Headline weekly rate.
The advertised price. Usually 55 to 75% of what you will actually pay. Almost always negotiable in shoulder season, almost never in peak.
The headline rate is rarely the price. Eighty cost guides across 60 destinations, refreshed every 90 days, with the line items the listings leave out.
The price on the listing is not the price. The chef is extra. The staff gratuity is extra. The security deposit is sometimes returned in full and sometimes not. Service charges, government taxes, and destination fees are sometimes 8% on top and sometimes 22%. The deposit is sometimes 30% on booking and sometimes 50%. None of this is in the headline rate.
This section is the math. Every destination has a cost guide that includes: peak season range, shoulder season range, off season range, what is and is not included in the typical rate, the average chef cost per day, the average staff gratuity, the deposit structure, the cancellation terms, and the line items that are quietly added at booking.
We update prices quarterly. Specific villa prices live on the individual villa pages, where the cost is whatever the platform shows on the day. The destination-level cost data is the framework you use to know if the platform price is fair.
Last full refresh: May 2026. Next refresh: August 2026.
Every luxury villa invoice contains a version of these. The numbers shift by destination. The structure does not.
The advertised price. Usually 55 to 75% of what you will actually pay. Almost always negotiable in shoulder season, almost never in peak.
Eight to 12% on Mediterranean rentals, 15 to 18% on Caribbean. Some platforms bury it. Some show it. Always ask before the deposit clears.
Greece adds 13%. France adds 20%. St Barts adds 5%. Italy varies by region. Bali charges a flat $20 per visitor at the airport.
Six hundred to $1,500 per staff member per week, paid in cash on the last day. Two to four staff is standard on a six-bedroom villa.
Six hundred to $1,200 per day, plus food at cost. Most villas push the in-house option. In most destinations the independent chef is a better cook for the same money.
Five thousand to $25,000, refundable. The return process is where bad management companies clip a few hundred. Pay by card if the platform allows it.
A six-bedroom villa, peak week, with two staff included. Before chef and gratuity. Verified against current platform listings, May 2026.
| Destination | Peak week (6BR) | Shoulder week | What pushes it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mykonos, Greece | $14,000 to $28,000 | $9,500 to $18,000 | Aleomandra sea views |
| St Barts, Caribbean | $22,000 to $55,000 | $12,000 to $24,000 | New Year’s seven-week premium |
| Tuscany, Italy | $11,000 to $24,000 | $7,500 to $14,000 | Cook included, larger estates |
| Provence, France | $12,000 to $26,000 | $8,000 to $15,000 | Three-week minimum stays |
| Mallorca, Spain | $10,000 to $22,000 | $6,500 to $13,000 | North coast sea-front |
| Bali, Indonesia | $6,000 to $16,000 | $4,000 to $9,500 | Bukit cliff position |
| Costa Smeralda, Sardinia | $28,000 to $80,000 | $14,000 to $34,000 | Pevero beach proximity |
| Hamptons, NY | $25,000 to $65,000 | $10,000 to $22,000 | August premium, oceanfront |
| Aspen, Colorado | $30,000 to $90,000 | $8,000 to $18,000 | Christmas and Presidents’ week |
Rates as of May 2026. Before service charge, taxes, chef, and gratuity. Source: platform listings and direct management company quotes.
Each guide covers peak, shoulder, and off-season ranges by bedroom count, plus the local rules on taxes, deposits, and staff gratuities.
Peak vs shoulder. The chef trap. What 184 villas actually cost in 2026.
CaribbeanThe seven-week New Year premium. What a Pointe Milou six-bedroom costs across the December to March window.
ItalyChianti, Val d’Orcia, the Maremma coast. Why the cook is rarely an extra in Tuscany.
FranceThe three-week minimum stay norm and why the per-night number drops below the Côte d’Azur.
IndonesiaThe lowest absolute ceiling on this site. What a five-bedroom Canggu or Uluwatu villa runs on a peak week.
SardiniaThe most expensive square meter in the Mediterranean. August premiums and why the shoulder is a different price ladder.
Pick destination, group size, dates, and must-haves. Get a realistic 7-night total in 8 seconds. No email required.
“Tuscany, eight adults, second week of June, full staff, pool: $14,000 to $24,000 for 7 nights.”
Shoulder-week math against the same villa, same group, two weeks apart.
Per-couple costs once you split the bill across the house.
The real number difference between the in-house chef and an independent chef.
Fifteen guides on what is added after the deposit clears. Read these before, not after.
The norms in Mykonos, the norms in Tuscany, the norms in St Barts. What the staff actually expect, and what to put in the envelope.
DepositsThe three patterns we see at refund time, and the four sentences in the contract that protect you.
CateringDay rate, food at cost, the markup on the wine list, and when the all-inclusive package is the bargain.
TaxesGreece, France, Italy, the Caribbean. Which government takes what, and what the platforms add on top.
ConciergePre-arrival shopping, airport meet-and-greet, boat charters. The flat fees and the percentage markups.
CancellationsPlum Guide vs Onefinestay vs Vrbo vs the direct management company. Who refunds what, and when.
A worked example. Six-bedroom villa in Mykonos, second week of August, 10 adults. Headline rate on the platform: $14,000.
Total: $29,500. The platform number was $14,000. The math is in the cost guides.
Hotel night rates, restaurant tasting menu prices, and bar program markups for the same destinations we cover for villas.