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World’s Most Expensive Stove

The vast majority of the pricey items featured on this site are made with costly materials such as gold or diamonds, and the most expensive stove in the world is no exception. Unlike many of those goods, however, this stove was a work of art before it received the gold treatment.

Whether you’re heating your soup or heating your home, a wood-burning stove like the Iron Dog 05 Huraxdax can be of service. The word Huraxdax is Bavarian for “decampment of joy” and you’ll certainly feel that joy has broken camp on its way to see you as the Iron Dog 05 begins to heat up to nearly 1,000 square feet of your humble abode. Best of all, the stove’s degree of efficiency is rated at 82%.

The stove is two-and-a-half feet tall and was designed by sculptor Joseph Michael Neustifter, an artist whose traditional Bavarian works grace the walls of over 80 churches. Each stove takes approximately two months to produce.

The Huraxdax stove is available in cast iron, silver and gold. The gold version of the stove weighs in at 260 kilograms and is priced in excess of $4 million.

World’s Most Expensive Blenders

It’s probably no surprise to you that Blendtec, the appliance company whose founder promotes his products by blending non-food items from deodorant to smartphones in the infamous Will It Blend? videos, sells the most expensive blenders in the world. What may surprise you, however, is just how much one of these state-of-the-art blenders can cost.

The Blendtec Smoother Q-Series 20 Amp is their most expensive countertop option, and it has the features to justify the price. This blender isn’t just powerful; its copolyester sound enclosure and muffled motor stand ensure that it is also quiet. The blender can even be built into your countertop to reduce its height by 8 inches. This commercial blender can be had for a staggering retail price of $1,199.95.

The most expensive blending appliance offered by Blendtec, however, is their enormous Megablender Frozen Beverage Machine. This blender dispenser is over 6 feet tall. The refrigerated system features paristoltic pumps that can dispense six different products into the jar. It also features a monitoring system that keeps track of the ice and product levels. This extraordinary machine has a retail price of $22,105.

World’s Most Expensive Grill

What better way is there to make the most of your summer than to get outside and throw some steaks, hot dogs or even veggie burgers on the grill?

The Talos Outdoor Cooking Suite is an open-air professional kitchen custom-built to your specific needs. The hand-crafted stainless steel exterior houses a 42” grilling area, three 25,000 BTU cast burners, a 20,000 BTU searing station and griddle, a hardwood cutting board and a warming drawer to keep your food ready to serve. It even has a bartending station with everything you need to mix your guests’ drinks.

Of course, all that convenience comes with a hefty price. This expensive grill can be had for $35,000.

If you’re looking for something truly spectacular, however, then settle for nothing less than the most expensive grill in the world.

This grill, created by BeefEater for the “World’s Finest” exhibition, features six high-output barbecue burners, a wok burner, a roasting hood with viewing window, a vaporizer grid and a warming rack and reflector system.

Oh, and it’s also plated entirely in gold.

Unfortunately, the grill will likely never see mass production. If it did, however, estimates put the price anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000.

Most Expensive Sushi Bar

Outside of Japan, we often think of sushi as a dish consisting of some sort of raw sea creature. This is, in fact, sashimi, which is wholly distinct from sushi. The term “sushi” actually refers to any dish made with a vinegared rice, called shari, and a number of other ingredients which made include fish, either cooked or raw. Of course, if you’re reading this you probably know all of that. What you want to know is where you can find the most expensive sushi.

Chef Masa Takayama of Masa

Residents of New York City are in luck. A Manhattan restaurant called Masa, after the establishment’s Japanese master chef, Masa Takayama, is the most expensive sushi restaurant in the world. The menu, as it were, is omakase. That means you won’t be entirely in charge of what lands on your plate but, rather, you’ll be trusting the chef to deliver a unique and rarified dining experience. This Japanese-style tasting menu allows chef Takayama to choose, on a daily basis, the freshest fish on the Japanese and American markets.

Of course, if you’re not happy with an authentic sushi experience unless you’re actually in Japan, you can try the restaurant where chef Takayama learned the ropes, Tokyo’s Sushi-ko. Another omakase restaurant, Sushi-ko has seen four generations of sushi specialists and specializes in crab legs and sea urchin. Sushi-ko also just happens to serve the second most expensive sushi.

