25 Most Expensive Things You Wish You Could Afford

Posted by , Updated on January 26, 2024

While there are millions of people living below the international poverty line (little more than 1 dollar per day), there is a constantly growing number of those who live in ridiculously snobbish luxury. Some of the richest people in the world regularly give away significant amounts of money to charities, hospitals and other institutions but many of the wealthy just compete with each other on who will have the most expensive car, yacht, jet or house. If you are one those who wish to live a posh life, these are 25 of the world´s most expensive things you might wish you could afford.

25

Painting

painting

Rich people often like to have their houses decorated with some outrageously precious art works by famous artist. If you happened to want to have the world´s very most expensive painting hanging up in your living room, you would have to take almost 300 million dollars out of your pocket. This is how much an unknown buyer recently paid for a 1892 oil painting “When Will You Marry?” by the French artist Paul Gauguin.

24

Hotel suit

hotel suit

If you are a billionaire, you don’t look for hostels when on a business trip. To experience what is like to spend a night in the world´s most expensive hotel suit, be ready to shell out at 65,000 – 80,000 dollars per night. That is the price for The Royal Penthouse Suite at Hotel President Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland.

23

Restaurant

restaurant

Located on Ibiza, a popular holiday destination where you can always stumble upon a world-famous celebrity, the most expensive restaurant in the world is Sublimotion. Run by two-Michelin star Spanish chef Paco Roncero, the restaurant can only accommodate 12 guests at a time, offering 20-course “gastro-sensory” meal that is intended to elicit a unique emotional experience. And the price? Negligible 2,000 dollars.

22

Beer

beer

If you think the world´s most expensive beer is produced in a beer superpower such as Czech Republic, Germany or Netherlands, you are wrong. Made from a melted Antarctic iceberg, the Antarctic Nail Ale is a limited edition brewed in Perth, Australia. If you decide to pay the 1,850 dollars for the bottle (the highest winning bid at auction), you will please both your taste buds as well as environmentalists as the entire profit from the brew goes to support marine life protection.

21

Car

an expensive silver sports car

According to Forbes, the most expensive car of the last year is Lamborghini Veneno Roadster. This Italian muscle car is powered by a 12-cylinder engine which enables it to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.9 seconds. If you have spare 4.5 million dollars to get one of just nine copies of this model, you can run around as fast as over 355 km/h (221 mph).

20

Motorcycle

bike

If you prefer bikes over cars and still want to have something distastefully expensive, get the Dodge Tomahawk. The manufacturer claims the bike can reach an incredible top speed of 680 km/h (420 mph) however this enormous speed has never been demonstrated. Designed in Art Deco style, this eye-catching motorcycle can be yours for mere 700,000 dollars.

19

Private jet

jet

Capable of carrying up to 853 people, the Airbus A 380 is the world´ s largest passenger airline. So why is it included in this list as a private jet? Because a Saudi business investor named Prince Alawaleed bin Talal  paid 300 million dollars to have one of these models customized as his private jet, making it the most expensive plane purchase in history.

18

Watch

watch

A stylish watch is an essential accessory of every rich businessman. But forget the few-thousand-dollar rubbish. Produced by a luxurious German watch brand A. Lange & Söhne, the model named “Grand Complication” is priced at a staggering 2.5 million dollars. Apart from the classy look, the watch can boast numerous functions including a monopusher chronograph with a split-seconds function and jumping seconds, and a perpetual calendar with a moon-phase display.

17

Apartment

apartment

If you want to live in the world´s most expensive apartment, you will have to move to Monaco. A part of the Odeon Tower, a skyscraper overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the Sky Penthouse offers about 3,500 sq m (38,000 sq ft) of living space spread across five levels, with a kitchen on every level and a water slide extending from a dance floor to the private infinity pool on the terrace. Price? 400 million dollars.

16

Sculpture

sculpture

Once you get a really costly apartment, you will need some appropriately expensive sculptures as decorations. The most expensive sculpture in the world was created by Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti in 1961 and is called “The Walking Man”. In 2010, a widow of a prominent Lebanese banker paid a total price of 104 million dollars for the art work.

15

Cruise

cruise

After all the hard work, even billionaires deserve a proper holiday. To enjoy the world´s most expensive cruise, you have to travel to Los Angeles, California, where the Silversea´s World Cruise begins. The cruise lasts 115 days during which you will visit almost 50 ports and tens of countries including Australia, Thailand, Madagascar, South Africa and many more. However, your fortune will shrink by almost 350,000 dollars after participating in this adventure.

