How Much Home $1 Million Will Buy in the World’s Top Luxury Markets

A million bucks just doesn’t buy what it used to when it comes to luxury homes around the world.

It barely covers a studio apartment in the most sought-after markets.

By contrast, $1 million could get you around a 5,000-square-foot home with five bedrooms and three bathrooms in a near suburb/central corridor of St. Louis.

“So much house, only in St. Louis,” said Susan Schiff of RE/MAX Results.

Compiled from international research by Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Knight Frank and recent home listings, here are the top 25 luxury markets, how much square footage $1 million will buy, what that could look like and what you’d spend for a top-notch property in each location. (Prices converted to U.S. dollars.)

25. Sao Paulo, Brazil: 1,862 square feet

For $1 million: Take in city views from your four-bedroom, one-bath flat that includes a butler pantry and staff quarters and a hot tub in the master suite.

For a few million more: Take a private elevator to the entrance of your $23.7 million, seven-bedroom, nine-bath penthouse in a riverfront condo complex recently listed on Sotheby’s. You’ll enter through a social hall decked out with marble floor leading to living and dining rooms. Also enjoy your lunch room, spacious kitchen, wine cellar, 16-seat home theater and rooftop barbecue. The master suite includes a parlor, hot tub, massage room and hairdresser workbench.

24. Cape Town, South Africa: 1,690 square feet

For $1 million: Your two-bedroom, two-bath flat will have views of the ocean and Table Mountain as well as a sea-facing terrace with a private swimming pool. You also get three parking spaces in the building’s basement garage.

For a few million more: A mere $10 million will land you more elbow room with a six-bedroom, 6.5-bath home on 3.5 hillside acres, where you can enjoy a landscaped garden, entertain guests in your home theater, work out in your own gym with lap pool or enjoy views that seem to go on forever.

23. Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 1,485 square feet

For $1 million: Your two-bedroom, two-bath apartment includes access to a private rooftop pool from which you can enjoy the magnificent views of the Dubai skyline and is just minutes away from top shopping and entertainment at City Walk.

For a few million more: A Moroccan French-inspired, fully furnished, eight-bedroom, nine-bath villa on a golf course will afford you full skyline views for $34 million, says a recent Sotheby’s listing. The home also features a fully loaded, 1,300-square-foot private suite ideal for visiting family, three kitchens, an eight-car underground garage, cinema, gym, spa and rooms to house 10 staff members.

22. Southampton, New York: 1,335 square feet

For $1 million: Live just a mile from the beach on the ritzier south side of Long Island’s Route 27 in a nearly 100-year-old, two-bedroom, one-bath stucco cottage.

For a few million more: If you want to be right on the beach with spectacular views, $150 million gets you a 16-bedroom, 21-bath home with an indoor pool, tennis court with tennis house, pool and spa and two golf greens, all on 14 acres including three private walkways to the Atlantic Ocean.

21. Aspen, Colorado: 1,112 square feet

For $1 million: Enjoy mountain views from your fully furnished, one-bedroom, one-bath condo in an Aspen Core building with a year-round heated pool that is just steps to downtown or the Silver Queen Gondola.

For a few million more: For $50 million, you could get a seven-bedroom, seven-bath ranch (with a three-bedroom, three-bath caretaker’s home and a barn with heated vehicle maintenance area) on 61 acres adjacent to the West Buttermilk Ski Area. If you want to stay in downtown, it only costs $30 million for a four-bedroom, 4.5-bath penthouse condo with a wraparound deck boasting stunning views of the city, Aspen Mountain, Red Mountain and beyond, private elevator access and two garage spaces.

20. Istanbul, Turkey: 1,055 square feet

For $1 million: View the Bosphorus Strait, the 17-mile waterway connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, from your two-bedroom, two-bath flat in a complex with communal indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a bar, cafe, restaurant, fitness center, spa and Turkish bath.

For a few million more: Spend $22.5 million to live along the Bosphorus Strait, in a six bedroom, four-bath, three-story waterfront villa with a private jetty and off-street parking. You do have to watch out for the occasional stray tanker, though, such as one that recently damaged a historic 18th century mansion.

19. Mumbai, India: 990 square feet

For $1 million: Gaze at the Arabian Sea from thewindows in a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment featuring Italian marble floors in a building with a doorman and one covered parking space. The apartments amid tropical foliage and coconut trees are said to be just a “stone’s throw” away from Pali Hill, which, says Sotheby’s, attracts celebrities and socialites with its high-end restaurants, jewelry stores and fitness centers.

For a few million more: Live it up in Pali Hill itself, a swank coastal area of Mumbai, in a $4.3 million, four-bedroom, three-bath condo with a “spectacular view,” marble flooring, a deck and parking space at each building’s floor, a private elevator, a pool and gym.

