Palm Beach Tops List of Happiest Pricey Places

Palm Beach ranked as home to the happiest residents of any affluent community in America and its neighbor, Boca Raton, was a close second, a new survey has found.

CardRates, which conducted the survey of 3,000 people in the priciest nationwide areas to see if the benefit outside the steep price, noted that cost of living in Palm Beach is 97% higher than the Florida average, and the median home price is $955,600.

“Our study shows that although living in some of the most desirable areas comes with significant financial strain, it is a price worth paying for many residents, who place an enormous value on the unique lifestyle they bring,” says Jon McDonald, senior editor at CardRates. “It’s a testament to the aspirational appeal of some of these affluent locations.”

The survey ranked the top 150 cities, with five out of the top 10 suburbs making the list located in Florida.

Rounding out the top 10 were Ewa Beach in Hawaii placing third, Naples in Florida ranking fourth, and Kailua in Hawaii in fifth. Sixth was Malibu, California; seventh was Sunny Isles Beach, Florida; eighth was Big Sky, Montana; ninth was Garden City, New York and 10th was Coral Gables, Florida.