Where Does Gloria Estefan Live in Florida? Inside Her Star Island Home
September 21, 2026 · 8 min read · By Onias Derilus, Broker
Gloria Estefan has lived on Star Island in Miami Beach for decades and also owns an oceanfront home in Vero Beach. This post covers the Star Island estate she and Emilio sold for $35 million in 2021, why Miami has always been home, and what houses near her cost today.
Where does Gloria Estefan live? On Star Island in Miami Beach, the small guarded island off the MacArthur Causeway where she and her husband Emilio have lived since the early 1990s. The couple also owns an oceanfront home in Vero Beach, about two hours north. Their main Star Island house has never come to market, so most of the public record covers a second Star Island estate they sold in 2021. Here is what reporting says, and what it means if you own a home nearby.
Key takeaways
- Star Island, Miami Beach: the Estefans bought there in 1993 and still live on the island, per The Real Deal.
- Sold a second Star Island estate for $35 million in 2021, a home they had bought for $1.8 million, The Real Deal reported.
- About 8,000 square feet on 1.3 acres with 240 feet of bay frontage and a dock, per The Real Deal and Profile Miami.
- Miami Beach median list price is about $650,000 across roughly 2,500 listings, per our MLS feed as of September 2026.
Where does Gloria Estefan live in Florida?
The answer is Star Island, and it has been for more than 30 years. Star Island is a man-made island in Biscayne Bay. It sits just off the MacArthur Causeway between downtown Miami and South Beach, and a guard gate controls the only bridge in. The lots are big bayfront parcels, so the island holds only a short loop of homes. Neighbors over the years have included Sean Combs, whose mansion sat next door to the Estefan estate that sold in 2021, according to The Real Deal.
The Estefans are among the longest tenured owners there. The Real Deal reported in August 2021 that the couple bought their first Star Island property in 1993 for $1.8 million. They later added a second, larger home on the island, which is where they live today. Pure Equity does not publish private addresses, so we name the island and nothing more.
Star Island is part of the City of Miami Beach, and it belongs to a chain of small islands that includes Hibiscus Island and Palm Island. Together they make up some of the most expensive dirt in South Florida. Gloria is one of many names in our South Florida celebrity roundup who chose this stretch of the bay.
Inside the reported Star Island estate
The house that made headlines is the one the Estefans called their guest estate. It sat at the entrance to the island, on a lot of about 58,000 square feet, or roughly 1.3 acres, per Profile Miami. The property had 240 feet of frontage on Biscayne Bay with a clear view of the downtown skyline. There was a dock with an electric boat lift, a pool terrace, a spa and a gazebo.
Size figures vary a little by outlet. The Real Deal described the home as nearly 8,000 square feet with six bedrooms and eight and a half baths. Profile Miami counted the main house at five bedrooms plus a separate three bedroom guest house, so the totals depend on how you count the two structures. Both outlets agree on the lot and the water frontage.
The sale history is a good lesson in pricing. In 2015 the couple first listed the estate at $40 million, The Real Deal reported. Its ask later dropped to $27.9 million, according to American Luxury. In August 2021 the home sold for $35 million, well above that reduced ask, to an LLC managed by Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group. Profile Miami reported the buyer financed the deal with a $20.7 million loan and that architect Carlos Ott had drawn up renovation concepts before the sale. Jill Eber of The Jills Zeder Group held the listing.
Why Gloria Estefan chose Miami Beach
Miami is not a place Gloria moved to. It is the place that made her. She was born in Havana in 1957 and arrived in Miami as a toddler after her family left Cuba. She grew up in the city, met Emilio there, and formed Miami Sound Machine with him in the 1970s. The band's name says where the music came from. Her career, her recording work and her family life have all stayed rooted in Miami-Dade.
Star Island fits that story. It gives the couple privacy behind a gate while keeping them minutes from South Beach, downtown and the causeway to the mainland. Reporting on the 2021 sale noted that the couple kept their main home on the island rather than leaving. In other words, they sold a spare house, not their address.
