With money as no object, it’s no wonder that the world’s richest people often invest billions in extraordinary properties, including historic homes, private islands, and ultra-secure bunker compounds. Yet while some splash out, others have surprisingly modest tastes in real estate.

From Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mukesh Ambani to Mackenzie Scott and Warren Buffett, click or scroll on to discover the incredible homes of the wealthiest billionaires...

All net worths and prices are correct at time of publication.

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has a net worth of around $247.9 billion (£182.4bn) as of 2025. Zuckerberg created Facebook, now under the parent company Meta, in 2004 at the age of 19 while he was still a student at Harvard University.

Since then, the billionaire has developed a reputation as an internet pioneer, business magnate, and philanthropist, and has accumulated a substantial property portfolio along the way.

Zuckerberg’s home base, where he lives with his wife Priscilla Chan and their three children, is this 5,617-square-foot (522sqm), five-bed, five-bath home in Palo Alto, California. The tech mogul bought the property in 2011, the year before he tied the knot with Chan. The house cost $7 million (£5.2m) and parts of the wood frame structure date back to the 1860s. 

Between 2012 and 2013, the couple also bought up the four neighbouring houses, creating a super-compound (pictured) that amounts to around $36.2 million (£26.6m) worth of property.

Inside, the sprawling residence has traditional features such as hardwood floors and a fireplace, plus some less conventional add-ons. These include a "Facebook Canon" that launches grey T-shirts and an AI assistant with the voice of Morgan Freeman, which Zuckerberg built himself and demonstrated in a video he posted on Facebook in 2016.

The compound also offers plenty of outdoor entertaining space, including a saltwater pool, a spa, a barbeque area, a sunroom, and an entertainment pavilion.

In addition to his Palo Alto main residence, Zuckerberg owns nine more properties across San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii. He seems to have a particular affection for the latter location, where he's currently thought to own 1,400 acres (567ha) of land on the island of Kauai, including swathes of beachfront and a plantation. Cumulatively, he's paid around $270 million (£199m) for the numerous parcels.

According to an exposé by WIRED published in December 2023, Zuckerberg is building the ultimate billionaire compound on the island. Shrouded in secrecy, the publication reports that everyone from carpenters, painters, and electricians to security guards working on the estate have had to sign nondisclosure agreements. The project's construction costs alone are forecast at $100 million (£78m).

Known as Koolau Ranch, plans for the estate reportedly show two main mansions that encompass a total of 57,000 square feet (5,295sqm) of living space. Across the two proposed properties, there are at least 30 bedrooms and 30 bathrooms, alongside offices, conference rooms, and a catering kitchen. Meanwhile, a separate spa complex will house swimming pools, a sauna, a hot tub, a gym, and a tennis court.

There are a few more unusual additions too, according to planning documents. 11 circular treehouses will be constructed in woodlands nearby, each connected by a network of rope bridges. Most curious of all, however, is the 5,000-square-foot (465sqm) bunker that will join the two main mansions via an underground tunnel. The subterranean shelter will feature a living space, a mechanical room, and an escape hatch. 

Oracle co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison has been called the "nation's most avid trophy-home buyer" by The Wall Street Journal. As of 2024, Ellison has a net worth of around $275.9 billion (£203bn) according to Forbes, so he certainly has the funds to splash out on flashy homes.

The tech tycoon owns a historic villa in the Japanese city of Kyoto, multiple homes in Lake Tahoe, California, worth tens of millions of dollars, and a private golf club complete with a 16-bedroom mansion in Rancho Mirage, California.

Ellison himself admits that he has zero time or inclination to live in each and every one of his many homes. The billionaire seemingly collects statement homes, and Forbes estimates his combined real estate portfolio to be worth around $2 billion (£1.5bn).

Elsewhere in California, Ellison also owns a 23-acre (9.3ha) Woodside estate, which has undergone a $200 million (£147m) remodel inspired by Kyoto's 16th-century Katsura Imperial Villa (pictured).

Ellison also owns roughly two dozen properties in Malibu, including at least 10 on an exclusive stretch of Carbon Beach known as Billionaire's Beach. According to Business Insider, his total spend on oceanfront properties in Malibu is estimated to be more than $180 million (£132m).

In 2010, Ellison acquired the Gilded Age Beechwood Villa in Rhode Island (pictured) for $10.5 million (£7.7m). He then invested more than $100 million (£74m) to renovate the residence, which once belonged to the Astor family, into a museum for his personal collection of 18th- and 19th-century European art.

