The mega-wealthy can splash out on just about any property that takes their fancy. Money is no object, so a palatial mansion, a monster ski chalet, a cement fortress or even an elegant château is never far beyond reach or planning permission. 

Click or scroll on to meet 12 billionaires with unbelievable homes and step inside for a taste of the high life...

Indian businessman Vijay Mallya made his fortune through beverage companies before branching out into Formula 1. During the height of his wealth in 2011, Mallya was worth £1.1 billion ($1.4bn) – about £1.5bn/$1.9bn today.

He was known as the 'King of Good Times' back then due to his lavish lifestyle. But his empire started to unravel when one of his companies collapsed, leading to a string of accusations from officials in India.

But before we get into that, let's take a look at the mogul's rather unusual home...

It's a surreal sight: a majestic columned mansion, complete with manicured grounds, sits at the top of a 400-foot (122sqm) skyscraper. Kingfisher Towers lies in the UB City business district of Bangalore, India. It was built on the former site of Mallya’s ancestral home, and he jointly owns it with Prestige Groups, the company behind the build.

The 34-storey structure sits on 4.5 acres (1.8ha) of land and has 81 units across three blocks. But, of course, Mallya saved the best residence for himself. It's pretty hard to miss...

That's right, Mallya built himself a luxury penthouse on the roof of the building – actually, it's more like a mega-mansion. Sitting almost 400 feet (122m) above ground, the 40,000-square-foot (3716sqm) property almost resembles an optical illusion. The two-level home boasts a helipad, numerous exterior decks and even an infinity pool, all with 360-degree city views. 

Thanks to travel filmmaker Srihari Karanth, we can enjoy some seriously incredible drone shots of the astonishing building.

Allegedly modelled after the White House in Washington, DC, the mansion has two elevators that provide private access. In fact, according to Coldwell Banker, the penthouse is entirely separate from the other units in the tower, so Mallya can come and go undetected. 

The realtors also suggest that the property set the businessman back a cool £15.4 million ($20m) – a fact that has proved extremely controversial, considering Mallya's companies are said to be in serious debt...

In 2012, Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines went bust. According to Forbes, the company owes Indian banks over £750 million ($1bn). Mallya moved to the UK in 2016 amid mounting pressure from lenders. He's currently living in London, where he's fighting extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering.

According to the BBC, Mallya was found guilty of contempt in July 2022, accused of failing to disclose his assets. A court in India has sentenced him to four months in jail, yet the mogul remains in the UK. We wonder if the magnate will ever be able to enjoy his newly built home...

Worth £2.5 billion (£3.2bn) as of 2025, Ron Burkle started as the son of a greengrocer but made his fortune buying and selling big American supermarket chains like Ralphs and Jurgensen's. While he prefers to invest in companies related to the food industry, he has also invested in Airbnb, Uber and the Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey team, according to Forbes.

He also has a penchant for picking up unusual homes once owned by celebrities...

This out-of-this-world home was built in 1973 for the late American entertainer Bob Hope by the renowned architect John Lautner. Hope died in 2003, but it wasn't until 2013 that the home hit the market, with a £39 million ($50m) asking price.

After three years of price cuts, Burkle finally picked up the 23,000-square-foot (2,140sqm) UFO house for 'just' £10 million ($13m), setting a new record for Palm Springs, according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

With an undulating roof punctuated by enormous curved openings that give views of the sky and surrounding landscape, to say the home is dramatic is an understatement. 

Inside, there are six bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and a pool, while Burkle can also enjoy an additional pool outside, as well as a pond, putting green, tennis court and spa.

However, that's not the only famous home Burkle owns. He also bought late singer Michael Jackson's fabled Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California, in 2020.

Jackson bought the compound in 1987, and although he died in 2009, his home didn't come onto the market until 2015 – initially with a price tag of £77 million ($100m). However, Burkle – a friend of the Jackson family – bagged himself another deal, paying £17 million ($22m), as reported by US newspaper, The Wall Street Journal.

