diff --git a/src/components/map/energy-map.tsx b/src/components/map/energy-map.tsx
index 48cb5e8..b29204a 100644
--- a/src/components/map/energy-map.tsx
+++ b/src/components/map/energy-map.tsx
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export function EnergyMap({ datacenters, regions }: EnergyMapProps) {
               dcRegion.avgPrice !== null &&
               dcRegion.maxPrice !== null &&
               dcRegion.avgPrice > 0 &&
-              dcRegion.maxPrice > dcRegion.avgPrice * 1.1;
+              dcRegion.maxPrice > dcRegion.avgPrice * 1.03;
             return (
               <DatacenterMarker key={dc.id} datacenter={dc} onClick={handleDatacenterClick} isPulsing={isPulsing} />
             );
diff --git a/src/components/map/region-overlay.tsx b/src/components/map/region-overlay.tsx
index 49af3c4..77fb719 100644
--- a/src/components/map/region-overlay.tsx
+++ b/src/components/map/region-overlay.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 'use client';
 
 import { useMap } from '@vis.gl/react-google-maps';
-import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
 
 export interface RegionHeatmapData {
   code: string;
@@ -19,8 +19,15 @@ interface RegionOverlayProps {
   onRegionClick: (regionCode: string) => void;
 }
 
-function priceToColor(price: number | null): string {
-  if (price === null || price <= 0) return 'rgba(100, 100, 100, 0.25)';
+interface PriceColorResult {
+  fillColor: string;
+  fillOpacity: number;
+}
+
+function priceToColor(price: number | null): PriceColorResult {
+  if (price === null || price <= 0) {
+    return { fillColor: 'rgb(100, 100, 100)', fillOpacity: 0.25 };
+  }
 
   // Scale: 0-20 cool blue, 20-50 yellow/orange, 50+ red/magenta
   const clamped = Math.min(price, 100);
@@ -29,18 +36,32 @@ function priceToColor(price: number | null): string {
   if (ratio < 0.2) {
     // Blue to cyan
     const t = ratio / 0.2;
-    return `rgba(${Math.round(30 + t * 30)}, ${Math.round(80 + t * 140)}, ${Math.round(220 - t * 20)}, 0.30)`;
+    return {
+      fillColor: `rgb(${Math.round(30 + t * 30)}, ${Math.round(80 + t * 140)}, ${Math.round(220 - t * 20)})`,
+      fillOpacity: 0.25 + ratio * 0.25,
+    };
   } else if (ratio < 0.5) {
     // Cyan to yellow/orange
     const t = (ratio - 0.2) / 0.3;
-    return `rgba(${Math.round(60 + t * 195)}, ${Math.round(220 - t * 60)}, ${Math.round(200 - t * 170)}, 0.35)`;
+    return {
+      fillColor: `rgb(${Math.round(60 + t * 195)}, ${Math.round(220 - t * 60)}, ${Math.round(200 - t * 170)})`,
+      fillOpacity: 0.3 + (ratio - 0.2) * 0.33,
+    };
   } else {
     // Orange to red/magenta
     const t = (ratio - 0.5) / 0.5;
-    return `rgba(${Math.round(255 - t * 35)}, ${Math.round(160 - t * 120)}, ${Math.round(30 + t * 80)}, 0.40)`;
+    return {
+      fillColor: `rgb(${Math.round(255 - t * 35)}, ${Math.round(160 - t * 120)}, ${Math.round(30 + t * 80)})`,
+      fillOpacity: 0.35 + (ratio - 0.5) * 0.1,
+    };
   }
 }
 
+/** Return the base fill opacity for a given price (used by breathing animation). */
+function priceToBaseOpacity(price: number | null): number {
+  return priceToColor(price).fillOpacity;
+}
+
 function priceToBorderColor(price: number | null): string {
   if (price === null || price <= 0) return 'rgba(150, 150, 150, 0.4)';
 
