10 Most Expensive Houses 2021

The lure of luxurious mansions holds strong for everyone. With gorgeous views, huge chandeliers, a plethora of rooms, and aesthetically designed spaces - it’s downright perfect for you.

Well, while that dream is still manifesting, let's look at the 10 most expensive houses in the world for research purposes, or just to feel envious. Maybe, someday you’ll have a house as beautiful and grand as the ones mentioned below.

Here’s your rundown on the top 10 most expensive houses in the world. Just read on. 

1. Buckingham Palace, London, UK

Valued at 2.9 Billion USD, this is a massive property owned by the British Monarchy. It comprises more than 700+ rooms, about 200 staff rooms, 50+ royal, and guest bedrooms, more than 90 offices, 70+ bathrooms, and 19 staterooms. 

Situated in the city of Westminster in London, it has been the official residence of the Queen of England since 1873. The palace is not only the most expensive house in the world but also comprises the most number of rooms to ever exist in a house. It covers about 828,000 sq. feet with just the garden spanning across a whopping 40 acres. 

Known as Buckingham House prior to 1730, the palace is an architectural masterpiece with beautiful, aesthetically themed rooms, decorated with expensive and unique pieces of art. However, it still isn’t the largest palace by volume. That credit rests with The Royal Palace of Caserta, Italy.  

2. Antilia, Mumbai, India

Antilia is one of the world’s most expensive houses and the biggest private property to ever be built. The property is spread out on 400,000 square feet on the Altamount Road, Cumballa Hills, Mumbai. The 550 feet skyscraper is owned by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani. The property accounted for 2 Billion USD and four years. 

Antilia consists of 27 floors with extra-high ceilings, making each floor the height of an average two-storeyed building. The most expensive house in India has been constructed to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8. It has six floors dedicated only to cars, a service station, a temple, a 50-seat theatre with a wine room, nine elevators, staff housing and also a spa, three helipads, salon, ballroom, yoga studio, ice cream room, and multiple cinemas.

The house reportedly requires a housing staff of at least 600 people. This gorgeous building was designed and constructed by Perkins & Will, an architecture firm based in Chicago in collaboration with the hospitality design firm, Hirsch Bedner Associates. The house is built near one of the most poverty-stricken areas, which raised controversy. 

3. Villa Leopolda, Cote D’Azure, France

Priced at 750 Million USD, this Villa is the third on the list of top 10 most expensive houses in the world. It’s currently owned by the Russian billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov, who bought it in 2008 for 465 Million USD from Brazilian philanthropist Lily Safra. The seller inherited the villa after the death of her husband, Edmond Safra, who was a Lebanese Banker. 

Spread across approximately 50 acres, the villa is situated in the gorgeous landscapes of Frances Alps-Maritime department in the Cote D’Azur region. Named after its original owner, King Leopold II of Belgium, the villa has had several prestigious owners like Gianni and Marella Agnelli, Izaak, and Dorothy J. Killiam. It was renovated in the 1920s by Ogden Codman Jr., an American architect who completely redesigned the villa while maintaining its vintage and royal aesthetic.

The house features about a dozen bedrooms, a commercial greenhouse, a swimming pool and pool house, a helipad, and even an outdoor kitchen. The Villa is also famous for being the primary set for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film - To Catch a Thief.

4. Villa Les Cèdres, French Riviera, France

Priced at 410 Million USD, the 18,000 square feet home comprises more than a dozen bedrooms, a massive swimming pool, a gorgeous library that houses 3,000+ books on flora and naturalism. The house was built in 1830 and welcomed its new owner in 1850 in the form of the mayor of Villefranche-sur-mer. He used the property to operate an Olive tree farm. 

His descendants later decided to sell the building to King Leopoldo II of Belgium in 1904 who decided to increase the expanse of the gardens surrounding the property. It is currently owned by the Italian distiller, Davide Campari-Milano. The owner of the house once stated that the villa could easily be the most expensive residence if put on the market. He attributed this to the property’s history, luxury and prime location.

The property has approximately 35 acres of gardens and derives its name from the cedar trees located on its grounds. Think of the property as a royal haven with beautiful royal traditional designs spread throughout the house. The intricate artwork, beautiful chandeliers, a massive stable, ancient furniture, gilded woodwork, a ballroom, and even a bronze statue of Goddess Athena and a handmade pond also add to its appeal. Also, the house offers some gorgeous views of the ocean.

5. Four Fairfield Pond, Sagaponack, New York

Designed by Perkins &Will, a Chicago-based architecture firm, the property is owned by Ira Rennert,  the owner of Renco Group. With a staggering market price of 248 Million USD and an inherent grandiose and luxury, this 63-acre property easily makes it to the list of the 10 most expensive houses in the world. 

