The most expensive island sale we can trace is Lanai, Hawaii, where Larry Ellison bought about 98 percent of the island in 2012 for a reported $300 million. The most expensive single private island sale is Tarpon Isle in Palm Beach, Florida, which closed at $152 million in May 2024. We rank six island sales that closed with a reported price, from 2012 to 2026. Asking prices are not counted as sales, so the famous $100 million and up listings sit in their own section further down.
| Rank | Island | Location | Price (USD) | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lanai (about 98%) | Hawaii | About $300 million (reported) | Jun 2012 |
| 2 | Tarpon Isle | Palm Beach, Florida | $152 million | May 2024 |
| 3 | D’Arros Island and islets | Seychelles | $60 million | 2012 |
| 4 | Hay Island | Darien, Connecticut | $26.5 million | Nov 2025 |
| 5 | Turnagain Island | British Columbia | $13 million | Summer 2026 |
| 6 | Coral Caye | Belize | $1.8 million | May 2026 report |
1. Lanai, Hawaii: about $300 million
Larry Ellison, the Oracle co-founder, closed on Castle & Cooke’s share of Lanai in June 2012. The deal covered about 88,000 acres, or 98 percent of an island of 141 square miles. The state and private homeowners own the remaining 2 percent, including the harbor and the town of Lanai City.
The price was not disclosed by the parties. The figure of $300 million is the number most often reported, and some early reports guessed higher asking levels. We rank it first on that reported number and flag it as such.
How we valued it: reported price of about $300 million for the June 2012 purchase; the parties did not publish it, so treat it as an estimate.
2. Tarpon Isle, Palm Beach: $152 million
Tarpon Isle is a 2.3-acre man-made island in Lake Worth Lagoon, reached by a private gated bridge. The main house is 28,600 square feet with 11 bedrooms, 15 full bathrooms and seven half baths.
A developer and investors bought it in 2021 for $85 million, according to public records. It first listed in 2022 at $218 million, was pulled, then came back at $187.5 million. It closed at $152 million, reported on 20 May 2024, a record for lakefront property in the Palm Beach area. The buyer has not been publicly named.
How we valued it: reported closing price in May 2024, backed by the 2021 public-record purchase price.
3. D’Arros Island and islets, Seychelles: $60 million
In 2012 the Seychelles government announced that L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt had sold D’Arros and neighbouring islets for $60 million. She had bought the group in the late 1990s for $18 million.
The buyer was a Seychelles-registered company linked to a Geneva-based ocean conservation foundation. The islands were later declared a protected nature reserve.
How we valued it: price announced by a Seychelles government minister in August 2012; outlets differ on the buyer company’s spelling and on the purchase year.
4. Hay Island, Connecticut: $26.5 million
Hay Island is an 18-acre island in Long Island Sound off Darien. It has an 8,684-square-foot colonial built in 2010, six bedrooms, a guest house, a pool, two sandy beaches and a dock.
It listed in March 2025 at $35 million and sold on 14 November 2025 for $26.5 million, according to property data. That made it one of the largest home sales in Connecticut that year.
How we valued it: closing price from property data for a November 2025 sale; the buyer was not named.
5. Turnagain Island, British Columbia: $13 million
Turnagain Island is about 93 acres in Secret Cove on the Sunshine Coast. One family owned it for 60 years. It has two homes, boathouses and docks, a municipal water connection and subsea hydro power.
It sold in summer 2026 for $13 million, nearly $2 million under its list price, which makes it a record for a residential sale in the area. The buyer is from the Vancouver region. The listing was handled by Sotheby’s International Realty.
How we valued it: sale price as reported in August 2026, in Canadian-market reporting; we show it as reported, not converted.
6. Coral Caye, Belize: $1.8 million
Film director Francis Ford Coppola sold Coral Caye in a deal reported in May 2026 at $1.8 million. It had been listed in 2022 at $2.2 million.
It is here to show the other end of the market. A small Belize cay with a house can cost less than a studio flat in a big city.
How we valued it: price reported in May 2026; we did not open a second report, so the figure is hedged.
Islands listed for sale, not sold
These are asking prices, which is why they are not ranked. Listings are often cut hard before they close, as Tarpon Isle was (from $218 million to $152 million) and as Pumpkin Key in the Florida Keys has been. Pumpkin Key, 26 acres off Key Largo, was listed at $110 million in 2014, $95 million around 2020 and $75 million in 2024. We found no sale. The Fiji group Vatuvara and a whale-shaped island off Phuket were also reported at roughly $150 million asking in 2021, and we could not confirm either sold.
What drives island prices
- Distance to a rich market. Tarpon Isle is minutes from Palm Beach shopping. A cay in Belize is not.
- A house already built. Every sale above includes a finished home or a town. Bare land sells for far less.
- Seller patience. The big asks fell 30 to 60 percent before closing.
- Scarcity at scale. Whole inhabited islands like Lanai almost never change hands.
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What is the most expensive island ever sold?
Lanai in Hawaii, where Larry Ellison bought about 98 percent of the island in June 2012 for a reported $300 million. The price was not officially disclosed.
What is the most expensive private island sale?
Tarpon Isle in Palm Beach, Florida, which closed at $152 million in May 2024.
What is the most expensive island for sale?
Asking prices change often. The highest we traced were about $150 million for Fiji and Thailand listings from 2021, but we could not confirm they are still on the market.
Who owns most of Lanai?
Larry Ellison owns about 98 percent of it. The state and homeowners own the rest.
Why do islands sell below their asking price?
Few buyers can pay at that level, so sellers wait and cut. Tarpon Isle listed at $218 million and sold at $152 million.
How much does a small private island cost?
Prices range from under $2 million for a small Belize cay to $13 million for a 93-acre island in British Columbia.
How we put this list together
We ranked island sales by reported closing price, using news reports of individual sales and public records. Unsold listings are kept out of the ranking. Prices are approximate and reflect the date of each sale.
Last updated: October 2026.