Ellison reportedly owns two other properties that he has converted into museums. He told CNBC in 2012: "I'm going to start these art museums that are basically converted homes. I have one for modern art, and I have one for 19th-century European art, and one for French impressionism."

Ellison went on to purchase the four neighbouring properties surrounding Beechwood on Newport’s ritzy Bellevue Avenue.

The five-bedroom mansion, known as Seacliff, bought in February 2019 for $11 million (£8.1m), brought his compiled Newport estate up to nine acres (3.6ha) in total.

Meanwhile, this seven-bedroom property in an ultra-exclusive neighbourhood in North Palm Beach, Florida, is one the tech tycoon has been trying to offload for some time.

Ellison originally bought the magnificent Tuscan-style mansion, the third-largest beachfront parcel in Palm Beach County, back in 2021 for $80 million (£58.9m). Despite its grandeur, he initially planned to demolish the home. However, it was listed a year later for $145 million (£107m) – almost double what Ellison paid for it – but later pulled from the market without a sale, according to Robb Report.

Setting a new record for New Jersey’s most expensive home sale in 2022, Ellison scooped up this $173 million (£127m) compound in nearby Manalapan.

His 22-acre (9ha) Manalapan retreat includes a 33-bedroom main house, 1,200 feet (355m) of private beach, a PGA-grade golf practice facility, and even a portion of nearby Bird Island.

The billionaire has also made property investments further afield than the US mainland. In 2012, Ellison paid a reported $300 million (£221m) to acquire 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai, including 90,000 acres (36,421ha) of land and two Four Seasons resorts. Ellison went on to refurbish the resorts while investing in clean energy sources.

Ellison also privately funded a residential development to increase the island’s number of affordable rental units by at least 10%. Housing for Lanai’s workforce and lower-income families has been in short supply for some time. Prospective tenants were entered into a lottery for a chance to rent one of the units, and the second wave of residents moved in as of April 2024.

As chairman and founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos has built up an impressive net worth, which amounts to around $236.8 billion (£174bn) in 2025, according to Forbes. He regularly jostles with Louis Vuitton owner Bernard Arnault and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk for the top spot on the world's richest list.

With commercial holdings scattered all over the world, Bezos is no stranger to the high-end personal property market. Let’s take a look at some of his priciest pads.

Bezos owns four homes alone in the coveted celebrity enclave of Beverly Hills, and it seems he’s creating a massive compound for himself. He acquired his first property in the area, an 11,891-square-foot (1,104sqm), seven-bed, seven-bath mansion, back in 2007 for $24.5 million (£18m).

In July 2017, he went on to buy the four-bed contemporary home next door for $12.9 million (£9.5m). Then, in 2020, Bezos purchased two more adjacent Beverly Hills homes. The larger of the two properties, the tech tycoon snapped up the Georgian-style Warner Estate (pictured) for $165 million (£121.4m).

In his home state of Washington, meanwhile, Bezos owns two properties, the first of which is a beautiful two-house estate that sits not far from Bill Gates’ Xanadu 2.0 mansion.

In 1998, Bezos splashed out $10 million (£7.8m) for the 5.3-acre (2.1ha) Medina estate, which consists of two homes totalling more than 21,000 square feet (1,951sqm) and nine bedrooms.

In 2010, Bezos undertook an enormous renovation, costing a reported $28 million (£21.8m).

And as if two homes weren’t enough, Bezos bought the Tudor-style residence next door in 2010 for $45 million (£41.3m).

The three-estate compound would become Bezos's main residence, including 310 feet (94.5m) of Lake Washington shoreline, a boathouse, and indoor and outdoor pools.

What's more, Bezos reportedly offloaded another Medina mansion in 2025 for $63 million ($46.5m). He reportedly purchased the waterfront estate back in 2019 for a record-breaking $37.5 million ($27.6m).

Bezos has long had his eye on the Big Apple's notoriously expensive property market too. Back in 1999, he snapped up three apartments in Manhattan's Art Deco Century Tower for $7.7 million (£5.7m).

Two decades later in 2019, he decided to expand his New York City real estate holdings again. The mogul dropped $81 million (£60m) on a further three apartments in an upscale Fifth Avenue building overlooking Madison Square Park. The purchase was one of the most expensive real estate transactions in New York City that year.

