Would you pay $40 Million to live in NYC?NEW YORK (July 10) - The cost of living large in New York went through the roof on Thursday when a British financier agreed to pay $40 million for an apartment space on the edge of Central Park.The buyer, who was not identified by brokers, is purchasing the 8,400-square-foot, 76th floor of AOL Time Warner's new home and half of the floor above in the most expensive apartment sale in the city's history.The pending deal, which includes a terrace that wraps around the 76th floor, tops the former record sale of a Park Avenue apartment for $36 million.The property, located in the south tower of the two-tower structure being built on Columbus Circle, was sold raw, with the space lacking internal walls and interior decoration."Whomever he chooses to design it for him is going to have one of the greatest blank spaces in the world," said Pamela Liebman, head of Corcoran Group, which represented the buyer.The space in the 80-story high rise on the southwest corner of the park has Manhattan views that stretch from the Hudson River on the west to the East River."It's one of those odd, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind opportunities," said Steven James, senior executive vice president of real estate brokerage firm Douglas Elliman.The towers will also be home to a jazz music center, a hotel, restaurants and shops in addition to media conglomerate AOL Time Warner Inc., and will have some 200 apartment units ranging in price from $1.8 million to $30 million.The AOL Time Warner Center is planned to open in phases, beginning with the residential units this autumn.