Reservations at the most expensive sushi bar cost $300 and need to be made at least three weeks in advance. Sushi-ko, on the other hand, will cost you around $175 per meal… and a trip to Japan.

World’s Most Expensive Super Bowl Buffet

As if Texas’ most expensive Super Bowl menu weren’t enough, 2011′s Super Bowl XLV will also see the most expensive Super Bowl buffet in the world.

Manhattan’s Old Homestead Steakhouse is offering to take over one lucky person’s kitchen on Super Bowl Sunday, when the Green Bay Packers will play the Pittsburgh Steelers. The steakhouse’s executive chef, Oscar Martinez, will prepare a variety of finger foods, including Kobe beef burgers and hot dogs, French fries with Kobe beef, Maine lobster and Miami stone crabs.

The main course will be a sirloin steak covered in black truffle shavings on toasted baguettes and chicken wings covered in horseradish and topped with Beluga caviar.

That will be followed by tortillas covered in smoked salmon and crème fraîche, as well as filet mignon kebabs and a fine Champagne.

If that inspires you to reach for your wallet, keep in mind that the price for this breathtaking buffet is an equally staggering $25,000.

World’s Most Expensive Men’s Clothing

“Cosby” sweaters – $5,000

When playing Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show (1984-1992), Bill Cosby most often wore shirts with loud, geometric, swirling and/or patchwork patterns. This habit gave rise to the term “Cosby sweater,” used to describe similar sweaters. In 2008, Hello Friend and the Ennis William Cosby foundation put three of those famous sweaters up for auction on eBay.

Berluti Rapiécés Reprisés – $1,830

These shoes, inspired by Andy Warhol, are notable for the patched appearance traditionally reserved for clothing. Because Warhol requested a visible patch only on his right shoe, each set includes an additional left shoe that remains unpatched.

Eton 80th anniversary dress shirt – over $45,000

Swedish shirt-making company Eton, celebrating their 80th birthday, created this shirt out of the finest Egyptian cotton. Of course, it couldn’t be the most expensive shirt in the world without a few diamonds. Both the studs and the cufflinks are encrusted with diamonds—white diamonds on the cufflinks and colored diamonds on the studs.

Antique Levi’s jeans – $60,000

Levi Strauss Company bid $46,532 to buy a pair of their own brand of jeans back on the popular auction site eBay. However, the most expensive jeans were an average pair of 501 jeans manufactured in the 1880s and purchased by a Japanese collector in 2005 for $60,000.

Satya Paul Design Studio necktie – $220,000

The Satya Paul Design Studio, a company with roots in the early stages of India’s fashion industry, displayed the most expensive necktie in the world at a fashion show aptly titled “Cultural Ties” in Mumbai on October 29th, 2003. Tied around the neck of bollywood film star Salman Khan, this unique tie is made of pure silk with a pattern in 150 grams of gold. It’s also adorned with 271 diamonds weighing 77 carats weighing 77 carats total.

Most Expensive Men’s Shoes

While some will always consider hand made shoes the best and probably most expensive men’s shoes in the world, distinguished brands have come out with quite expensive ready made shoes. What is the most expensive men’s shoe?

Forbes published a year ago a list of most expensive shoes for men that were ready made and their list included names such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Prada, Edward Green, John Lobb, New & Lingwood, and Berluti. Topping the list were the distinctive Berluti shoes which fetch a mere $1,830 per pair.

Still when considering the cost of the more elaborate designs in women’s shoes, these expensive men’s shoes do not seem all that pricey. Maybe its that modern day men will just not accept shoes w

ith jewels adorning them.

Most Expensive Women’s Shoes

We may be calling this article “Most Expensive Women’s Shoes” to complement our previous article on men’s shoes, but make no mistake—these four pairs of high-heeled slippers, three of them by Stuart Weitzman, are also the most expensive shoes in the world.

Stuart Weitzman’s Ruby Slippers
$1.2 million

Based on their namesake footwear from The Wizard of Oz, these extravagant slippers were designed for the 2003 Oscars. Unfortunately, they were never worn due to the solemn mood of the times. They are studded with 642 Burma rubies weighing in at 123.33 carats. The settings are made of half a pound of platinum. These shoes were made with the help of Oscar Heyman Bros.

