The rich and famous have the luxury of spending their days and nights in homes that look more like castles — and sometimes are — in the most exclusive and coveted neighborhoods in the country and world. They spend millions of dollars to live like royalty in mansions with amenities that might make royalty blush. Here’s a look at some of the most expensive celebrity homes in history, with the most recent addition of Carlos Santana’s breathtaking Kauai digs. For fair comparison, prices on all homes bought, sold, or listed before 2017 have been adjusted for inflation.
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Elvis Presley: $937,000
Memphis, Tennessee
Although $937,000 doesn’t seem like much for the famous and wealthy these days (it’ll buy you only a little more than half the median-value house in San Francisco), it’s impossible to write about celebrity houses without mentioning Graceland. In 1957, a 22-year-old rising star named Elvis Presley bought what is now probably the most famous home in America for $102,500 — the equivalent to that $937,000 today. The mansion, now a National Historic Landmark, sits on 14 acres and boasts five staircases. With the exception of the White House, it is the most-visited home in America.
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Phil Spector: $3.3 Million
Alhambra, California
While many people hesitate before buying a home that’s the scene of a murder, especially one that grabbed national headlines, that didn’t stop this odd castle from selling — though only after years on the market. Changing hands after the owner, disgraced producer Phil Spector, died in jail for the murder of Lana Clarkson this January, it sold for $3.3 million. Called the Pyrenees Castle, Spector bought the sprawling estate in 1998 for $1.1 million.
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Kourtney Kardashian: $12 Million
Palm Springs, California
Sometimes you just have to get away from Calabasas, California if you’re a Kardashian — and Kourtney is just the latest member of the clan to look to La Quinta (Her mom, Kris Jenner, and sisters Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner already own properties there). This new-construction six-bedroom and seven-and-a-half-bathroom sits on almost an acre of land and has a chef’s kitchen, a butler’s pantry, a custom bar, and a wine room. The backyard also has an infinity pool perfect for awesome selfies, we’re sure.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: $14.7 Million
Montecito, California
The couple welcomed their second child — Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor — in June, and they won’t have to worry their kids won’t have enough room to run around. Their Montecito, California estate sits on 7.4 acres and boasts nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a library, gym, separate wet and dry saunas, a game room, a home theater, and an arcade. If that’s not enough, though, there’s a guesthouse with two bedrooms and bathrooms, too.
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Kris Jenner: $15 Million
Calabasas, California
The matriarch of the Jenner-Kardashian clan, Kris Jenner sold her Calabasas home for $15 million, a $5 million boost over what she bought it for three years ago. The six bedroom, eight bathroom home is just across the street from her daughter Kim Kardashian-West’s palatial estate.
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Ryan Murphy: $16.25 Million
Beverly Hills, California
Television creator Ryan Murphy sold the home he bought from actress Diane Keaton for $10 million — but it took a while. The seven-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion was on the market for a year and a half (and Murphy dropped his asking price from $18 million). Murphy and his partner, photographer David Miller, moved their family to a bigger place in Brentwood.
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Michael Jordan: $17.3 Million
Jupiter Island, Florida
One of Michael Jordan’s many mansions is in highly exclusive Jupiter Island, Florida. Bought for $14.7 million in 2010 (which would be equivalent to $17.3 million today), it was the most expensive non-waterfront home in the region’s Palm Beaches when it was purchased. There are six bedrooms on the second floor alone, and 11 in total. The real draw, however, is, of course, its location in the highly selective Bears Club, a premier golf community designed by Jack Nicklaus.
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Carlos Santana: $20.5 Million
Kauai, Hawaii
Apparently, musician Carlos Santana is a fan of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. A year after buying one home on the island for $8 million (which he’s currently trying to sell for $12.9 million), he bought a larger place nearby for $20.5 million. The new place is made up of four pods which interconnect around a living space with a retractable roof, one of which is the living room and dining room, one of which is the main suite (with an outdoor shower), another with two guest bedrooms, and the fourth with a garage for a total of 8,000 square feet. There’s also an infinity saltwater swimming pool and an outdoor kitchen and barbecue.
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Jeffree Star: $20 Million
Hidden Hills, California
The YouTube star says he’s leaving Los Angeles for his 70-acre Wyoming ranch to focus on his mental health according to a video he posted — but he’s hoping to make a tidy profit on the way out. Star bought the property in 2019 for $14.6 million and remodeled in a bold style. A new owner will get an updated kitchen, a game room complete with a custom Louis Vuitton pool table and Barbie pink piano (whether or not Star will be taking those things with him is unknown), a gym, a movie theater, a spa, a library, a wine cellar with a tasting room, and an underground garage and a 5,400-square-foot “beauty barn.”
