London tops ranking of Europe's most luxurious places to live and own a second home, study reveals

London tops ranking of Europe's most luxurious places to live and own a second home, study reveals

London ranks as Europe's most luxurious place to live and own a second home.

Vienna, Geneva, Zurich, and Paris all complete the top five.

Switzerland and France each claim three destinations appearing in the top 15 positions, showing a strong appeal to wealthy homeowners.

A new study has revealed Europe's most luxurious places to live and own a second home, with London taking the top spot.

The study, conducted by second home management company Pangea Services, analysed 50 prestigious destinations across Europe, including major cities, islands, coastal retreats, countryside locations, and ski resorts. The study assessed each destination across eight luxury indicators: prime property prices, Michelin-starred dining, five-star hotels, designer retail, golf courses, climate, overall safety, and private-jet accessibility.

London ranks as the most luxurious location to live and own a second property, with a luxury score of 100. The English capital has the highest prime property prices at €63,600 per square metre, alongside 84 five-star hotels and 49 luxury designer brands, despite a lower safety score. Fine dining is also a standout in London, with 111 Michelin stars across the city.

In second place is Vienna, with a luxury score of 98.4 out of 100. Although property prices are significantly lower than in London, the Austrian capital performs well across all other factors, including strong safety credentials, high-quality hospitality, and accessibility.

Geneva places third, with a luxury score of 96.8. The Swiss city has average prime property values of €38,700 per square metre, whilst maintaining exceptional connections for international residents and a high safety score. Geneva has the best private-jet accessibility in the top five, with a jet-capable airport located just 4km away.

Switzerland's Zurich follows in fourth, just behind Geneva, with a luxury score of 95.3. Zurich records one of the strongest safety scores of 75.7, higher than most destinations in the study, making it perfect for those seeking a secure second home to holiday or live in.

France's capital, Paris, rounds out the top five, with a luxury score of 92.7. Paris dominates in several factors, with the highest number of Michelin stars at 141 and 105 five-star hotels, both the highest in the study. Paris's prime property market (€30,000 per square metre) combined with its renowned fashion scene cements its position in the top five.

At number six is Europe's fashion capital, Milan, which scores 86.2 out of 100. The city boasts 20 designer brands, the third highest in the top 10, alongside 26 Michelin stars for high-end eating, and 20 five-star hotels.

Monaco places seventh, with a luxury score of 84.3. Monaco records the highest property prices outside of London, averaging €51,967 per square metre. The principality places highly in the ranking despite the nearest jet airport being 30km away.

In eighth place is Cannes, scoring 80.8 out of 100. The glamorous French Riviera favourite combines desirable coastal real estate, with prime property averaging €25,000 per square metre, alongside 2,800 hours of annual sunshine, and 8 golf courses within a 30km radius. Cannes is a prime location for private-jet access, with the nearest private airport located 5km away.

The Spanish city of Palma de Mallorca places ninth, with a luxury score of 74.3. It stands out for its sunny climate, with 2,756 hours of sunshine per year, and an impressive safety score of 63.9. Palma has lower average prime property costs than those ranking higher, with more affordable pricing of €7,000 per square metre.

Completing the top 10 is Marbella, scoring 71.5 out of 100. The coastal town benefits from 2,975 hours of annual sunshine, the highest in the top 10, in addition to a thriving lower-cost property market. Despite the nearest jet airport being located 55km away, Marbella's mix of climate, amenities, and international appeal helps it outperform more typically expensive destinations.

Quinta do Lago, St. Moritz, Mykonos, Cascais, and Cap d'Antibes round out the top 15. These destinations combine strong lifestyle appeal and high-end credentials. Quinta do Lago's 3,044 hours of annual sunshine and St. Moritz's prime property at €33,250 per square metre contrast with Mykonos's impressive number of luxury brands at 40 in total. Cascais and Cap d'Antibes just make the cut due to their combination of safety, coastal living and prime real estate.

