by Roberta Murphy

Ah… the luxury of being able to comfortably live in one of the most expensive cities in the world (so why not divide one’s time between them–just for bragging rights?:-)

CNBC just released their 10 most expensive cities in the world to live where they included 200 factors such as costs for a 2-bedroom luxury apartment, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, entertainment and so on.

It might come as no surprise that three of the top 10 are in Japan, two are in Switzerland and two in Africa.

So, without boring our readers with details, we cut to the chase, offer the cities in descending order and include the expected monthly rent for a luxury 2-bedroom apartment plus cost of a fast meal and a cup of coffee:

1. Tokyo, Japan where rent runs $4848, a cup of coffee $8.29 and fast-food meal $8.29
2. Luanda, Angola where monthly rent runs $6500, a cup of coffee a bargain at $3.90 and a fast food meal for around $19.94
3. Osaka, Japan offers the luxury apartment at $3062, a cup of coffee at $7.02 and the fast-food meal at $8.29.
4. Moscow, Russia has their luxury apartment at $4200, with cup of coffee at $8.37 and the fast-food meal at $6.70. (And how about an international newspaper at $9.78?)
5. Geneva, Switzerland presents the luxury apartment at $4818, with cup of coffee at $6.57 and the fast food meal at a whopping $12.59.
6. Zurich, Switzerland (compare to Geneva) offers a comparable apartment at $3614, a cup of coffee at $6.02, and a fast food meal at $12.59.
7. Singpore might offer luxury digs at $3588, a cup of coffee for $5.18 and a fast food meal for $5.66
8. N’Djamena, Chad …just doesn’t seem to have much in the way of luxury 2-bedroom apartments for expatriates. But should you find a place to live, you’ll pay $3.32 for a cup of coffee and an outrageous sum of $25.18 for a fast-food meal.  Personal safety and OIL are big issues here.
9. Hong Kong offers a very pricey (but comparable) apartment for $7092 per month, the cup of coffee at $6.83–with a bargain fast food meal at $3.54.
10. Nagoya, Japan has the bargain luxury apartment at $2551 per month, the cup of coffee at $6.38 and the fast food meal at $8.42

Sitting in San Diego, I feel as if we are living in paradise at bargain basement prices.

Another cup of coffee, please?

The post Want to Live in a Most Expensive City? appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

$57 Million as a sales price for a Hong Kong apartment?

That is an amount that most people cannot even imagine. No matter how hard-working or how dedicated to the saving, wise spending and money management encouraged by Forbes.com, lovemoney.com and the like, most people will not accumulate that kind of wealth–even in several lifetimes. It is most definitely the realm of the super rich, being able to purchase such colossally expensive homes–and the ultra-wealthy in Hong Kong are no exception.

What if I had $57 million to buy a luxury home in the U.S.?

I would seriously have to consider a currently-available 10,000 square foot home right on the beach in Del Mar, just north of La Jolla. The climate couldn’t be more perfect, the views are spectacular, while snow-covered mountains and desert golf are just a couple of hours away. But then again, I am a big fan of (and a Realtor for) homes in San Diego!

The post Hong Kong Luxury Real Estate on a Roll appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

A pair of $53.5 million New York Plaza penthouses were sold to Russian hedge-fund manager Andrei Vavilov–which would have made it the second-highest residential sale in New York City history.

Andrei Vavilov, though, is one very upset buyer. He and his wife, Russian actress Maryana Tsaregradskaya, are outraged with low 9 foot ceilings, an unexpected and massive column in the living room, and an exterior drainage grate that blocks the view of Central Park from the middle floor.

He had been promised the epitome of luxury, but was instead, he says, was given an “attic-like space.”

Attorneys for the buyer have reportedly filed a $31 million lawsuit against the developer and its selling agent Stribling.

It is unclear to me whether the transaction has actually closed. The story (see link below) does not make that clear. There is a $10.6 million deposit from the buyer at stake, and real estate attorneys handle closings in New York. Unlike most California real estate transactions, I am told it can be very difficult for New York buyers to reclaim their deposits.

Which leads me to wonder: Is the lawsuit and resultant publicity about the buyer’s recovery of a $10.6 million deposit–or actual defects in the real estate delivered?

MY SUITE AT PLAZA IS SOUR DEAL – New York Post

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