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Zsa Zsa Gabor: $20.8 Million
Bel-Air, California
Many celebs move from mansion to mansion without ever making their giant house a home. Not Zsa Zsa Gabor, the eccentric and consummately quotable late movie star who spent four decades in the same Bel-Air estate. In 2012, Gabor and ninth husband Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt accepted an offer on the home. A peculiar arrangement, however, allowed Gabor to remain in the mansion for her entire life. Five years later in 2017, she passed away and the deal finally went through. Just one year later in 2018, the property sold for $20.8 million — nearly twice as much as the 2017 sale price.
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Jennifer Aniston: $21 Million
Bel Air, California After unloading a Beverly Hills property for $38 million last year, the “Friends” star seems to be hanging onto this cheaper property in Bel Air, which she originally purchased in 2011. The four-bedroom, seven-bathroom house is 8,500 square feet but sits on over 3 acres of land. It also includes a guest house, swimming pool, and a hillside vineyard.
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Gwen Stefani: $21.7 Million
Hollywood Hills, California
Gwen Stefani bought a sprawling Hollywood Hills mansion known as The Summit in 2006 with then-husband Gavin Rossdale for $13.3 million. Most of its six giant bedrooms open into the mansion’s outdoor lounge and recreation area, which includes a tennis court and a pool. Previously owned by Jennifer Lopez, it also features a guesthouse that offers panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley. In 2017, she listed it for $35 million but ultimately sold it for $21.7 million two years later. More recently, she and fiancé Blake Shelton bought a house together in Encino for a comparatively budget-friendly $13.2 million.
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Marc Anthony: $22.4 Million
Coral Gables, California
The Grammy-winning singer has unloaded his 12-bedroom, 13-bathroom (plus two powder rooms) mansion in Coral Gables, Florida for $22.4 million. Though far less than his $27 million asking price in September 2020, it’s still a decent bump from the $19 million he spent for the house in 2017. The home comes with an elevator, a swimming pool, and sits on the water to boot.
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Derek Jeter: $22.5 Million
Tampa, Florida
The retired New York Yankees shortstop had this waterfront home in Tampa, Florida built for him and his family in 2012 but recently sold. The place is massive, spanning 30,875 square feet on 1.25 acres of land and it comes with plenty of privacy thanks to a six-foot-high gate. There’s a home gym, outdoor kitchen, a saltwater pool, and not one but two three-car garages. There’s also a clubroom with a full bar and pool table. Jeter had been renting the property to Tom Brady and wife Gisele Bündchen for $75,000 a month.
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LeBron James: $23 Million
Brentwood, California
When the late King James signed with the Lakers in 2018, he needed a house in L.A. He opted for a $23 million mansion in the chic and wealthy Brentwood neighborhood with eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The ultra-modern mansion boasts features such as marble countertops and natural French oak floors made with wood sourced from Spain. There’s also a rooftop terrace, a master bedroom with a private patio, a cigar lounge, and a wine cellar. Although there’s a full gym, the home, surprisingly, does not include a basketball court.
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Jennifer Lopez: $28 Million
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Mel Gibson: $29.8 Million
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Chrissy Teigen and John Legend: $24 Million
Beverly Hills, California
The power couple sold their Beverly Hills home so that they could look for a larger property to create room for a third child, which was sadly lost to a miscarriage shortly after the house was sold. The 8,500-square-foot home includes a nod to Teigen’s background with an intricately patterned ceiling from Thailand. The two bought the house, previously owned by pop star Rihanna, for $14.1 million five years ago.
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Simon Cowell: $25 Million
Beverly Hills, California
“American Idol” judge Simon Cowell parted with his Beverly Hills mansion in 2020 for $25 million. It has 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms, and the perks are pretty great — side-by-side massage tables, live-in butler’s and maid’s quarters, and a $1 million security system that reportedly had retina scan authorization. Not a bad return on the $8 million price he paid in 2004.
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Ellen DeGeneres: $33.3 Million
Santa Barbara, California
When daytime talk queen Ellen DeGeneres bought her Santa Barbara estate in 2013, she spent $26.5 million. When it was time to sell, she listed it for $45 million and sold it for $33.3 million in 2020. The massive and elegant stone house was designed in the 1930s by famed architect Wallace Frost to resemble a 17th century Italian villa. DeGeneres extended the 10,500-square-foot property by 16.9 acres with the purchase of two adjacent properties.
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Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner: $37 Million
Hidden Hills, California
Though some adult kids may want to put some distance between themselves and their parents, that isn’t the case with the Kardashian clan. Khloe Kardashian and her mom Kris Jenner have bought two side-by-side mansions (still under construction) for $37 million. They won’t be the only members of the family in this Hidden Hills gated community. Youngest daughter Kylie Jenner has a home there, Kim Kardashian’s digs are close by, and Kourtney Kardashian’s baby daddy Scott Disick also has a home there.