The Estefans have also spread their business across the region. Their restaurants, studios and hotels have been Miami and Florida ventures rather than Los Angeles or New York ones. We cover those in more detail in our post on Pitbull, another Miami native who has kept his base in the city.
Where else does Gloria Estefan live?
The other reported home is in Vero Beach, on the barrier island in Indian River County. Vero News reported in 2010 on the couple's oceanfront estate north of the Windsor community. The paper described about 90 feet of direct ocean frontage, a private gated entry and a tennis court, and noted that the home sits outside any gated community. No purchase price appeared in that report, and we have not seen a reliable figure elsewhere.
The couple's tie to Vero Beach goes past one house. They own the Costa d'Este Beach Resort and Spa on Ocean Drive in Vero Beach. The resort's own site says the property opened in 2008 after the couple rebuilt the former Palm Court Hotel from its foundation following the 2004 hurricanes. Its restaurant, The Wave Kitchen and Bar, serves dishes from the Estefan Kitchen cookbook.
So the honest split is this: Star Island is the primary home, and Vero Beach is the retreat. Vero Beach had about 710 active listings with a median list price near $415,000 and an average of about 122 days on market, per our MLS feed as of September 2026. Oceanfront homes on the barrier island sit far above that median. You can see the wider picture on our Indian River County page.
What homes near Gloria Estefan cost
Star Island itself trades rarely, so the $35 million sale in 2021 remains a useful benchmark. Homes on the neighboring islands, and on the bayfront stretches of Miami Beach, tend to start in the eight figures. The rest of Miami Beach looks very different. Our MLS feed as of September 2026 showed about 2,500 active listings in Miami Beach, a median list price of about $650,000 and an average of roughly 161 days on market.
That median reflects the city's huge condo stock. Single family homes on the water, especially on gated islands, are a separate market. If that is what you are after, our waterfront homes hub and luxury homes hub filter for it. Fisher Island, just south, is the closest comparable in terms of gate, water and price.
For sellers, the takeaway is about time. Miami Beach homes averaged more than five months on market in our feed. Waterfront trophy homes can take much longer, as the six year sale of the Estefan estate shows. Countywide numbers sit on our Miami-Dade County page.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Gloria Estefan live now?
She lives on Star Island in Miami Beach with her husband Emilio. The couple sold a second Star Island estate in 2021 but kept their main home on the island, according to The Real Deal.
Where in Miami Beach does Gloria Estefan live?
On Star Island, the guarded island off the MacArthur Causeway. We do not publish the address. The island is part of the City of Miami Beach and sits between downtown Miami and South Beach.
Where does Gloria Estefan live full time?
Star Island is the full time home. The Vero Beach oceanfront estate is a second home, and the couple also owns a resort in that town.
How much did Gloria Estefan pay for the Star Island home?
In 1993 the couple paid $1.8 million for the Star Island estate they later sold for $35 million, The Real Deal reported. No outlet has widely reported what they paid for their current main home on the island.
Can you buy a home on Star Island?
Yes, but listings are rare and prices run into the tens of millions. Most sales are single family bayfront homes on lots of an acre or more. A buyer's agent who works the Miami Beach islands can flag off market opportunities.
Does Gloria Estefan still own the Star Island guest estate?
No. It sold in August 2021 for $35 million to an LLC, per The Real Deal and Profile Miami. The couple still owns and lives in their other home on the island.
If you own a home in Miami Beach or anywhere in Miami-Dade County and want to know what it would sell for today, request a free home valuation from Pure Equity. Buyers can browse Miami Beach listings or explore luxury homes across South Florida. For more on the bay islands, read where Shakira lived on North Bay Road and where DJ Khaled settled in Miami Beach.
Sources
- The Real Deal, Gloria and Emilio Estefan sell Star Island mansion for $35M
- Profile Miami, Estefans sell Star Island guest estate for $35 million
- American Luxury, Star Island home sells for $35M over its $27.9M ask
- Vero News, Gloria Estefan's oceanfront estate in Vero Beach
- Costa d'Este Beach Resort, about Gloria and Emilio Estefan
Based on publicly reported information; details may change and are not independently verified by Pure Equity. We do not publish private addresses.
