Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s billionaire lifestyle: Meta’s CEO may dress down (in US$400 T-shirts), but he splurges on Hawaiian land, mansions, top-notch security, private jets and luxury cars
Mark Zuckerberg is the 15th richest person in the world with a net worth of US$72.5 billion, per Forbes. While you might like to believe that Zuckerberg doesn’t care for opulence – as he reportedly does not wear fancy watches and prefers sporting plain grey T-shirts – you may be surprised to know the 38-year-old billionaire indeed has a very lavish lifestyle.
He reportedly has a property portfolio worth US$320 million and was once rumoured to have bought a jaw-dropping US$150 million yacht called Ulysses, according to TechCrunch.
Here are some of the most prized possessions of the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
His US$186 million land in Hawaii
Apparently, it didn’t deter Zuckerberg, who, in March 2021, bought nearly 245 hectares (600 acres) of land on Kauai’s North Shore for US$53 million, reported SF Gate, which included a public beach and a working cattle ranch, to add to his luxury estate nicknamed Ko’olau Ranch. Six months later, he bought 45 hectares (110 acres) of agricultural land for US$17 million, according to The Guardian. It includes the Ka Loko Reservoir, which remains on the island’s list of high-risk dams.
6 stars shunned by the Kardashians, from Blac Chyna to Larsa Pippen
Ben LaBolt, Chan-Zuckerberg family office spokesperson, has defended Zuckerberg’s controversial land purchases. “Mark and Priscilla continue to make their home at Ko’olau Ranch. [The couple] had worked closely with a number of community partners to operate a working ranch, promote conservation, produce sustainable agriculture and protect wildlife and look forward to expanding their efforts to include this additional property,” he told Insider.
His US$116 million palatial mansions in California
Zuckerberg lives with his family in a luxurious home he originally bought for US$7 million in 2011 in Palo Alto, California, according to New York Post. The five-bedroom mansion has a large garden, a saltwater pool, entertainment pavilion, fireplace, barbecue area, spa and a robot butler (with the voice of Morgan Freeman) who can adjust the room temperature and make toast. He shelled out over US$50 million in total, counting renovations and his purchasing of the four nearby homes, which the high-profile family uses as guest houses and recreational facilities.
A few years later, Zuckerberg quietly spent US$59 million on two waterfront properties on Lake Tahoe, California, reported The Wall Street Journal. The eight-bedroom Carousel estate built back in the early 1930s has 60 metres (200 feet) of lakefront, a rare marina-style pier designed to support a large yacht, a two-car garage and a guest house.
Who was 19th-century merchant Howqua, the ‘Chinese Bill Gates of his day’?
The six-bedroom Brushwood estate built in the 1960s has 120 metres (400 feet) of lakefront, a private pier, patios, a guest house and a garage. According to The Wall Street Journal, Zuckerberg’s pair of luxury holiday homes are built on nearly four hectares (10 acres) of land.
His US$27 million security and private jets
The cost of keeping one of the richest and most powerful men in the tech world safe far outstrips his contemporaries. Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook, spent more than US$15 million in 2021 to protect its CEO at his home and on his travels, according to Bloomberg.
This absurd figure to keep Zuckerberg guarded does not include the US$10 million given to him as a pre-tax allowance for his family’s security, as well as over US$1.6 million for his personal use of private aircraft.
His US$1.4 million Pagani Huayra
Where is former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries now?
- Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp’s billionaire CEO was criticised for buying swathes of land in Hawaii – some called him a colonist, but he bought more anyway
- He lives in Palo Alto, California with his wife Priscilla Chan and kids and drives a Pagani Huayra – on par with Ferrari and Lamborghini – along with his more humble Honda