Most expensive houses in the world

To date, the title for the most expensive house in the world is held by the Buckingham Palace in London. The larger-than-life property (which cannot be sold) is over 200 years old and is currently owned by King Charles III after the demise of the Queen of England, Elizabeth II. However, the 205-year-old Holme Mansion has been making the headlines for topping the charts as the world’s most expensive house on sale. The latest development has put the limelight again on various such opulent and luxurious dwellings from around the world. 99acres, hence, shares the list of the top 15 expensive houses in the world that reflect a piece of history, elegance and class.

Most expensive houses in the world

Buckingham Palace, London

Buckingham Palace, the home and administrative centre of the monarch of Great Britain and North Ireland, tops this list with its current worth of USD 4.9 billion. So, who owns the most expensive house in the world? The answer is the British royal family, as the building has served as their official residence since 1837.

The palatial royal home spreads across 8,30,000 sq ft, comprising of 775 rooms, 92 offices, 188 staff bedrooms, 78 bathrooms, and 19 staterooms. In fact, it even hosts its own post office, theatre, jewellery room and dispensary. The rear of the palace has a lake and an expansive garden, which holds the distinction of being the largest private garden in London.

Antilia, Mumbai

Next on our list of the top 15 most expensive houses in the world is Antilia. It is home to the Indian billionaire businessperson Mukesh Ambani. Antilia is the only Indian property to feature in this list. It was built in 2006 and was occupied by Ambanis in 2011. The building has a total of 27 stories and is spread across an area of 4,00,000 sq ft.

Antilia has around 168 car garages, nine high-speed elevators, a swimming pool, a spa, a health centre, a helipad and a snow room that showers snowflakes from the walls. It has been designed in a way that it can withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale. Its current estimated worth is USD 2 billion.

Odeon Tower Penthouse, Beausoleil

With an evaluated value of USD 330 million, Odeon Tower Penthouse deserves a place in this list of expensive homes around the world. The lavish penthouse was built by Groupe Mazococo and designed by Alexandre Giraldi. Apart from stretching over several floors, the penthouse also has its private lift, rooftop deck and pool. The most talked about feature of Odeon is the private waterslide that drops for one story to take you straight to an infinity pool.

Holme, London

Located in Regent’s Park in London, the Holme is a 205-year-old mansion that is up for sale at a whopping price of USD 300 million. This property has replaced the three-storey penthouse in New York City’s Central Park Tower with an ask price of USD 250 million as the current most expensive house on sale in the world. The Holme has been taken back from a Saudi family and placed on the market due to an expired loan.

The Holme, built in 1818 by the property developer James Burton, has witnessed varied residents. It was first occupied by Burton’s family, then owned by Bedford College, and finally became a private residence again in the 1980s. The property spreads across approximately 29,000 sq ft of living space and reportedly houses 40 bedrooms, eight garages, a tennis court, a sauna, a library, and a grand dining room.

As per industry reports, foreign investors generally hold such properties to add to their portfolios. Almost 50 percent of houses sold in the affluent London districts were purchased by foreign investors in H1 2022.

Villa Leopolda, France

Villa Leopolda is situated in Villefranche-sur-Mer, French Riviera, and is regarded as one of the most beautiful properties in the list of top 10 houses in the world. Since its construction, it has been home to popular public figures like Gianni and Marella Agnelli, Dorothy J Killam, and Edmond and Lily Safra. The house is spread across 50 acres of land and has 11 rooms and 14 bathrooms. The current estimated worth of Villa Leopolda is USD 750 million.

Source: Forbes

Witanhurst, London

Spread across 90,000 sq ft of floor space, the USD 450 million Witanhurst Mansion features among the largest mansions in the world. The palace was designed keeping the preference of British royalty in mind. It has 25 bedrooms along with a ballroom that measures 70 ft in length and 20 ft in height.