The house consists of about 30 bedrooms, 39 bathrooms, and a gigantic 91-foot dining room. Other than this, the house also has its very own power plant, a basketball court, a bowling alley, squash and tennis courts as well as three swimming pools. Four Fairfield Pond also has a massive garage housing as many as 100 cars.

6. Ellison Estate, Woodside, California

Owned by the co-founder of Oracle, Larry Ellison, this estate is spread over a whopping 23 acres and features 10 buildings. For the most part, the estate is influenced by Japanese palaces and was modeled by referencing a Japanese Emperor’s palace. Priced at 200 Million USD, it is rightfully on our list of the world’s most expensive houses. 

Designed by Paul Driscoll, an architect, and Zen Buddhist teacher, the estate comes with its own man-made lake, an ethereal koi pond, a relaxing tea house, and a bathhouse. The estate also comes with some of the most expensive trees like cherry blossoms, maples, oaks, and redwoods on its grounds.

However, it is not the most expensive purchase by Larry, as he spent fortunes on the Hawaiian island of Lanai. It is structured like an immaculate lodge-like design, containing beautiful stone fireplaces, wooden pillars, and outstanding lake views.

7. Palazzo di Amore, Beverly Hills, California

Owned by Jeff Greene, an American politician and a real-estate entrepreneur, this Mediterranean-style villa is priced at 195 Million USD. It’s not just expensive but expansive as well, covering an area of about 53,000 sq. feet. This house is the magnificent creation of  Alberto Pinto. 

Nestled in Beverly Hills, the property comes with a dozen bedrooms, double the amount of bathrooms, multiple tennis courts and swimming pools, theater and wine cellar, a 27 car garage, and even waterfalls. The estate houses various smaller lodges within the property with each house having its very own theme and is no less than a holiday resort. It even consists of a revolving dance floor and a ballroom to party in style and luxury.

8. Seven The Pinnacle, Big Sky, Montana

With an impressive market price of 155 Million USD, Seven The Pinnacle makes its way to our list of the 10 most expensive houses in the world. The property is under the ownership of Edra and Tim Blixseth, two renowned real estate developers and entrepreneurs. It can be labeled as the largest property in the Yellowstone Club, a private ski and golf community exclusively for the super-rich. 

Designed by Locati Architects, the house is designed and structured in a gorgeous lodge-like design. It comprises multiple floors, with a gym, a beautiful wine cellar, as well as a private ski-lift, and even heated floors. The house is situated in a location with extreme weather, providing a vantage point for picturesque landscapes filled with both snow and greenery.

9. 18-19 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, UK

Designed by Philip Hardwick and priced at 128 Million USD, this humongous house is situated in Billionaires Row, one of London’s posh areas. The property is under the ownership of Indian business magnate and billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, the Chairman and CEO of the world’s largest steel manufacturing company, ArcelorMittal.

The house was leased to a civil engineer, James Meadows Rendel for the first time making him it’s very first resident. As one of the most expensive houses in the world, the property has had many owners including the de Rothschild family, The Free Poles, David Khalili, and Bernie Ecclestone. 

The property is roughly spread over 55,000 sq. feet and was constructed during the 19th century. Originally, both the properties consisted of two semi-detached houses that were later redesigned into a single and more grandiose structure by David Khalili. The house contains a dozen bedrooms, an indoor pool, Turkish baths, and a garage that could hold as many as 20 cars. The properties also served as Egyptian and Russian embassies at a time. However, after their unification by David Khalili into one structure, they have been under private owners.

10. Xanadu 2.0, Medina, Washington

The ownership of this magnificent structure rests with one of the world’s richest men, Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft. Spread across 66,000 sq. feet, this property took 7 years and a whopping 63 Million USD to build. The property is christened after Xanadu, to honor the fictional palace of the main character in Citizen Kane. The movie is based on the inability of a business magnate and billionaire to be happy with monetary possessions. 

The house is built to regulate temperatures more aptly on the basis of its surroundings. It houses a 60-foot swimming pool located separately in a 3,900 sq. foot building. The house also has a 2,100 sq. food library with two secret bookcases, a dome roof, and a hidden bar. Unsurprisingly, the house is filled with various high-tech features and facilitates changing of artworks displayed as wall decor with the push of one button. It’s currently priced at 125 Million USD, placing it 10th on our list of 10 most expensive houses in the world. 

Conclusion: 

And, that is the list of the top 10 most expensive houses in the world. Feel free to tell us which ones you found to be the most interesting. What should a house have for it to be perfect? For now, let the answer be ‘comfort’, hoping someday it can change to ‘luxury’.