Top 10 Most Expensive Houses in the World

 

 

What makes a home varies wildly around the world. From a small apartment in the heart of Dubai, to a hut in the steppes of Mongolia, to two-story prefab on a quarter-acre lot in Phoenix, houses come in many shapes and sizes. On occasion, they also come in monster size.
In 2012, the average cost of an American home was $178,600, and that includes everything from spanking-new "McMansions" to run-down ranches [source: National Association of Realtors]. There are those in the world, however, who pour entire fortunes into their homes. While even homes on the market for a few million dollars are out of grasp for most of us, there are some people who've exceeded even that expense, spending what amounts to the gross domestic product of some countries on their homes.
While every person's home is his or her castle, sometimes we still can't help but gawk at someone else's really large, really expensive house. It's in this spirit that we get to the bottom of just who has the most expensive home in the world? We settle the issue here, taking a glimpse at the top ten.

 

The One57 tower features views like this one overlooking Central Park, New York.

Nicknamed the "billionaire building," the ultra-luxury One57 tower, located at 157 West 57th St. in New York City recorded the most expensive purchase price the state's history in 2012: more than $90 million. The buyer of the 10,923-square-foot (1,012-square-meter) penthouse, which occupies both the 89th and 90th floors of the Midtown highrise, remains shrouded in secrecy [source: Barrionuevo]. The New York Post leaked that it was Sheik Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabar al-Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, but One57 spokespeople denied the rumor [source: Brennan]. Whoever bought the penthouse is getting quite a bargain, since it was originally listed at $115 million.
Even though the One57 tower is still under construction, more than half of its 92 apartments are spoken for [source: Barrionuevo]. The building will also be the home of the new Park Hyatt flagship hotel, and residents will benefit from the luxury hotel's renowned service. The penthouse features 23-foot (7-meter) ceilings and glass curtain walls offering a panoramic view of Central Park below. Its sales price of roughly $8,000 per square foot was actually cheaper than the $13,000 per square foot Manhattan apartment bought by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, but that penthouse went for a paltry $88 million total [source: Brennan].
The next most expensive home belongs to a famously outspoken New Yorker with luxury properties around the world.
 

 

The kitchen at Donald Trump's Maison l'Amitie house in Palm Beach, Fla. There's a gargantuan fountain in the driveway out front and 475 feet of oceanfront out back.

 

The entrance to the famed Hearst Mansion in Beverly Hills, shortly after it was put on the market in 2007.

 

 Suzanne Saperstein, mistress of the 45,000-square-foot mansion Fleur de Lys

 Bran Castle was the principal home of Queen Marie whose grandson Dominic Habsburg had the castle returned in 2006 by the Romanian government after the fall of Communism. In 2007 he put it up for sale. So far, no takers.

 

 London's exclusive Kensington district, where the Franchuk villa is located.

An artist's rendering of the One Hyde Park development. Each of the four towers features a penthouse selling for more than $200 million apiece.

A general view of 2-8a Rutland Gate, the most expensive house to go on the market in London.

 

The $1 billion home of Mukesh Ambani towers over Mumbai and is filled with balconies and indoor gardens.