Over the next two years, Bezos went on to acquire both a $16 million (£11.8m) and a $23 million (£16.9m) unit in the same historic building, making five apartments in total.

The apartments have almost 25,000 square feet (2,323sqm) of combined living space and include a three-floor, 10,000-square-foot (929sqm) penthouse with a grand ballroom, 12 bedrooms and numerous terraces.

Bezos and his then-wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Scott, announced their divorce via Twitter in January 2019, so it was assumed that the lavish Big Apple spread would be a bachelor pad of sorts for Bezos.

Elsewhere on the East Coast, Bezos also owns a former textile museum in Washington, DC that was converted into a 27,000-square-foot (2,508sqm) mansion. He purchased the unique property in 2016 for $23 million (£16.9m).

Following his engagement to media personality Lauren Sánchez in May 2023, the couple decided to make Florida their permanent home. Bezos made two lavish real estate purchases that year on the Sunshine State's Indian Creek island, an exclusive celebrity enclave that's home to Jared and Ivanka Kushner, Tom Brady, and DJ David Guetta.

Bezos bought the first home – a three-bedroom Italianate villa – in June 2023 for $68 million (£50m). Just four months later, he closed a deal on the seven-bedroom home next door (pictured) for a record-breaking $79 million (£58.1m).

But it seemed Bezos wasn't quite finished buying up land on the prestigious island, which has strict security measures including patrols and aerial surveillance. In April 2024, the billionaire bought a third home for $90 million (£66.2m), bringing his total spend in the gated enclave to a staggering $237 million (£174m). 

The two-acre (0.8ha) property has 10,000 square feet (929sqm) of living space, a swimming pool, and a private dock.

In June 2025, Bezos and Sánchez married in Venice, Italy, in a multi-million-dollar celebration. The newlyweds continue to live in his most recent purchase, while the other two homes are knocked down to create space for a new mega-mansion dubbed "Billionaire Bunker".

While many may know her as the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott is also a billionaire and has a significant fortune amounting to $31.6 billion (£23.3bn) as of 2024. However, she's promised to give away at least half of her wealth throughout her lifetime, having signed the Giving Pledge in May 2019, one month after finalising her divorce from Bezos, which gave her 25% of their shared Amazon stock.

She also kept ownership of some key properties from the former couple's joint real estate portfolio, though she didn't hang on to them for long...

Among the assets she received in the settlement was this Spanish-style mansion in the wealthy Los Angeles neighbourhood of Beverly Hills in California. The sprawling home sits on two acres (0.8ha) of land and encompasses almost 12,000 square feet (1,114sqm) of living space. The trophy house features seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a swimming pool, a movie theatre, a tennis court, and a guest house. Impressively, the entire estate is run on solar power.

Bezos and Scott originally purchased the home in 2007 for $24.4 million (£18m), though it's not clear how much time, if any, they spent at the property.

Scott also retained sole ownership of this ranch-style home on the same street as the aforementioned mansion. Concealed behind gates and dense foliage, the 4,568-square-foot (424sqm) residence has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. The former couple reportedly bought the home for $12.9 million (£9.5m) in an off-market deal in 2017.

Following the divorce, Scott didn't hang on to the two properties for long. Instead, she put her altruistic pledge into action and donated both homes to the California Community Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that campaigns for social change across Los Angeles. The charity sold the larger of the residences in November 2022 for $37 million (£27.2m), while the other appears to have changed hands for $9.5 million (£7m) in April 2023.

So where does Scott call home after donating $46.5 million (£34.2m) in real estate to charity? The philanthropist's affection for the Washington wilderness is no secret – she owned two mansions in the state with her ex-husband after all. While there has been no official confirmation, it's thought that Scott has settled in Hunts Point, a peninsula town in the state. When Scott filed for divorce from her second husband, Dan Jewett, in 2022, the papers were filed in King County, a jurisdiction that covers this region.

Rumours were first sparked by the sale of a magnificent estate in April 2019 – the same month that Scott and Bezos' divorce was finalised – which was purchased for $37.5 million (£27.6m). The New York Post said that Scott is "widely reported" to have been the buyer. The home features a Japanese garden and 300 feet (91m) of coastline, complete with a jetty.

Mukesh Ambani is the managing director of Reliance Industries, India's largest private-sector corporation, which deals in everything from energy, natural gas, and petrochemicals to media, entertainment, and fashion. The scion took the helm of the Reliance empire in 2002 following the passing of his father, Dhirubhai Ambani, who had founded the company.

