The 10 Most Expensive Mansions in the World

This February, Jeff Bezos broke Californian records when he paid a massive $165 million for David Geffen’s old LA pad, Warner Estate. The deal has broken Californian home purchase records, making Bezos not only the richest man in the world, but the owner of the state’s most expensive property. Strangely enough, it still wasn’t enough to qualify him for the status of owner of the most expensive mansion in the world. To find out who can claim that particular privilege, keep reading.

10. Blossom Estate: $130 million

Kicking off our list with a colossal valuation of $130 million is the palatial Palm Beach mansion, Blossom Estate. The huge oceanfront property boasts a seriously impressive list of credentials, including 8 acres of landscaped grounds, more bedrooms than you or I have likely had hot dinners (all with their very own luxurious en-suite bathroom, naturally), a state of the art gym, and an Olympic sized swimming pool. The epically proportioned mansion is currently owned by Ken Griffin, CEO of the global investment firm, Citadel, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, and, according to Forbes, the proud owner of a $13.1B net worth.

9. Kensington Palace Gardens: $140 million

In Kensington, London, there exists a little street that boasts more of the world’s most expensive properties than anywhere else in the world. Appropriately enough, the street is called Billionaire’s Row. One of the most expensive properties on this exclusive stretch is Kensington Palace Gardens, home to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and a wealth of envy-inducing features, including a health center, a vast underground tennis court, and, to top it all, a museum.

8. Warner Estate: $165 million

It’s probably no surprise that the world’s wealthiest man owns one of the world’s most expensive properties. Amazon owner Jeff Bezos recently broke Californian records with the purchase of Warner Estate – the former home of music mogul David Geffen, and, according to The Economic Times, the highest-priced property ever sold in LA. Bezos added the 9.4-acre property to his already heaving property portfolio in early February and is no doubt already enjoying the tennis court, nine-hole golf course, and extensive gardens.

7. Ellison Estate: $200 million

Wondering where the 7th richest man in the world lives? Then look no further than Ellison Estate, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s sprawling 23-acre estate. Built around 10 separate buildings, the expansive property features everything from a Japanese-style tearoom, a Koi lake, and another lake (what’s inside this one, we’re not privy too) to a bathhouse and a full-on horse farm. So essentially, it’s a small-town masquerading as a home.

6. One Hyde Park Penthouse: $221 million

Investor Rinat Akhmetov is the proud owner of our next mansion, a grand penthouse consisting of an epic 16000 square foot of prime Hyde Park real estate. It’s not only the sheer size of the property that’s landed it with an impressive $221 million-dollar valuation. The amenities on offer are jaw-dropping, with bullet-proof glass windows and doors (and plenty of armed guards swarming around if that wasn’t enough security), a full-service spa, a golf course, valet service, and a basement garage big enough to accommodate a whole town.

5. 18 -19 Kensington Palace Gardens: $222 million

Remember Billionaire’s Row from #9? At #5, we revisit the street again, this time with Lakshmi Mittal’s home, 18 -19 Kensington Palace Gardens. During the war, the property was requisitioned by the British government for office space. Since then, it’s passed through the hands of various oligarchs and billionaires, including the Rothschild family and Bernie Ecclestone. With opulence oozing from every pore, the residence is a hymn to 21st-century luxury, laid throughout with marble floors and featuring both a Turkish bath and a swimming pool the size of a small lake.

4. Four Fairfield Pond: $249 million

New York’s most expensive piece of real estate comes in the form of Four Fairfield Pond, a giant hulk of a mansion in Sagaponack whose outstanding views of the ocean are rivaled only be the frankly jaw-dropping grandeur of its interior. The mansion, which ranks as the largest residential property in the US, boasts 29 bedrooms (most of which are the size of an average home), 39 luxurious bathrooms, a 31-foot dining room, and more squash, tennis, baseball courts and bowling alleys than a leisure center. If you were still in any doubt about the massive scale of the property, the fact it’s got its own power plant on site should leave you in no doubt.

3. Villa La Leopolda: $750 million

There are mansions, and then there are “Mansions”. Villa La Leopolda most definitely falls into the capitalized second category. The property (which has official “monument historique” status) is situated in the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, and occupies such a stunning location it’s featured as the backdrop to any number of films over the years, including the 1955 Hitchcock classic, To Catch a Thief. These days, the property is owned by Brazilian billionaire, Lily Safra, who uses the property as the showcase for a very extensive collection of period art.

2. Antilia: $1 billion

Antilia is where we start hitting the big time. The first property to reach the billion-dollar mark is owned, appropriately enough, by India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who, according to Forbes is currently worth a whopping $60.4 billion. Evidence of Ambani’s extreme wealth is apparent everywhere you look in the vast 40000 square foot property, from the full-service spa to the three helipads to the ice room to the yoga studio and ballroom. To top it off, it even has its very own Hindu temple.

1. Buckingham Palace: $1.5 billion

Last but by no means least is the official residence of the Queen of the United Kingdom, Buckingham Palace. Valued at a massive $1.5 billion and ranking as both the UK’s most expensive property and its number 1 tourist destination, its grandeur is hard to overestimate. Even if we leave the vast acreage of manicured gardens and lawns to one side, the palace’s interior will leave you awestruck with its scale: featuring a whopping 775 rooms in total (including 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 imperial visitor rooms, 19 staterooms, and 188 staff rooms), it’s the kind of place you need a map to navigate.

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