The World’s Most Expensive Buildings

If the Great Pyramid were to be built today, it would cost between 1.1 and 1.3 billion US dollars, according to a cost estimate by the Turner Construction Company—not surprising, considering how that is roughly the same amount of money that it took to build the Trump Taj Mahal or the Petronas Twin Towers. Complicated structural requirements, delayed work timelines, complex building programs, the need for good earthquake or typhoon proofing, the use of advanced mechanical and electronic systems, and costly materials and finishes can all add up to the eventual cost. But sometimes—and especially in cases in which governments or powerful clients set out to beat existing records such as the “tallest building in the world”—money is spent for no real reason except for an unabashed display of wealth, power or strength.

Emporis, the renowned global provider for building data, has compiled a list of the top 200 money-guzzlers from recent years, and not surprisingly, a lot of high-rises have made the list. Read on to see the top 20.

1. One World Trade Center, New York City ($3.9 billion)

1. One World Trade Center, New York City ($3.9 billion). Image © James Ewing

2. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi ($3 billion)

2. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi ($3 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/o_0/15856776560'>Flickr user Guilhem Vellut</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a>

3. Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest ($3 billion)

3. Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest ($3 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/archer10/7557753382'>Flickr user Dennis Jarvis</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

4. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas ($2.7 billion)

4. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas ($2.7 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimg944/6047895339'>Flickr user Jim G</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a>

5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion)

5. Shanghai Tower, Shanghai ($2.4 billion). Image © Connie Zhou

6. The Venetian Macao, Macau ($2.4 billion)

6. The Venetian Macao, Macau ($2.4 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/montoya711/8300656204/'>Flickr user Melv_L – MACASR</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

7. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide ($2.1 billion)

7. Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide ($2.1 billion). Image © <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_Royal_Adelaide_Hospital_15-7-17.jpg'>Wikimedia user Sandyx99</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

8. Goldman Sachs Headquarters, New York City ($2.1 billion)

8. Goldman Sachs Headquarters, New York City ($2.1 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goldman_Sachs_Tower_200_West_Street_Battery_Park_City.jpg'>Wikimedia user Beyond My Ken</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion)

9. The Palazzo, Las Vegas ($1.9 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palazzo_Casino,_Las_Vegas_(3479650636).jpg'>Wikimedia user Alex Proimos </a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en'>CC BY 2.0</a>

10. The Shard, London ($1.9 billion)

10. The Shard, London ($1.9 billion). Image © Eric Smerling

11. Taipei 101, Taipei ($1.76 billion)

11. Taipei 101, Taipei ($1.76 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/yuchinmchu/3513942635/'>Flickr user Yu-Ching Chu</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/'>CC BY 2.0</a>

12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion)

12. Burj Khalifa, Dubai ($1.5 billion). Image Courtesy of SOM

13. CapitaGreen, Singapore ($1.4 billion)

13. CapitaGreen, Singapore ($1.4 billion). Image © CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore_CapitaGreen-Building-01.jpg'>via Wikimedia</a>

14. Kyoto Station, Kyoto ($1.25 billion)

14. Kyoto Station, Kyoto ($1.25 billion). Image © <a href='https://www.flickr.com/photos/andersondotcom/484730029/'>Flickr user Gavin Anderson</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/'>CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

15. Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles ($1.2 billion)

15. Wilshire Grand Center, Los Angeles ($1.2 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilshire_Grand.jpg'>Wikimedia user Fredchang931124</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

16. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg ($1,027,510,000)

16. Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg ($1,027,510,000). Image © Iwan Baan

17. New United States Embassy, London ($1 billion – predicted)

17. New United States Embassy, London ($1 billion – predicted). Image © <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_Embassy_of_the_United_States_of_America_in_Battersea_Nine_Elms,_London,_seen_from_Pimlico.jpg'>Wikimedia user Curran2</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

18. Mercury City Tower, Moscow ($1 billion)

18. Mercury City Tower, Moscow ($1 billion). Image© <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_from_Imperia_Tower_Moscow_04-2014_img12.jpg'>Wikimedia user A.Savin</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en'>CC BY-SA 3.0</a>

19. Niagara Falls Hilton Phase 2, Niagara Falls ($1 billion)

19. Niagara Falls Hilton Phase 2, Niagara Falls ($1 billion). Image © <a href='https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hilton_Niagara_Falls.jpg'>Wikimedia user Domenic Scaturchio</a> licensed under <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en'>CC BY 2.0</a>

20. Bank of America Tower, New York City ($1 billion)

20. Bank of America Tower, New York City ($1 billion). Image Courtesy of Cook+Fox Architects

You can also visit Emporis to see the full list of the world’s 200 most expensive buildings.