Villa Les Cèdres, French Riviera

Once home to the Belgian king, Villa Les Cedres is one of the admirable luxurious properties to feature in our list of the top 15 most expensive houses in the world. This 193-year-old residence represents the heritage of royal European architecture. The 18,000 sq ft mansion is on 35 acres and has 14 bedrooms. The current worth of Villa Les Cedres is USD 413 million.

Source: The Hindu 

Fairfield Mansion, New York

This massive property belongs to business mogul Ira Rennert. Spread across an area of 64,000 sq ft, Fairfield Mansion features a theatre with a capacity of 164 seats and a dining room measuring 91 ft in length. The value of Fairfield Mansion is pegged between USD 267 and USD 500 million.

Les Palais Bulles, Théoule-sur-Mer, France

Valued at a whopping USD 390 million, the beautiful Les Palais Bulles was built around 1975-1989 by Antti Lovag, a Hungarian Architect. It is nicknamed the ‘Bubble Palace’ due to the presence of a series of circular rooms that offer splendid views of the Mediterranean Sea. It was last owned by Pierre Cardin, the Italian-French designer, but it went into the market after his demise in 2020. The property has three swimming pools, a 500-seater amphitheatre and several gardens. Though Pierre has never really lived in the property, it was frequently rented out for vacations, parties and events.

Kensington Palace (9a), London

House number 9a of Kensington Palace is also on the list of the most expensive real estate in the world. Owned by Indian-origin billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, it was renamed Taj Mittal as the uber-luxury house sourced the marble from the quarry supplier of the Taj Mahal. Kensington Palace (9a) is worth USD 70 million.

Ellison Estate, California

Owned by Oracle founder Larry Elisson, this estate is the epitome of grace owing to its Japanese architecture. The biggest attraction of this estate is the artificial lake and waterfall, which is spread across five acres. The major inspiration behind the architecture of this estate is the 16th-century Japanese palace. Its current worth is USD 200 million.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Palazzo Di Amore, California

Situated in Beverly Hills, Palazzo Di Amore is one of the most expensive houses in the world. Spread across an area of 53,000 sq ft, it has 25 acres of active vineyard with six varieties of grapes. The mansion has one of its kind wine cellars that can accommodate 3,000 bottles at a time and a temperature-controlled area for storing 10,000 wine bottles. The house has 12 bedrooms, 25 bathrooms, a 24-car garage, a 15,000 sq ft entertainment centre with a bowling alley and state-of-the-art theatre room with a seating capacity of 50 people. The current worth of Palazzo Di Amore is USD 195 million.

Source: Pinterest

Seven The Pinnacle, Montana

Owned by timber baron Tim Blixseth, this property is a part of the famous Yellowstone Club, which is a private golf and ski community for the ultra-rich of the world. Apart from heated floors, gyms, wine cellars and multiple pools, this property even comes with its own ski lift. Its current worth stands at USD 155 million.

The One, California

Originally owned by former film producer turned real estate developer, Nile Niami, The One is indeed aptly named. This one-of-a-kind hilltop bungalow takes up an area of 100,000 sq ft and offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and Los Angeles. That’s not all! The palatial mansion includes 42 full bathrooms, seven half bathrooms, a 40-seater movie screening room and 21 bedrooms. Though its original value stood at USD 500 million, it was sold in 2022 in a bankruptcy auction at a final price of roughly USD 141 million.

Xanadu 2.0 Washington DC

Xanadu 2.0, the official residence of Microsoft founder Bill Gates also makes it to the list of the most expensive houses in the world. The property spreads across 66,000 sq ft and reflects the design inspired by the pacific lodge style. The current worth of Xanadu 2.0, Washington, is USD 131 million.

Source: Reddit

While a home means comfort and security for us, for the more affluent section, it is about their status too. Hence, HNIs indulge in luxury and the taste of fine living. This curated list of the top expensive houses in the world is a testimony of the billionaire's way of looking at lavish real estate.

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