These are the two names that come up most when a buyer says "the best of Boca Raton." They are nothing alike. Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club is a deep-water estate neighborhood on the Intracoastal where the median sale is now above $9 million. St Andrews Country Club is a gated, mandatory-membership golf community west of I-95 where the median sale is $3.5 million and homes trade in half the time. Below is how they compare on the numbers that matter, using every closed sale over $1 million in the BeachesMLS from October 17, 2024 through October 17, 2026, not last year's figures.
Head to head: the 24-month numbers
Everything in this table is from closed BeachesMLS transactions of $1 million or more between October 17, 2024 and October 17, 2026. Home counts come from each community's published figures.
| Metric (Oct 2024 to Oct 2026) | Royal Palm Yacht & CC | St Andrews CC |
|---|---|---|
| Location | East Boca, between the Intracoastal and the Boca Inlet; adjoins The Boca Raton resort | West Boca, Clint Moore Road west of I-95 and the Turnpike |
| Approximate homes | About 680 homes on 742 lots | About 740 homes |
| Closed sales, 24 months | 85 | 75 |
| Closed sales, last 12 months (vs prior 12) | 49 (up from 36) | 34 (down from 41) |
| Annual turnover (sales ÷ homes) | About 7% of homes a year | About 5% of homes a year |
| Median sale price | $9,000,000 | $3,500,000 |
| Median price, last 12 months | $10,244,000 (prior 12: $8,950,000) | $4,075,000 (prior 12: $2,950,000) |
| Average sale price | $11.0 million | $4.6 million |
| Lowest and highest sale | $3.3 million to $75 million | $1.3 million to $15.75 million |
| Sales of $10 million or more | 37 | 6 |
| Sales under $3 million | 0 | 28 |
| Median price per square foot | $1,451 | $824 |
| Median living area / lot | 6,600 sq ft on about one-third acre | 4,540 sq ft on about one-third acre |
| Median year built of homes sold | 2016 (32% built 2022 or later) | 1990 (13% built 2022 or later) |
| Median days on market | 98 (average 134) | 48 (average 86) |
| Sold price vs. final list price | 92% | 93% |
| Sold price vs. original list price | 89% | 90% |
| Cash buyers | 79% | 96% |
| Club membership | Optional; separate private club | Mandatory, joined at closing |
| Membership entry cost (2026, as reported by local brokerages) | n/a (optional) | $500,000 club contribution + $50,000 POA contribution = $550,000 |
| Annual club dues (2026, as reported) | n/a (optional) | About $50,566 plus tax and POA fees |
| Median HOA / POA dues reported in MLS listings | About $345 per month | About $707 per month |
| Median annual property tax of homes sold | About $70,000 | About $19,000 |
| Golf | Jack Nicklaus Signature course at the private club | Two championship courses (Arnold Palmer and Tom Fazio designs) |
| Water | Deep-water canals and Intracoastal frontage, no fixed bridges to the ocean; yacht club and marina | Lake lots only; no boating |
Source: BeachesMLS closed sales, $1,000,000 and up, Oct 17, 2024 to Oct 17, 2026, compiled by Ricky Estera on October 17, 2026. HOA and tax figures are medians of what listing agents reported; membership figures are as reported by local brokerages in 2026. All are for orientation only; confirm current figures with each club and the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser.
Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club: the waterfront estate market
Royal Palm was laid out in 1959 on the land between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Boca Inlet, directly south of The Boca Raton resort. It is the only neighborhood in Boca Raton where a buyer can have deep-water dockage with no fixed bridges, a Nicklaus Signature golf course, a yacht club and a walk to the beach and downtown in the same address. That combination is why the market here behaves like Palm Beach or Miami Beach rather than the rest of Boca.
What sold. Eighty-five homes closed in the 24 months, all single-family, from $3.3 million for an older house on a dry lot to $75 million for a waterfront estate. Thirty-seven of the 85 sales (44 percent) closed at $10 million or more. The median home was about 6,600 square feet with five bedrooms on a lot of roughly a third of an acre, and it sold for about $1,450 per square foot.
The trend. Volume is accelerating. Forty-nine homes closed in the most recent 12 months against 36 in the 12 before, a 36 percent increase, and the median price moved from $8.95 million to $10.24 million. The driver is new construction: 32 percent of sales were homes built in 2022 or later, and spec builders have been buying original houses on the best canal lots, replacing them with 8,000 to 12,000 square foot contemporary estates, and reselling in the $15 million to $40 million range.