@@ -56,6 +77,34 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
   const map = useMap();
   const dataLayerRef = useRef<google.maps.Data | null>(null);
   const listenersRef = useRef<google.maps.MapsEventListener[]>([]);
+  const priceMapRef = useRef<Map<string, RegionHeatmapData>>(new Map());
+  const hoveredFeatureRef = useRef<google.maps.Data.Feature | null>(null);
+  const breathingTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setInterval> | null>(null);
+
+  /** Apply breathing opacity to all non-hovered features. */
+  const applyBreathingFrame = useCallback((dataLayer: google.maps.Data, timestamp: number) => {
+    dataLayer.forEach(feature => {
+      // Skip the currently hovered feature — it has its own highlight style
+      if (feature === hoveredFeatureRef.current) return;
+
+      const rawCode = feature.getProperty('code');
+      const code = typeof rawCode === 'string' ? rawCode : '';
+      const regionData = priceMapRef.current.get(code);
+      const price = regionData?.avgPrice ?? null;
+
+      const baseOpacity = priceToBaseOpacity(price);
+
+      // Higher-priced regions breathe faster (higher frequency) and with more amplitude
+      const priceRatio = price !== null && price > 0 ? Math.min(price, 100) / 100 : 0;
+      const frequency = 0.8 + priceRatio * 1.2; // 0.8 Hz (cheap) to 2.0 Hz (expensive)
+      const amplitude = 0.05 + priceRatio * 0.1; // +/- 0.05 (cheap) to +/- 0.15 (expensive)
+
+      const oscillation = Math.sin((timestamp / 1000) * frequency * 2 * Math.PI) * amplitude;
+      const newOpacity = Math.max(0.1, Math.min(0.5, baseOpacity + oscillation));
+
+      dataLayer.overrideStyle(feature, { fillOpacity: newOpacity });
+    });
+  }, []);
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (!map) return;
@@ -69,6 +118,10 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
       listener.remove();
     }
     listenersRef.current = [];
+    if (breathingTimerRef.current !== null) {
+      clearInterval(breathingTimerRef.current);
+      breathingTimerRef.current = null;
+    }
 
     const dataLayer = new google.maps.Data({ map });
     dataLayerRef.current = dataLayer;
@@ -90,6 +143,7 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
         }
       }
     }
+    priceMapRef.current = priceMap;
 
     // Style features by price
     dataLayer.setStyle(feature => {
@@ -97,10 +151,11 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
       const code = typeof rawCode === 'string' ? rawCode : '';
       const regionData = priceMap.get(code);
       const price = regionData?.avgPrice ?? null;
+      const { fillColor, fillOpacity } = priceToColor(price);
 
       return {
-        fillColor: priceToColor(price),
-        fillOpacity: 1,
+        fillColor,
+        fillOpacity,
         strokeColor: priceToBorderColor(price),
         strokeWeight: 1.5,
         strokeOpacity: 0.8,
@@ -111,10 +166,11 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
     // Hover highlight
     const overListener = dataLayer.addListener('mouseover', (event: google.maps.Data.MouseEvent) => {
       if (event.feature) {
+        hoveredFeatureRef.current = event.feature;
         dataLayer.overrideStyle(event.feature, {
           strokeWeight: 3,
           strokeOpacity: 1,
-          fillOpacity: 1,
+          fillOpacity: 0.55,
           zIndex: 2,
         });
       }
@@ -123,6 +179,7 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
 
     const outListener = dataLayer.addListener('mouseout', (event: google.maps.Data.MouseEvent) => {
       if (event.feature) {
+        hoveredFeatureRef.current = null;
         dataLayer.revertStyle(event.feature);
       }
     });
@@ -137,7 +194,20 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
     });
     listenersRef.current.push(clickListener);
 
+    // Breathing animation: ~20 FPS interval driving rAF-scheduled style updates
+    breathingTimerRef.current = setInterval(() => {
+      requestAnimationFrame(timestamp => {
+        if (dataLayerRef.current) {
+          applyBreathingFrame(dataLayerRef.current, timestamp);
+        }
+      });
+    }, 50);
+
     return () => {
+      if (breathingTimerRef.current !== null) {
+        clearInterval(breathingTimerRef.current);
+        breathingTimerRef.current = null;
+      }
       dataLayer.setMap(null);
       for (const listener of listenersRef.current) {
         listener.remove();
@@ -145,7 +215,7 @@ export function RegionOverlay({ regions, onRegionClick }: RegionOverlayProps) {
       listenersRef.current = [];
       dataLayerRef.current = null;
     };
-  }, [map, regions, onRegionClick]);
+  }, [map, regions, onRegionClick, applyBreathingFrame]);
 
   return null;
 }