Stuart Weitzman’s Cinderella Slippers
$2 million

Worn by singer Alison Krauss at the 2004 Academy Awards, these shoes were Weitzman’s next pair of fantasy-themed slippers. They are studded with 565 Kwiat diamonds—55 carats of clear diamonds and a single 5-carat gem. Unfortunately, they’re probably not made of glass. They are currently on display in Beverly Hills, California.

Stuart Weitzman and Le Vian evening shoes
$2 million

Made in conjunction between Stuart Weitzman and the 500-year-old tradition of the Le Vian name, these stunning slippers are made of silver leather set with over 200 carats of precious stones. There are over 185 carats of museum-quality tanzanite gemstones along the ankle bracelets, including the two 16-carat gems hanging from each. Additionally, there are 28 carats of diamonds along the front straps.

Harry Winston’s Ruby Slippers
$3 million

While the original ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland were made with sequins, these spectacular slippers designed by Ronald Winston of the House of Harry Winston to mark the classic movie’s fiftieth anniversary used real rubies. The slippers include 4,600 rubies totaling 1,350 carats (as well as 50 carats of diamonds) which took craftsman Javiar Barerra two months to set. Made in 1989, the world’s most expensive shoes were still on sale in 2000

World’s Most Expensive Candle

People have been practicing chandlery for over 5,000 years, but a truly impressive candle still comes along every now and then. Such is the case with the “Ultimate Luxury Candle,” the most expensive candle in the world.

The Ultimate Luxury Candle by Luxury Soy Candles lives up to its name with both its fragrance, Champagne Noir Soy, and its embellishment—a Diamond Bow Necklace designed by Bucci Jewelry & Design. The necklace is adorned with 2.23 carats of G color, VS brilliant diamonds—thirty-eight in total—set in 14k white gold.

The candle is packaged in a black box with a white satin bow. It can be purchased exclusively at Welcome Home Candles for just under $5,000.

Most Expensive Wedding Bouquet

What has ninety gemstones, nine diamonds, a star-shaped ruby and an entry in the Vietnamese “Guinness Book of World Records”? If you guessed the expensive bouquet on display on the sixth floor of Ruby Plaza in Hanoi, you’d be right. Valued at around $125,000 USD, this wedding bouquet of red and white gemstone flowers just happens to be the most expensive bouquet in the world.

(Via Viet Nam News.)

The gemstone bouquet is symbolic of eternal love. It conveys a wish of happiness in the lives of all married couples. This luxurious bouquet holds the world record for the most expensive collection of gemstone flowers which, of course, gives it a spot here as well.

Ruby Plaza, a recently erected retail and office building on Le Ngoc Han Street, offers six levels of high-end retailers, a luxury day spa, and a rooftop bar restaurant. It is expected to be one of the most sophisticated marketplaces in Vietnam. The use of the most expensive bouquet will only enhance this image.

World’s Most Expensive Toilet Brush Holder

Look, you may have a Toto Neorest 600or a “Dagobert” Toilet Throne, but that amounts to absolutely nothing if you’re leaving the cleaning brush in some piece of plastic garbage you got from your local department store. That’s why a Spanish company called Windisch has created the most expensive toilet brush holder in the world.

The Rock Star Toilet Brush Holder is 3.25” X 15.25” and plated in oven varnished 24k gold. This expensive brush holder is guaranteed never to corrode, pit or tarnish. Even if you don’t own one of the world’s most expensive toilets, you can be sure this toilet brush holder will look great in your personal yacht or your company jet.

Windisch was founded in 1934 as a metallurgical company and now focuses on luxurious bathroom accessories.

The Rock Star Toilet Brush Holder can be purchased from Pioneer Linens for $575. Presumably, the brush is included.

World’s Most Expensive Towels

In the 1920s, white linen sheets were de rigueur. That all changed when Madeleine Porthault convinced her husband, Daniel, to offer a home couture collection through his small Parisian lingerie boutique. Their business thrived and many others followed suit, but the D. Porthault name still carries weight among the wealthy and their bath towels are the most expensive towels in the world.

The practice that sets D. Porthault apart from their competitors is that they still silk-screen their prints by hand. This process allows their hand-mixed paints to set deep within the fabric, making their towels and other home coordinates vibrant for a lifetime.

