The most expensive vacation rental in the world is Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands, which listed at $149,750 for the whole island on late October and November 2026 dates. Reports and rental listings treat that as a nightly rate for up to 40 guests, which makes a week about $1.05 million. This list ranks six rentals by the nightly rate each one lists or has been reported at, with the source of each price.
| Rank | Rental | Place | Rate per night | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Necker Island (whole island) | British Virgin Islands | $149,750 | Rental listing, Oct to Nov 2026 |
| 2 | The Mark penthouse | New York | $75,000 (reported) | Press reports, hotel suite |
| 3 | Lake Garda View Resort | Gardone Riviera, Italy | $60,584 (EUR 51,921) | Listing price, January 2026 snapshot |
| 4 | Château Saint-Maur | Cogolin, near Saint-Tropez | about EUR 32,000 at peak | Agency rate, EUR 224,000 a week |
| 5 | Casa Tau | Punta de Mita, Mexico | EUR 27,474 (about $32,000) | Listing price, 2025 to 2026 snapshot |
| 6 | Seven-bedroom villa | Dubai | EUR 25,728 (about $30,000) | Listing price, 2025 to 2026 snapshot |
1. Necker Island: $149,750 a night
The whole island can be hired exclusively for up to 40 guests plus six children in the bunkroom, with 24 king bedrooms and a staff that includes a chef, gardener and housekeepers. A rental agent’s calendar showed $149,750 for each available date from late October through November 2026, plus a 2.5 percent service charge and 3 percent tax. A travel report put the full-island price at roughly $155,000 a night, and a 2023 report cited from $118,500. Individual rooms cost between $6,000 and $9,400 a night in the island’s 2026 rate card, which is published by the brand.
How we valued it: the listed full-island rate. Minimum stays may vary, so a seven-night week at this rate is our arithmetic, about $1.05 million.
2. The Mark penthouse, New York: $75,000 a night
The two-story penthouse at The Mark hotel on the Upper East Side is reported at $75,000 a night, with an owner quoted in 2018 as saying the rate is non-negotiable. Reports describe a five-bedroom suite of about 10,000 square feet with 26-foot ceilings. It is a hotel suite rather than a home, and the most recent report we found dates from 2020, so check the current rate with the hotel.
How we valued it: the reported nightly rate. We could not open the hotel’s own listing.
3. Lake Garda View Resort, Italy: $60,584 a night
A resort of five villas in Gardone Riviera, with space for 84 guests, was the priciest Airbnb listing in Italy in a January 2026 snapshot, at $60,584 a night. A separate report of the same study gives EUR 51,921. It suits private events and film shoots.
How we valued it: the listed nightly rate in a one-day snapshot, not a standing price.
4. Château Saint-Maur, near Saint-Tropez: about EUR 32,000 a night at peak
The estate sleeps 15 guests in eight bedrooms. An agency rate table showed EUR 140,000 to EUR 224,000 a week, with the peak summer rate of EUR 224,000 for July 8 to August 20, 2025. The table ran to January 2026, so we cannot vouch for 2026 weeks. Agencies also list a EUR 20,000 security deposit. Do not confuse the villa with the Château Saint-Maur wine estate in Cogolin, which is a separate business.
How we valued it: EUR 224,000 divided by seven, our arithmetic.
5. Casa Tau, Mexico: EUR 27,474 a night
A beachfront villa at Punta de Mita with twelve en-suite bedrooms. It was the second most expensive listing in the same study, at EUR 27,474 a night, or about $32,000.
How we valued it: the listed nightly rate in the snapshot.
6. Seven-bedroom villa, Dubai: EUR 25,728 a night
A seven-bedroom ultra-luxury villa in Dubai, listed at EUR 25,728, or about $30,000, a night in the same snapshot.
How we valued it: the listed nightly rate in the snapshot.
Rates we could not support
Several rentals appear in other lists with weekly prices of $200,000 or more, including castles in England and villas in Saint-Barts and Greece. We could not find a published or listed rate that matches those figures. For example, an agent lists Villa Ana in Saint-Barts at $25,000 a week at Christmas. We left these out rather than repeat figures we could not tie to a listing.
What drives these prices
- Staff and services. Butlers, chefs and security are priced into the stay.
- Whole estates. Islands and multi-villa resorts are rented as a unit, with high minimum stays.
- Peak dates. Seasonal pricing can multiply a villa’s rate several times over.
- Price on request. Many top rentals do not publish rates, so asking prices circulate.
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What is the most expensive vacation rental in the world?
Necker Island, at about $149,750 a night for the whole island, according to a rental listing for late 2026.
How much does a room on Necker Island cost?
The island’s 2026 rate card lists rooms from about $6,000 to $9,400 a night for two sharing, before service charge and tax.
What is the most expensive Airbnb?
Lake Garda View Resort in Italy, at $60,584 a night in a January 2026 snapshot.
Are these rates fixed?
No. They change by season, minimum stay and availability, and some are snapshots.
How we put this list together
We ranked rentals by the nightly rate each lists or has been reported at, and showed our own arithmetic where we converted weeks to nights. Rates are approximate and change over time.
Last updated: October 2026.
