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Best Places to Live if You Are Rich (2023)

Posted by Tony Mariotti on Thursday, June 2, 2022 at 11:45 AM By Tony Mariotti / June 2, 2022 Comment

Best Places to Be Rich

Where Do the Rich Thrive?

Wealthy Americans with expensive tastes want the best of the best. Some states and cities in the U.S. are better at meeting these needs than others. To get a sense of the best places to live the high life, we collected data from the Yelp Fusion API on five categories: restaurants, wineries, beaches, golf, and fashion. We analyzed the data to rank luxury amenities across the country. Keep reading to discover the top places to be wealthy, including the best cities to put down roots in California for a luxe life.

Key Takeaways

  • California is the best place for the wealthy, with many luxury wineries, restaurants, fashion stores, and beaches.
  • While Beverly Hills may be the most famous for high-end shopping, Costa Mesa is the real fashion capital of California, with more designer store options.
  • With 16 five-star golf courses, San Diego, California, is the best location for golf.

Luxury Living at Its Best in the U.S.

Everyone wants to live somewhere fabulous, but where is the best place for the wealthy to reside? Well, that all depends on your brand of fancy. Do you prefer dining at top-rated eateries or teeing up on a prestigious golf course? Is shopping for the latest high-end fashions appealing to you, or would you rather sip your way through a winery tour?

In the first part of our study, we identified the wealthiest states in the U.S. based on luxury amenities and activities.

Best States for Luxury

StateFashionRestaurantsGolfBeachesWineriesActivities per 100K
CALIFORNIA 1.19 2.25 0.33 0.86 1.57 6.20
NEVADA 2.93 1.51 0.37 0.00 0.12 4.94
RHODE ISLAND 0.38 3.48 0.09 0.38 0.19 4.52
COLORADO 0.67 2.97 0.30 0.02 0.27 4.23
OREGON 0.72 1.46 0.12 0.07 1.85 4.21
FLORIDA 0.84 1.54 0.31 0.72 0.17 3.57
IDAHO 0.21 1.90 0.16 0.11 0.58 2.95
WASHINGTON 0.58 0.96 0.18 0.35 0.81 2.89
ARIZONA 0.44 1.40 0.46 0.00 0.10 2.41
SOUTH CAROLINA 0.17 1.63 0.22 0.24 0.07 2.34
NEW MEXICO 0.52 1.28 0.05 0.00 0.43 2.28
KANSAS 0.31 1.13 0.10 0.07 0.51 2.12
NEW YORK 0.75 0.71 0.17 0.19 0.27 2.09
OKLAHOMA 0.32 1.30 0.25 0.00 0.20 2.07
HAWAII 0.36 0.00 0.43 1.07 0.21 2.07
INDIANA 0.25 1.14 0.31 0.18 0.18 2.05
MASSACHUSETTS 1.00 0.42 0.04 0.38 0.20 2.04
NORTH CAROLINA 0.39 0.93 0.23 0.22 0.25 2.03
MICHIGAN 0.41 1.14 0.13 0.19 0.11 1.98
TEXAS 0.59 0.77 0.21 0.07 0.25 1.89
OHIO 0.38 0.92 0.31 0.05 0.22 1.88
ILLINOIS 0.81 0.53 0.24 0.14 0.14 1.85
IOWA 0.16 1.04 0.03 0.00 0.57 1.80
LOUISIANA 0.37 1.28 0.00 0.09 0.02 1.75
GEORGIA 0.61 0.48 0.32 0.04 0.23 1.68
MINNESOTA 0.38 0.75 0.30 0.12 0.12 1.67
VIRGINIA 0.32 0.89 0.05 0.15 0.20 1.61
ALABAMA 0.22 0.99 0.00 0.26 0.12 1.60
PENNSYLVANIA 0.29 0.64 0.25 0.02 0.33 1.53
MISSOURI 0.27 0.70 0.27 0.02 0.26 1.52
ARKANSAS 0.23 1.02 0.00 0.00 0.16 1.41
TENNESSEE 0.37 0.50 0.26 0.04 0.21 1.39
NEW HAMPSHIRE 0.22 0.00 0.22 0.65 0.22 1.31
UTAH 0.27 0.83 0.12 0.03 0.03 1.28
WISCONSIN 0.20 0.56 0.09 0.19 0.24 1.28
NEW JERSEY 0.21 0.48 0.15 0.38 0.05 1.27
CONNECTICUT 0.62 0.03 0.03 0.42 0.17 1.27
DELAWARE 0.10 1.00 0.00 0.10 0.00 1.20
NEBRASKA 0.10 0.61 0.15 0.00 0.20 1.07
SOUTH DAKOTA 0.22 0.00 0.11 0.11 0.55 1.00
KENTUCKY 0.09 0.45 0.18 0.04 0.13 0.89
MARYLAND 0.25 0.38 0.10 0.03 0.12 0.87
MAINE 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.37 0.37 0.81
VERMONT 0.00 0.00 0.16 0.32 0.16 0.64
MISSISSIPPI 0.14 0.14 0.07 0.14 0.10 0.57
ALASKA 0.28 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.14 0.42
MONTANA 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.18 0.37
NORTH DAKOTA 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.26 0.26
WEST VIRGINIA 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.17 0.23
WYOMING 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