Jackson built a zoo and fairground on the estate. However, now known as Sycamore Valley Ranch, the property has been significantly redeveloped since the entertainer lived there. The French Normandy-style main house has six bedrooms, including a two-storey master suite, formal living and dining rooms, a chef's kitchen and a hidden safe room. Outside, there are two guest houses, as well as animal shelter facilities and a four-acre (1.6ha) lake, according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

Burkle also bought the Ennis House, Frank Lloyd Wright's famed Mayan Revival-style home, in 2011 for £3.5 million ($4.5m) and made a tidy profit when he sold it in 2019 for £14 million ($18m).

Daniel Křetínský hit the headlines in the UK in May 2024 when he made a £3.5 billion ($4.5bn) offer to buy the Royal Mail, the UK's 500-year-old postal service. Aside from that, the Czech billionaire keeps such a low profile that he's known as the 'Czech sphinx'.

He made his £7 billion ($9.1bn) fortune largely from the energy industry, although he also likes to splash his cash on football clubs. He owns large stakes in Sparta Prague and West Ham United.

As you might imagine, he has several homes, including an elegant French château...

Château du Marais stands on an 86-acre (35ha) estate just 22 miles (36km) west of Paris. Known as 'Petit Versailles', the 18th-century palace is a national historic monument built in "pure Louis XVI style", according to its official website.

Křetínský picked up the pretty château in June 2022 for a reported £33.2 million ($43m). It had previously been on the market for €52 million (£42.1m/$54.5m), according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

While the upkeep of the 100-room château apparently became too much for its previous owners to bear, its elegantly decorated rooms were long home to generations of French nobility. It is even said to have inspired works by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

Despite its beauty, Křetínský is unlikely to live in the mansion. The local mayor revealed that it will be renovated and reopened as a luxury hotel, although a timeline for the project has yet to be revealed. 

The house had belonged to the noble Frotier de Bagneux and Pourtalès families for over a century. While they tried to prop up the estate by hosting events and even allowing it to be used as a filming location for the French Netflix series Revolution, they eventually admitted defeat and put the historic home on the market.

It languished unsold for several years before Křetínský bought it, according to the French newspaper Le Monde, in which Křetínský owned a stake until September 2023.

This 1,804-foot (550m) long mirror lake stretches almost as far as the eye can see and dominates the gardens and parkland.

Křetínský also owns one of the most expensive homes in the UK. In 2015, he bought the 14-bedroom Heath Hall on The Bishop's Avenue (aka Billionaire's Row) in Hampstead, London, for £63 million ($81.5m). Despite the eyewatering price tag, Křetínský got the mansion at a discount – it was originally on the market for £100 million ($129.3m). Even the sales brochure cost a shocking £2,000 ($2.6k).

Larry Ellison is usually found hovering somewhere on the list of the top five richest individuals on the planet. Another college dropout, Ellison began his career building databases for the CIA but amassed his £185 billion ($236bn) fortune after co-founding software giant Oracle, where he was CEO for 37 years before stepping down in 2014.

In 2012, he bought most of the Hawaiian island of Lanai and has lived there since 2020. That hasn't stopped him from snapping up a £770 million ($1bn) property portfolio, though. Let's take a look...

Ellison bought this dreamy Tuscan-style mansion in the super-exclusive gated community of Seminole Landing, North Palm Beach, Florida in 2021. Rumour had it that the tech billionaire planned to tear it down and build a brand new trophy home. However, just one year later, he put the 6.5-acre (2.6ha) estate back on the market – this time for £113 million ($145m), as reported by TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

Ellison's sudden change of heart may have had something to do with the £134 million ($173m) home he bought in nearby Manalapan that same year.

Ellison's inflated price tag may have put off buyers because the beautiful Palm Beach home sat on the market until July 2023, when the listing was removed.

Covering 15,500 square feet (1,440sqm), the mansion was built in 1991 and has seven bedrooms, as well as a wood-panelled snug, a formal dining room with an ornate coffered ceiling, a home theatre and a large country-style kitchen.

