Here’s How Much It Costs to Live in These Luxurious Beach Towns

Leaving a beautiful beach vacation isn’t always easy to do. Soft sand lapped by sparkling waves, gentle sea breezes and beach town life are just a few of the reasons you might consider never going home.

Beachside living these days is usually reserved for the more well-to-do. From pricy seaside real estate to flood insurance and a higher cost of living in beach towns, you can expect to spend a chunk of change for the beach life. Still, in many cases living in a swanky beach town will cost you less overall than living in New York City.

Check out what it costs to live in these luxury seaside towns, featuring some of the best beaches in the world.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 72 percent cheaper

Whether you live in a swanky seaside villa or an apartment in the city center, Cabo San Lucas offers one of the cheapest places to live of any beach town around the world. Step into your idyllic beach life and sip beer for just over a buck or grab a meal for less than $5.50. Expect to pay about $48.43 per month for utilities and spend about 66 percent less than what you would on groceries in New York.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 60 percent cheaper

Colorful beach homes along turquoise waters and hidden caves tucked in limestone cliffs are just a few of the things that make Cabo Rojo so unique. Settle back in your beach chair, because the cost of living costs less than half as much as New York City life. You’ll pay about $200 for utilities monthly and 42 percent less for groceries. That leaves more cash in your pocket to enjoy Cabo’s restaurant and bar scene, where you’ll pay half as much for meals and up to 71 percent less for beer than you would in New York.

Even if you’re just vacationing, Puerto Rico is one of the cheapest destinations for summer vacation this year.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 62 percent cheaper

Rio de Janeiro is known as one of the most elite hangouts in the world, and living there isn’t cheap. You’ll pay an average of $371 per square foot to make your home along tony Ipanema Beach. Still, your money will go further for everyday items than it would in New York. Expect a monthly utility bill of $109 on average and groceries at just 40 percent of New York prices. You’ll pay about $36 for a three-course meal for two in Rio, compared with $75 in New York, and about $2.19 a beer, compared to $7 to wash it down in the Big Apple.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 48 percent cheaper

With more than 200 days a year of sunshine and year-round temperatures hovering around 60 F, Barcelona makes an ideal place to settle into the beach life. Go ahead and wiggle your toes in the sand. It’s one of the less expensive places to live near a luxurious beach. Bring your bike along to ride, though, as gas prices are more than double what they are in New York. Expect a utility bill that’s 35 percent higher, too. However, groceries cost 43 percent lower than they do in the States.

Plan ahead for 2019 — the cheapest time to fly to Barcelona is in January.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 39 percent cheaper

Known as a playground for the ultra-wealthy, Ibiza is one of the hottest millionaire vacation spots of all time. The city’s price tag is much more reasonable when you live there. For the price of a few nights at the exclusive Ushuaia Beach Hotel, you could rent a one-bedroom apartment for a month in the heart of the city. Although going out to eat in the swanky city isn’t cheap, it’s still more than 8 percent cheaper than eating out in the Big Apple. Eating in is where you’ll save big, with prices up to 54 percent less pricey than New York. Expect to pay more for electricity, too.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 39 percent cheaper

Tucked little more than a stone’s throw from Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, King George IV’s seaside palace, Brighton Beach is ideal for those wanting to live in style. You’ll shell out 58 percent less on your monthly rent, but expect to pay 59 percent more for monthly utilities along the swanky shoreline. There are other opportunities to save your budget dollars, though. Go ahead and eat like a king:. Grocery prices are 40 percent lower than NYC, and you’ll pay about 15 percent less when you eat out.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 39 percent cheaper

Make your surfin’ safari dreams come true by moving to Huntington Beach. Although the overall cost of living is a little less than a third cheaper than in New York, you’ll pay for your beachside bungalow. Median home list prices in Surf City were $849,000 in February 2018. You’ll save money on almost all consumer goods, though, leaving you more cash for having fun in the warm California sun. Groceries are only 61 percent as expensive as in the Big Apple, and your monthly utilities will run just $81 per month thanks to the mild climate.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 40 percent cheaper