According to our results, California is the best place for the wealthy to live, with 6.2 luxury amenities per 100,000 people. California offers many luxury experiences for travelers and locals, a land of sunshine and celebrities. It's well-known for its glitz and glamor; however, the Golden State also features some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the country.

Nevada ranked the second-best place for America's elite despite not having a single mile of beachfront property. Its score of 4.94 is likely due to the availability of chic fashion stores in places like Las Vegas.

Top Cities for Affluent Americans

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so your definition of luxury may vary depending on your tastes. However, certain things would likely fall under the “luxury” category no matter where you are. Taking several factors into account, we’ve uncovered the best cities where you can live a rich life in the U.S.

Best Cities for Luxury

CityRestaurantsShoppingGolfWineriesBeachesSumActivities per 10K
Los Angeles 77 10 9 0 0 96 14.10
San Diego 16 8 16 0 35 75 12.77
San Francisco 25 20 2 14 14 75 12.19
Las Vegas 7 51 0 2 0 60 9.78
Napa 0 0 0 113 0 113 8.81
Houston 10 20 9 5 1 45 7.59
Chicago 7 15 5 3 22 52 7.13
Portland 18 3 0 17 3 41 6.56
New York 7 26 1 5 2 41 5.50
Miami 7 19 2 3 4 35 5.48
Dallas 9 16 4 1 0 30 5.03
Atlanta 6 15 9 2 0 32 4.98
Honolulu 0 5 0 2 19 26 4.40
Long Beach 18 0 3 0 19 40 4.21
Orlando 5 10 7 2 1 25 3.87
Brooklyn 11 0 2 4 6 23 3.86
Phoenix 14 1 4 3 0 22 3.51
Albuquerque 18 0 0 4 0 22 3.50
Denver 13 3 1 3 1 21 3.18
Austin 16 1 8 5 1 31 3.17
Clearwater 19 0 3 2 10 34 3.01
Fresno 22 0 0 0 0 22 2.81
Charleston 31 2 0 1 0 34 2.56
Fort Lauderdale 8 0 1 2 5 16 2.50
Sacramento 13 0 2 0 0 15 2.43
Costa Mesa 2 23 0 0 0 25 2.39
Pomona 13 0 1 0 0 14 2.21
San Jose 9 3 0 0 0 12 2.02
Oklahoma City 10 0 0 2 0 12 2.01
Tampa 6 3 2 1 0 12 1.97
Boise 26 0 0 2 0 28 1.92
Oxnard 13 0 0 0 0 13 1.84
Charlotte 7 3 3 1 4 18 1.81
Philadelphia 11 0 2 1 0 14 1.77
Boulder 17 0 0 1 1 19 1.77
Santa Ana 13 0 0 0 0 13 1.76
Roseville 10 3 0 0 0 13 1.70
Jacksonville 6 1 1 2 1 11 1.56
Santa Rosa 6 0 0 21 0 27 1.54
Albany 13 0 1 1 0 15 1.52
Fort Worth 2 2 4 1 0 9 1.52
San Antonio 6 0 2 2 0 10 1.48
Nashville 4 3 0 1 0 8 1.36
West Palm Beach 5 0 0 2 1 8 1.31
Salt Lake City 6 1 0 1 0 8 1.30
Riverside 7 0 1 0 0 8 1.28
Santa Clara 2 9 0 0 0 11 1.25
Washington 0 4 1 3 0 8 1.18
Perris 8 0 0 0 0 8 1.17
Westminster 7 0 0 0 0 7 1.17
Glendale 5 2 0 0 0 7 1.16
Chandler 1 0 2 3 0 6 1.02
Des Moines 19 0 0 1 1 21 1.00
Lynwood 6 0 0 0 0 6 0.97
Staten Island 0 0 1 1 4 6 0.96
Spokane 13 0 0 7 0 20 0.94
Rialto 7 0 0 0 0 7 0.93
Escondido 0 0 1 13 0 14 0.92
Scottsdale 0 8 11 2 0 21 0.89
Newark 5 0 0 0 0 5 0.73
Ontario 6 0 0 0 0 6 0.68
Colton 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.67
Anaheim 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.67
Reno 14 0 0 2 0 16 0.66
Vancouver 0 0 0 4 0 4 0.64
Compton 6 0 0 0 0 6 0.61
Broken Arrow 3 0 0 1 0 4 0.61
Temecula 2 0 2 0 0 4 0.61
Madison 10 0 0 1 4 15 0.60
McKinney 1 0 1 2 0 4 0.60
Hillsboro 2 0 0 4 0 6 0.59
Bellflower 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.56
Santa Monica 1 2 2 0 0 5 0.54
Lawrence 0 0 0 5 0 5 0.53
Carlsbad 3 0 3 0 0 6 0.52
Medford 0 0 0 3 0 3 0.50
Norwalk 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.50
Renton 2 0 0 1 2 5 0.50
Murrieta 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.50
Irvine 8 0 4 0 0 12 0.47
El Cajon 1 0 2 0 0 3 0.46
Oakland 15 0 4 0 0 19 0.45
Stockton 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.45
Norfolk 5 0 0 1 5 11 0.45
Cincinnati 2 2 3 2 4 13 0.44
Downey 5 0 0 0 0 5 0.44
La Puente 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.43
Rochester 5 0 2 1 1 9 0.43
Seattle 8 3 0 10 10 31 0.42
Moreno Valley 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.42
Elk Grove 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.39
Warren 3 0 0 1 1 5 0.37
Pittsburgh 6 2 1 1 1 11 0.36
Inglewood 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.36
Corona 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.34
Franklin 0 0 0 2 0 2 0.34
Rancho Cucamonga 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.34
Columbia 0 0 1 1 0 2 0.34
New Braunfels 0 0 1 1 0 2 0.34
Fremont 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.34
Huntington Park 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.34
Brandon 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.34
Tacoma 0 0 0 4 3 7 0.34
Fairfield 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.33
Edinburg 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.32
Indianapolis 24 2 0 1 1 28 0.32
Portsmouth 1 0 0 1 1 3 0.31
Ventura 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.31
Salem 0 0 0 5 0 5 0.30
Roanoke 0 0 1 2 0 3 0.30
Modesto 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.30