Outside, there's a pristine pool with a cabana, as well as a tennis court, guest house and what appears to be at least one sentry house at the entrance. Dotted with palm trees, the manicured lawns also contain a small lake and enough space to land a helicopter. 

However, it's the private beach with over 562 feet (171m) of ocean frontage that's the real draw.

It's unlikely Ellison will ever live in the charming mansion, partly because he spends most of his time in Hawaii, but also because he has so many homes it would be hard to spend time in them all.

His collection of incredible homes includes a Rhode Island mansion once occupied by the wealthy Astor family, a Lake Tahoe lodge and a Japanese-style estate in Woodside, California – as well as his Hawaiian island. And that's just a drop in the ocean!

Legendary oilman T Boone Pickens was a Texan billionaire businessman credited with reshaping the energy industry in the 1980s. Well known for his "folksy speech and ruthless business practices", he died aged 91 in 2019.

His enormous ranch in Pampa, Texas, was sold in 2022. Extravagant yet surprisingly elegant, T Boone's home is a sight to behold...

Lying 85 miles (137km) northeast of Amarillo, Texas, Mesa Vista ranch covers almost 65,000 acres (26,300ha) and stretches 25 miles (40km) along the Canadian River.

Pickens bought the first 2,900 acres (1,170ha) in 1971 and added to it over the following decades. He began work on the main house, known as the Lodge, in 1988, and today it rises from the landscaped parkland like a Mediterranean castle, surrounded by terraced gardens, pools and waterfalls.

This impressive great room has oak flooring, a 28-foot (9m) vaulted ceiling, two fireplaces and limestone accents and is just one of many breathtaking reception rooms.

The Lodge covers 25,000 square feet (2,320sqm) and also houses a large dining room with a massive fireplace, a library with a spiral staircase, a 30-seat home theatre with a handpainted ceiling, a conference room and a commercial kitchen.

The Lodge contains this elegant master suite – and there's a seven-bedroom guest wing attached to the main house via a covered breezeway. Elsewhere on the ranch, there's an 11,500-square-foot (1,070sqm) three-bedroom Lake House and a Gate House with another three bedrooms – just in case a whole guest wing isn't quite big enough to accommodate all your friends and family.

Four-legged friends aren't left out either; there's an 11,000-square-foot (1,020sqm) air-conditioned dog kennel with its very own veterinary lab, walk-in freezer and exercise area. There's one we haven't seen before!

The incredible amenities don't stop there. Mesa Vista also has a private airport with a two-bedroom apartment for pilots (naturally), a charming chapel where T Boone and his fifth wife Toni were married in 2014, a 2,250-square-foot (209sqm) entertainment lodge, a golf course and a tennis court.

With all these dazzling extras, it's hardly surprising that the ranch hit the market for £170 million ($220m), although the price was later reduced to £131.5 million ($170m) and the ranch split in two. A local rancher bought around 27,000 acres (10926ha) in September 2022, and a Texan businessman bought the remainder of the ranch two months later, according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

Billionaire Bernie Ecclestone is credited with taking Formula One motor racing from obscurity to the biggest annual sporting event in the world. The son of a trawler captain, Bernie made his fortune by taking the commercial rights away from the individual F1 teams and selling them on. Thanks to his skilful deal-making, he's worth £2 billion ($2.4bn) as of 2025.

His daughters Tamara and Petra (pictured here with Ecclestone) have benefitted from their father's vast wealth. Petra used a chunk of it to buy one of Hollywood's most famous mansions. Let's take a look around...

Now dubbed The Manor, this monster mansion is better known as Spelling Manor or Candyland, after Aaron and Candy Spelling. Formerly the home of TV entertainer Bing Crosby, Aaron, a legendary TV producer and father of actress Tori Spelling, bought the estate in the late 1980s. He razed the existing house and built this vast home in its place.