18. Melbourne, Australia: 969 square feet

For $1 million: A two-bedroom, one-bath flat in a building featuring a gym and indoor pool is just minutes from Royal Park, the largest of the city’s parks, and features city views.

For a few million more: Just $5 million will get you a three-bedroom, two-bath, eight-room penthouse in a neighborhood full of swanky boutiques, art galleries, cocktail lounges and eclectic bistros. Windows offer panoramic views of the bay, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Yarra River and city skyline.

17. Honolulu: 915 square feet

For $1 million: Live just steps away from the beach, restaurants or shops in your one-bedroom, one-bath central Waikiki Beach condo that includes a pool, a parking space and views of the city and Pacific Ocean.

For a few million more: A $22 million, four-bedroom, four-bath multi-level oceanfront home near late heiress Doris Duke’s Shangri La estate comes with a gracious interior opening onto terraces with a view of an azure cove, coconut tree-lined white-sand beaches, the surf, sunsets and Diamond Head.

16. Miami Beach: 840 square feet

For $1 million: Get your foot in the door with a one-bedroom, one-bath beachfront condo in a compound with full-time concierge service, tropical gardens, two heated lagoon pools, spas, beach club services, patio restaurant, three clay tennis courts and valet parking.

For a few million more: An “iconic trophy estate” on the tip of Star Island, a 10-bedroom, 10-bath, 40-room home on 1.4 acres was recently listed by Sotheby’s for $65 million. It features soaring ceilings, a ballroom-size living room, 3,000-bottle wine cellar, home theater, outdoor pool, five-car garage and panoramic waterfront views.

15. Berlin: 829 square feet

For $1 million: Live in a central Berlin one-bedroom, one-bath flat in a restored historic building “with high-quality fittings in line with modern expectations,” just a few minutes’ walk to the Brandenburg Gate and Tiergarten, one of Germany’s largest urban parks.

For a few million more: Nearby is a $9.2 million, three-bedroom, 3.5-bath two-level penthouse in historic Palais Theising with direct access to a large, glassed rooftop studio and wraparound roof terrace with “breathtaking” city views including the Reichstag. Two parking spaces included.

14. Vancouver, British Columbia: 826 square feet

For $1 million: A West Side two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo comes with a Coal Harbor westerly waterfront view that you can enjoy from your balcony in a building that provides concierge service, private health club with an indoor pool, a multimedia room, party lounge and even one parking space.

For a few million more: Christie’s recently featured a $27.8 million, 12,600-square-foot, six-bedroom, six-bath chateau with a two-story foyer, Calacatta Gold, Statuario, Bianco Carrara and Thassos marble throughout, an elevator, a finished basement, home theater, five wet bars, library, billiards room and “sumptuous” self-cleaning indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi.

13. Tokyo: 818 square feet

For $1 million: Live on the fifth floor of a concierge-serviced building erected where samurai once trained. Developers squeezed one bedroom, 1.5 baths and a combo living room/kitchen into an apartment featuring “views and sunlight.”

For a few million more: Sotheby’s recently listed a six-bedroom, 3.5-bath home with heated floors, an elevator and a swimming pool in a quiet central Tokyo neighborhood only a six-minute walk to Gotanda railway station for just under $10 million. “The view of swimming pool from the living room makes you forget that you are actually living in Tokyo.”

12. Beijing: 710 square feet

For $1 million: Your one-bedroom, one-bath apartment may feel cramped, but it comes with city views and amenities including concierge, room service, maid service, valet and health club.

For a few million more: Need more room? Just $10 million will get you a four-bedroom, 4.5-bath private home with an open kitchen, a modern master suite, spacious living room/dining room and beautiful view of Beijing day and night, says a recent Sotheby’s listing. And it’s close to the subway.

11. Los Angeles: 624 square feet

For $1 million: Los Angeles has an array of luxury real estate, including a one-bedroom, one-bath condo in a West Hollywood courtyard complex, steps from the famous Sunset Strip, whose units were formerly home to such stars as Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn and Olivia de Havilland.

For a few million more: You could get a 38,000-square-foot mansion built for entertaining in the ultra-exclusive Bel Air Enclave for $250 million. A Christie’s listing said it features another 17,000 square feet of entertainment decks, two master suites, 10 oversize guest suites, 21 bathrooms, three gourmet kitchens, five bars, a massage studio/wellness spa, fitness center, 85-foot glass tile infinity swimming pool, 40-seat theater, four-lane bowling alley, $30 million worth of cars, and a seven-person full-time staff to take care of you and your home. Never be bored in this palace, with its 100 curated art installations, an outdoor pop-up theater, wine cellars, massive candy wall and 270-degree unobstructed views of mountains, the Pacific Ocean and the city skyline.

10. Shanghai, China: 581 square feet

For $1 million: You could buy a one-bedroom, one-bath, three-room apartment in Shanghai’s former French Concession area.

