Have you ever wondered which were the world’s most expensive homes? Where are they? And how much do they cost? Well here you go…

Antili

If you are expecting them all to be in and around Beverley Hills, you’d be wrong. This spectacular tower block, built in 2006, is in fact a single dwelling and is worth an eye watering $2bn. It’s owned by Mukesh Ambani, reportedly the richest man in India, and is to be found in downtown Mumbai. The building was designed by architects Perkins and Will, is 550feet high, has 27 floors and is a massive 400,000sq ft, including 3 helipads, parking for 168 and is also home to 600 staff.

Les Cedres

Or what about this one? Les Cedres is in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, close to Nice on the Cote D’Azure in France and was recently sold by the Grand Marnier heiress for 1bn euros because she wanted to downsize! Built in 1870, it was once owned by Belgian king Leopold II, it sits on over 20 acres of land, tended by 15 full time gardeners and is rumoured to have 19 bedrooms and an Olympic sized pool.

Ira Rennert House

Now here’s one that is in America, in the Hamptons, to be precise. Owned by industrialist Ira Rennert, the house consists of 21 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, a 164 seater cinema, 3 swimming pools, tennis, squash and basketball courts and a bowling alley and measures over 62,000sq ft over 63 acres. The dining room is 91ft long and the garage holds 100 cars. This is monster sized house was built back in the 1990s for $110 million and is now estimated to be worth at least $250 million and possibly as much as $500 million. The annual property tax bill is just under $500,000 a year.

2-8a Rutland Gate

As you’d expect, London also has its fair share of mind blowingly expensive homes. This one, in Rutland Gate, overlooking Hyde Park, was once owned by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and reportedly sold for £280,000,000 in 2014. It’s over 60,000 sq ft, has a swimming pool, 45 bedrooms, several lifts, underground parking, bullet proof windows and a huge amount of gold leaf, especially on the taps. Around the year 2,000, it was redecorated for a staggering £50,000,000. There are now rumours it has been turned into flats.

Xanadu 2.0

As one of the world’s richest men, you would expect Bill Gates to spend a few quid on his house. Well, he certainly did. This lodge-style house in Washington was built over a period of seven years. It cost $63.2 million to build and is currently estimated to be worth just under $155million. There’s 66,000 sq ft of living space, including a 1,000sq ft dining room and a 2,500sq ft gym. It is, unsurprisingly, crammed full of hi-tech gadgets and even an underwater music system in the swimming pool and a heated driveway.

Park Place Estate

This is another UK home, but this one is owned by…not a Saudi prince, but…yes, you’ve guessed it…a Russian oligarch. The 300 year old estate is set in 200 acres of parkland, close to Henley-on-Thames and is owned by Andrei Borodin. However, last summer a Russian court ordered the seizure of the estate, alleging Mr Borodin obtained £207million worth of fraudulent loans from Bank of Moscow and, in the process, they valued the house at £140million.

Cohen Penthouse

And finally, if you’re looking for a simple crash pad rather than a mansion, perhaps you should consider the Cohen Penthouse in Manhattan - part of the Bloomberg Tower complex - its 9,000 sq feet are arranged over 2 floors with 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. It is currently owned by hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen who put it up for sale a few years ago at $98million.  The view, as you can imagine, is spectacular.