Boasting eye-watering valuations even the richest billionaires would balk at – or delight in if they were lucky enough to hold the deeds – the planet's priciest residential properties are dripping in opulence, occupying sought-after property hotspots across the globe. Join us as we take a tour around the world's most ridiculously expensive homes. Click or scroll on for more...

Residential real estate doesn't come cheap in Monaco but the price tag of the most valuable property in the principality would make even the wealthiest tax exile shudder. Spanning 31,500 square feet and featuring a stupendous rooftop infinity pool complete with a sky water slide, the five-level Le Tour Odéon penthouse was put on the market back in 2016 for a humongous $335 million (£240m).

Rumour has it the apartment may be being rented by a mega-rich Ukrainian, who could be paying upwards of $483,000 (£345k) a month for the privilege. Like the rest of the exclusive high-end tower, the lobby is as luxe as they come. Dripping in marble and gold, it features bespoke wall sculptures by celebrated French artist Matéo Mornar.

Amenities in the tower are top-notch as you might imagine, and include a spa, fitness centre, café by prestigious restaurant group Cipriani, and a whole lot more besides. The mind-blowing penthouse has a number of stunning reception rooms, all featuring floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the captivating vistas, as well as a kitchen on every floor.

The bedrooms, which include several set aside for staff, are just as upscale as the other spaces in the penthouse. There's even a mini nightclub that connects to an infinity pool via a water slide. Given the astounding rental price, it's hardly surprising the property comes with a plethora of decadent extras.

These include a personal chef, who can whip up a gourmet Michelin Star-worthy meal at a moment's notice, 24-hour concierge service and a private chauffeur, which considering the price of a coveted parking space in the tower – all $300,000 (£216k) of it – is clearly the least one would expect.

Seven years in the making, The ONE in Los Angeles' Bel Air is set to be America's most valuable property upon its imminent completion. Stretching over a colossal 100,000 square feet, the extravagant 20-bedroom, 30-bathroom giga-manse is the brainchild of Hollywood producer turned high-end property developer Nile Niami.

Surrounded by a moat-style pool that makes the property seem like it's floating on air, The ONE is the ultimate billionaire home, and then some. The indoor/outdoor entrance hall will feature bold contemporary design and undoubtedly impress with an eye-catching marble firepit. And that's just for starters.

The many reception rooms will be packed with the swishest bespoke furnishings imaginable and segue beautifully into the outdoor spaces with their array of phenomenal infinity pools and manicured terrace gardens that will provide breathtaking views of the Los Angeles skyline and the neighbouring hills and mountains.

Likely to be the GOAT in terms of entertaining, The ONE will have a 40-seat movie theatre, six-lane bowling alley and coolest of all, a huge indoor/outdoor nightclub with several bars and an expansive dance floor that will no doubt host the most glittering A-list house parties the City of Angels has ever seen. It's no surprise then that it's rumoured to be hitting the market for a staggering $340 million (£244m).

One of the property's most jaw-dropping features will be the jellyfish chillout room with its glass tank walls and ceiling, the perfect spot to escape to and marvel in its awesomeness. The giga-manse is also going to house a 30-car auto-gallery, library, cigar room, gym, spa, wine cellar and numerous other billionaire-friendly amenities.

Entrepreneur and philanthropist John Caudwell pulled out all the stops with his phenomenal renovation of the Grade II-listed Ancaster House and adjacent 8 Chesterfield Gardens in London's posh Mayfair district, creating a jaw-dropping mega-mansion worth an estimated $349 million (£250m). The British tycoon, who joined the billionaire's club in 2006 after selling his Phones4U chain for almost $2 billion (£1.5bn), sunk $91 million (£65m) into the opulent refurb.

After purchasing the pair of manses in 2012 for $121 million (£87m), Caudwell combined the two properties to create the palatial Mayfair House. The rags-to-riches mobile phone billionaire showed off the sensational project in a recent Channel 4 documentary. Pictured here is the beguiling marble-clad staircase with its exquisite crystal chandeliers.

Superlatives abound in the staggeringly mega-mansion. Spanning 43,000 square feet, the eight-storey, 15-bedroom home is more than twice the size of the Royal Albert Hall. The ballroom, which exudes regal grandeur, is the largest privately-owned space of its kind in London and can comfortably accommodate 120 people.

An army of 300 builders worked on the staggeringly expensive renovations, which saw 78 miles of cables and 650 electrical sockets installed, while 20,000 sheets of gold leaf were used to decorate the interior. Among the many highlights is the Thai-themed dining room, featuring a meandering river filled with tropical fish and a fabulous faux cherry tree.

The subterranean swimming pool features a 'volcano' wall and ceiling complete with a realistic lava effect, and there's also a gym, spa, home cinema, library and Art Deco-inspired lift in the unparalleled property. Caudwell, who has vowed to give away 70% of his fortune to good causes, isn't planning to live in the trophy home. Mayfair House will instead be used to hold events for his charity, Caudwell Children.

A groovy psychedelic wonder that looks like a cross between a pad worthy of Austin Powers and a Bond villain lair, the 13,000-square-foot Palais Bulles ('Bubble Palace') was designed by experimental Hungarian architect Antti Lovag and completed in 1989. It was constructed over a period of 14 years and snapped up in 1992 by Italian-French fashion designer Pierre Cardin.