Top 15 most luxurious European destinations to live or own a second home

| Rank | Destination | Country | Type | Prime Property (€/sqm) | Michelin Stars | 5-Star Hotels | Designer Brands | Golf Courses (30km) | Sunshine Hours | Safety Score | Jet Airport (km) | Luxury Score | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | London | United Kingdom | City | €63,600 | 111 | 84 | 49 | 8 | 1,693 | 44.4 | 11 | 100 | | 2 | Vienna | Austria | City | €20,000 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 1,917 | 70.4 | 18 | 98.4 | | 3 | Geneva | Switzerland | City | €38,700 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 1,887 | 70.6 | 4 | 96.8 | | 4 | Zurich | Switzerland | City | €30,000 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 1,694 | 75.7 | 13 | 95.3 | | 5 | Paris | France | City | €30,000 | 141 | 105 | 13 | 8 | 1,717 | 41.9 | 12 | 92.7 | | 6 | Milan | Italy | City | €22,000 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 8 | 2,000 | 45.8 | 7 | 86.2 | | 7 | Monaco | Monaco | City | €51,967 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 2,500 | 73 | 30 | 84.3 | | 8 | Cannes | France | Coast | €25,000 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2,800 | 44.9 | 5 | 80.8 | | 9 | Palma de Mallorca | Spain | City | €7,000 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 2,756 | 63.9 | 8 | 74.3 | | 10 | Marbella | Spain | Coast | €6,800 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 2,975 | 46.2 | 55 | 71.5 | | 11 | Quinta do Lago / Algarve | Portugal | Coast | €12,000 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 3,044 | 70.3 | 18 | 70.8 | | 12 | St. Moritz | Switzerland | Ski | €33,250 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1,767 | 71.9 | 5 | 64.1 | | 13 | Mykonos | Greece | Island | €10,000 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 6 | 3,300 | 53.6 | 3.5 | 60.9 | | 14 | Cascais | Portugal | Coast | €10,000 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 2,880 | 70.4 | 15 | 59.1 | | 15 | Cap d'Antibes / Antibes | France | Coast | €25,000 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2,800 | 44.9 | 17 | 51.9 |

Mireille Meloche, Co-founder & Property Management Director of Pangea Services, commented:

"London's position at the top of the ranking reflects the sheer scale of its luxury ecosystem. No other destination combines such high property values with so many Michelin-starred restaurants, five-star hotels and designer brands.

"A big surprise was Vienna outperforming destinations such as Paris and Monaco. The results suggest that luxury is increasingly being defined by quality of life rather than prestige alone. Buyers still value exceptional homes, restaurants and hotels, but factors such as safety, accessibility and year-round liveability are becoming just as important. It's a shift that helps explain the continued rise of destinations like Vienna, Geneva and the Mediterranean's most desirable coastal hotspots.

"The variety of destinations that perform well all contribute to luxury status in different ways. Alongside global cities such as London, Paris and Geneva, we also see strong performances from lifestyle-driven locations including Marbella, Palma de Mallorca and the Algarve, reflecting the growing importance of climate and quality of life among affluent buyers."

Sources

• MICHELIN Guide 2025/26 (Key hotels for Alpine resorts, official municipality 5-star counts elsewhere)
• Knight Frank/idealista/local prime agents, UBS, DVF, Land Registry (prime property converted to euros for price comparison)
• Skiresort.info
• Official marina/harbour sites (berths)
• Numbeo (safety)
• National met services (sunshine)
• Brand store locators (designer retail)
• FBO Sources (private-jet access)

Methodology

50 European destinations were analysed across eight equally weighted pillars to determine which are deemed the most "luxury" to live or own a second home in.

The factors included:

• Prime property price
• Fine dining (Michelin stars)
• Five-star hotels
• Designer retail
• Golf courses within 30km
• Climate (annual sunshine)
• Safety
• Private-jet access

To ensure a fair comparison for the luxury score, certain categories were capped to prevent larger cities from dominating the rankings. Michelin stars were capped at 15, five-star hotels at 12, golf courses at 15 and designer brands at 8, preventing larger cities from benefiting purely from scale.

Six of the destinations were excluded due to incomplete data across all factors. As a result, St. Tropez, Courchevel, Gstaad, St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Sylt, and Val d'Isère were removed from the final ranking.