Heiress Petra Ecclestone bought it for £66 million ($85m) in 2011 and gave it a significant makeover, employing more than 500 workers to transform the home into a modern marvel.

This foyer is designed to wow, with 30-foot (9m) ceilings, an enormous chandelier and a double staircase. All in all, there are 123 rooms to explore, including a beauty salon, a barbershop, a bowling alley, a gym, tanning rooms, a nightclub, a home theatre and Aaron Spelling's original film editing room. 

Petra's husband, Sam Palmer, has likened the estate to a theme park: "I’m a person who’s not really overawed by things," he told luxury real estate magazine Mansion Global. "But when you see this property, it’s insane. It always reminded me of Disneyland when we opened the gates."

The 14-bedroom, 27-bathroom mansion boasts a 7,500-square-foot (697sqm) master suite, which is larger than the average American home.

Palmer revealed to Mansion Global that he doesn't think anyone should live in a house that big. "I used to always think, it doesn’t matter how big the house is, you can only sit on one couch and you can only watch one TV."

It may be one reason Ecclestone sold The Manor in 2019. Despite sitting on the market for four years, it sold to a mystery Saudi Arabian buyer for a record-breaking £93 million ($120m).

Outside, the almost 5-acre (2ha) estate has a pool made from 170,000 glass tiles and is surrounded by Fendi Casa furniture. There's also a tennis court, a lily pond, plenty of al fresco dining areas and space to park 100 cars.

The Manor came back on the market in February 2022 with Carlwood Estates for an eye-watering £128 million ($165m) price tag. In November 2024, the price was slashed to £106.4 million ($137.5m) – which isn't bad, considering the home is larger than both the White House and the Taj Mahal.

One of the five richest men in the world, Bernard Arnault made his massive £136 billion ($175.9bn) fortune by investing in luxury brands. He's the chairman and CEO of LVMH, which owns luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Christian Dior and Tiffany & Co.

Like any self-respecting billionaire, he reportedly owns a string of properties from Bordeaux to Beverly Hills via the Bahamas. Let's take a look inside two of them...

Château Cheval Blanc lies in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, just north of the Dordogne River and is one of the most prestigious estates in the area. Its land was first cultivated in Roman times but the elegant manor house we see today was built in the 19th century. Arnault bought the estate in 1998 with fellow businessman and old friend Belgian baron Albert Frère.

The pretty limestone façade is said to hide an impressive art collection inside, including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol.

You can easily imagine the billionaire hosting receptions in these refined rooms. Elsewhere, there's a 24-seat dining room, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a tennis court, a library and a ballroom.

In 2011, a modern extension was added. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, the sweeping concrete addition undulates like a wave from an outer wing of the château. It also has a living rooftop garden from which Arnault can admire his domain.

One for a home with history, Arnault also owns this Italian palace. Built in the 15th century, Casa degli Atellani is where Leonardo da Vinci is said to have stayed when he painted The Last Supper in a church across the street. The Duke of Milan gifted the artist a small patch of land behind the house in 1498, which da Vinci still owned when he died in 1519. Arnault bought the petite estate in 2022.

Before the sale, members of the Castellini Baldissera family lived in separate apartments in the Palazzo, and they opened parts of the house and gardens to the public. The stunning complex features peaceful courtyards, intricate mosaic floors and richly painted ceilings. This sitting room gives you an idea of the building's splendour, with elaborate woodwork, a large fireplace and a painted coat of arms dominating the space.

Casa degli Atellani closed to the public after Bernard Arnault bought it, but rumours hint that it may reopen in the future as a hotel.

Russell Weiner might be the son of right-wing radio star Michael Savage, but his fortune is self-made. He launched Rockstar Energy drinks in 2001, taking out a £39,000 ($50k) mortgage on his home in Sausalito, California to fund his dream.

Fast forward to 2020 and Weiner sold Rockstar to Pepsi Co. for a cool £3.1 billion ($4bn). Worth an estimated £4.2 billion ($5.2bn) in 2025, let's see what he spent some of that cash on...

