Los Angeles Penthouses: A Guide to Elite Neighborhoods for Your Next Move

Navigating the City of Angels' most coveted addresses for the discerning resident

When it comes to moving services in Beverly Hills and the broader Los Angeles luxury market, I've witnessed firsthand how the right neighborhood choice can transform not just your living experience, but your entire lifestyle. After spending years covering LA's high-end real estate scene, I can tell you that this city's penthouse market is unlike anywhere else in the world.

Sure, Los Angeles has always been about glamour and the pursuit of something extraordinary. But what strikes me most about the penthouse scene here is how dramatically different each neighborhood feels—you could be living in what feels like a completely different city depending on whether you choose Beverly Hills or Downtown LA. It's not just about the money (though you'll need plenty of that). It's about finding a place that actually fits who you are, or maybe who you want to become.

Let's be honest—Beverly Hills is still the place where people think "luxury" when they think LA. And there's a reason for that. Walking down Rodeo Drive on a Tuesday afternoon, you'll see Lamborghinis casually parked next to century-old palm trees, and somehow it all just works.

The penthouse game here is serious business. I'm talking about properties like The Residences at The Beverly Hills Hotel, where a friend of mine recently paid north of $25 million for what he calls "a small place." Small? The guy has a wine cellar bigger than most people's apartments. But that's Beverly Hills for you—everything is relative when you're dealing with this level of wealth.

What you need to know about moving here: the building managers don't mess around. I've seen million-dollar art collections held up for hours because someone didn't fill out form 47B in triplicate. These buildings have rules that would make a Swiss boarding school jealous. But once you're in? The concierge service is something else. Need a table at Nobu at 8 PM on a Saturday? Done. Want your car detailed while you're at dinner? Already handled.

The real draw isn't just the address—it's the ecosystem. Your neighbors include studio heads, tech moguls, and the occasional actual royalty. The conversations at the building's private gym might casually cover which private jet is better for trips to Aspen.

West Hollywood has this energy that's hard to describe until you experience it. It's like Beverly Hills' cooler younger sibling—still incredibly expensive, but with an edge. The penthouses here attract a different crowd: A-list directors, fashion designers, tech entrepreneurs who wear $300 sneakers to board meetings.

The Jeremy and Sierra Towers have become sort of legendary in their own right. I toured a penthouse at The Jeremy last month, and the owner (a streaming exec whose shows you definitely binge-watch) had turned one entire wall into a living art installation. The place changes colors based on the time of day. Very West Hollywood.

Here's what I love about moving to WeHo penthouses: the buildings are newer, which means the logistics are way easier. No fighting century-old freight elevators or navigating loading docks designed for horse-drawn carriages. Plus, you're central to everything—fifteen minutes to the studios, walking distance to the best restaurants, and close enough to the beaches that you can actually use that convertible you bought.

The social scene is more relaxed than Beverly Hills but way more interesting than Century City. Think dinner parties where Oscar winners casually debate Netflix algorithms, or rooftop gatherings where someone inevitably knows the person who created that viral TikTok trend your kids won't stop talking about.

If you've ever wondered where all those people in $5,000 suits actually live, Century City is your answer. Built on the old Fox studio lot, it's basically Manhattan transplanted to LA, complete with the attitude. The penthouses here scream "I run things," and honestly, most of the residents probably do.

I remember visiting a penthouse at the Century Towers where the owner—some hedge fund guy—had three different home offices because he traded Asian markets, European markets, and US markets. The place felt more like a luxury command center than a home. But the views? Absolutely insane. You can see everything from the downtown skyline to Catalina Island on a clear day.

Moving to Century City is surprisingly smooth because everything is designed for efficiency. These buildings understand that their residents' time is worth more per minute than most people make in a day. The service elevators run like clockwork, the staff knows exactly how to handle expensive equipment moves, and building management actually returns phone calls within an hour.

The downside? It can feel a bit sterile compared to other neighborhoods. Your neighbors are more likely to discuss quarterly earnings than the latest gallery opening. But if you're in finance, law, or high-level corporate work, you'll fit right in. Plus, the CAA building is right there if you need your agent to explain why your last three projects got terrible reviews.

Ten years ago, if you'd told me Downtown LA would become a penthouse destination, I would have laughed. Fast forward to now, and I'm eating my words with a side of overpriced craft cocktails at some rooftop bar that didn't exist last month.

The transformation has been wild to watch. Historic buildings like The Eastern Columbia (yes, that blue building you've seen in every movie) now house penthouses that cost more than entire neighborhoods used to. But here's the thing—they've kept the character. Exposed brick, massive windows, soaring ceilings that make you feel like you're living in a very expensive loft in SoHo.

Then you have the new towers like Level, which look like they were designed by someone who watched too much sci-fi and had an unlimited budget. The penthouses there are basically space stations with wine cellars. I toured one last year where the owner could control everything from the lighting to the window opacity using his phone. Show off? Maybe. Cool? Absolutely.

What makes Downtown interesting is the mix. Your upstairs neighbor might be a crypto millionaire, while downstairs lives a gallery owner who discovered the next Banksy. The area has this creative energy that you don't get in more traditional luxury neighborhoods. Plus, you can actually walk places, which in LA feels like a superpower.

Moving logistics can be tricky because of the urban setup, but most of the newer buildings were designed with luxury moves in mind. The older converted buildings? That's where you need professionals who know what they're doing.

