These 11 most expensive buildings in the world have cost their investors an arm and a leg. The motivation behind spending billions of dollars in the construction of these steel and concrete behemoths is most often profit, but in few cases there are other motives. For instance, Mukesh Ambani’s $2 billion home in Mumbai is more of a statement of his wealth and power, similar to those of India’s maharajas of old. Others, like One World Trade Center, are built to show defiance in the face of the enemy and restore national pride.
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The geographical distribution of the most expensive buildings around the globe can tell us a lot of the parts of the world that currently hold the economic power. The United States have 3 buildings on the list, 2 in Las Vegas and one in New York. The United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Macau have two each, while Saudi Arabia and India have one each. By the type, casinos and hotels are an overwhelming majority, with one residential building, a private home and a commercial building thrown into the mix. One thing they all have in common is that they instantly became landmarks in their respective cities and countries and some of the most popular tourist attractions (and most expensive ones as well) in the world. Some also made it onto the list of the tallest buildings in the world.
The sums spent on the construction are staggering. These 11 buildings on our list cost in total more than $47 billion. To put it into perspective, that is enough money to end the Greek crisis in a flash. Let’s see where all that money went.
11. Antilia
Construction cost: $2 billion
Location: South Mumbai
Owner/Investor: Mukesh Ambani
We start with the only private residence on our list and the second most expensive residence in the world after Buckingham Palace. Antilia was built in 2010 as a home of Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in India. Ambani employs 600 people to maintain his humble abode. The construction has been followed by several controversies, from purchasing the land from an orphanage for a price that several people stated was seriously under value to building helipads in one of the most densely populated area in the world. In terms of price per square feet, Antilia is the most expensive building on our list.
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10. Princess Tower
Construction cost: $2.17 billion
Location: Dubai
Owner/Investor: Tameer Holding Investment
Towering above Dubai Marina at 1,358 feet (414 meters), Princess Tower is the second tallest residential building in the world. It features 763 apartments spread over 101 floors, a 6 floor underground parking, both indoor and outdoor pool and many other amenities.
9. City of Dreams
Construction cost: $2.4 billion
Location: Macau
Owner/Investor: Melco Crown Entertainment
Consisting of three hotels (Hard Rock Hotel, Crown Towers Hotel, and the Grand Hyatt Macau), a huge 420,000 square foot casino with 450 gaming tables and over 1,500 machines and The Boulevard shopping center, City of Dreams features attractions like Virtual Aquarium and The House of Dancing Water.
8. Venetian Macau
Construction cost: $2.4 billion
Location: Macau
Owner/Investor: Las Vegas Sands
Located on Cotai Strip – the Asian equivalent of Las Vegas Strip – The Venetian Macau is the largest casino in the world. Modeled after the Venetian Las Vegas, its sister casino also owned by Las Vegas Sands, The Venetian Macau has 550,000 square feet of casino space, with 800 tables and 3,400 slot machines. It is also the largest single building hotel in Asia, with 3,000 suites.
7. Wynn Resort
Construction cost: $2.7 billion
Location: Las Vegas
Owner/Investor: Wynn Resorts
Up until 2010 and the construction of The Cosmopolitan, Wynn Resort was the most expensive building ever made in Las Vegas. Built on the spot previously occupied by the iconic Las Vegas Desert Inn, which was demolished in a spectacular explosion in 2001, Wynn Resort was also the tallest building on the Strip at the time it was finished.
6. Emirates Palace
Construction cost: $3 billion
Location: Abu Dhabi
Owner/Investor: Abu Dhabi Government
Number 6 on our list of the most expensive buildings in the world is one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, Emirates Palace. It is designed to offer its guests an experience beyond what the usual 5 stars hotels do, and that fact is well reflected on the price investors paid for the construction. It is often described as a 7 star hotel, to distinguish it from other, ordinary, luxury hotels in the world. In 2005 when it was finished, it was the most expensive hotel ever built.
5. One World Trade Center
Construction cost: $3.8 billion
Location: New York
Owner/Investor: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
No expenses have been spared in creating the replacement of Twin towers destroyed in 9/11 attacks. Standing at 1,776 feet (referencing the signing of the US Declaration of Independence) One World Trade Center is the tallest building in New York. It is one of the most modern buildings in the world in terms of environment sustainability and energy preservation.
4. The Cosmopolitan
Construction cost: $3.9 billion
Location: Las Vegas
Owner/Investor: The Blackstone Group
One of the latest additions to the Las Vegas Strip, The Cosmopolitan (or simple the Cosmo) is the most expensive privately funded building not just in Las Vegas, but in the entire United States. It was sold to the Blackstone Group in 2014 for $1.74 billion, which is a bargain considering that the construction alone cost $3.9 billion.
3. Resorts World Sentosa
Construction cost: $4.93 billion
Location: Singapore
Owner/Investor: Genting Group
Located on the Sentosa Island off the coast of Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa cost almost $5 billion to make. The huge complex spreads on 121 acres and employs more than 10,000 people on its grounds.
2. Marina Bay Sands
Construction cost: $5.5 billion
Location: Singapore
Owner/Investor: Las Vegas Sands
Second Las Vegas Sands property on our list, Marina Bay Sands holds double honors of being the most expensive casino and the most expensive hotel in the world. The hotel features 2,561 rooms, museums, celebrity chef restaurants and other attractions and amenities. The complex was officially opened in 2010.
1. Abraj Al Bait
Construction cost: $15 billion
Location: Mecca
Owner/Investor: Saudi Arabian Government
The most expensive building in the world is Abraj Al Bait. Designed in an effort to modernize Mecca and to better serve its pilgrims, the tallest tower of the complex stands at 1,972 feet high. Abraj Al Bait features the world’s largest clock (141 feet in diameter), a shopping mall and a 5 star hotel.