In 2022, Weiner set a state record when he paid £31 million ($39.6m) for this stunning ski-in ski-out chalet in Park City, Utah. Standing on 5 acres (2ha), the chalet known as Monitor’s Rest spans 17,000 square feet (1,580sqm) and is built from charred cypress wood and Croatian limestone with a copper roof and Italian steel windows and doors, according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

The six-bedroom, 11-bathroom home has all the usual features of any self-respecting billionaire's home, like several chic reception rooms, a chef's kitchen, an indoor-outdoor pool, a hot tub, a gym and a guesthouse.

However, it's also a 'wellness home' equipped with an intelligence network that "regulates circadian rhythm lighting, monitors and calibrates indoor air quality, filters pollutants and removes pathogens and viruses from the air and improves water quality", according to Engel & Völkers.

If the incredible skiing isn't enough to keep Weiner and his guests entertained, the home's amazing amenities certainly will.

Along with this funky bowling alley, there's a golf simulator, an indoor sports court, a viewing tower, a stone pizza oven, an indoor climbing wall and a cinema. The spa contains a Himalayan salt room, cold plunge pool, hot tub, hammam, ice fountain, infrared sauna and massage room. The driveway is even heated so Weiner can drive right up to his door, whatever the weather.

Despite having more amenities than most small towns, it seems Weiner only bought the house to enjoy one Park City ski season. It flitted on and off the market in 2023, before being relisted with Engel & Völkers in November 2024 for £36.6 million ($47m).

Weiner has other homes to occupy him. In 2023, he sold his Beverly Park, Los Angeles, mansion for £19.3 million ($25m) and turned his attention to a mega oceanfront build he's constructing across three lots he snapped up in Miami Beach, Florida.

Guy Laliberté was a street performer when he co-founded the entertainment company Cirque du Soleil in 1984. What started as a troupe of stiltwalkers, jugglers and fire-breathers performing in a small town in Quebec City, Canada, Cirque du Soleil has now performed to 400 million spectators in 86 countries and employs more than 4,000 people.

While Guy sold his remaining 10% stake in the upmarket circus company in 2020, he still acts as a creative guide, overseeing the spellbinding shows.

Worth an impressive £928 million ($1.2bn) as of 2025, Laliberté bought this home in Quebec's affluent Outremont neighbourhood for CA$2.5 million (£1.4m/$1.8m) in 2006. Before moving in, he spent three years renovating the home and turned it into the 50-room megamansion it is today, according to the Canadian newspaper Montreal Gazette.

It now covers 10,100 square feet (938sqm) over five floors and offers space to relax and party in equal measure. Let's take a look around...

The ground floor has around 3,000 square feet (278sqm) of living space and includes an imposing entryway, a private office, a family room and a library. This private sitting room exudes calm thanks to an abundance of natural light and the use of warm wood finishings.

Despite its perfect condition, the home is full of character and has been designed by someone with a creative eye.

As someone who has worked and performed so closely with a large troupe of people, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Laliberté's dining table can seat 20 guests. There's even a large kitchen for the billionaire's chefs to whip up a feast, as well as a smaller one that the owners can use to make a quick snack.

Elsewhere, there are eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, a billiards room, a DJ booth, a gym, a home cinema and a large beverage cellar.

The home hit the market for CA$13.9 million (£7.6m/$9.9m) in October 2023. The price was then cut to 'just' CA$11 million (£5.9m/$7.8m) in April 2025, listed by Marie-Noëlle Nadeau at The Agency.

While the circus impresario clearly spent a lot of time and money tailoring this home to reflect his personality, he'll still have several other homes to choose from when he waves this one goodbye, reportedly including villas in Ibiza and Hawaii, and a resort island in French Polynesia.

Thomas Flohr's fortune was valued at £1.8 billion ($2.3bn) by Forbes in 2018, although it's taken a nosedive since then. He founded VistaJet in 2004 with just two aircraft, and today, it flies 70 jets connecting all seven continents. 