For a few million more: Just $22.3 million could get you a five-bedroom villa built to look like a French manor with two kitchens, a home theater, sauna, wine cellar and game room on 13 acres including a tennis court and swimming pool.

9. Sydney, Australia: 517 square feet

For $1 million: Try a glamorous harbor-side studio apartment that fuses elegance and old world charm with potential for a contemporary transformation. “Convenient” to Botanical Gardens and Sydney Opera House.

For a few million more: Atlassian software co-founder Scott Farquhar last year shelled out a record-setting high $57.6 million ($75 million Australian) for a 75,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom, five-bath, three-story waterfront mansion with a harbor-front garden in Sydney’s Point Piper. He was expected to spend around $3 million more fixing up the property where no one had lived for 20 years.

8. Paris: 495 square feet

For $1 million: Enjoy a first-floor pied a terre, two-room apartment on the first floor of an 18th century building in Paris’ 7th Arrondissement, the district that’s home to the Eiffel Tower.

For a few million more: For only $4,915 per square foot, or $26.4 million total, you could own an updated 18th century, six-bedroom, six-bath mansion with a garden near the Pantheon.

7. St. Moritz, Switzerland: 753 square feet

For $1 million: Get a “spacious, light-flooded,” 2.5-room apartment near the end of the ski run, on the lake with a lake view, near the center of town. However, one covered parking spot is an extra $30,000.

For a few million more: You could get a 10-bedroom, 10-bath luxury hillside villa with balcony and terrace for $54.2 million. But the primo property up for sale in the area recently for $185 million is a 43,000-square-foot, seven-level mountain escape with such lavish touches as a hidden library and underground lake, says the Robb Report.

6. Geneva, Switzerland: 441 square feet

For $1 million: Perhaps a loft-style studio equipped with a state-of-the-art kitchen is to your liking.

For a few million more: To get the price of the most expensive Geneva homes, you have to make a request. And if you have to ask … One recently listed “price upon request” property was a newly built six-bedroom mansion with a “superb” first-floor master suite with terrace, dressing room and bathroom; a second-floor game room adjoining three en-suite bedrooms; and a basement with a billiard room with a lounge, bar and wine cellar, a home cinema, a fully equipped fitness room and a spa area with Jacuzzi. Don’t forget the geothermal-heated swimming pool and a six-car garage, serviced by an elevator and “worthy of the famous secret agents films.”

5. Singapore: 420 square feet

For $1 million: If you like views, your one-bedroom studio sits on a high floor of a condominium building in this island city-state off southern Malaysia.

For a few million more: Buy yourself a five-bedroom, five-bath, ocean-facing home that sellers say rivals the look of the most luxurious resorts in Bali or the Maldives. At $27.45 million, amenities include boat facilities, a spa, courtyard and a swimming pool.

4. London: 301 square feet

For $1 million: Your one-bedroom, one-bath ground floor Chelsea apartment will include a combined living room-kitchen. If you can spring for $1.4 million, you could own a 7.5-foot-wide “slim home” that fits four bedrooms, one family bathroom, a reception room, dining area and open floor-plan kitchen into three floors.

For a few million more: An eight-bedroom, seven-bath renovated Chester Square home that also includes a drawing room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, sitting room, cinema room, gym, roof terrace and double garage could be yours for $39.2 million.

3. New York City: 269 square feet

For $1 million: You could get a two-bedroom, one-bath lower Manhattan studio in a luxury condo-hotel with “exquisite” skyline views.

A less-than-luxurious two-bedroom, one-bath Lower East Side pre-war brownstone co-op, with a whopping 720 square feet including an eat-in kitchen, recently sold for just under $1 million.

For a few million more: Land a spacious, 15th-floor, 8,300-square-foot West Side Manhattan apartment with sweeping views of the Hudson River and downtown, direct elevator access into a large private vestibule, seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms for $36.5 million.

2. Hong Kong: 237 square feet

For $1 million: You get something the size of a “nano flat” — little more than a bedroom and bathroom with a kitchen sink and stove — in a redeveloped building in the historic Shek Tong Tsui district for $1 million.

For a few million more: For $29.3 million, you can get a four-bedroom waterfront duplex with terrace in Repulse Bay, an area of China revered for beautiful beaches and seashores.

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1. Monaco: 172 square feet

For $1 million: That’s a studio apartment, though one offering “breathtaking” sea and city views.

For a few million more: A two-bedroom, two-bath loft-style home with a “panoramic and splendid view over the harbor, the sea and the Palace of the Principality” recently listed for $27.9 million on Christie’s as only steps away from the Hotel de Paris, the Monte Carlo Casino and the “most beautiful” Spa Les Thermes Marins. And at that price, they throw in three large parking spaces.

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