Ever Been to a 43 Billion Dollar House? We’re Just Joking, but Not About the House.
When it comes to homes of the politicians, it’s hard to put an exact price tag onto it. We’ve rounded up several lists, taken into account the size of the property, the average cost of property in the city per square meter, the property’s history, who resides there and whether there has been upgrades and refurbishments.
We’ve also worked on the current exchange at the time of writing this video. So, let’s go house-hunting and delve into 15 of the most expensive homes of politicians.
Welcome to Alux.com – the place where future billionaires come to get inspired. If you’re not subscribed yet, you’re missing out.
These palace-like properties are a sight for sore eyes. Check them out in the video version of this article:
With that out of the way, let’s jump into the list.
15
Qasr Al Hukum Saudi Arabia $15.1 Million
$15.1 million is paltry when you compare this property to our number one property. Located in Riyadh, this site has been home and headquarters of various kings and prime ministers since 1901 when King Abdulaziz captured Riyadh.
Qasr Al Hukum, also known as the Justice Palace, is Arabia’s traditional seat of government and the official residence of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – the current Prime Minister. However, it must be noted that the prime minister has chosen not to live there and resides in more modern palaces across Saudi.
It spans 11,500 square meters and has been rebuilt 3 times over the past century.
Little is known about this palace, barring that its name “Justice Palace” was derived from the beheadings that took place in the main square, where “justice was served.”
14
Mahlamba Ndlopfu South Africa $15.4 Million
Mahlamba Ndlopfu, formerly called Libertas, is where the President of South Africa resides. It’s been the head of government since 1940 and is located in Pretoria.
It was built by Gerard Moerdijk, a South African architect, for Jan Smuts – the Prime Minister at the time. It’s hosted many past foreign presidents, including Barack Obama and François Mitterrand.
When Jan Smuts was Prime Minister, he arranged a national competition to find an architect to construct the new residence of the head of state. At that stage, Moerdijk had already designed the Voortrekker Monument and the University of Pretoria, so his win was no surprise.
It’s currently occupied by President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who took office on the 14th of Feb, 2018.
13
Los Pinos Mexico $16 Million
The site where the official residence of the President of Mexico resided from 1934 to 2018 is steeped in history.
When the Spanish Conquest was over, around 1550, a mill was built in Chapultepec. The mill was renamed Molino del Ray, meaning “the King’s Mill,” because it was so important to the community.
The mill was sold to Doctor José Pablo Martinez del Rio in 1853 and he built “Big House” on it, called the Casa Grande. It was sold to Emperor Maximilian in 1865 for 25,000 Mexican pesos. When Maximilian was executed in 1867, the property was returned to the doctor.
Many things happened in between, but in 1934, President Lázaro Cárdenas took office and opted to stay in the Big House, as opposed to the Castle of Chapultepec, which he found too ostentatious.
It remained the home of President’s until 2018, when the current President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, opened the grounds to the public and moved the presidential offices back to the National Palace, where he is living now.
You don’t want to miss this beauty from Mexico: The Mexico Residence Shows Us How A Modern Luxury Home Should Look Like.
12
Palacio de Alvorada Brazil $21.5 Million
The Palácio da Alvorada is the home of Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil and has been the residence of Brazilian President’s since 1958.
It’s located in the capital, Brasília, and was designed by Oscar Niemeyer with construction completed in 1958.
The Palácio was the first official government building in the new federal capital and boasts a cinema, games room, auditorium, medical centre, a chapel and helipad close by, library, noble lounge and music room.
The perfect abode for a president and his family.
11
Quinta de Olivos Argentina $24.4 Million
Located in Buenos Aires, this is just one of the official homes of Alberto Fernández, the president of Argentina.
With history dating back to the 1500s, Quinta de Olivos overlooks the Río de la Plata. This piece of land was given to Rodrigo de Ibarola, who served as a lieutenant of Garay’s. In 1774, a prime section of the land was bought by Manuel de Ba-sa-vil-ba-so. His daughter Justa married a military officer who was responsible for establishing some of the first apiaries on their grounds.
After her death, her husband inherited the land, and it was passed onto their son who converted it into an equestrian estate. And so, the land passed hands many times until eventually it was deeded to the Argentine Government.
They introduced a heliport, chapel, mini golf course, and more.
The first president to live in the house was General Pedro Aramburu.
10
The White House $40.8 Million
George Washington can be credited for choosing the site for the White House in 1791. In 1792, the first cornerstone was laid, and it took 8-years to construct.
The first President to live there was President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, despite the house not being completed. In 1814, during the War of 1812, the British burnt large portions of the house. It was rebuilt by the original Irish builder, James Hoban.
Every US president has lived in the White House.
The house has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces and 3 elevators. The kitchen can serve 140 guests with a plated meal and hors d’oeuvres to over 1,000 guests.
The White House has had a few other names since it was built, including the “Executive Mansion,” “President’s Palace,” and the “President’s House.”
9
Elysee Palace France $121 Million
This not so humble adobe is where French President, Emmanuel Macron, resides. It was completed in 1722 and was originally built for Louis Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, Count of Évreux.
Fast forward a little, and the Palace is bought by King Louis XV for the Marquise de Pompadour and his lover. People were not happy about this and hung signs on the gate reading, “Home of the King’s whore.”
