Knight Frank’s global network of residential specialists identifies the locations they expect to outperform in the year ahead – not the obvious flagships, but the neighbourhoods where the right combination of lifestyle, supply constraint and incoming capital is creating genuine opportunity.
From a Roman street reclaiming its dolce vita credentials to a French alpine village still flying under the radar, here is where the smart money is looking in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source to see more super-prime intelligence in Google.
1. Via Veneto, Rome, Italy
Once synonymous with Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, Via Veneto is staging a credible comeback as one of Rome’s most compelling prime addresses.
Who’s buying: International investors, private equity and family offices, alongside American and Polish buyers dominating the prime segment.
What you pay: Around US $1.2 million for a fully renovated 100 sq m apartment; upwards of US $19 million for a five-bedroom villa.
What to expect: A cosmopolitan, hotel-led lifestyle anchored by a wave of five-star openings – W Rome, The Edition, Rosewood and Four Seasons – with aperitivi on sun-drenched terraces.
2. Deià, Mallorca, Spain
A UNESCO-protected village on Mallorca’s north-west coast where strict planning controls have kept supply tight and character intact.
Who’s buying: Primarily British, US and northern European second-home buyers, with longer stays and full relocations becoming increasingly common.
What you pay: Two-bedroom village homes from around US $2.4 million; four-bedroom villas with pools and sea views from roughly US $8 million.
What to expect: Exceptional light, crystalline coves and a strong, characterful community with a pace of life that justifies the premium.
3. Dalefield, Queenstown, New Zealand
A lifestyle estate setting on the edge of one of the southern hemisphere’s most established UHNW destinations, with alpine scenery and year-round infrastructure.
Who’s buying: Privacy-led buyers seeking scale and a connection to nature, from a mix of New Zealand-based and offshore purchasers; government visa rules now allow certain investor classes to buy one home above US $3 million.
What you pay: Modern homes on lifestyle estates typically from US $3 million to US $5 million upwards, with exceptional estates commanding considerably more.
What to expect: Space, expansive alpine views and easy access to Queenstown’s year-round recreation, hospitality and infrastructure.
4. Lake Como, Italy
A perennial of the European prime second-home market – but one where structural scarcity of historic lakefront villas continues to drive steady price appreciation.
Who’s buying: International families and Milan-based business owners, with strongest interest from American and northern European buyers alongside a growing Middle Eastern cohort drawn by Italy’s flat-tax regime.
What you pay: Three-bedroom apartments from US $2 million to US $5 million; four- or five-bedroom villas with direct lake frontage at US $14 million to US $18 million.
What to expect: Discretion, a slower pace of life and enduring appeal – with Michelin-starred restaurants and international schools providing the infrastructure to stay longer.
5. St-Martin-de-Belleville, French Alps
Still relatively undiscovered despite direct access to Les Trois Vallées – the largest linked ski area in the world – and a Michelin-starred anchor in La Bouitte.
Who’s buying: Lifestyle-led buyers seeking a discreet alternative to headline resorts, prioritising privacy, year-round use and long-term value over postcode recognition.
What you pay: Three-bedroom apartments from around US $1.1 million; four-bedroom chalets from US $1.8 million depending on views and wellness amenities.
What to expect: A refined, authentic alpine community with genuine local character – and access to some of the best skiing in Europe without Courchevel prices.
6. Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York, US
A neighbourhood experiencing its busiest transaction period on record, driven by turnkey demand and a buyer base that has absorbed the city’s wealth tax noise without blinking.
Who’s buying: Domestic and international buyers drawn to the prestige of pre-war architecture, proximity to The Met and MoMA, and top-tier private schools.
What you pay: New condos and pre-war residences from US $3,000 per sq ft, rising to US $6,000–US $7,000 per sq ft at the top; turnkey townhouses at US $4,000 per sq ft.
What to expect: World-class culture, restaurants, private members’ clubs and boutiques – and, right now, unprecedented transaction speeds for the best move-in-ready stock.
7. Chelsea, London, UK
Prices down around a quarter from the last peak a decade ago – compared with 11% in neighbouring Fulham – and buyers are increasingly noticing.
Who’s buying: Anchored by domestic buyers, with growing international interest particularly from the US; a neighbourhood where value is starting to reassert itself relative to adjacent prime postcodes.
