Updated May 23, 2025
Where would you start if you had all the money in the world? A crystal piano to play on your 27-story skyscraper’s rooftop? Or how about a diamond-encrusted watch to complement your solid gold superyacht? If you’re looking for motivation, we’ve got you covered.
This shopping list has something for everyone, from the most expensive sports cars to the world’s most expensive feather! So keep reading and start saving your pennies since cash reigns supreme on this list.
The Most Expensive Things in the World 2021
10. Concept yacht for sale right now – €185 million
The boat: We present Project Infinity, the world’s most expensive yacht currently on the market. This 104-meter luxury yacht is now under construction in Germany, with a 2020 delivery date.
The price tag: Boat International has Project Infinity advertised for sale for a cool €185 million for early bids.
9. Oil painting sold through private sale – US$250 million
The price tag: Only one piece from the collection has been sold, to the Royal Family of Qatar, for US$250 million, making it the second-most expensive work of art ever sold in the world’s history.
The facts: The paintings are some of the most well-known and generally recognized oil paintings in the world, and they are by famed French Post Impressionist artist Paul Cezanne.
8. Painting sold via a private sale – US$300 million
The painting: Artist Paul Gaugin created Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) in 1892.
The price tag: When it was sold for US$300 million in a private sale in 2015, the painting set a new global record for the most expensive painting.
7. Private jet – US$300 million
The plane: The Dream Jet, BBJ 787.
The price tag: The company has a market capitalization of $300 million, and chartering its services will set you back US$70,000 per hour.
The facts: According to Beam, the 220-square-foot luxury jet can accommodate 40 passengers and can travel for 20 hours without stopping. Deer Jet, the airline’s operating company, believes that even shorter trip charters will cost consumers $500,000 per voyage. In addition, private dining areas, a master bedroom with a private en-suite bathroom, a dressing room, a TV area, and a lounge are all available on the plane.
6. Military aircraft (per unit) – US$1.3 billion
The aircraft: US-made B-2 Spirit, a long-range multi-role bomber.
The price tag: US$1.3 billion.
The facts: Guinness notes this aircraft has special coatings as well as a “flying-wing” design. These features work in conjunction to make the plane practically invisible to radar.
5. Private residential property – US$2 billion
The house: Antilla
The price tag: In 2010, Ambani spent US$2 billion on this vast mansion, making it the world’s most expensive private property.
The facts: The building has 400,000 square feet of living space, three helipads, a theatre, a health spa, and so forth. The facility requires 600 full-time employees to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and record-setting power couples live there.
4. The Hubble Space Telescope – US$2.1 billion
The telescope: Hubble Space Telescope.
The price tag: US$2.1 billion.
The facts: The Hubble Space Telescope is the most costly globally, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It was first launched in April of 1990 and has since been responsible for several significant discoveries, including evidence that our universe is expanding and aiding in determining the universe’s age.
3. Custom superyacht – US$4.8 billion
The yacht: The History Supreme is the most expensive custom superyacht on our list, and it isn’t for sale.
The price tag: The yacht was purchased for US$4.8 billion by a Malaysian businessman who requested anonymity but commissioned the custom yacht from luxury design firm Stuart Hughes.
The facts: This superyacht is in a league of its own, composed partly of pure gold and platinum and housing statues fashioned from genuine dinosaur bones – because why not when you have billions to spend on a boat? Luxury Launches named the most expensive yacht in 2011, and no other commissioned custom yacht has since claimed the title.
2. Milltray helicopter – US$13.2 billion
The helicopter: proposed fleet of 28 VH71 Kestrel helicopters.
The price tag: The estimate for this proposed fleet was set at US$13.2 billion, setting the record for the most expensive helicopter.
The facts: While the estimated cost reinforces its position as the most expensive, it also triggered a pause in the program in 2009, when the proposal was scheduled for cost re-evaluation.
1. man-made object on Earth – US$19.6 billion
The object: The Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the Parana River.
The price tag: If you think US$19.6 billion is a hefty price tag in today’s market, consider this: the Itaipu Dam cost that when it was completed in 1984.
The facts: The complex consists of four combined dams, joined to create its total length of 23,737 feet, and according to Wikipedia, its hydroelectric power plant was able to produce the most energy (of any kind) in 2016.