As of 2024, Ambani is worth around $116.4 billion (£85.6bn) and his extraordinary wealth has made his family one of Asia's richest dynasties. The tycoon isn't shy about showcasing his fortune and counts some of the world's most incredible buildings among his real estate assets.

Ambani's property journey began in the somewhat unassuming Sea Wind apartment building in Mumbai's Cuffe Parade business district. Remarkably, the entire 14-storey tower was the ancestral home of the Ambanis and where numerous generations of the dynasty once lived together, including Mukesh Ambani and his family, alongside his parents and his siblings' families, who each resided on their own floors.

The building was purchased with the spoils from Dhirubhai Ambani's then-burgeoning new business. But the ambitious Mukesh went on to build something that dwarfed the old Ambani seat...

Constructed between 2006 and 2010 at a reported cost of close to $2 billion (£1.5bn), Antilia was declared the world's most expensive private house by the Guinness World Records. Mukesh Ambani spared no expense on the colossal Mumbai residence, which comprises a 27-storey skyscraper with around 400,000 square feet (37,161sqm) of living space. 

The astonishing structure, which is rumoured to have three helipads, is said to have an army of some 600 staff to help run the vast family home.

Antilia's interior is a closely guarded secret and photographs are rarely shared with the public, however, a few glimpses have emerged over the years. Shown here in 2019 is Nita Ambani, the mogul's wife, who was filmed carrying the Indian Premier League trophy into Antilia's ornate temple following a win by the Mumbai Indians. Nita has owned the cricket team since 2008.

The home's other extravagant features include a 50-seat movie theatre, a salon, a 168-car garage, an ice cream parlour, and even a snow room to help the family cool off from the Mumbai heat.

In 2021, Ambani diversified his property portfolio with a surprising investment in the UK. He purchased the lease for Stoke Park, a historic 300-acre (121ha) estate in Buckinghamshire in South East England, for $73 million (£53.7m). The site of a successful country club and golf course, Ambani closed the estate for an ambitious three-year renovation just after the sale went through.

The estate’s golf course reopened on 8 June 2024 following a programme of upgrades, while other planned developments include the construction of luxury villas and a new clubhouse in the grounds, along with renovations to the Grade I-listed mansion.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers became the heir to the L'Oréal empire following the death of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, in 2017. By the end of 2023, Bettencourt Meyers had propelled the cosmetics giant to new heights and was declared the first woman to amass a staggering $100 billion (£73.6bn) fortune. While the mogul's net worth dropped to $91.1 billion (£67bn) in 2025, she still ranks among the top 20 richest people in the world.

Despite her abundant wealth, Bettencourt Meyers is incredibly private and is said to prefer spending time with family and playing the piano over attending high-profile social engagements. 

Eschewing the limelight, the L'Oréal vice chairperson spent much of her early career writing books on everything from Greek mythology to Judaism and Catholicism. 

Bettencourt Meyers' home in the affluent Parisian neighbourhood of Neuilly-sur-Seine, where she lives with her husband, reflects her desire for a low-key life away from the headlines. The contemporary building looks relatively anonymous in comparison to most billionaire homes. 

Despite her reported yearning for obscurity, Bettencourt Meyers became the focus of media attention in 2007 when she filed charges against photographer Francois-Marie Banier, a close confidant of her mother's, in a legal saga that became known as the Bettencourt Affair. Bettencourt Meyers accused Banier of exploiting Liliane Bettencourt, who had dementia and Alzheimer's disease, for his own financial gain – at one point she even made him her sole heir. According to the BBC, the court found Banier guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison in 2015. He was also ordered to pay €158 million ($185m/£136m) in damages. 

When Liliane Bettencourt passed away in 2017 at the age of 94, Bettencourt Meyers inherited her mother's property portfolio, including this Art Deco mansion, also located in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Pictured here is another property that reportedly passed to Bettencourt Meyers from her mother. The picturesque retreat is situated on the coastline of Brittany in Western France on the Arcouest headland. The property is said to have been used as a family holiday home so Bettencourt Meyers likely has memories of vacationing here with her mother and grandfather, L'Oréal founder Eugène Schueller.

Bill Gates, widely hailed as the father of the internet, spearheaded the so-called ‘microcomputer revolution’ of the 1970s and 1980s when he co-founded the software company Microsoft. With a 2025 net worth of around $116.8 billion (£862.2bn), the tech tycoon is a regular figure in the top 10 list of the wealthiest people in the world.