What you pay: Two-bedroom apartments from US $875,000 to US $2.7 million; three-bedroom houses from US $2.7 million to US $5 million; larger family houses at US $7.4 million to US $13.4 million.
What to expect: Genteel bohemian energy, Tudor to Victorian architecture evolved naturally over centuries, and a settled residential community that larger-scale prime neighbourhoods have lost.
8. Silberküste, Zurich, Switzerland
The western shore of Lake Zurich – lower profile than the famous Goldküste but attracting committed long-term buyers who prioritise privacy, space and genuine value.
Who’s buying: Swiss families, senior executives and business owners, including US, UK and northern European buyers relocating as Swiss residents; Lex Koller requires non-residents to take residency, which self-selects for serious purchasers.
What you pay: Two-bedroom apartments from around US $1.9 million; prime waterfront villas from around US $25 million.
What to expect: A refined, understated lifestyle centred on swimming, sailing and discreet dining – with swift access to Zurich and the Golf & Country Club Schönenberg on the doorstep.
9. Geelong, Victoria, Australia
Melbourne’s lifestyle overflow market – with a waterfront that has emerged as one of the region’s most sought-after neighbourhoods and significant public investment improving its links to the city.
Who’s buying: Melbourne lifestyle movers, professionals, downsizing retirees and investors seeking coastal areas with steady long-term prospects.
What you pay: A modern two-bedroom waterfront apartment from around US $1.5 million; a four-bedroom detached home close to the bay for more than US $2 million.
What to expect: Expansive views across Corio Bay, a vibrant walkable foreshore, and a relaxed coastal character that larger cities can no longer credibly offer.
10. Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, US
A neighbourhood in active recovery following the 2025 wildfires – and one where the rebuilding dynamic is creating a rare entry point into one of LA’s most desirable coastal enclaves.
Who’s buying: Homeowners rebuilding after the wildfires, restoring the area’s architectural character; for those looking to join the community, beautiful estates at US $10 million to US $25 million.
What you pay: Broadly attractive in a global context at US $2,000–US $2,500 per sq ft – significantly below comparable coastal product in Miami or New York.
What to expect: Proximity to the Pacific, soft breezes, magnificent ocean views and a community in the process of reconstituting itself as one of LA’s defining prime neighbourhoods.
A View From The Super Prime
The best opportunities in prime real estate right now are not where the headlines are — they are one step removed from them.
The ten markets Knight Frank’s specialists have identified share something that does not show up directly in the data: they all in different ways benefit from regional overflow.
Via Veneto, for example, benefits from Rome’s rising profile as demand in Milan exceeds prime stock. St-Martin-de-Belleville benefits from Courchevel and Méribel pricing out the buyer who wants the skiing without the spectacle. Geelong benefits from ‘liveability’ premiums in Melbourne (which are now migrating outwards), while Deià benefits from Mallorca’s broader emergence as a serious UHNW destination rather than one for holidaymakers.
This ‘adjacency premium’ is one of the more reliable, repeatable dynamics in prime real estate, and it is accelerating.
As the structural outperformers identified in the PIRI 100 become increasingly expensive and supply-constrained, capital does not leave the region or the lifestyle category – it simply moves sideways into the market offering 80% of the appeal at 60% of the price, without planning friction, or the stamp duty exposure of its more recognisable regional counterpart.
Think Chelsea versus Mayfair. Silberküste versus Goldküste. St-Martin versus Méribel.
A widening gap between headline and supporting acts
The argument around relative value is not new however, but the spread between the headline market and its neighbour is wider now than it has been for some time. This, by large, is because the headline markets have appreciated so sharply over the past five years.
The Pacific Palisades entry is worth noting separately. A market in post-wildfire recovery is an uncomfortable one to recommend on purely financial grounds, and Knight Frank is careful in its framing.
But for buyers with a long horizon and genuine connection to Los Angeles as a city, the price per square foot relative to comparable coastal property in Miami or New York, is a meaningful data point. As neighbourhoods reconstitute, the opportunity lies in how early buyers are willing to act.
The broader signal from this list is that the prime market in 2026 rewards specificity. Not “Europe” or “Alpine” or “US coastal” – but this street, that village, or a particular combination of supply constraint and incoming capital.
Generic prime exposure is increasingly expensive for what it delivers – the edge exists in the detail.