A keen amateur racing driver, Flohr houses a collection of rally cars at his seven-storey home in the upmarket ski resort of St Moritz in his native Switzerland, according to the British newspaper the Financial Times. He does, of course, have other homes – let's take a look around one that hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons...

Flohr bought this Los Angeles mansion back in 2016 in a rather unusual way. Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko transferred the property to a company controlled by Flohr to repay a £16.7 million ($21.6m) debt he owed for private flights. Unfortunately, Aluko had been accused of taking part in a "massive government bribery scheme" in Nigeria, according to the business news platform Bloomberg.

While Flohr wasn't accused of playing a role in the scandal, the US government moved to seize the home, stating that Flohr should have known Aluko was suspected of wrongdoing thanks to media reports at the time, which Flohr denied.

Flohr settled the mansion dispute in 2022 by paying the US £12.4 million ($16m) to keep hold of his home without admitting any fault or wrongdoing – and what a home it is! 

The 15,000-square-foot (1,390sqm) mansion instantly impresses with its lofty ceilings – even the front door is double height. This grand gallery-style hallway links the main living spaces, including the great room, formal dining room, library and home cinema – all of which have stone accent walls and walnut flooring.

Despite the gourmet home kitchen, additional chef's kitchen, six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, wellness centre and steam room, the real star is the incredible city view. It's on show from almost every room of the house thanks to numerous glass walls.

There's also a 5,000-square-foot (465sqm) roof terrace to relax on and enjoy the cityscape below.

Outside, there's an olive grove, an infinity pool and spa with an outdoor deck and lush landscaped gardens. Despite the home's beauty, Flohr listed it in 2022 for £49.2 million ($63.5m) with Westside Estate Agency and The Agency, who shot this beautiful YouTube video showcasing the megamansion.

Flohr eventually settled for £17.4 million ($22.5m) in May 2024.

With a net worth of £2.4 billion ($3.1bn), James Packer was the 17th wealthiest person in Australia as of 2024. He inherited an entertainment and publishing empire from his father Kerry, who died in 2005.

Packer briefly dated American singer Mariah Carey (pictured here together in 2015). Just nine months after they got together, the billionaire proposed to the entertainer, whose net worth is thought to be £271.1 million ($350m), with a 35-carat diamond ring.

They split in October 2016, and Mariah reportedly walked away with a multi-million dollar settlement and the ring, which she is said to have sold for £1.6 million ($2.1m).

Packer bought this charming Beverly Hills home for £66 million ($85.2m) in 2018. The almost one-acre (0.4ha) compound was once owned by actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, who lived there for 21 years before their separation. 

The seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home was built in 1930 and designed by Wallace Neff, who was hailed as "one of the greatest residential architects in Southern California", according to Architectural Digest.

It was extensively remodelled before Packer owned it and we imagine he made his mark on the place before he put it up for sale in 2023 for £66 million ($85m).

As we can see from this video shot by listing realtor The Agency, the 12-bedroom, 17-bathroom home boasts an impressive foyer. The sprawling 24,300-square-foot (2,260sqm) mansion is made up of multiple buildings, including a three-storey 'accessory dwelling'.

Aside from this bistro-style kitchen, there's a games room, a home theatre, an elevator, a wood-panelled beverage cellar, a gym and a sauna to enjoy. The master suite has its own sitting room with a fireplace as well as dual bathrooms and closets, and a private terrace.

We can certainly see why Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez rented the mansion in 2022 while they looked for a forever home during their very brief marriage.

Outside, there's a pristine pool and spa with an elegant cabana, as well as garage parking for eight cars.

Packer's move to list the Beverly Hills pad followed his ex-wife's decision to educate their three children in London. However, with no takers, Packer took his house off the market in May 2024. He reportedly spends most of his time between California, the upmarket ski resort of Aspen, Colorado, Ellerstine – his Argentinian polo ranch – and a beach house in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

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