The wealthiest man on earth, takes a different approach to luxury living.

Elon Musk once owned over $100 million USD worth of luxury properties across California before selling them all.
SpaceX CEO’s current primary home is a modest, $50,000 USD house in Boca Chica, Texas, near SpaceX headquarters.
Musk’s real estate decisions reflect his minimalist lifestyle and focus on practicality over opulence.

When we think of today’s billionaires, images of mansions, superyachts, and rare art collections usually come to mind as the ultimate status symbols of wealth and achievement. However, Elon Musk, the head of Tesla and SpaceX and the wealthiest man on earth, takes a different approach to luxury living with his radical treatment of real estate.

Unlike his tech peers, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Larry Ellison, who own impressive and expensive properties, Musk has followed a different path. His real estate choices focus on privacy, practicality, and a future-driven mindset, which is very different from the traditional ideas of personal wealth.

Why Did Elon Musk Sell His Mansions?

By 2020, Musk owned a collection of luxurious properties across California worth over $100 million USD. He used them as both, retreats and investments. However, in a surprising move, the billionaire announced that he would be selling almost all of his real estate, stating:

“I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.”

Elon MuskThis decision marked a big change in Musk’s life and separated him from the billionaires who owned the most luxurious mansions in the world.

Bel-Air Colonial Mansion

Price: $17 million USD
Size: 20,000 square-foot
Date of Purchase: 2012

Musk announced in 2020 that he would sell all his physical possessions. Image: Sotheby’s
One of Musk’s most iconic real estate purchases was a grand colonial mansion in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, after renting the mansion for two years. When he bought it in 2012, it was priced at $17 million USD for this 20,000-square-foot home, featuring seven bedrooms, thirteen bathrooms, and a number of luxurious amenities like a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a wine cellar that could hold 1,000 bottles.

This house, with its two-story library and overlooking the Bel-Air Country Club, was truly a typical epitome of luxury. In 2020, the mansion was sold to Chinese billionaire William Ding for $29.72 million USD after Musk announced he wanted to downsize.

The Gene Wilder Estate

Price: $9.18 million USD
Size: 2,800 square-foot
Date of Purchase: 2013

The Tesla CEO purchased the home of Willy Wonka actor Gene Wilder in 2013. Image: Westside Estate Agency
In 2013, Musk continued his real estate journey with the purchase of one truly unique property: the former home of actor Gene Wilder. This 2,800-square-foot ranch house in Bel-Air came with its own piece of Hollywood history. Wilder, best known for his role as Willy Wonka, had lived here for more than 30 years.

The house had a guest cottage which was ideal for Musk as it protected the view from his other nearby property, which overlooked the Bel-Air Country Club. His plans for the house were anything but ordinary. He turned it into a school called Ad Astra for his kids and the children of SpaceX and Tesla employees. He sold the property in 2020 for $9.5 million USD.

Musk also owned other mansions in the area, with a total value of over $70 million USD. In 2015 and 2016, he bought two more Bel-Air properties: a ranch house for $20 million USD and an unfinished mansion for $24.25 million USD.

Brentwood Estate

Price: $3.7 million USD
Size: 3,000 square-foot
Date of Purchase: 2014

Musk sold his Brentwood home in 2019 before publicly announcing that he would sell all his properties. Image: Hilton & Hyland
Musk’s California holdings were not limited to Bel Air. In 2014, Elon Musk bought a stylish, boomerang-shaped home in Brentwood, California, for just under $3.7 million USD. The house had big windows, a private pool with great views of Los Angeles, and was surrounded by tall hedges for privacy. But just five years later, in 2019, Musk sold the house for $4 million USD, showing he was ready to simplify his life and focus more on his businesses.

Hillsborough Estate Guignécourt

Price: $31 million USD
Size: 16,000-square-foot
Date of Purchase: 2017

The Guignécourt mansion spans 16,000 square feet and has nine bedrooms. Image: Realtor
In 2017, Musk acquired another luxurious estate in the San Francisco Bay Area — a vast 16,000-square-foot mansion called Guignécourt. This historic property, which once had been home to French nobility, was a true statement of grandeur, with nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and an 18th-century Chinese wallpaper pavilion overlooking the pool.

Musk once called the house an ideal space for a large family, but in 2021, he sold it to entrepreneur Kirill Evstratov. By the end of 2021, Musk had sold off all his properties in California.

Where Does Elon Musk Live Today?

Despite his vast wealth and worldwide influence, Musk’s current principal residence is anything but extravagance. In fact, the contrast to his other former estates couldn’t be greater, for Musk currently resides in a three-bedroom house in Boca Chica, Texas, right by the headquarters of SpaceX.
Musk, the world’s richest man, now lives in a $50K USD house. Image: Boxable
He transformed the home by converting a garage into a third bedroom. It has a minimalist design and provides him with all the comfort he needs. In a tweet, Musk explained:

“My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kind of awesome, though.”

Elon Musk

Many people believe Elon Musk lives in a Boxable, a popular prefabricated home that gained attention online. However, Musk cleared up the confusion in a podcast, explaining that while he does own a Boxable, he uses it as a guesthouse, not as his main home.

Beyond Material Possessions

Musk’s SpaceX company is making huge strides in space exploration, with plans to revolutionise interplanetary travel and develop technologies to enable human colonisation of Mars. Image: SpaceX
As Musk’s empire continues to push the boundaries of technology, his approach to real estate reflects his broader philosophy: in a world obsessed with accumulation, he shows that true wealth isn’t measured by owning vast properties. Instead, it’s about having the audacity to challenge the status quo and rethink what’s possible.

Whether exploring terrestrial landscapes or setting his sights on the stars, Musk’s journey proves that innovation knows no boundaries—physical or philosophical.