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Private Island Rental: What a Whole-Island Buyout Costs, From Florida to Fiji

Private island rental explained: three ways to book one, buyout prices from Necker and Musha Cay to Kokomo with their dates, Florida Keys options, and what the rate includes.

By Wijet Editors

private island rental: a single villa on a palm-fringed island in turquoise water

At a glance

Private island rental: dated buyout prices

Necker Island buyout
$105,000 a night
Up to 40 guests, 7-night minimum, per InsideHook, June 2021; confirm the current rate with the island
Kokomo Private Island buyout
From $36,000 a night
12-night minimum, up to 30 guests, per InsideHook, June 2021; Elite Traveler reported $150,000 a night in May 2020
Musha Cay island rental
From $57,000 a night
Up to 12 guests at the base rate, 24 maximum, 5-night minimum, per Musha Cay, 2026
Little Palm Island buyout
From $175,000
Sleeps up to 60, per CBS Miami, November 2013; dated, treat as a floor
Cheapest US option
From $6,295 a week
East Sister Rock, Marathon, sleeps 8, per CBS Miami, November 2013; dated

Private island rental covers three very different purchases, and the price gap between them is about three zeros. In the US, the cheapest real option is a small Florida Keys island rented by the week, which CBS Miami listed from $6,295 a week for East Sister Rock in November 2013, a figure that has certainly moved since. At the other end, Necker Island’s whole-island rate was $105,000 a night for up to 40 guests, per InsideHook in June 2021.

The headline number is only half the story. A buyout usually includes the staff, the meals and the boats, but it rarely includes the flight, the taxes or the tip. Below we separate the three ways to rent an island, price the real buyouts with their source and date, and say plainly where a number is old.

Three Ways to Rent a Private Island

Search results for this topic mix three products that have almost nothing in common. Decide which one you want before you compare prices.

Whole-Island Buyout

You rent the entire island and nobody else is on it but your staff. Necker Island, Kokomo in Fiji and Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys all sell this. The rate is quoted per night for a set number of guests, and a minimum stay is normal. Kokomo’s 12-night minimum was reported by InsideHook in 2021.

Private Island Resort, One of Many Villas

Here the island belongs to a resort and you rent a villa or suite among others. Laucala in Fiji describes “twenty-four private villas,” each with its own pool, on its own site. Its page lists no rates and asks you to contact reservations, so there is no published price to compare.

Many islands in this group also sell a buyout. Laucala’s page does not mention one, so ask.

Island House on a Rental Site

At the cheap end you rent a house on a small island through a listing site or an owner. The island is private, but it is not an experience designed around you: no chef, no boat crew, often no staff at all. Treat any listing price as the price of a house with a view, not the price of an island. We cite one example in this article and name it as a listing.

A “private island” listing on a rental site does not tell you what is included. Ask in writing about staff, boat transfers, provisioning, generators and water before you pay a deposit.

Private Islands You Can Rent, With Prices

Most owners publish no rate at all. Necker Island’s own pages, for example, offer “Book the island exclusively” and point to an enquiry form, with no figure shown. The table below therefore uses dated press figures, named in the last column. Treat every number as a starting point for a quote.

IslandCountryGuestsFrom priceWhat is includedSource
Necker IslandBritish Virgin IslandsUp to 40 guests and six children$105,000 a night, 7-night minimumAll meals and drinks, launch transfers from Virgin Gorda or Beef Island airport, pools, tennis, water sportsInsideHook, June 2021
Kokomo Private IslandFijiUp to 30$36,000 a night, 12-night minimum21 villas and five residences; access via Fiji Airways or a private jet companyInsideHook, June 2021
Kokomo Private IslandFijiNot stated$150,000 a nightWhole 140-acre island, all villas and residences, restaurantsElite Traveler, May 2020
Over Yonder CayBahamasUp to 28 (extra charge above 12)$44,000 a night for up to 12Four villas, a seaplane for excursions, nine-hole golf course, beach clubInsideHook, June 2021
Guana IslandBritish Virgin IslandsNever more than 35 at a timeRooms from $720 (all-inclusive); no buyout price statedDrinks, three meals a day, sailboats, kayaks, tennisInsideHook, June 2021
Musha CayBahamasUp to 12 at the base rate, up to 24 maximumFrom $57,000 a night, 5-night minimumWhole-island rentalMusha Cay reservations page, 2026
Little Palm IslandFlorida Keys, USUp to 60 (resort site, 2026)Buyouts from $175,000Entire islandCBS Miami, November 2013
LaucalaFiji24 villasNo published rateDining, refreshments and most on-island experiencesLaucala website, November 2026

Only the Musha Cay row comes from the island’s own 2026 page. The other press figures are from 2013 to 2021 and island rates have risen since, so read the table for the order of magnitude, not the invoice.

Necker Island

Necker Island is Richard Branson’s 74-acre island in the British Virgin Islands, per Virgin Limited Edition. It can be booked in two ways: exclusively, or by the room on select dates, when the stay is described as all-inclusive. Exclusive use is the way to get your preferred dates.

Virgin Limited Edition publishes separate rate cards for individual room stays, and its booking page shows no exclusive-use figure, so request a quote for your dates. The $105,000 a night above is the 2021 press figure and should be treated as a floor.

Kokomo and Laucala in Fiji

Two Fiji islands, two models. Kokomo is a 140-acre island with 21 villas and five residences, per Elite Traveler in 2020, and it has been sold both by the villa and as a buyout. Laucala sells villas only, as far as its own page shows, and promises that dining, refreshments and most on-island experiences are included.