D. Porthault’s most expensive towels are made with 65-gram Egyptian cotton with double-rolled, hand-sewn scalloped edges. These luxury towels are priced over $400 and may be purchased in the US at their New York boutique at 470 Park Ave.

World’s Most Expensive Wood Flooring

Hardwood floors are not only affordable, they’re also easier to maintain and promote healthier indoor air than other flooring materials. If affordability isn’t an issue, though, maybe you should consider the most expensive wood flooring in the world.

Macassar ebony, also known as Calamander wood, comes from India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and South East Asia. While it isn’t true ebony, it is procured from a related species. This visually striking wood is dark brown to black in appearance with orange-gold streaks. It’s a very dense wood, so no filler is necessary when finishing the wood, and it is less likely to split than other woods.

Flooring your home with this expensive wood will set you back around $150 per square foot. Compare that to the $8-$10 per square foot price of typical hardwood flooring!

World’s Most Expensive Countertop Surface

Sure a marble or granite countertop is an attractive way to spruce up your kitchen, but is it the most luxurious? Typical stone surfaces range from $50 to $100 per square foot, so refacing your entire kitchen in stone can be quite costly. For a truly posh countertop, however, only one stone will do—enameled lava, the most expensive countertop surface in the world.

Enameled lava stone is produced mostly in France, where the stone is extracted from a volcanic crater and glazed with either a glossy or matte finish. The resulting material is lightweight, durable and requires very little maintenance.

Enameled lava stone, like the pictured Pyrolave surfacing, can cost up to $370 per square foot.

World’s Most Expensive Saucepan

Just when you thought you had everything you needed for your ultimate luxury kitchen, somebody comes along with some new kitchen necessity made with the utmost quality, the finest materials or the latest technology. This time, it’s the most expensive saucepan in the world.

This sumptuous saucepan was unveiled at the Millionaire Fair, where Russia’s wealthiest men and women gather to celebrate the lifestyle their inordinate wealth affords them. The saucepan’s handles and lid are elegantly decorated with 18k gold and 270 diamonds. Unfortunately, this saucepan is only suitable for serving food, not cooking it.

The saucepan was created by German cookware brand Fissler and is priced at $209,000.

Most Expensive Fabergé Egg

Fabergé eggs are extravagantly decorated, jeweled eggs created by master jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé and his assistants. The Russian jeweler made at least seventy-five eggs between 1885 and 1917, fifty-two of which are “Imperial Easter eggs” presented to Russian Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II as Easter gifts for their respective wives. Each of the eggs contained a surprise, the original being a golden yolk containing a golden hen wearing a crown from which a ruby hangs. Recently, the most expensive Fabergé egg was sold by Christie’s auction house for £8.9 million ($17.4 million USD) in December of 2007.

The egg was created for members of the French Rothschild banking family in 1902. It was commissioned by socialite and art collector Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild to be presented to her younger brother’s fiancée, Germaine Halphen. The Rothschild egg is thought to have remained undocumented due to the destruction of the Fabergé archives following the October Revolution.

The egg, which is also a decorative clock with a diamond-set cockerel that pops up on the hour, is not just the most expensive Fabergé egg; it’s also the most expensive timepiece and the most expensive Russian object. It was purchased by the owner of Russia’s first private museum, Alexander Ivanov.

Most Expensive Rug

The world’s most expensive rug may be silk, Persian and four or five hundred years old, but does it really tie the room together? One anonymous buyer seems to think so.

Sold by Christie’s for $4.45 million, the 16th or 17th century Persian rug measures 7’ 5” by 5’ 7”. It was previously owned by Doris Duke, a tobacco heiress who purchased it in 1990 and left it to the Newport Restoration Foundation when she died. Its record selling price amounts to over $700 per square inch.

The most expensive rug’s record may soon be beaten, however, by the storied Pearl Carpet of Baroda. Commissioned in the 18th century by Khanda Rao Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda, the rug is similar to one that decorates the Taj Mahal. Featuring around two million naturally seeded pearls, the rug is embossed with gold set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. It features three stunning rosettas made of diamonds and silvered gold.

Due to the untimely death of the Maharaja, the rug was never delivered to the destination he had intended for it. Instead of gracing the tomb of the prophet Mohammed, the rug stayed with the Maharaja’s family since its completion.