During the provisional government of the Second Republic, it became the official resident for the President, one of many. In 1853, Napoléon III had the Palace renovated, while he stayed at Tuileries Palace. He had a secret underground tunnel linking him to Elysee Palace, which is how he managed to secretly meet his mistress. Sadly, the tunnel has since been demolished.
The Elysée Palace is private. Any visitors or foreign dignitaries stay in the Hotel de Marigny bought by former president, Charles de Gaulle, because he wanted to avoid, “meeting kings walking around my corridors in their pyjamas”.
8
The Moncloa Palace Spain $158 Million
Pedro Sánchez calls Moncloa Palace home. It hasn’t been the official residence for President’s for very long, only since 1977 when the official residence was moved from the Palace of Villamejor by Adolfo Suárez.
Originally a farm, Moncloa Palace became a palace because of its perfect location. It was bought by the Marquis of Carpio, Gaspar de Haro y Guzmán and Eliche, who owned the orchard of La Moncloa close by.
There are 16 buildings, hospital and bunker.
7
Rashtrapati Bhavan India $568 Million
It’s a huge jump in value from Spain to India, when we visit the official residence of the President of India.
Rashtrapati Bhavan, was the Viceroy’s House before independence, but is now the home of Ram Nath Kovind – India’s President. It’s a sprawling estate of 130-hectares and houses the Mughal Gardens and housing for residence staff.
Located in New Delhi, Rashtrapati Bhavan took 17-years to complete with the help of 29,000 workers and 700-million bricks.
It’s open for public viewing and you can really get lost in the gardens and be dazzled by the beauty and range of interesting things to see. There is the Children’s Gallery – “By the Children, For the Children”, a kitchen museum which delves into the history of the meals prepared in the mansion, including a display of the utensils used since 1911, when India’s capital changed from Calcutta to Delhi.
6
Presidential Complex Turkey $710 Million
Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, the current president of Turkey, built an entirely new palace on the outskirts of Ankara. It was meant to cost roughly $350 million, but you know how these projects go. One minute you’re budgeting $350-million, next minute you’re dropping over $700 million.
He has come under fire with with ecologists claiming it to be an environmental blight and opposition stating it proves that the President has autocratic tendencies.
Ask the man himself, and he believes it’s a drive towards the “new Turkey.”
The original mansion, Çankaya Presidential Mansion, is the prime ministerial compound. The new palace is home to the country’s largest library, with over 5-million books gracing its shelves.
5
Kantei Japan $768 Million
S?ri Daijin Kantei, Shush? Kantei or simply Kantei, is the official residence of Japan’s Prime Minister. He not only lives there, but all daily duties of his cabinet are performed there too. Foreign leaders are entertained there, and it’s the national crisis management centre.
After the Meiji Restoration, a national parliament was established, and it was the first time that there was a Prime Minister of Japan. It was decided in 1885 that an official residence for the Prime Minister was needed.
On the 18th of March 1929, the first house was completed. A 2-story mansion designed by Muraji Shimomoto.
When the 1990s rolled by, the house was considered too small and a new 5-story home was built next door. The house, unlike our previous one, was designed to do little environmental damage with solar panels and rainwater storage.
4
Quirinale Palace Italy $1.285 Billion
Aluxers, we’ve officially hit the billion-dollar mark and that’s this historic building located in Rome, Italy. This is just one of 3 official homes of the Italian President. There’s also Villa Rosebery in Naples and another estate on the outskirts of Rome.
The adobe was chosen by Napoleon, but he never stayed there because of the French defeat in 1814.
The palace is massive, 20 times larger than the White House.
Sergio Mattarella is currently enjoying the spoils of this palace, which has over 1,200 rooms and been home to 30 popes, 4 kings and 12 Italian Presidents.
3
The Kremlin Russia $1.36 Billion
The Kremlin is a city within a city and is monumental in size Kremlin translated means citadel or fortress, is the official residence of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia. Despite being the official residence, Putin chooses to live outside of Moscow.
The history of The Kremlin goes as far back as 1156, when Prince Yury, the founder of Moscow, had a wooden fortress built there.
The Kremlin that we see today was only constructed in the 15th century, and it was thanks to the efforts of Ivan the Great, who dreamed of building a capital that would be as great as Constantinople. He hired architects from Italy and much of their work still stands today.
2
Cheong WA Dae South Korea $1.5 Billion
Cheong wa dae translated means “pavilion of blue tiles,” and is the official residence of Korea’s head of state.
Located in Seoul, Cheong wa dae is made up of many buildings, incorporating mostly traditional Korean architectural style but also splashes of modern architectural elements and facilities.
The entire complex sprawls across 62-acres and is home to Moon Jae-in.
After Korea was liberated, independent Korea’s first president – Syngman Rhee – changed the name to Gyeongmudae and then it was changed to Cheong Wa Dae in 1960 by the then president – Yun Po-sun.
1
Zhongnanhai China $42 Billion
Nothing can come close to the value of Zhongnanhai, the home of Politburo Standing Committee members. Although it’s their formal residence on paper, many choose to not live there.
Xi Jinping, current General Secretary of the Communist Party, goes into the compound to do all his daily activities, but doesn’t live there either.
How the compound looks now is very similar to how it looked during the Ming Dynasty, early 1400s. The name means “central and southern seas / lakes,” which refers to the 2 lakes found inside the compound.
It was first built between the 10th and 13th centuries as a playground for the elite and their entourage.
Question
Aluxers, have you been fortunate enough to see some of these politicians homes yourself? If so, which ones have you seen?
