Architect Dai Haifei and his egg home

While many 20-somethings return to the nest after college, a 24-year-old Beijing architect went a different route: he moved into the egg — an egg-like studio apartment, that is, according to Housing Watch. Dai Haifei, who bemoaned the high cost of living in the Chinese metropolis, designed his six-foot-high abode himself, complete with a green roof that sprouts grass. The egg home, which cost $969 to build and $538 to transport to the city sidewalk, has no kitchen and no bathroom, but does include a small bed and modest furnishings. [more]

From the May issue: In a city where cramped studio apartments generate six-figure bidding wars, it’s hard to imagine a place where real estate is even pricier. But there are cities out there that can make Park Avenue look like a bargain. According to data from London-based brokerage Knight Frank, $1 million would buy you only about half a studio in Monaco.

This month, The Real Deal took stock of how New York real estate compares to other major international and U.S. cities, from London to Los Angeles. We chose 25 preeminent cities, in different geographic regions, that compete with New York for real estate buyers and tourist dollars, and pored through real estate data from each one.

Which city is struggling most to weather the worldwide financial meltdown? Which has the glitziest and most expensive stretch of retail stores on the planet? Which is stuck trying to unload the most empty office space? Where are the most expensive hotels in the world? And which urban mecca has the world’s most expensive coffee? The answers will undoubtedly surprise you. [more]

If at first you don’t succeed, try flying to China. After boosting its price to $34 million from $25 million in June this year, the brokers behind One York’s penthouse apartment are hitting the road to find buyers. The Tribeca condo building, designed by famed architect Enrique Norten, is cropping up in the South China Morning Post, which reported that the building’s brokers have already spent time in Shanghai and Beijing searching for potential takers.