Now it may fetch a sum as princely as its pedigree at a Sotheby’s auction in their new office in Doha, Qatar. The expected hammer value for this most expensive rug is $14.5 million.

Just make sure to wipe your feet before walking on my most expensive rug, m’kay?

The Pearl Carpet of Baroda

Most Expensive Vodka

Most any experienced drinker can appreciate a fine liquor. Whether you and your friends are constantly chugging from a handle of Viaka and chasing it with Keystone Light in your dorm, or you occasionally have a glass of fine wine with your dinner, it’s hard not to be aware of the quality of your favorite poison.

People have been getting drunk on vodka since the middle ages, but it wasn’t until the year 1975 that vodka surpassed all other liquor sales in the United States. Vodka has since then remained the most popular booze, giving rise to hundreds of different varieties that cater to everyone, from cheap vodka for back alley bums and ultra expensive vodka for young lounge hipsters.

When vodka production started in Russia in the 17th century, a keg (12 liters) would have cost as much as one and a half or two cows. Nonetheless, Russians came to love the smooth alcoholic beverage and taxing it provided Tsarist Russia up to 40% of all state revenue at one time.

But what is the most expensive vodka in the world available to consumers today? It may be hard to determine, but two of the most expensive vodkas are the Russian Stolichnaya Elit and the French Jean-Marc XO. Both bottles cost around $60 USD for 750ml of 80-proof expensive vodka. The Russian vodka is a grain-based, triple distilled and triple filtered in a “unique” freeze filtration process. The French vodka is made from wheat and is distilled nine times and charcoal filtered.

A new vodka is now on the marketing taking credit for being the most expensive vodka. It’s called Diva Vodka and surprisingly hails from Scotland. Blackwood Distillers makes the triple distilled vodka that is ice-filtered through Nordic birch charcoal and then for some reason is passed through a sand of crushed diamonds and other gems. Upon learning more about the most expensive vodka, you might find yourself wondering if the high price is due to the quality of the vodka or what comes with one of these bottles of Diva.

Every bottle of the most expensive vodka contains precious and semi-precious stones, including diamonds. If you want to live like a Diva, then you can expect to pay between $70.00 and $1,060,000 USD, depending on how much bling your bottle possesses.

Although trends in vodka consumption may seem to be steering towards the expensive side, vodkas like Pink Vodka and Zygo Vodka have taken the Red Bull and vodka concoction to a whole new level. Bypassing the mixing of top shelf vodka with an energy drink, these two vodkas themselves contain ample doses of caffeine and guarana to keep your party going into the wee hours. If you are more environmentally or health minded individual, you may want consider Liquid Ice Vodka, UK5, Rain, Georgievskaya or Vincent Vodka Appel, all of which are certified organic.

Most Expensive Tequila

How much would you pay for your favorite bottle of Tequila? You may know what the cheapest tequila is at your local bar, but many enjoy their favorite top shelf brand. But, what is the most expensive tequila in the world?

One Tequila connoisseur has bought earlier this year what is thought to be the most expensive bottle of Tequila in the world at US $3.5 million: Pasion Azteca, Platinum Liquor Bottle by Tequila Ley .925

Each one of the limited-edition expensive tequila bottles, which resemble a barbed sea shell and are engraved by Alejandro Gomez Oropeza, a Mexican artist, are filled with Pasion Azteca tequila, made from pure sap of the blue agave plant that has been fermented, distilled, and aged for six years.

An additional 33 bottles have been made out of gold and platinum and retail slightly less for $150,000 while the range of gold and silver bottles of expensive tequila will set you back by $25,000.

Mr Altamirano, whose company, Tequila Ley .925, has won several awards for its unorthodox bottle designs, claimed one buyer has already bought an undisclosed number of bottles but he refused to say where the offer came from.

“Since we started out, we began with the idea of making the finest, most expensive bottle of tequila in the world,” Mr Altamirano said.

Much of the Pasion Azteca’s price tag is down to the quantity of platinum of the bottle rather than the actual quality of the tequila inside, but it is the world’s most expensive tequila.

Most Expensive Cognac

Cognac, like Champagne, is named after the area of France from whence it originates. In order to be considered worthy of the name, the brandy must be produced in the area surrounding the town of Cognac and it must be made at least 90% from three varieties of grapes that grow in the region—Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche or Colombard grapes. In fact, those are only two of the criteria required by the Bureau National Interprofessionel du Cognac (BNIC), the body that has ultimate control over whether or not a brandy may be called Cognac.