South San Francisco 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.30
Boston 1 15 0 1 3 20 0.30
Tustin 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.29
Minneapolis 7 2 0 1 2 12 0.29
South Gate 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.28
Tucson 11 0 3 1 0 15 0.28
Torrance 2 0 2 0 0 4 0.28
Cambridge 2 0 0 1 0 3 0.27
Montebello 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.27
Baytown 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.26
Akron 2 0 1 1 1 5 0.25
Oceanside 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.24
Chula Vista 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.24
East Los Angeles 3 0 0 0 0 3 0.24
Concord 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.21
Overland Park 1 0 0 3 0 4 0.21
Cleveland 3 0 1 2 2 8 0.21
Mission Viejo 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.21
Erie 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.20
Vista 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.20
Lakewood 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.20
Buffalo 2 0 2 1 0 5 0.19
Eugene 0 0 0 3 0 3 0.18
Plano 1 3 0 1 0 5 0.18
Athens 0 0 0 2 0 2 0.17
Hawthorne 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.17
Parker 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.17
Odessa 0 0 0 1 1 2 0.17
Milpitas 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.17
Taylor 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.16
Vacaville 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.16
Pico Rivera 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.16
Pacoima 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.16
College Station 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.16
Jackson Heights 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.16
San Bernardino 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.16
Fontana 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.16
Thousand Oaks 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.15
New Haven 0 0 0 2 0 2 0.15
Reseda 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.15
Van Nuys 1 0 1 0 0 2 0.15
El Monte 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.14
Stamford 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.14
Orange 1 0 0 1 0 2 0.14
San Marcos 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.14
Saint Paul 2 0 0 2 0 4 0.14
Crown Point 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.14
San Pablo 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.14
League City 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.14
Valencia 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.13
Chino Hills 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.13
Spring Valley 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.13
Alpharetta 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.12
Sylmar 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.12
Memphis 7 0 0 1 0 8 0.12
Fayetteville 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.12
Springfield 0 0 1 1 0 2 0.12
Lexington 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.12
Garden Grove 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.11
Laguna Niguel 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.11
Hayward 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.11
Bend 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.11
Santa Clarita 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.11
Knoxville 0 0 0 2 0 2 0.11
Ridgewood 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.11
Carson 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.11
Yakima 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.11
Omaha 4 0 0 1 0 5 0.10
Spring Hill 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.10
Fredericksburg 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.10
Clovis 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.10
Wichita Falls 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.10
Green Bay 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.10
Pueblo 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.09
Ann Arbor 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.09
Independence 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.09
Beaumont 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.08
Vallejo 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.08
Abilene 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.08
Denton 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.08
Syracuse 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.07
Joliet 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.07
Alexandria 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.07
Fort Collins 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.06
Winston-Salem 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.04
Anchorage 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.03