Gates is also a passionate philanthropist. The Gates Foundation, a charitable organisation co-founded by Gates and his ex-wife Melinda, has pledged to donate $8.7 billion (£6.4bn) in 2025 to help fight poverty, disease, and inequity.

Though he certainly follows a philosophy of giving, Gates isn’t above living well himself. 

Currently, it’s unclear how many properties Gates actually owns, or how these properties were divvied up in his divorce from Melinda, which they announced via Twitter in May 2021. But the pair certainly put together an impressive portfolio over their years together, starting with their main residence, Xanadu 2.0, in Medina, Washington.

The land the property is built on was purchased in 1988 and the sprawling estate took seven years to build. The mammoth project is said to have cost Gates $63 million (£46.5m), and today Xanadu 2.0 has an estimated value of around $130 million (£96m).

Pictured here are the home's beautiful, manicured grounds, which overlook Lake Washington. The property is said to derive its name from the fictional mansion in the iconic film Citizen Kane.

The Pacific Lodge-inspired property boasts a whopping 66,000 square feet (6,131sqm) of living space which includes seven bedrooms, two dozen bathrooms, six kitchens, a 2,200-square-foot (204sqm) ballroom and meeting space, plus a 20-seat Art Deco-style theatre. Throw in a trampoline room, a 60-foot (18m) pool with an underwater sound system, and a massive library with a hidden bar behind a bookcase and you have grown-up Disneyland!

Of course, the home also comes equipped with state-of-the-art technology straight out of a sci-fi novel. Occupants and guests are said to wear pins with pre-set preferences for lighting, temperature, and audio-visual systems. These pins communicate with sensors throughout the house, which ensure the lights and climate systems are set to each visitor's preferences as they move around the property.

Images of the mansion's interior are rarely released to the public, but we've had a few glimpses of life inside this extraordinary compound over the years. One of the home's entrances is pictured here in 2006 when the Gates family hosted former Chinese President Hu Jintao at the estate. Swathes of glass, wood, and steel define the light-filled structure. 

Gates may have built the ultimate mega-mansion, but his portfolio is packed with other palatial properties. One favourite escape is the 492-acre (199ha) ranch in Wyoming (pictured) that he purchased for a reported $8.9 million (£6.6m) back in 2009, and which once belonged to legendary hunter Buffalo Bill. Despite his affection for the property, the ranch is rumoured to have a new owner. 

In addition to his rural residences, Gates reportedly owns hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland across America.

The Microsoft boss-turned-philanthropist has snapped up a number of equestrian estates over the years, too. He purchased this property in Wellington, Florida, which comes complete with stables and equestrian arenas, in 2009 for $8.7 million (£6.4m). The 5.5-acre (2.2ha) estate, thought to have been used by Gates' equestrian daughter, was sold in March 2022 for $26 million (£19.2m). 

Gates also owns a 228-acre (92.3ha) horse ranch near San Diego, California, which set him back a cool $18 million (£13.4m) in 2014.

In 2020, as COVID lockdowns set in, the Gateses splashed out $43 million (£31.7m) on an oceanfront compound along one of the most exclusive streets in the affluent California community of Del Mar. The property, designed by renowned local architect Ken Ronchetti, is a 5,800-square-foot (539sqm), single-level home complete with six bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, plus a pair of guest houses out back.

The modern property includes plenty of luxury features, including a home theatre, a glass-tiled swimming pool, a 10-person hot tub, a health and fitness suite, and a spectacular terrace overlooking the beach. The home sits a mere six miles (9.7km) from the Gates’ Rancho Santa Fe property in San Diego.

While his name may be less familiar than some of the other titans of industry whose property portfolios we’ve toured, Bernard Arnault is a giant in the world of luxury brands.

As the founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s largest luxury goods company, Arnault is regularly found at the top of the world's richest list. He has a 2025 net worth of $149.8 billion (£110.6bn). Fittingly, his homes are just as luxurious as the brands he manages.

Arnault’s main residence is a spectacular Parisian mansion in the 8th Arrondissement along the left bank of the Seine. While not much is known about the home, it's reportedly worth over $200 million (£147.7m) and dates to the 18th century.