How it trades. Royal Palm is a patient market. The median sale took 98 days to go under contract and the average took 134, because trophy properties are priced for one buyer and wait for that buyer. Homes closed at 92 percent of final list and 89 percent of the original asking price, so negotiation room is real, especially on homes that have sat past 120 days. Seventy-nine percent of buyers paid cash.
Inventory today. As of mid-October 2026 there are about 24 homes for sale and 2 under contract on the live map of Royal Palm. At the current pace of 49 sales a year that is roughly six months of supply, which is balanced for an estate market and gives buyers more choice than they have had in several years. Sellers of renovated or newly built homes on deep water still command premiums; sellers of original, unrenovated homes are increasingly competing with builders for the same lot buyer.
Membership. Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, the club, is a private entity with the golf course, yacht club, marina, dining and fitness. Membership is by invitation and is optional for homeowners; many residents belong, many do not, and some belong instead to The Boca Raton resort's club next door. The neighborhood's own association dues reported in listings run about $345 a month.
St Andrews Country Club: the mandatory-membership golf community
St Andrews occupies more than 700 acres on Clint Moore Road west of I-95, behind a guarded gate, around two championship courses, a large clubhouse, tennis and pickleball, aquatics, fitness and spa facilities, and a calendar of club events that runs all season. It has been one of the top-rated private residential clubs in the country for years, and the club has reinvested heavily in its amenities in the last decade.
What sold. Seventy-five properties closed in the 24 months, 71 of them single-family homes, from $1.3 million to $15.75 million. Twenty-eight sales were under $3 million, 21 were between $3 million and $5 million, and 26 were $5 million or more, including six at $10 million and up. The median home was about 4,540 square feet with five bedrooms on a third-acre lot, sold for about $825 per square foot, and was built in 1990. Most have been renovated at least once; 13 percent of sales were homes built in 2022 or later.
The trend. Fewer sales, much higher prices. Thirty-four homes closed in the last 12 months against 41 in the 12 before, while the median price jumped from $2.95 million to $4.08 million, a 38 percent increase. Part of that is mix: the newer estates in the community's later sub-neighborhoods are now the homes trading, and they trade at $5 million to $8 million rather than $2 million to $3 million. Part is scarcity: with membership mandatory, the buyer pool is self-selected, and well-renovated homes in the $3 million to $5 million range have had little competition.
How it trades. St Andrews is a quick market by luxury standards: a 48-day median to contract and an 86-day average, with homes closing at 93 percent of final list and 90 percent of the original asking price. Ninety-six percent of buyers paid cash, in part because the membership contribution is also due at closing.
Membership. Every home purchase in St Andrews comes with mandatory membership in St Andrews Country Club. As of September 1, 2026 the entry cost was reported at $550,000: a $500,000 club membership contribution (up from $450,000) plus a $50,000 property owners association contribution, with annual dues reported at about $50,566 plus sales tax. Fees change often and should be confirmed with the membership office before you make an offer; the full membership breakdown is on Ricky's St Andrews site. Reported community dues run about $707 a month.
What the price per foot is really telling you
Royal Palm's $1,451 per square foot is not for a better house than St Andrews' $825. It is for the land. A third-acre deep-water lot in Royal Palm is worth $5 million to $10 million before anything is built on it, and the price per foot of a finished home carries that lot value. In St Andrews, lot value is a fraction of the total and most of what you pay is the structure and the renovation. The practical result: in Royal Palm, condition matters less than the lot and its exposure, and a dated house on a wide canal often sells to a builder at close to lot value. In St Andrews, condition is everything, and a well-renovated home will out-sell a larger original one by a wide margin.
Who chooses Royal Palm
- Boaters. Deep-water dockage with no fixed bridges to the Boca Inlet and the ocean. This is the reason most Royal Palm buyers are in Royal Palm.
- Buyers who want to be in town. The Boca Raton resort, Mizner Park, Royal Palm Place and the beach are minutes away. Families from Manhattan, Long Island's North Shore, Greenwich and Montreal who are used to walking to dinner tend to land here.
- New-construction buyers. A third of recent sales were 2022-or-newer homes, and most of the best spec and custom construction in Boca is happening on these streets.
- Buyers who do not want a club requirement. You can own here without joining anything.
