The five most expensive houses in the world - Luxury worth 8.5 billion USD

In the list of the five most expensive houses in the world, according to the world media, this year there is none in the USA. As many as three are located on the French Riviera, only one is outside of Europe, namely in India, and their total estimated value is an incredible 8.5 billion USD..

1. Buckingham Palace, London, Great Britain

The most famous building on this list, the residence of the British royal family, is also the most expensive, valued at nearly 4.9 billion USD.

The well-known architects John Nash and Sir Ashton Webb worked on the decoration of the neoclassical building from 1705. The palace has 775 rooms, including 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms and 19 state chambers.

One of the most famous is Room 1844, so named because in 1844 the Russian Emperor Nicholas I was received in that space, and today the British monarch receives other important guests here. The legendary balcony serves as a prominent stage for the royal family during important ceremonies, and it is less well known that the palace also contains carefully landscaped gardens and even a football field.

An extensive £369 million renovation is underway, according to the BBC, and King Charles continues to live in nearby Clarence House, his residence for more than two decades.

2. Antilia, Mumbai, India

Unlike most family homes, the house of one of India`s richest men, Mukesh Ambani, "goes up". The $2 billion building reaches a height of 173 meters, has 27 floors with extra-high ceilings, each of which is an average of two floors high.

The Chicago studio Perkins and Will was in charge of the design, and the mythical Atlantean island Antillia, after which the palace, built in 2010, was named, served as inspiration.

This modern architectural marvel covers over 400,000 m2 and is known for its array of luxury amenities. Among them are three helipads, a six-story garage for 168 cars, several swimming pools, a home cinema for 50 viewers, a monumental temple. There`s also a snow room to beat the heat, with artificial snowflakes falling.

Top quality materials such as crystals, marble and mother-of-pearl, as well as motifs inspired by lotus and the sun, were used in the decoration. Security is, as expected, at the highest level, and the facility can reportedly survive an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale.

3. Villa Leopolda, Villefranche-sur-Mer

Scandals and intrigues are woven into the walls of Villa Leopold, located in Villefranche-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera.

The villa was built by the then 65-year-old King Leopold II of Belgium for his 16-year-old lover Caroline Lacroix. During the First World War, the mansion served as a military hospital, and in the 1920s, it was transformed by the American architect Ogden Codman Junior, giving it a Neo-Palladian architectural splendor.

It has 19 deluxe rooms, 14 bathrooms, and the building in which popular films, such as Hitchcock`s "To Catch a Thief" (1955), were filmed, is currently estimated at close to 750 million USD.

During its turbulent history, Leopolda was owned by numerous wealthy families, including Gianni Agnelli, the president of Fiat. A huge deposit was paid in 2008 by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, but he withdrew due to the financial crisis, so the villa remained in the possession of Lily Safra.

4. Villa Les Cedres, Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat

Another pearl of the French Riviera, built in 1830, is located in France, near Nice. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was bought by King Leopold II of Belgium, known for his vast wealth acquired from the Congo. Then the villa underwent an extensive renovation and was named Villa Les Cedres.

It covers 18,000 m2, has 14 bedrooms, a magnificent library containing rare literary works, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a bronze statue of the goddess Athena, an impressive ballroom, a garden with 14,000 tropical plants, which is said to be one of the largest collections in Europe. It is valued at almost 450 million USD, and since 2019 it is owned by the Ukrainian Rinat Akhmetov.

5. Bubble Palace, French Riviera

The third representative of the French Riviera, Les Palais Bulles, near Cannes, is the most unusual building on this list.

An architectural masterpiece, it was designed in 1989 by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag in the spirit of harmony with nature. Known as the Bubble Palace, due to its circular shape, it is surrounded by lush vegetation. On 1,200 m2 there are 10 bedrooms, as many bathrooms, and visitors enjoy swimming pools, waterfalls and events in the amphitheater that can accommodate 500 spectators.

After the first owner, the French businessman Pierre Bernard, the second Pierre Cardin, a famous fashion designer, rested here. Today, the villa is valued at close to 420 million USD.