Its limestone exterior features intricate carvings, as well as a solid bronze front door flanked by two lion sculptures. Inside, the home spans over 7,000 square feet (650sqm) and reportedly includes 12 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a library, a dining room, and a ballroom.

Arnault also owns a château in the Bordeaux wine region of France known as Château Cheval Blanc, or White Horse Castle. The estate dates to 1832 and has been producing award-winning wine since its origin.

The estate remained under the ownership of the Laussac-Fourcaud family until 1998 when Arnault purchased the château and its adjoining vineyards.

The estate boasts a large lake and fountain, while the château itself has a beautifully renovated interior, no doubt filled with Arnault’s prestigious art collection, as well as a balcony overlooking the surrounding countryside and mountains.

In addition to his French residences, Arnault also reportedly owns five homes in Beverly Hills with a combined value of $125 million (£98m) and the 133-acre (54ha) Indigo Island in the Bahamas, which he purchased for $35 million (£27.5m). The island is available to rent for a casual $300,000 (£2.2k) per week to those who have the cash.

Known as the 'Oracle of Omaha', Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time. Buffett, who is in his 90s, boasts a net worth of around $143.2 billion (£105.7bn) in 2025, which he has built through his management of the firm Berkshire Hathaway. The company owns dozens of big-name brands, including Geico, Duracell, and Dairy Queen.

But in spite of his vast riches, the world’s seventh-wealthiest man still chooses to live a remarkably simple lifestyle…

Believe it or not, Buffett still lives in the same modest house he bought in 1958 for just $31,500, or about $350,385 (£259k) in today’s money. A rare feat for a billionaire, he’s called the five-bedroom property in Omaha, Nebraska home for more than 65 years.

The property measures 6,570 square feet (610sqm) and dates to 1921, although some additions appear to have been made to the stucco structure. Today, its estimated value is $1.4 million (£1m) according to Zillow.

To be fair to Buffett, the house does offer an unbeatable location with regards to convenience – just a five-minute drive from Berkshire Hathaway’s corporate headquarters.

Buffett has repeatedly referred to the home as his “third-best investment” and insists that he "couldn’t imagine having a better house". In a 2009 interview with the BBC, he said: "I’m happy there. I’d move if I thought I’d be happier someplace else."

Buffett also used to own this six-bedroom home in Emerald Bay, Laguna Beach – one of California's most exclusive neighbourhoods. He bought the beach retreat back in 1971 for just $150,000 – that's about $1.2 million (£879k) in today's money.

However, he offloaded it in 2018 for substantially more than that, scoring an impressive $7.5 million (£5.5m) sale. He also used to own the house next door and connected the two homes with a stairway. He sold that property in 2005.

Like Bill Gates, Buffett also reportedly owns thousands of acres of farmland, including research farms in Arizona and South Africa. His son Howard G. Buffett runs the family farms in Illinois and Nebraska, among others.

Founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX, CEO and product architect of Tesla, owner, executive chairman, and CTO of X (formerly Twitter), founder of the Boring Company, co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI and president of the philanthropic Musk Foundation, Elon Musk’s CV speaks for itself. With a 2025 net worth of $397.9 billion (£293.8bn), he is the world’s wealthiest person at the time of writing.

However, back in 2020, Musk made the surprising vow to sell nearly all his physical possessions, including his entire property portfolio. By March of 2022, he was reported to have honoured his pledge to "own no house" and had finally sold all of his homes. But things weren't quite as they seemed...

Musk offloaded seven properties during his real estate exodus, including this Bel Air mansion (pictured). At the time, he said he was renting a $50,000 (£36.9k) tiny house in Boca Chica, Texas, near SpaceX's launch site.

However, according to court filings reviewed by Business Insider in May 2024 regarding his custody dispute with ex-girlfriend Grimes, Musk may not have disavowed property ownership altogether. During the hearing, which occurred in December 2023, Musk said: "In February 2022 I bought the home on [redacted] where [redacted] and I still live". The publication removed details of the home's exact location but did reveal that the "relatively modest" property is in Austin, Texas. Musk said he bought the house after his rental address was leaked and his safety was compromised. The residence is thought to be Musk's current primary home.

Here's another shot of the magnificent Bel Air mansion Musk sold off. He originally bought the 16,251-square-foot (1,510sqm) residence back in 2012 for $17 million (£12.6m) after renting the property for two years and living there with two of his sons.

The entire estate occupies a lush 1.7 acres (0.7ha), encircled by rolling hills and picturesque views. It boasts six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, as well as numerous entertaining spaces, including a two-storey library and a home theatre.

