The Atoll Index · Q3 2026 · updated 2026-07-28
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 154 documented, attributed price points across 75 islands and 7 regions back to 1994; 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 |
| Mediterranean | 7 | US$16,200,000 | US$570,423 |
| South Pacific | 6 | US$13,500,000 | US$127,574 |
| Indian Ocean | 2 | US$11,772,000 | US$903,953 |
| Northern Europe | 3 | US$2,052,000 | US$6,293 |
| North America | 8 | US$1,672,500 | US$173,450 |
Median asking by tenure
The same priced listings, broken out by title. Tenure drives price more than beauty — freehold cays and government-lease estates are different assets wearing the same word. Where a public listing did not state tenure, that is recorded as such, not guessed.
| Tenure | Priced listings | Median asking | Median per acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenure unstated in listing | 1 | US$19,440,000 | US$525,405 |
| Freehold | 34 | US$10,956,750 | US$176,306 |
| Leasehold | 1 | US$4,400,000 | US$179,592 |
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 | 2022-06: US$55,000,000 | −50% |
| Katafanga Island | South Pacific | 2006-09: €25,000,000 | 2026-07: US$17,000,000 | −37% |
| Motu Tane | South Pacific | 2016-08: US$50,000,000 | 2026: US$37,500,000 | −25% |
| Wavi Island | South Pacific | 2025-11: US$20,000,000 | 2026: US$15,000,000 | −25% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isla Sa Ferradura | Mediterranean | since 1994 | 32 years | €250,000 / week (whole island) · sleeps 12 |
| Eilean Shona | Northern Europe | since 1995 | 31 years | Rate on application |
| North Island | Indian Ocean | since 1997 | 29 years | €840,000 / week (whole island) · sleeps 44 |
| Norman Island | Caribbean | since 1999 | 27 years | Available discreetly · on application |
| Thatch Cay | Caribbean | since 2003 | 23 years | US$19,500,000 |
| Musha Cay | Caribbean | since 2006 | 20 years | US$399,000 / week (whole island) · sleeps 24 |
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 1994 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.
Cite or reuse this data
This page and its record set are published as The Atoll Index, stamped by quarter — this edition is Q3 2026. It is free to cite and reuse with attribution to privateisland.pro; the methodology page covers sources, inclusion rules, currency handling and the data dictionary.
Download the full record set — CSV, 203 records Read the methodology
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