Editorial data · updated 2026-07-10
The Island Market
What private islands actually ask, and what the record shows over time — built from the attributed price history on every profile we maintain. Asking prices are aspirations; the record is the evidence.
What does a private island cost?
Private-island asking prices range from under US$500,000 for small undeveloped parcels to over US$100M for large turnkey estates, but asking and achieved diverge more than in any mainstream property class. This index tracks 53 documented, attributed price points across 75 islands and 7 regions back to 1997; the largest documented reduction on record here is −66%. Medians by region, documented reductions and time-on-market are below.
Median asking by region
Islands offered for sale with a stated price. Medians resist trophy-listing distortion; per-acre medians shown where sizes are documented.
| Region | Priced listings | Median asking | Median per acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribbean | 10 | US$41,500,000 | US$147,809 |
| South Pacific | 6 | US$13,500,000 | US$127,574 |
| Mediterranean | 7 | US$12,960,000 | US$550,800 |
| Indian Ocean | 2 | US$11,772,000 | US$903,953 |
| Northern Europe | 3 | US$2,540,000 | US$6,350 |
| North America | 7 | US$2,500,000 | US$167,900 |
Documented reductions
Islands whose public record shows a lower figure today than when first documented. Every entry is attributed on the island's own price record.
| Island | Region | First documented | Latest documented | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innocence Island (Hog Cay) | Caribbean | 2009: US$55,000,000 | 2015-01: US$18,700,000 | −66% |
| Little Ragged Island | Caribbean | 2020: US$35,000,000 | 2022-07: US$14,500,000 | −59% |
| Cave Cay | Caribbean | 2010: US$110,000,000 | 2021: US$60,000,000 | −45% |
| Desroches Island | Indian Ocean | 2026: £3,400,717 | 2026: €2,345,000 | −41% |
| Santa Maria Island | Mediterranean | earlier listing: €17,000,000 | 2026: €12,000,000 | −29% |
| Thatch Cay | Caribbean | 2018: US$27,500,000 | 2019-05: US$19,500,000 | −29% |
Longest on the market
Publicly marketed the longest among islands still available. Time on market is the quietest and most honest indicator in this asset class.
| Island | Region | Marketed | Duration | Current position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Island | Indian Ocean | since 1997 | 29 years | €840,000 / week (whole island) · sleeps 22 |
| Musha Cay | Caribbean | since 2006 | 20 years | US$399,000 / week (whole island) · sleeps 24 |
| Petit Mustique | Caribbean | since 2007 | 19 years | Available discreetly · on application |
| Cave Cay | Caribbean | since 2010 | 16 years | US$60,000,000 (guide) |
| Necker Island | Caribbean | since 2010 | 16 years | US$140,000 / night · sleeps 40 |
| Nissos Sofia | Mediterranean | since 2015 | 11 years | €5,000,000 |
Reading the market
Three things stand out in the record. First, the gap between asking and achieved is wider here than in any mainstream property class — documented reductions above run to double-digit percentages, and the famous benchmark sales happened far from their reported asks. Second, time on market is measured in years, not months: an island marketed since 1997 is not unusual, and patience is structural, not a defect. Third, tenure drives price more than beauty — freehold Caribbean cays and government-lease Indian Ocean estates are different assets wearing the same word, and comparing them without adjusting for title is how buyers overpay.
Every figure on this page traces to an attributed entry on an island profile. Nothing is modelled, scraped or estimated; where the record is silent, we say so. This page regenerates as profiles are added and the record deepens.
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