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Celine Dion: $38.5 Million
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Dr. Dre: $43.6 Million
Brentwood, California
Also in 2014, another rap and media mogul plunked down $40 million on an equally lavish mansion. In this case, it was Dr. Dre who bought a 20,000-square-foot estate in Los Angeles’ tony Brentwood neighborhood. The French-country mansion, once owned by Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen, features a moat and a 10,000-square-foot music studio. Adjusted for inflation, it’s worth $43.6 million, just like Diddy’s pad.
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Ryan Seacrest: $45 Million
Beverly Hills, California
Ellen DeGeneres had been asking $49 million for her Beverly Hills estate when Ryan Seacrest agreed to buy it for what the Hollywood Reporter wrote was an estimated $40 million in 2010. Today, that $40 million would be a little more than $45 million. Either way, it’s quite a house. The 9,200-square-foot, nine-room modern home — not to mention two posh guesthouses — sits on more than three acres of grounds on a private street in Beverly Hills.
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Cindy Crawford: $47 Million
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Demi Moore: $47.4 Million
New York City
Like Cindy Crawford, Demi Moore sold her opulent New York City penthouse for $45 million in 2017 (equivalent to $47.4 million today) — she had originally asked $75 million — 27 years after she and then-husband Bruce Willis bought it. It’s a triplex at San Remo, an exclusive and storied Central Park West co-op that’s long been famous for housing famous people. Among those who owned units there are Bono, Diane Keaton, Glenn Close, Steven Spielberg, and Steve Jobs.
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Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith: $49.7 Million
Calabasas, California
Work began in 2003 on what would become Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s home in star-studded Calabasas, California, but the property wasn’t move-in ready until 2010. That year, the power couple scooped it up for $42 million, which is nearly $50 million in 2020 dollars. The custom-designed, Moroccan-themed home includes a recording studio, a pool room, a meditation lounge, and nine bedrooms.
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Tiger Woods: $51.2 Million
Jupiter Island, Florida
Jupiter Island, Florida, is one of the wealthiest ZIP codes in America, and Tiger Woods is just one of the many rich and famous people who call the exclusive enclave home. He and his then-wife Elin Nordegren paid $40 million for the home in 2006 — about $51.2 million today — just to tear down the house and dump a bunch of money to redo the 9,000-square-foot home and sprawling property. Naturally, some of that cash went into building a golf practice facility that includes sand traps, fairways, and greens, which Tiger uses to practice his short game.
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Howard Stern: $54.9 Million
Palm Beach, Florida
Radio king Howard Stern bought his home in Palm Beach, Florida, from a textile executive for a cool $52 million in 2017 (equal to $54.9 million today). The five-bedroom estate sits on 3.3 acres next to an exclusive country club. He’s not the only media personality with an enviable home in Palm Beach — Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter are Stern’s nearby neighbors.
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Tom Cruise: $59 Million
Telluride, Colorado
In 2019, Tom Cruise most recently listed his 298-acre Telluride, Colorado, property for $59 million. Built from heavy bleached timbers and featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows, Cruise designed the log mansion estate himself in 1994. The sprawling property boasts some of the most stunning views in the west and includes a hockey rink, a basketball court, a tennis court, and even some private trails.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West: $60 Million
Hidden Hills, California
The princely mansion in Hollywood’s Hidden Hills that Kim and Kanye call home belonged originally to Elvis’ only child, Lisa Marie Presley. They bought the sprawling property in 2014 for $20 million but quickly began sinking tens of millions of dollars into it to make it their own. In 2019, the home — which sits next to those owned by other stars, including fellow members of Clan Kardashian — was appraised at $60 million.
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Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks: $72 Million
Beverly Hills, California
In the silent film era, it’s hard to imagine any power couple was bigger than Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. The Bey and Jay-Z of their time, the couple was known for hosting lavish and exclusive parties whose guest lists included European royalty, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, and Amelia Earhart. Those parties took place at Pickfair (a play on the couples’ last names), the 17-bedroom, 30-bathroom mansion that served as the center of Beverly Hills movie star culture. It boasted the largest pool in Beverly Hills, which the couple used to cross in a canoe. Billionaire businessman Corry Hong bought it for about $17 million before listing it — as a fixer-upper, mind you — for $60 million in 2008. That’s nearly $72 million today.