- Budgets of roughly $4 million and up. There were no sales under $3.3 million in 24 months and only 14 under $5 million.
Who chooses St Andrews
- Golf families. Two courses, no tee-time scramble, and a club that is the center of the social calendar.
- Families who want the full club. Tennis, pickleball, aquatics, fitness, spa, children's programs and a large, active membership. The closest South Florida equivalent to a classic Northeast or Midwest country club, which is why families from Short Hills, Scarsdale, Wellesley, Winnetka and Bloomfield Hills feel at home.
- Buyers who want a gate. A guarded entrance and internal sub-neighborhoods, each with its own character.
- Value relative to East Boca. A renovated 5,000 square foot home for $3.5 million to $5 million, which buys an original house on a dry lot in Royal Palm.
- Buyers comfortable with mandatory membership and the $550,000 entry cost at closing.
How they compare with Boca Raton's other top communities
Same data, same 24 months, same $1 million floor. This is the context most comparison articles leave out.
| Community | Closed sales (24 mo) | Median price | Median days to contract | Approx. homes | Membership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Palm Yacht & CC | 85 | $9.0M | 98 | 680 | Optional |
| St Andrews CC | 75 | $3.5M | 48 | 740 | Mandatory equity |
| Boca Bridges | 68 | $3.1M | 51 | 600 | None (HOA clubhouse) |
| The Oaks at Boca Raton | 75 | $2.5M | 41 | 469 | None (HOA clubhouse) |
| Woodfield Country Club | 102 | $2.2M | 22 | 1,297 | Mandatory |
| Boca Grove | 26 | $2.1M | 39 | 440 | Mandatory |
| The Polo Club | 112 | $1.9M | under 30 | 1,700 | Mandatory |
| Broken Sound | 81 | $1.5M | under 30 | 1,600+ | Mandatory |
Polo Club and Broken Sound days on market are understated in MLS because many sales there are entered by the club's own brokerage after the fact. Membership figures are general and change; confirm with each club.
Two things stand out. First, Royal Palm is in a price tier by itself: its median is nearly three times St Andrews and four times Boca Bridges, the next most expensive community on the list. Second, St Andrews is the most expensive of the mandatory-membership clubs by a wide margin, and the only one where a meaningful share of sales (26 of 75) closed above $5 million. Buyers who want a club but not St Andrews prices usually look next at Woodfield; buyers who want St Andrews-scale homes without a club requirement usually look at Boca Bridges or The Oaks.
Advice for buyers
- Decide water or golf first. It sounds obvious, but buyers who tour both without deciding end up anchoring on price per foot and comparing things that are not comparable.
- In Royal Palm, underwrite the lot. Canal width, exposure, seawall and dock condition, bridge clearance and the view line matter more than the kitchen. Ricky can tell you what builders are paying for lots on each street, which is the floor under any renovated home's value.
- In St Andrews, underwrite the membership. Get the current membership agreement, dues schedule and any pending assessments from the club before you make an offer, and budget the contribution as part of the purchase price. Ask which membership class transfers with the home.
- Use the days-on-market data. A Royal Palm home past 120 days has usually been priced for a buyer who has not appeared; the 89 percent sold-to-original-list ratio tells you where those negotiations land. In St Andrews, a renovated home priced right is often under contract inside six weeks, so be ready to move.
- Look at what is not on the MLS. In both communities a share of sales, particularly in Royal Palm, never hit the open market. Ricky tracks pending and off-market opportunities in both.
Advice for sellers
Royal Palm owners are in the strongest seller's position the neighborhood has had: 49 sales in 12 months, a median above $10 million and buyers paying cash. The decision is whether to sell to an end user or to a builder; a well-presented, renovated home on good water sells to a family at a premium, while an original home is usually worth more to a builder than to a buyer who would renovate. Ricky prices both scenarios so you can choose. St Andrews owners have seen the median move up 38 percent in a year with fewer homes trading; a renovated home in the $3 million to $6 million range has had a thin field of competition in 2026. In both communities Ricky represents sellers with a marketing plan built around the specific buyer for the house, not a generic listing. Request a current valuation, or read how the relocating buyers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and California who make up much of the demand decide between the two.
Market figures on this page are compiled from BeachesMLS closed sales and are believed accurate but not guaranteed; they exclude sales under $1 million and transactions not reported to the MLS. Membership, dues and tax figures are as reported in 2026, for orientation, and change over time. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