Malibu is where LA's elite go to pretend they're not in LA. The penthouse market here is tiny—maybe a dozen properties that matter—and they rarely come up for sale. When they do, the asking prices make Beverly Hills look reasonable.

I know a tech founder who bought a Carbon Beach penthouse three years ago for what he calls "embarrassing money." The place has a private stretch of beach where he can paddle board without paparazzi, an infinity pool that seems to merge with the Pacific, and windows that slide away completely so the ocean breeze flows through the entire space. Living there, he says, is like being on permanent vacation, except your vacation home is worth more than a small country's GDP.

The catch? Getting there. PCH traffic is legendary, and not in a good way. I've seen billionaires take helicopters to their own homes just to avoid the commute. Moving to a Malibu penthouse requires serious planning—you're basically dealing with coastal access restrictions, environmental regulations, and highway traffic patterns that would challenge a NASA mission planner.

But if you can handle the logistics, there's nothing quite like waking up to unobstructed ocean views and falling asleep to the sound of waves. It's the closest thing to living in paradise that LA has to offer, assuming your definition of paradise includes spending more on your monthly utilities than most people's annual salaries.

Here's what nobody tells you about penthouse moves in LA: they're basically military operations disguised as furniture delivery. I've watched movers spend six hours just getting a single couch to the 40th floor because the building elevator was "too small" for Italian leather. Welcome to luxury living!

Timing Your Move: LA traffic isn't just bad—it's creatively terrible. The smart money starts moves at 6 AM on weekdays, before the city wakes up and remembers it hates itself. One moving company told me they once spent four hours in traffic with a client's $2 million art collection because someone chose to move at 3 PM on a Friday. Don't be that person.

The White-Glove Reality: When you're moving pieces that cost more than houses, regular moving services won't cut it. We're talking about climate-controlled trucks for wine collections, custom padding for sculptural furniture, and movers who wear actual white gloves instead of the figurative kind. I watched a team spend three hours wrapping a single dining table that belonged to some entertainment mogul. The wrapping materials probably cost more than my car.

Building Politics: Every luxury building has its own personality, and by personality, I mean neuroses. Some require 72-hour notice for moves. Others demand certificates of insurance that read like doctoral dissertations. One building in Century City makes you submit an elevator access request that includes a floor plan of your moving truck. I'm not making this up.

The Beverly Hills buildings are particularly... particular. They'll charge you for using the wrong type of elevator padding. But they'll also coordinate with your designer, your art installer, and your wine cellar guy to make sure everything happens seamlessly. It's micromanagement elevated to an art form.

Let's talk numbers, because pretending money doesn't matter in this conversation would be ridiculous. LA penthouses have been on a tear for the past decade, with prime properties appreciating faster than most people's understanding of cryptocurrency.

The international money keeps flowing in—Chinese tech billionaires, Middle Eastern royalty, Russian oligarchs (well, the ones who still have money), and lately, a surprising number of crypto early adopters who are apparently old enough to buy real estate now. This foreign investment creates a price floor that would make your financial advisor weep with joy or terror, depending on which side of the transaction you're on.

Current Market Reality: A "starter" penthouse in a decent building runs about $5 million. That gets you maybe 2,500 square feet and bragging rights. The really good stuff—the places that make your friends actually jealous—starts around $15 million and goes up to "if you have to ask, you can't afford it."

What's Hot Right Now: Everyone wants outdoor space (because apparently paying $20 million for a place without a deck is unthinkable), smart home tech that actually works (not the kind that requires a computer science degree to operate), and buildings with amenities that rival five-star resorts. Pools, spas, private screening rooms, wine storage—basically everything you need to never leave your building again.

The Arts District and Playa Vista are developing fast, but they're still the equivalent of buying Apple stock in 1985—potentially brilliant, but you might be waiting a while to see the payoff. Meanwhile, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood keep appreciating like they're actively trying to price out everyone except sovereign wealth funds.

Buying a penthouse in Los Angeles isn't just about the real estate—it's about joining a very exclusive club where the membership fee happens to be eight figures. Each neighborhood has its own vibe, its own unwritten rules, and its own particular brand of beautiful insanity.

Beverly Hills is still the gold standard if you want classic luxury and don't mind paying for the privilege. West Hollywood gives you creativity with your opulence. Century City is perfect if you prefer your wealth served with a side of efficiency. Downtown offers urban sophistication for people who think traditional luxury neighborhoods are boring. And Malibu? That's for when you want to live like a hermit, assuming hermits typically own helicopters.

The key is understanding that you're not just buying a home—you're buying into a lifestyle, a community, and yes, a certain level of logistical complexity that most people can't even imagine. Getting the move right requires more than just deep pockets; it demands working with professionals who understand that when someone pays $25 million for a penthouse, everything needs to be perfect.

Your choice of neighborhood will determine not just your commute times and your neighbors, but how you live your life in one of the world's most dynamic cities. Whether you end up watching the sunset from a Beverly Hills terrace or catching waves from your Malibu deck, you'll be participating in a uniquely Los Angeles version of the good life.

When planning your luxury move in Los Angeles, consider partnering with experienced professionals who understand the unique requirements of high-end relocations. For specialized moving services that cater to discerning clients throughout the LA area, mariomoving.com offers the expertise and attention to detail that luxury living demands.