London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Serena Williams, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and other rich celebrities who live in modest homes

Why do millionaires and billionaires pay so little for their houses? The answer may explain why they are so rich

The key to building wealth? Living in a home you can easily afford.

That’s according to Sarah Stanley Fallaw, the director of research for the Affluent Market Institute. She is an author of The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth, in which she surveyed more than 600 millionaires in America.

She found that no factor plays as big a role in accumulating money as where you choose to live. Most of the millionaires she studied had never bought a home that cost more than triple their annual income. Even some high-profile, ultra-rich people – from Mark Zuckerberg to Serena Williams – have bought homes well below their means.

To compile the list below, we compared each person’s net worth with the cost of their homes. We did not have the data to determine their net worth at the time of purchase, so we adjusted the house purchase price for inflation using an inflation calculator to compare that with their net worth today.

For example, the billionaire investor Warren Buffett bought a modest home in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1958 for US$31,500.

Adjusted for inflation, that’s equivalent to US$274,357 in today’s dollars, or just 0.0003 per cent of his US$82.1 billion net worth.
Everyone on this list owns a home that cost less than five per cent of their net worth.

As of 2017, the home was worth an estimated US$652,619. He called it the “third-best investment” he has ever made.

Meanwhile, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh lives in a Las Vegas trailer park called “Llamapolis” that he created in 2014 as part of his efforts to revitalise the city.

Llamapolis, which was inspired by the Burning Man festival, is home to 30 Airstream trailers and tiny houses. The cost of Airstream trailers ranges from US$25,900 to US$139,900. The most expensive option – US$148,750, adjusted for inflation – is just 0.02 per cent of Hsieh’s US$840 million net worth.

Hsieh said he founded Llamapolis “because I wanted to maximise serendipity and randomness in my life”.

Mark Zuckerberg lives in a home equal to 0.01 per cent of his wealth. He paid US$7 million for a house in Palo Alto in 2011, equivalent to US$7.8 million today. While that’s not an outright modest number, it is modest for a man worth US$71.1 billion.

It comes with a big backyard and a pool and lush, detailed landscaping.

Inside, the house has tons of windows for sunlight.

Evan Spiegel also lives in California. He bought the Los Angeles house he shares with Miranda Kerr, his wife, in 2016 for US$12 million, or US$12.6 million adjusted for inflation. That’s 0.57 per cent of his US$2.2 billion net worth.

The house used to belong to Harrison Ford. At 7,164 sq ft, the house has an open floor plan with plenty of sunshine.

Meanwhile, over in Beverly Hills is Serena Williams’ home that she bought in 2017 for US$6.7 million, or US$6.9 million in today’s dollars, only 3.8 per cent of her reported US$180 million net worth.

The 6,000-sq-ft, three-story Spanish-style residence sits on a quarter-acre lot in a gated community.

It has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms and a light and airy feel.

Outside, the grassy backyard has a built-in grilling station and a swimming pool.

Williams isn’t the only sports star living in a relatively affordable home. Shaquille O’Neal’s US$21.9 million Florida home, which sits on a lakefront property in a gated Orlando community, was put on the market in 2018.

He bought the house in 1993 for a little less than US$4 million, or US$6.9 million in today’s dollars. That’s 1.7 per cent of his US$400 million net worth.

The home has 12 bedrooms spread across 35,000 sq ft. O’Neal’s home also has many additional rooms, like a recording studio, a 17-car garage, a cigar bar and lounge, a home theatre and, of course, an indoor basketball court.



Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×