A French Riviera landmark, the Palais Bulles has hosted a Christian Dior fashion show, as well as stars like Pierce Brosnan and Marion Cotillard, and was used as a location for Absolutely Fabulous The Movie. The far-out home features a gigantic reception room and panoramic lounge filled with custom furniture, including a circular leather sofa that blends effortlessly into the space.

In addition to a perfectly round kitchen that's decked out with tailor-made fixtures and fittings, the Palais Bulles has a spherical dining room with vintage red plastic seating and round skylights that flood the space with light. Like the other reception rooms in the property, its walls are a dreamy terracotta pink.

The 10 pod-like bedrooms are suitably psychedelic and in keeping with the curvy theme of the home with their circular beds. In fact, stark straight lines are pretty much non-existent in the unique Côte d'Azur bubble home, which while incredibly original, is most definitely an acquired taste. 

In total, there are 11 disc-shaped bathrooms in the home, as well as multiple terraces and patios, three round infinity pools and even a 500-seat amphitheatre. Sadly, the property has been languishing on the market for years, with its last reported sale price listed at a staggering $390 million (£294m).

You really don't get much for your money in Hong Kong, the world's most expensive city, where space is at a premium like nowhere else. Cue 24 Middle Gap Road. Located in the highly sought-after Victoria Peak neighbourhood, the 6,200-square-foot mansion, which has four bedrooms, is on the market at the time of writing for an astonishing $451 million (£323m).

Barring the rather attractive circular swimming pool and spacious garden, the entrance hall of the home, which was built in 1991, is probably the property's standout feature. It features quality parquet flooring and a beautifully designed staircase with extra-large arched windows.

The open-plan lounge and dining room offers modern, airy living in a neutral palette of greys and whites. However, the scale of the interior accommodation on offer here is notably smaller than the other grand properties in our round-up – a testament to the sky-high property prices in Hong Kong.

Elsewhere, the kitchen is streamlined and modern, if a little on the small side, featuring a compact island and built-in appliances. Located in Victoria Peak, an exclusive enclave across the water from the bustling centre of Hong Kong, it's clear that what you're paying for here is location, location, location.

Listed with Landscope, the mansion also offers four-and-a-half bathrooms, a family room, utility room and maid's room. The garden stretches a generous 7,146 square feet, plus there's a two-car garage on the property too. 

Valued at more than $1 billion (£716m) by Forbes, the exceedingly ostentatious Antilia in India's commercial capital of Mumbai is home to billionaire magnate Mukesh Ambani and his family. Located on the city's upmarket Altamount Road, the contemporary 27-storey tower stands 568 feet tall and was named after a fabled phantom island in the Atlantic.

The tycoon's wife, Nita, doesn't waste any opportunity to showcase the amazing 400,000-square-foot home on her Instagram account, and who can blame her really. The foyer, replete with shimmering chandeliers, Murano glass mirrors and a ravishing hand-carved white marble fountain is shown here.

The grand duplex salon is equally sumptuous with its soaring ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows and gold-plated fixtures and furnishings. The twin design motifs of the sun and lotus flower feature throughout the building, which has been constructed to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake and has a staff of 600 to look after it. Amenities-wise, Antilia has it all.

As well as nine high-speed lifts, three helipads, numerous swimming pools and lush terraced gardens, the architectural marvel is graced with countless bedrooms and guest suites, a recreation area spread over two floors that houses a yoga centre, dance studio and a fabulous spa that wouldn't look out of place in the world's most luxurious hotel. And that's not even the half of it.

Built at a cost of $1 billion (£716m) back in 2010, there's also a cavernous ballroom, 50-seat home cinema and mega-temple within the building, not to mention a six-floor garage with space for 168 supercars, including the billionaire's prized Maybach 62. The property even boasts an ice cream parlour and an ice room with walls that spit out manmade snowflakes – no doubt ideal spaces for escaping the blistering Mumbai heat. 

Drum roll please, the most valuable home on the planet is none other than London's Buckingham Palace. Putting a value on the iconic 828,000-square-foot royal residence, which dates back 317 years, is tricky to say the least, but online estate agent Emoov recently calculated the cost of the property at a colossal $7.7 billion (£5.5bn). 

The Queen's official London residence encompasses 775 rooms including 52 royal and state bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 78 bathrooms and 92 offices, 760 windows and 1,514 doors, as well as the largest garden in the capital, which spans over 39 acres. The Queen is pictured here delivering her 2018 Christmas message in the White Drawing Room, one of the palace's 19 State Rooms.

The State Dining Room is shown here, decked out to recreate a dinner during the reign of Queen Victoria, though these days, it isn't actually used to host the extravagant State Banquets the palace is famous for. That accolade goes to the Ballroom, which at 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and 45 feet high is the largest room in the building.

The Queen receives guests in a number of rooms, including the 1844 Room. Her Majesty is shown here bestowing an honorary damehood on Hollywood star Angelina Jolie. The elegant room, dubbed the most important room in the palace, is named after the year Queen Victoria welcomed Tsar Nicholas I, and is packed with priceless antiques and paintings.

We obviously couldn't leave out the Throne Room, so here it is in all its glory. In the foreground is a replica of the Queen's coronation bouquet. Along with being the world's most valuable building, the palace is currently undergoing the world's most expensive home renovation, which is expected to come in at some $514 million (£369m). Interestingly, a number of other stately buildings have been used to replicate the palace in the Netflix series The Crown, such as Lancaster House and Eltham Palace.

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