14

Party venue

Fiji

Those who have dreamed about an unforgettable private party on a rented island can now have their dreams come true. Located in Fiji, the entire Laucala Island is available to rent for private groups and events. Covering an area of 12 sq km (4.6 sq mi), the island can accommodate up to 72 people in 24 tropical pool villas. Renting the island for one night will set you back 150,000 dollars but the minimum rent is five nights.

13

Cell phone

IPhone_5

For some people, an iPhone 5 might still be expensive, but if you want to have the model recreated by Stuart Hughes, a British luxurious jeweler, you will have to shell out more than 15 million dollars. The outside casing of the phone is made up from 24-carat gold, while the home button consists of 26-carat black diamond and the whole device is encrusted with 600 precious stones.

12

Television

television

A unique television model named The Prestige HD Supreme Rose Edition is another product by Stuart Hughes. Made from around 62 pounds (28 kilograms) of 18 carat gold and 72 diamonds, it is the most expensive television in the world. Priced at almost 2.3 million, this TV has to be amazing to look at, no matter if it is on or off.

11

Suit

suit

But electronics is not the only thing Stuart Hughes enriches with some of the most precious jewels. The company teamed up with world-renowned tailor Richard Jewels to create an extravagant suit model of which there are only three in the world. Hundreds of etched diamonds have made this suit the most expensive suit in the world, available at a price of 900,000 dollars.

10

Vodka

vodka

Valued at 3.7 million dollars, billionaires can enjoy a bottle of real Billionaire Vodka produced by Leon Verres. Adorned with 3,000 diamonds, the bottle contains premium quality wheat-based spirit filtered through diamonds.

9

Yacht

Eclipse YachtImage by: Moshi Anahory (CC License)

With an estimated worth of $1 billion, the Eclipse takes the title as the most expensive yacht in the world. Built by Blohm & Voss of Hamburg, Germany the 536-foot-long Eclipse features a three-man submarine, two swimming pools, space for three helicopters, a missile defense system and bullet-proof glass.

8

Engagement ring

ring

Billionaires´ wives and girlfriends like to be pampered and an outrageously expensive engagement ring is something they definitely appreciate. There have been numerous celebrities who wear engagement rings worth several millions dollars but the very most expensive was that of Elizabeth Taylor. Given to her by her fifth spouse Richard Burton, the ring cost almost 9 million dollars.

7

Perfume

perfume

Another thing that partners of very rich men love is a very expensive and extraordinary perfume. The most expensive perfume ever was unveiled in 2011 by DKNY. Aptly named “DKNY Golden Delicious Million Dollar Fragrance Bottle“, the bottle of the perfume, containing almost 3,000 precious stones arranged to the shape of New York City skyline, cost exactly 1 million dollars.

6

Sneakers

sneakers

Even the most affluent businessmen have periods of time when they putt of their stylish suits and get into leisure or sport clothes. But their sneakers can be no less costly. The most expensive sneakers ever sold were American rapper Kanye West´s Nike Air Yeezy 2 Red October sneakers that were bought at an auction for a ridiculous 16 million dollars.

5

Piano

piano

Made by Heintzman & Co. Ltd, a renowned Canadian piano manufacturer, the most expensive piano in the world was sold to an anonymous bidder for a 3.22 million dollars. Made from numerous precious materials including crystals, this 9-foot long piano is notable for its unique futuristic look and stylish design.

4

Champagne bottle

champagne

Rich people love luxurious champagne brands and they often pay thousands of dollars to get the most celebrated bottles. But if you want to have the most expensive champagne bottle, it will cost you not thousands but millions of dollars (two million to be exact). Named “The Taste of Diamonds”, the unique edition by Gout de Diamonds features an artistically crafted bottle adorned with Swarovski crystals, containing an exquisitely delicious champagne.

3

Holiday

Traveling

Once you have earned enough to take a 2-year holiday, you can try a special holiday package offered by VeryFirstTo.com that will take you to 150 world´s countries and all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. During the trip, you will only stay in the most luxurious hotels each destination has to offer, and fly business class. Price? One million dollars.

2

Book

da Vinci

The Codex Leicester, a 1508 collection of largely scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci, became the world´s most expensive book in 1994 when Bill Gates bought it at auction for almost 31 million dollars. The book provides an insight into the inquiring mind of the extraordinary Renaissance artist, scientist and thinker as well as an exceptional illustration of the link between art and science.

1

Pen

pen

These days when all the business correspondence is done electronically, the pen has been losing its importance. Yet for many successful businessmen, a good luxurious pen is something they cannot be without. The current title holder for the world’s most expensive pen is the Fulgor Nocturnus by the famous pen-makers Tibaldi of Florence. The fountain pen was sold for 8 million dollars in a 2010 auction in Shanghai, China.



Photo: 13. By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Zach_Vega" title="User:Zach Vega">Zach Vega</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link