If you love to golf and lie on the beach, West Palm Beach is the place to live. With more than 100 golf courses and 47 miles of tawny shoreline in Palm Beach County, you could spend years exploring. Consumer goods, groceries and restaurants average from 20 to 24 percent lower than what you’d pay for the same items in New York. But the significant savings comes when the first of the month rolls around: Rent will cost you 57 percent less in West Palm Beach, and utilities run about $153 monthly.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 26 percent cheaper

From art deco architecture to Cuban cuisine, and from strips of sandy shoreline to rooftop nightclubs, it’s no wonder Miami is known as the “Magic City.” Rent is 39 percent cheaper in Miami, but you’ll pay about the same as you would in New York for things like utilities, at just under $125 per month, and dining out.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 20 percent cheaper

President Donald Trump isn’t the first president to maintain an alternate White House in Florida. Harry Truman kept a winter White House in Key West. Live it up in presidential style while maintaining a significantly lower cost of living than in the Big Apple. Enjoy playing tennis in the Florida sunshine with court fees 79 percent less than in the big city or see the sites with savings of more than 55 percent on monthly transportation passes. Or stay in and relax in your bungalow. Monthly utilities average $142.50 and groceries are 17 percent lower than in New York.

Related: Many of the Hottest Neighborhoods in the US Are in Florida

Cost of living compared with New York City: 23 percent cheaper

Don’t let the village atmosphere fool you. Bondi Beach is one of the swankiest neighborhoods in Sydney. A tony apartment penthouse by the beach runs up to $21 million, although rent runs about 34 percent less than New York prices. Monthly utilities will average $137. You might not be too happy during happy hour, though. Bottled beer runs 48 to 51 percent higher than it does in the Big Apple. The good news: Bondi Beach markets are where you’ll find savings on fresh fruits, veggies and other local products at savings of up to 20 percent over what groceries cost in New York.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 20 percent cheaper

One of Hong Kong’s most scenic beaches, Repulse Bay is the location of some of Hong Kong’s priciest real estate, selling for as much as $87 million. But there’s no need to get your bikini in a bunch. Hong Kong’s cost of living beats out life in the Big Apple. Another benefit is Hong Kong is one of the safest big cities in the world. You’ll notice the most significant savings when eating out for as little as $6.69. If you want to be even more frugal, stay in. Groceries are 16 percent lower than what you’d pay in New York City, although monthly utilities will run you $148 per month on average.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 22 percent cheaper

With a median home price of $1.8 million, California’s Newport Coast is one of the priciest places to live in the country. But life in the posh paradise is still cheaper overall than living in New York. Rent prices are 14 percent less than in the Big Apple. Monthly utility costs are 13 percent higher at $137, but groceries cost 29 percent less in Newport Beach.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 20 percent cheaper

Want to live out your life watching the waves roll into Waikiki Beach? The cost of living overall is slightly lower than your Big Apple lifestyle. Still, you can expect to pay higher prices for many items. Utilities, for example, run $191 monthly in Waikiki compared with $123 in New York. Groceries are 2 percent higher on average in Waikiki. Expect to pay more out of pocket for milk (45 percent more expensive), potatoes (24 percent more expensive) and imported beer (80 percent more expensive). Stick to a diet of local fruits, rice, and beef to save some dough.

Cost of living compared with New York City: 68 percent more expensive

If you want to live the luxe life, move to Monaco. Roughly 38,000 people live in the tiny seaside country that’s about the size of Central Park. As a result, space is at a premium, and you’ll pay more than 189 percent for rent than you would in New York. Utilities average $246.21, twice as high as in New York. There are abundant beaches, but not an abundance of farms in a 3-mile long by half-mile-wide country. But you’ll save up to 24 percent over Big Apple prices on groceries ranging from fruits and veggies to beef and wine.

Click through to read more about beautiful beaches that are ridiculously expensive.

Methodology: All price statistics were sourced from Numbeo on March 23, 2018.