When locating the most expensive places to buy a home on a state-by-state basis, the Western states frequently feature the priciest cities for homeownership. Why? There are a number of reasons.
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Some places, such as Alaska and Hawaii, are separated from the natural supply lines of the continental United States. Other cities — like Aspen, Sun Valley and Park City — are based in the West’s numerous mountainous areas, making them havens for ski-based tourism and celebrity vacation spots. Elsewhere, a number of towns lucked out with beachfront property (either ocean or lakeside), driving up real estate prices on beautiful views alone.
Recently, GOBankingRates analyzed information from Zillow Home Value Index to locate the towns and cities with the most expensive median home values in every state. From that study, GOBankingRates broke the country into regions; in this case, the cities in question are all in the West.
Check out the most expensive place to buy a home in every Western state.
Juneau, Alaska
Median home value: $503,389
Population: 31,969
Alaska’s general remoteness contributes to some of its high housing and living costs, as it’s physically cut off from the remainder of the continental United States’ supply chains. Juneau reportedly is experiencing high housing costs due to very limited supply. The city’s population is aging and older residents are not moving away and freeing up homes, while more and more new residents are moving to the city and looking for available housing that simply isn’t there.
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Paradise Valley, Arizona
Median home value: $3,383,591
Population: 12,621
Paradise Valley is known for “stunning” mountain views and gorgeous landscapes, making real estate rather expensive. Further, because the area is known for such lush and lovely views, new houses and housing lots are limited to preserve the natural beauty. That increases the cost of local housing.
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Atherton, California
Median home value: $7,551,668
Population: 7,021
Atherton is one of the most expensive ZIP codes in America, thanks to its close proximity to Silicon Valley. The town is home to a number of tech billionaires, celebrities and venture capitalists. As a result, there is a massive amount of wealth in Atherton, with a lot of it spent on acreage and mansion construction.
Aspen, Colorado
Median home value: $9,720,579
Population: 6,862
Real estate broker Brittanie Rockhill noted that Aspen, in addition to famously being home to multiple ski resorts that draw in worldwide tourism throughout the year, also offers a stunning natural beauty that can drastically increase property values and costs. Aspen is also a home-away-from-home vacation spot for a number of celebrities and millionaires, further driving up housing costs.
Hanalei, Hawaii
Median home value: $4,262,439
Population: 239
Travel blog Life Part 2 and Beyond has categorized Hanalei as not only lovely, but also very, very small with an equally small amount of available housing on its spectacular beachfront location. Indeed, the site has called housing prices in the town “astronomical” due to scarcity.
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Sun Valley, Idaho
Median home value: $2,812,120
Population: 1,383
Much like Aspen, Colorado, Sun Valley’s climate and natural beauty make it a perfect haven for ski resorts (and thus, massive amounts of tourism). Celebrities and billionaires purchase second and third homes in the town. This confluence of elements has wildly driven up the prices of homes and land in Sun Valley.
Big Sky, Montana
Median home value: $3,274,217
Population: 2,388
Per Bozeman Real Estate Group, Big Sky properties have sky-high prices because the area features some of the most prominent skiing in America. Some of the most expensive houses in the area are million-dollar “ski-in, ski-out” mansions, surrounded by a number of golf and ski clubs.
Glenbrook, Nevada
Median home value: $2,777,505
Population: 274
Glenbrook is an exclusive gated community that stretches across 750 acres on the shores of Lake Tahoe, making it some of the most spectacular and limited real estate in Nevada. The location makes Glenbrook a home for wealthy water enthusiasts, boat owners and water sports fans.
Lamy, New Mexico
Median home value: $855,755
Population: 115
Lamy is a community defined by its natural beauty, with large stretches of land for horseback riding and raising cattle. As a result, properties in the area have been used multiple times for film and television location shooting, increasing property values. At one point in 2024, one ranch in Lamy was the most expensive home for sale in all of New Mexico, at $9,950,000.
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Cannon Beach, Oregon
Median home value: $1,007,509
Population: $1,368
Cannon Beach real estate is so pricey thanks to a mix of the area’s natural coastal beauty, proximity to Portland, a vibrant art community and an upscale atmosphere replete with luxury homes, boutique stores, fine restaurants and art galleries, per Visit Oregon.
Park City, Utah
Median home value: $1,938,455
Population: $8,365
Like Aspen and Sun Valley, Park City’s high-priced housing is due to a unique mountain geography that creates an enormous amount of ski-based tourism. It also is difficult to build new homes in the mountainous terrain, making housing increasingly scarce.
Hunts Point, Washington
Median home value: $8,153,743
Population: 321
Hunts Point has long been a magnet for wealthy Washingtonians (Amazon head Jeff Bezos sold one of his Hunts Point mansions for $63 million in March 2025). The location offers a beautiful view of Lake Washington, and the town serves as a home to the hyper-wealthy who work at nearby Amazon, Google and Microsoft offices.
Wilson, Wyoming
Median home value: $4,826,716
Population: 1,255
Despite a population of 1,255, Wilson boasts some of the most expensive properties in all of Wyoming. As with a number of towns in this gallery, Wilson is home to a large ski-based tourism economy, making it a go-to location for the wealthy looking to unwind.
Editor’s note: Photos are for representational purposes only and might not reflect the exact locations listed.
Methodology: To find the most expensive place to buy a home in every state, GOBankingRates analyzed every state to find the cities with the most expensive median home values, as sourced from Zillow Home Value Index. For each city, the total population was sourced from the U.S. Census American Consumer Survey as supplemental data. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 28, 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The Most Expensive Place To Buy a Home in Every Western State