Full Ranking

| Rank | Destination | Country | Type | Prime Property (€/sqm) | Michelin Stars | 5-Star Hotels | Designer Brands | Golf Courses (30km) | Sunshine Hours | Safety Score | Jet Airport (km) | Luxury Score | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | London | United Kingdom | City | €63,600 | 111 | 84 | 49 | 8 | 1,693 | 44.4 | 11 | 100 | | 2 | Vienna | Austria | City | €20,000 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 1,917 | 70.4 | 18 | 98.4 | | 3 | Geneva | Switzerland | City | €38,700 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 1,887 | 70.6 | 4 | 96.8 | | 4 | Zurich | Switzerland | City | €30,000 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 1,694 | 75.7 | 13 | 95.3 | | 5 | Paris | France | City | €30,000 | 141 | 105 | 13 | 8 | 1,717 | 41.9 | 12 | 92.7 | | 6 | Milan | Italy | City | €22,000 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 8 | 2,000 | 45.8 | 7 | 86.2 | | 7 | Monaco | Monaco | City | €51,967 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 2,500 | 73 | 30 | 84.3 | | 8 | Cannes | France | Coast | €25,000 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2,800 | 44.9 | 5 | 80.8 | | 9 | Palma de Mallorca | Spain | City | €7,000 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 3 | 2,756 | 63.9 | 8 | 74.3 | | 10 | Marbella | Spain | Coast | €6,800 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 2,975 | 46.2 | 55 | 71.5 | | 11 | Quinta do Lago / Algarve | Portugal | Coast | €12,000 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 3,044 | 70.3 | 18 | 70.8 | | 12 | St. Moritz | Switzerland | Ski | €33,250 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 1,767 | 71.9 | 5 | 64.1 | | 13 | Mykonos | Greece | Island | €10,000 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 6 | 3,300 | 53.6 | 3.5 | 60.9 | | 14 | Cascais | Portugal | Coast | €10,000 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 2,880 | 70.4 | 15 | 59.1 | | 15 | Cap d'Antibes / Antibes | France | Coast | €25,000 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2,800 | 44.9 | 17 | 51.9 | | 16 | Ibiza | Spain | Island | €12,200 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 2,800 | 63.9 | 7 | 49.7 | | 17 | Corfu | Greece | Island | €6,000 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 2,546 | 85 | 3 | 48.2 | | 18 | Capri | Italy | Coast | €14,734 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 2,375 | 52.7 | 40 | 47.3 | | 19 | Crans-Montana | Switzerland | Ski | €16,500 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2,158 | 73.5 | 30 | 44.3 | | 20 | Santorini | Greece | Island | €13,943 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 3,100 | 53.6 | 6 | 43.8 | | 21 | Lake Garda | Italy | Lake | €7,000 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 2,177 | 53.1 | 30 | 39.9 | | 22 | Kitzbühel | Austria | Ski | €14,800 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1,736 | 79.5 | 81 | 37.6 | | 23 | Porto Cervo / Costa Smeralda | Italy | Coast | €12,000 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2,631 | 46.8 | 40 | 37.4 | | 24 | Forte dei Marmi | Italy | Coast | €12,942 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2,286 | 52.7 | 45 | 36.6 | | 25 | Tuscany | Italy | Countryside | €6,500 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 2,246 | 53.1 | 50 | 32.9 | | 26 | Lake Como / Bellagio | Italy | Lake | €10,000 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1,921 | 52.7 | 27 | 31.1 | | 27 | Zermatt | Switzerland | Ski | €25,000 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1,648 | 71.9 | 85 | 29.1 | | 28 | Provence (Luberon) | France | Countryside | €10,000 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2,750 | 44.6 | 40 | 28.4 | | 29 | Montreux / Lake Geneva | Switzerland | Lake | €18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1,884 | 79.7 | 64 | 26.5 | | 30 | Sotogrande | Spain | Coast | €4,000 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2,900 | 46.2 | 25 | 26.4 | | 31 | Portofino | Italy | Coast | €23,233 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2,223 | 52.7 | 38 | 25.4 | | 32 | Porto Montenegro / Tivat | Montenegro | Coast | €15,000 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2,433 | 64.6 | 4 | 25.1 | | 33 | Verbier | Switzerland | Ski | €32,000 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2,157 | 71.9 | 40 | 25 | | 34 | Megève | France | Ski | €15,000 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 2,002 | 48.6 | 70 | 24.4 | | 35 | Chamonix | France | Ski | €14,200 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1,985 | 70.6 | 68 | 22.3 | | 36 | Lech-Zürs | Austria | Ski | €14,267 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1,900 | 75.6 | 120 | 21.9 | | 37 | Cotswolds | United Kingdom | Countryside | €8,000 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1,543 | 51.7 | 15 | 21.4 | | 38 | Alta Badia | Italy | Ski | €15,000 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1,886 | 53.1 | 60 | 15.9 | | 39 | Cortina d'Ampezzo | Italy | Ski | €13,077 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1,952 | 60.9 | 137 | 15.2 | | 40 | Baden-Baden | Germany | Spa | €6,000 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1,700 | 60.6 | 15 | 14.8 | | 41 | Davos-Klosters | Switzerland | Ski | €20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1,725 | 73.5 | 70 | 13.6 | | 42 | Comporta | Portugal | Coast | €8,500 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2,900 | 60 | 110 | 11.5 | | 43 | St. Anton am Arlberg | Austria | Ski | €10,510 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1,900 | 75.6 | 100 | 11.4 | | 44 | Madonna di Campiglio | Italy | Ski | €12,380 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1,800 | 52.7 | 105 | 0 |