March 24, 2025, 3:01 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
The world’s largest and most expensive private home is located in the Indian mega-metropolis of Mumbai: Antilia, as the 27-story skyscraper is called, serves as an exquisite and extravagant residence for the country’s richest family. The features of the block, which is even listed in the Guinness Book of Records, leave you speechless. However, the owner has received a lot of criticism from his fellow countrymen for the building, which probably cost around two billion euros.
Mumbai’s Altamont Road ranks among the world’s most exclusive addresses. In a metropolis where absurd wealth and blatant poverty often live side by side, the area is also known as “Billionaire’s Row.” And among the countless luxury buildings here, there is one in particular that puts all others in the shade. A 27-story skyscraper called Antilia is the largest and most expensive private residence in the world. Indeed, this architectural marvel is home to just one family. But it is also the richest in all of India.
Entrepreneur Mukesh Ambani, the country’s wealthiest man with an estimated personal fortune of well over 100 billion euros, had Antilia built as an extravagant residence from 2006-2010. The cost of the construction was up to two billion euros, as reported by various online media, including the specialist magazine Architectural Digest. The sheer scale of the tower’s figures is bound to leave you in awe. At 173 meters high, it is the size of a 60-storey office building. On a plot of more than 4,000 square meters, the block named after the legendary island of Atlantis has 37,000 square meters of living space. And the wonders contained within its walls are nothing short of fabulous.
Six Entire Floors Dedicated to Automobiles
Six floors of the Antilia, each of which is as high as two corridors in a normal building, alone serve as a museum for Mukesh Ambani’s luxury cars. The garage accommodates 168 vehicles, complete with a dedicated workshop offering 24/7 service for these luxury cars. In the largest and most expensive private house in the world, the Ambani family alone employs around 600 people. The top six floors of the skyscraper serve as living quarters. Among other things, there is a temple, a ballroom, a spa, a hanging garden, and several helipads for private helicopters to land. Yet, the extravagance doesn’t end there.
The Antilia also has its own ice cream parlor and a cinema that can accommodate up to 50 guests. But the most unusual feature is probably the family’s own cold room, which can even produce artificial snow. In the often very hot summers in Bombay, the mogul and his loved ones can cool off here in style. Thanks to all these bizarre details, the skyscraper has even made it into the Guinness Book of Records, where it is officially listed as the most expensive private house in the world. By all accounts, this investment has paid off handsomely. The Antilia is now estimated to be worth more than four billion euros. This means its value has potentially doubled compared to the initial construction costs.
Harsh criticism of the mega-building
The Antilia almost became a Hollywood star, as the newspaper Metro reports. Director superstar Christopher Nolan wanted to film parts of his movie Tenet here. However, the plan was thwarted by the stringent security measures in place within the residential skyscraper. And his mega residence not only earned Mukesh Ambani admiration but also harsh criticism, especially from fellow countrymen. Shortly after the opening in 2011, the equally super-rich Ratan Tata complained in the Times of India that Ambani lacked compassion for poverty in his own country. He notably remarked, “We do so little about inequality in India. We just allow it and wish it away.”
There was also resentment because the Antilia was built on a site that was previously home to a well-known orphanage. It was an institution for more than 100 years until Ambani acquired the property and built his private residence here. However, the billionaire was clearly not affected by the headwinds. In the previous year, he transformed his high-rise into a grand venue for his youngest son’s lavish wedding. Media around the world reported on the week-long spectacle. This is unlikely to have diminished the market value of the largest and most expensive private house in the world.