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: $80 Million
Correns, France
In 2008, the couple then known as Brangelina bought Château Miraval, a castle and vineyard in the south of France, for the equivalent of $67 million, or about $80 million today. The main house has 35 rooms, a helipad, indoor and outdoor pools, a video game room, a home theater, and more standard super-rich people mansion stuff. Outside there’s a dirt bike course, a chateau garden that includes a 200-year-old olive tree, and, like all good castles, a moat. The vineyard supports Miraval Wines, which produces highly coveted rosé. Despite divorcing in 2016, they are still co-owners of the property and are collaborating on a rosé champagne.
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Jay-Z and Beyoncé: $88 Million
Bel-Air, California
One of the world’s greatest power couples should have one of the world’s greatest homes, an idea that is not lost on Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who plunked down $88 million on a hillside estate in Bel-Air. It’s the No. 6 most expensive home ever bought in the history of Los Angeles. Among its juiciest amenities are four pools, a 15-car garage, a full spa and wellness center, and 30,000 feet of living space that’s enclosed within six different glass-walled structures. Famously business savvy, the couple took advantage of historically low mortgage rates by putting 40% down and mortgaging the remaining $52.8 million through Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs, just like regular people do.
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George Clooney: $100 Million
Laglio, Italy
In 2002, George Clooney bought an estate in Laglio, Italy, called Villa Oleandra from the Heinz family for $10 million. Today, despite reports that Clooney was entertaining an offer for $100 million to sell the place, he and his wife Amal have been spotted there with their twins.
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George Lucas: $100 Million
Nicasio, California
Famed filmmaker George Lucas began assembling what would become Skywalker Ranch in 1978, the very next year after “Star Wars” came out. He assembled the 4,700-acre property — only 15 acres are developed — parcel by parcel for an estimated $100 million. It’s actually not Lucas’ primary residence and is used frequently as a Skywalker Sound workplace as well as a collaborative hangout for filmmakers. The estate’s parking lots are underground to preserve its natural beauty. Amenities include Lake Ewok, a real working ranch, a world-renowned art collection, and a 300-seat movie theater that is believed to have the most sophisticated sound system in the world.
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Oprah Winfrey: $101 Million
Montecito, California
One of Oprah’s homes — there are many, and they’re all spectacular — is in Montecito, California. It’s not a home, really, but a 42-acre estate she bought for $50 million in 2001. A 2012 tax assessment, however, valued it at up to $90 million. Adjusting for inflation bumps that number into nine-figure territory. Known as the Promised Land, the property is anchored by a 5,000-square-foot mansion and includes horse stables and an equestrian ring, avocado and fruit orchards, and lavishly manicured grounds.
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Hugh Hefner: $113 Million
Holmby Hills, California
The late Hugh Hefner bought the Playboy mansion in 1974 for $1 million. More than 40 years and countless debaucherous nights later, in 2016, a billionaire named Daren Metropoulos bought it for a reported $105 million, Playboy Bunnies presumably not included. That’s nearly $113 million in 2020 dollars. The famous everybody-who’s-somebody-has-been-there estate is a 22,000-square-foot gothic/Tudor mansion with 29 rooms, a tennis court, a year-round fireworks permit, and a zoo license.
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Bill and Melinda Gates: $145 Million
Medina, Washington
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, spent $63 million over seven years to build his Medina, Washington, mega-complex. It’s called Xanadu 2.0 — that’s a “Citizen Kane” reference — and if the couple sold it today, it would go for about $145 million, according to the Orissa Post. It spans 66,000 square feet, and although it has six kitchens and 24 bathrooms, it only contains seven bedrooms. Not surprisingly, it’s bursting with tech and it also houses an insane collection of art and artifacts — the Leonardo Da Vinci manuscript alone is worth $31 million. What will happen to the house now that the Gates are getting divorced is anyone’s guess, but a sale seems likely.
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George Vanderbilt: $184 Million
Asheville, North Carolina
In 1862, George Washington Vanderbilt III was born into wealth and privilege that was the closest thing to royalty you’ll find in America. His industrialist family made a fortune in the steamboat and rail industries, and George Vanderbilt used his fame, wealth, and social connections to amass one of the world’s greatest art collections and private libraries. All that stuff needs a house fit to contain it all. In 1888, he began buying land in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, for what would become the largest private residence in America: the Biltmore estate.
An army of craftsmen labored on the French renaissance château — more than 1,000 people working six days a week for six years. When it was finished, the home occupied four acres; the surrounding property expanded to more than 100,000 acres. With 250 rooms in all, including 35 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms (and 65 fireplaces), it’s one of the most historically and architecturally significant structures in the United States. The foundation alone cost $400,000. A private short rail line cost $50,000. In total, the Biltmore cost Vanderbilt $6 million, or about $184.14 million in today’s dollars. It’s no longer a private residence, but Vanderbilt’s descendants still own it. You can get married there if you like … for a price — or you can take a virtual tour of the estate instead.
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