Previous results showed that California won (by far) as the best state for the wealthy, but we wanted to narrow things down to find the best cities for luxury living. Four of the top 10 cities are in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Napa.

In the first place, Los Angeles had the highest-rated restaurants, shops, and golf courses. San Diego and its beautiful beaches took second, while well-rounded San Francisco came in third (the only city in the top three to offer something in each luxury category). Napa was fifth overall, likely due to its gorgeous wine country.

Las Vegas, Houston, Chicago, Portland, New York, and Miami were also in the top 10 best cities for the wealthy.

The Best of the Best in California

California is a fascinating place full of beaches, wineries, famous people, and plenty of fantastic food. It's also the third most expensive state in the country, so it’s no wonder the Golden State has so many luxuries available to its well-off residents. Let’s highlight some of the California high life in the final part of our study.

Best Cities in California for Luxury Lifestyles

If you’re looking for designer fashion, Costa Mesa has a staggering 23 high-end clothing stores, making it the winner for our coveted “Most Designer Stores in the State” title. And it may not be a shocker considering that it’s known as “wine country,” but Napa has an incredible 113 wineries. Los Angeles wins for most high-end restaurants in the state, with a staggering 77 restaurants total, while San Diego has 16 golf courses—that’s more than anywhere else in the entire state.

For the best beach living in the state, Laguna Beach is where it’s at for luxury life on the coast. Visited by millions every year, the small city is known for its artistic residents and miles of gold-sand beaches.

Summary

If you're looking for luxury, it's pretty clear that California is the place to be. With many restaurants, beaches, and plenty of high-end shopping, you can't go wrong. For those dreaming of one day living the high life, you might want to set your sights on Cali.

About RubyHome

If you’re fortunate enough to afford a luxury home in Southern California or the Bay Area, RubyHome can help. We’re a full-service, boutique luxury brokerage with the most extensive inventory of property listings in California. RubyHome is the place to start your search for the home you always promised yourself.

Methodology

RubyHome collected data about restaurants, wineries, beaches, golf, and fashion from the Yelp Fusion API. We then used the ratings and pricing variables to filter the data.

Fair Use Statement

If you’re a lover of all things luxury and you enjoyed our study, you’re welcome to share it. We just ask that you link back (dofollow) to the findings and that your purposes are noncommercial.

Tags: Research

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