The world's most expensive home: By the numbers

An Indian billionaire has built what might be history's most lavish private residence — a 600-foot skyscraper in the middle of slum-ridden Mumbai

The world's first billion-dollar house features nine elevators for convenient mobility up and down its 27 floors.
(Image credit: Corbis)

Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani is the world's fourth-richest man, so it's hardly surprising that he'd reward himself with luxurious digs. But the oil magnate took things one step further by constructing a home unlike any other in the world — a 27-story tower in the middle of Mumbai. Dubbed Antilia, after a "mythic island in the Pacific Ocean," the imposing structure "resembles a glass and steel Lego stack, interspersed with hanging gardens." The upper floors offer "sweeping views" of the city's sprawling slums and the Arabian Sea in the distance. While local critics have decried Antilia as "an edifice to [Ambani's] ego" and "obscenely lavish," the billionaire insists (via a spokesman) that the new abode simply suits his lifestyle. Here's a look at the key numbers behind Ambani's palace:

$1 billion

Estimated market value of Ambani's home

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$70 million

Amount the house cost to build (the much higher market value reflects the recent "astronomic" rise in Mumbai property prices)

567

Height, in feet, of the structure

400,000

Estimated square footage of the home

600

Full-time staff (occupying the bottom two floors) required "to keep things running smoothly"

3

Helipads on the roof available for moneyed visitors wishing to avoid Mumbai's notorious traffic

160

Parking spaces in the home's garages

9

Working elevators in the the building

50

Seats in the home's movie theater

$30 billion

Ambani's estimated net worth, mostly from his role as chairman of oil conglomerate Reliance Industries

Sources: Guardian, Daily News, Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal