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What is the richest beach town in the United States?

Malibu, Darien, Newport, Rye: America's richest beach towns.



For 2026, Palm Beach, Florida, remains the wealthiest beach town in the United States when measured by average household income and property values. According to recent 2025-2026 wealth rankings, the average household income in Palm Beach exceeds $350,000, and the average home value is now over $10 million. Other contenders for the title include Atherton, California (though not directly on a beach, its proximity to the coast makes it a perennial wealth leader) and Manhattan Beach, California, which has an average household income near $300,000 and a high concentration of ultra-wealthy residents. In the Northeast, Southampton, New York, continues to dominate the "Hamptons" wealth bracket with some of the most expensive real estate in the country. Palm Beach's unique position as a global tax-haven hub for billionaires and its "Gilded Age" heritage ensures it maintains the highest concentration of individual wealth of any coastal enclave in the nation this year.

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The 10 most expensive beach towns in the US — where you have to be a millionaire to buy a home
  1. Malibu, California.
  2. Water Mill, New York (the Hamptons) ...
  3. Manhattan Beach, California. ...
  4. Nantucket, Massachusetts. ...
  5. Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. ...
  6. Haleiwa, Hawaii. ...
  7. Key Biscayne, Florida. ...


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25 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World
  • Bai Dam Trau, Vietnam.
  • Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands.
  • La Pelosa Beach, Italy.
  • Matira Beach, French Polynesia.
  • Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos.
  • Scala dei Turchi, Italy.
  • Railay West, Thailand.
  • Praia de Marinha, Portugal.


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1. St. George Island State Park, Florida: The No. 1 beach in the United States, which is on the Gulf of Mexico, has miles of pristine sand.

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Coastal Living ranks the best small waterfront communities for its annual Happiest Seaside Town in America issue, and for 2018, the happiest of them all is Ocean City, N.J.

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The seaside town of St Ives in Cornwall took the top spot as the happiest place to live, scoring highly for its sense of community spirit and how comfortable the residents feel to be themselves.

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