10 World Most Expensive Houses

Dracula Castle - Bran, Romania ( $135 Million )

Bran Castle situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on DN73. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle"  it is marketed as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad III, voivode of Wallachia, the putative inspiration for Dracula.

The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior individually or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open air museum park exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, etc.) from across the country.

Updown Court - Windlesham, UK ( $139 M )

Updown Court is a neo-classical Californian style residence situated in the village of Windlesham in Surrey, England and was, in 2006, the most expensive private home on the market anywhere in the world. It is currently the largest private residence to be built in the United Kingdom since the 19th century and was listed with Savills and Hamptons International (estate agencies), in 2005 for £70 million (138 million USD). This 103-room mansion has 58 acres (230,000 m2) of landscaped gardens and private woodland. The property has been constructed using some of the rarest materials on Earth, notably marble from Italy.

Xanadu 2.0 - Washington, US ( $147.5 M )

Bill Gates' house is a large mansion in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington in Medina, Washington. The 66,000 sq ft (6,100 m2) house is noted for its design and the technology it incorporates. It is nicknamed Xanadu 2.0. In 2009, property taxes were reported to be US $1.063 million on a total assessed value of US$147.5 million.

The Manor - Los Angeles, US ( $150 M )

The Manor, also known as Spelling Manor is a mansion located in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was the home of television producer Aaron Spelling. Built in 1988, it is the largest home in Los Angeles County. It is currently owned by fashion designer Petra Ecclestone, daughter of Formula One racing magnate Bernie Ecclestone, who bought it for $85 million. It had been on the market for two years with an asking price of $150 million, making it the most expensive residential real estate listing in the US.

Franchuk Villa - Kensington, UK ($161 M )

Elena Franchuk, a businesswoman and AIDS philanthropist from Ukraine, is reported to be the undisclosed buyer who purchased a newly upgraded home in southwest London for 80 million pounds (approximately $161 million). The home is a freestanding, five-story, 10-bedroom Victorian villa, and has recently undergone 10 million pounds (approximately $20 million) worth of upgrades, including the additions of an underground indoor swimming pool, movie theater, panic room, sauna and gym [source: Daily Mail].

The home served as a girl's prep school until 1997. In 2006, the selling price breaks the former English record for home sales of 67 million pounds (approximately $135 million).

Hearst Mansion - Beverly Hills, US ( $165 M )

The Beverly House, former mansion of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies, four homes plus apartment and security staff's cottage on 6.5 acres north of Sunset, 29 bedrooms, state-of-the-art theater, three swimming pools. Up-and-coming neighborhood. The 1920s-era Beverly Hills mansion was put on the market for $165 million, making it the nation's most expensive residential listing.

 The estate became a pop-culture icon after being used in The Godfather movie, when the infamous severed horse’s head turned up in the owner’s bed. The fact that assassinated President John F Kennedy stayed in the mansion during his honeymoon also added to its status. The house has some notable neighbours, including Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and David and Victoria Beckham.

Fairfield Pond - The Hamptons, US ( $170 M )

This 63 acre home is considered the largest residential compound in America. The 29 bedroom beachfront home of publicity shy billionaire Ira Rennert has 5 sports courts, a bowling alley and a $150,000 hot tub. This beachfront home cuts no corners. Locals were outraged once they learned that is was not actually being built like a hotel, spa or religious retreat as they were apparently lead to believe, but in fact this massive property was to be used like a private house.

One Hyde Park - The Penthouse, London UK ( $200 M )

One Hyde Park is a major residential and retail complex located in London, United Kingdom. The development includes three retail units (Rolex, McLaren Automotive and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank) totalling 385,000 sq ft (35,800 m2) and 86 residential properties marketed with prices starting at around £20 million. The building is owned by Project Grande (Guernsey) Limited (PGGL), a joint venture between the Christian Candy owned CPC Group and Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. This massively stylish modern penthouse may not be so expensive did it not sit atop the famous number 1 Hyde Park address. As it is in such a premium location it has been built as a home for the rich and famous complete with SAS guard, bullet proof windows, iris scanners, panic rooms and a secret tunnel to the nearby Mandarin Hotel. The building has communal spas, squash courts and wine tasting rooms, and the penthouse is served by 24 hour room service.

Villa Leopolda - French Riviera, France ( $525 M )

Villa Leopolda is an 80,000 square foot Chateuau built in 1902 by King Leopold II of Belgium  as a present for his mistress Blanche Zélia Joséphine Delacroix, also known as Caroline Lacroix, and derives its name from him. After Leopold's death, Blanche Delacroix was evicted, and his nephew, King Albert I, became its owner. During WW I it was used as a military hospital. The villa has been rumoured to be the home of Bill Gates and many more global figures, but has actually been home to French banker Edmond Safira, whose wife Lily still lives there. The 19 bedroom villa, which boasts sports courts, a bowling alley, multiple kitchens, dining rooms and a movie theatre, received even more press lately when a Russian mogul lost his deposit on the property when he reneged on completing the sale.

Antilla - Mumbai, India ( $1 Billion )

The world’s most expensive home is unquestionable. It is the first $1 billion home the world has seen. A custom-build 27 story towering mansion, Antilla in Mumbai is the home of the world’s fifth richest man, namely Mukesh Ambani, head of Indian petro-chemical giant Reliance Industries, which is India’s most valuable firm by market capitalization.

With double height ceilings, ballrooms, crystal chandelier ceilings, retractable stages, and 600 servants, there is no other home on earth that compares to the 570 feet tall Antilla.