Another of Musk’s prestigious properties, now sold, was this charming 2,756-square-foot (256sqm) residence in Los Angeles that once belonged to famed actor Gene Wilder.

Musk reportedly used the house as a private school for his children until October 2020, at which point he parted with the five-bed, four-bath home for $7 million (£5.2m). Fittingly, the house was sold to an LLC managed by the screenwriter and producer Elizabeth Hunter, who is married to Wilder's nephew, ensuring that the home's legacy lives on.

Elon Musk also appears to be building a mysterious glass structure in Austin. Known as Project 42, the 'secret' plans have been described within the company as a house for Musk. Renderings of the building show different styles of glass structure: one a twisted hexagon perched on the waterfront, and another a large glass cube, similar to the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York, pictured here.

Tesla employees were said to have been working on the development before the project's financing came under scrutiny by the US government. An order for millions of dollars worth of specialised glass sparked an internal investigation by Tesla lawyers. While the outcome is unknown, Manhattan federal prosecutors launched a probe into whether the company's funds were misused, The Washington Post reported.

Musk has also been building his own town just outside of Austin, Texas, where the majority of his business interests are concentrated. Snailbrook, as the town is known, is situated along the banks of the Colorado River, conveniently located near both the Boring Co. and SpaceX facilities, and would theoretically provide purpose-built housing for Musk’s employees. Overseeing his own incorporated town would allow Musk to create his own regulations.

Snailbrook will reportedly include at least 110 single-family homes for Musk's employees. Rent is thought to start from $800 (£221) for a two- or three-bedroom house. Plans for the site also include a Montessori school called Ad Astra.

Former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg has many claims to fame, having expanded beyond the bounds of his political career to dabble in the fields of business, literature, and even philanthropy – he was America's most generous donor in 2023.

With a net worth of $104.7 billion (£77.3bn) in 2024, Bloomberg has long boasted an impressive international property portfolio and appears to have a penchant for collecting homes with prestigious pasts.

As the city’s former mayor, Bloomberg of course holds some impressive Manhattan properties. When he left office in 2013, his primary residence was a Beaux-Arts mansion just steps away from Central Park, which he reportedly purchased in 1986 for $3.5 million, the equivalent of $10.3 million (£7.6m) in today's money. He then sank $1.7 million (£1.3m) into renovating the property in 2013.

While the five-storey townhouse already offered 7,500 square feet (697sqm) of space, Bloomberg also bought up condos in the building next door to create a double-width mansion.

Bloomberg also owns a condo in a Trump building just a few blocks down on Park Avenue, which is said to be worth around $6.2 million (£4.6m).

However, when he feels the need for a respite from the city, he just has to head out to Long Island, where he owns this spectacular Hamptons estate. Known as Ballyshear, the 22,000-square-foot Georgian-style mansion set Bloomberg back a cool $20 million (£14.8m) when he purchased it in 2011, Vanity Fair reports.

A so-called "perennial figure in London society", Bloomberg owns two homes in London, the first of which is an apartment in the salubrious Cadogan Square in Knightsbridge.

The tycoon's second property in the UK capital is a far more opulent $20.3 million (£15m) mansion in Chelsea once owned by 19th-century novelist George Eliot. Bloomberg bought the seven-bedroom property in 2015 at a time when there was some speculation that he might be considering running for mayor of London.

Bloomberg also owns a spectacular mansion in Bermuda, where he regularly spent weekends during his tenure as mayor. He bought the estate back in 1998, only to replace the original residence with an even larger $10 million (£7.4m) mega-mansion complete with a swimming pool. The property also includes its own private beach clustered around a sapphire blue cove. 

Bloomberg remains a frequent visitor to Bermuda and a prominent member of the local community.

For the ski season, Bloomberg can be found retreating to his family vacation properties in Vail, Colorado (pictured), where he owns a four-bedroom condo in the exclusive Mountain Haus ski resort. In 2020, he expanded his portfolio in the state with the purchase of a 4,600-acre (1,862ha) ranch, which set him back $45 million (£33.2m).

When he's in search of sunshine, the billionaire can also jet down to his 12-acre (4.9ha) estate in the equally exclusive community of Wellington, Florida. The property includes a seven-bed mansion and a 12-stall horse barn for his daughter, an avid equestrian.

Loved this? Discover more incredible homes of the rich and famous