7 of the most expensive houses in the world – with price tags reaching the billions

Metro

15-05-2025

Caroline Westbrook Published May 14, 2025 11:08am Link is copied Comments They say that your house is the most expensive purchase you'll ever make - and for many getting on the property ladder remains a pipe dream. But what if money were no object? Then you might want to consider moving into one of the world's most expensive homes with eye-wateringly high price tags which, in some cases, even run into the billions. However, these are the sorts of properties which come complete with every home comfort you could ever want, meaning you might never need to leave the house again. Here's the homes with the biggest asking prices in the world, according to Forbes.com... (Picture: Getty Images) Kicking off in the UK, this property is located slap bang in the middle of a street known as Billionaires Row - renowned for housing some of the world's most expensive homes, including this one. Its owners have included F1 magnate Bernie Ecclestone as well as Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, with the street itself also being home to diplomatic missions and embassies. If you want to live here, be prepared to shell out a cool $222 million (£176.6 million) (Picture: Alamy Stock Photo) Over to the French Riviera for the sixth most expensive property on the list, which is a luxurious apartment sitting on top of a skyscraper in the principality of Monaco. The flat sits on the fifth floor of the building, around 170 metres high, and boasts such luxuries as a rooftop pool and a private screening room. Although it's also caused controversy due to the tower's impact on the cityscape and the influence on prices in the neighbouring French town of Beausoleil. None of which have made much difference to the price tag of $330 million (£262.7 million) (Picture: Caters) Aka the 'Palace of Bubbles', this unusual property near Cannes in the south of France was built in 1989 for French industrialist Pierre Bernard, but was later bought by fashion designer Pierre Cardin. The house features 1,200 square feet of space along with 10 bedrooms - each of which has been individually decorated by a different artist - 11 bathrooms, an open-air 500-seat amphitheater, swimming pools and water features. And it's worth around $420 million (£330 million) (Picture: Getty Images) Back to France for this luxurious estate, which is situated on the Riviera and is one of the oldest properties on this list, dating all the way back to 1830 - although it came into its own when it was acquired by King Leopold of Belgium in 1904, who renovated the property and gave it its name. It's an impressive 18,000 sq ft, with 14 bedrooms and a library filled with rare books. It's worth around $450 million (£352 million) (Picture: Bloomberg via Getty Images) Another French property, this one is located in Villefranche-sur-Mer and was another property owned by King Leopold II of Belgium. In fact it was built for his mistress, Caroline Lacroix, and later used as a military hospital during the First World War. It's had several owners in its time, most recently Russian billionaire businessman Mikhail Prokhorov, who bought it off previous owner Lily Safra in 2008. Its opulent interiors and 50-acre grounds will set you back around $750 million (£598 million) (Picture: Getty Images) Located on Altamont Road, said to be Mumbai's most exclusive street, Antilia - named after a mythical island off the coast of Europe - is said to be worth an eye-watering $2,000,000,000 (£1.5 billion), making it the world's most expensive private residence. The property is owned by billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani, and while it's unclear which of his family members live there, the house takes some serious looking after, with its 50-seater cinema, full-service health club and spa, three helipads and nine elevators. Luckily the staff of 600 are on hand to take care of everything (Picture: Getty Images) An obvious one, of course, but Buckingham Palace in London remains the world's most expensive property, with its luxurious state rooms, neoclassical decor and the world famous balcony which has taken centre stage during royal weddings, coronations and jubilees. Bucky Pal has 775 rooms in total which include (deep breath) 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. You can't buy it but if it were for sale you could expect an asking price of around $4.9 billion (£3.9 billion) (Picture: Getty Images) This article was originally published in April 2024