Fiji is a long way from the US. Both islands say you can arrive by private jet or by their own air service, so the real question is how many hours of flying sit in front of the island itself.

Over Yonder Cay and Musha Cay in the Bahamas

Over Yonder Cay in the Exumas was listed from $44,000 a day for up to 12 guests in 2021, with up to 28 guests at an extra per-person cost, per InsideHook. Its listing adds a seaplane for excursions and a nine-hole golf course.

Musha Cay, David Copperfield’s island in the Bahamas, lists island rentals from $57,000 a night for up to 12 guests, with a 5-night minimum and a maximum of 24 guests, per its own reservations page in 2026.

Private Island Rental in Florida and the Keys

The US answer to this search is mostly in the Keys, and the range is wide. The same keyword brings up related searches for a Florida island rental and for renting an island in the Keys, so here are the options with a named source.

Little Palm Island

Little Palm Island Resort and Spa in the Lower Keys is “accessible only by sea or sky,” per its own site, and it offers an “Island Buyout” for a celebration. The resort’s buyout page says it takes up to 60 guests in 30 oceanfront bungalows and includes an event planner, motor yacht transfers and three meals a day, and it lists no price, so you call or send an inquiry (littlepalmisland.com, 2026). CBS Miami reported buyouts starting at $175,000 in 2013.

Island Houses Near Marathon

The affordable end is a house on a small island rented by the week. CBS Miami’s 2013 list included East Sister Rock from $6,295 a week for eight guests, Charlie’s Island from $2,795 a week for six to eight, and Sea Shell Key from $3,795 a week for four. All three are dated and are not current prices.

Treat all three as examples of the format, not offers.

These are houses on islands. They are closer to a very private cottage than to a Necker-style buyout, and you should plan to bring groceries.

What a Buyout Includes and What It Does Not

The headline buyout rate is built to feel complete. It is not, and the gaps are where your budget moves.

Staff and Meals

The islands that publish detail include staff and meals. Necker’s reported package covers all meals and drinks including alcohol, per InsideHook in 2021, and Guana’s room rate is all-inclusive with three meals a day. Kokomo’s article lists the villas and residences but does not specify inclusions.

Ask what “all-inclusive” means in writing: premium wine, spa treatments and excursions are common exceptions on private islands.

Minimum Stay

Minimums are long. InsideHook reported a 12-night minimum at Kokomo and 7 nights at Necker in 2021. If you are checking in on a four-day weekend, the buyout is not the right product, and a villa on a resort island is.

Weddings and Events

Most buyout islands market weddings. Little Palm Island links to a weddings page and a wedding request form, with no package prices on its home page. A wedding on a whole island still needs a guest list inside the island’s cap, a planner and a plan for how guests reach the island.

Rates are usually quoted before government tax and service charges. Kokomo, for example, says Fiji’s 5% Tourism Services Tax applies to new bookings made from September 1, 2026, on top of the country’s 12.5% VAT, and that it cannot waive it (kokomoislandfiji.com, 2026). Ask for the all-in total in writing before you sign.

Getting There

Almost every private island is reached by boat, seaplane or a connecting flight from the nearest airport that can take a jet. Little Palm Island says it is accessible only by sea or sky, and describes a seaplane arrival. Necker’s launch transfers run from Virgin Gorda or Beef Island airport, per InsideHook, and Laucala and Kokomo both mention private jet arrival.

If your party is large, a charter often costs less per head than airline tickets and removes the connection. See our private jet charter guide for how to price a flight, and plan the last leg by boat or seaplane with the island’s own team.

For a group of 20 or more, ask the island for its own transfer schedule first. Boat and seaplane capacity, not the villa count, is often what limits the guest list.

If you want a similar budget on the water instead, see yacht charter cost.

Where Else to Look

A private island is only one answer to the question of how to spend a very expensive week. If what you want is the overwater villa, read our overwater bungalows guide, and for resort rankings in the Maldives see best resorts in Maldives. For other ideas across the same budget, browse luxury vacation destinations or the wider travel section.

Wijet may earn a commission from partner links. It never changes what we recommend. See the affiliate disclosure.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to rent a private island?
It ranges from a few thousand dollars a week for a house on a small Florida Keys island to $105,000 a night for Necker Island, per InsideHook in 2021. Whole-island buyouts typically run to five or six figures a night, with minimum stays of a week or more.
Can you rent a private island in Florida?
Yes. Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys offers an island buyout, and several small islands near Marathon rent as houses by the week. CBS Miami listed those from $2,795 to $6,295 a week in 2013, so confirm current rates with each owner.
Are private island rentals all inclusive?
Some are, and some are not. Necker Island's package includes meals and drinks, and Guana Island's rates are all-inclusive, per InsideHook in 2021. Island houses on rental sites usually are not, so ask what is covered before booking.
Can you get married on a private island?
Yes. Little Palm Island, for example, offers seaside ceremonies and a wedding request form on its site. Check the island's guest cap and its minimum stay, because both limit how large and how short a wedding can be.
Is Necker Island available to rent?
Yes, in two ways. Virgin Limited Edition offers the whole island for exclusive use, and on select dates it sells single rooms in a Balinese-style house. Both routes are all-inclusive, and the booking page directs you to its enquiry form for rates.

Sources

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