bronx
The most expensive residences for sale in The Bronx right now are all single-family homes, and all of them combined are asking less than $40 million. The prices are unbeatable, and it might be worth going through the hassle of commuting if you work in Manhattan and don’t want to live in a tiny apartment.
The priciest home for sale in The Bronx is a nine-bedroom, nine-bathroom, early 1900 stone stucco Tudor mansion at 4660 Livingston Avenue. The property is located just 20 minutes from Manhattan, on a 0.82-acre lot in the Fieldston neighborhood, and it was built in 1920. For a price tag of $5.6 million, you get 11,297 square feet of living space and plenty of private outdoor space. You won’t find a property like this in Manhattan, let alone in this price range. This is a rare architectural gem that will make a lucky homebuyer feel like they’re a character on Downton Abbey.
4660 Livingston Avenue, The Bronx, via Robert E Hill
The New York City market has plenty of stylish options to fit the needs of prospective homebuyers who have a few million dollars to spare. Manhattan is obviously the borough that most homebuyers are priced out of, with its insane asking prices and over-the-top amenities. Yet for many people, living in Manhattan is a milestone worth pursuing, and the very definition of what constitutes the American dream. But there are a plethora of luxurious properties available for sale in the other boroughs, at much more affordable prices. It all depends on one’s needs, budget and taste.
Methodology
We used the following sources to extract and cross-check results and data on the most expensive homes in NYC: PropertyClub, Zillow, CityRealty, StreetEasy, Trulia and Realtor.com to ensure that we didn’t miss out on any listings.