Considering the specific processes required to produce the most basic variety of the drink, the most expensive Cognac in the world must be something special indeed.

Called Henri IV Dudognon Heritage after the French king whose descendents have been producing this wine since 1776, this particular wine was aged for 100 years in barrels that were air dried for five years before use. The final product is 41% alcohol (82 proof).

That alone wasn’t enough to make it the world’s most expensive Cognac, though. The priciest aspect isn’t the wine itself, but the packaging. Dipped in 24k gold and sterling platinum, the bottle was adorned with 6,500 brilliant cut diamonds by its designer, jeweler Jose Davalos.

The final price of this costly Cognac is £1 million (around $2 million USD) and, if you’ve been paying any attention at all, it shouldn’t surprise you that Tequila Ley, the Mexican distilling company responsible for the expensive brandy, is planning to sell it in Dubai.

Most Expensive Bottled Water

Bottled water is big business–I mean, really big. In less than ten years, bottled water consumption has doubled, with prices about 100 times that of tap water. Whether you think bottled water is healthier or it tastes better, or even if you happily drink tap water, it’s clear that bottled water is here to stay.

Bling h2o – $40+ per 750 ml bottle

Hollywood writer-producer Kevin G. Boyd tapped into the bottled water market with an image approach. His water, Bling h2o, has been spotted in the hands of numerous celebrities and even at awards ceremonies like the Emmy’s, Grammy’s, and the MTV Video Music Awards.

The water is bottled in Dandridge, Tennessee, probably the least notable quality of the most expensive bottled water. Boyd’s approach to the bottled water market is as extreme as the limited edition bottles themselves. They come frosted, corked, and boasting hand-applied Swarovski crystal. Bling H20 boasts that it has won the gold medal at the Berkely Springs International Water Tasting Festival with its nine-step purification process. If you are a water elitist, be prepared to spend $40-60 for a 750ml bottle. If you are buying your expensive bottled water at a club, be prepared to spend more.

Hawaiian deep seawater – $33.50 per 2 oz bottle

This seawater is so lucrative that the Hawaiian government is now allowing bottlers to use a state-certified logo for their deep seawater for a nominal fee. Hawaii Deep Marine Inc.’s Kona Nigari water, for instance, sells for $33.50 per 2 oz bottle. It’s extracted from a depth of 915 feet, over 700 feet more than is necessary for the water to be considered deep seawater.

Acqua di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani – $60,000 for a 1.25 ml bottle

The world’s most expensive bottle of water is truly unique. Designed by Fernando Altamirano of Tequila Ley, who holds the records for the world’s most expensive tequila and cognacbottles, the 24k gold-coated bottle is based on the work of late Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Clemente Modigliani. It holds 1.25 ml of blended spring water from France and the Fiji Islands, as well as glacier water from Iceland.

The world’s most expensive bottled water went up for auction on March 4th, 2010. Proceeds from the auction went to the Planet Foundation.

Altamirano also produced a similar “dummy” bottle of gold, silver and platinum festooned with 6,000 diamonds. It was valued at $3.3 million.

World’s Most Expensive Ice

As if the bottled water craze that has stigmatized tap water consumption wasn’t enough of a waste of money, one company has hit upon an even more fantastic way to throw away your money—some of the most expensive ice in the world.

Gläce Luxury Ice Co. have eschewed the typical ice cube for a more pleasing sphere. Each 2.5” sphere is carved by hand and made with pure water to preserve the flavor of high-end drinks. Gläce recommends allowing a sphere to “age” for 3-4 minutes once you’ve removed it from the freezer, lest your precious status symbol be marred by “crackling” and “spidering.” These luxury ice spheres cost $8 each.

Gläce isn’t the first company to make ice spheres for beverage cooling, however. Okamoto Studios—New York’s most expensive ice sculptors—once made ice balls for an event at a bar. Using a leather strap, screws and dog bowls, they made ice balls for patrons’ drinks. By using differently sized bowls, they were even able to vary the sizes of the balls.

World’s Most Expensive Tap Water

The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) has surveyed water prices in twenty Western countries. Their findings indicate that Denmark may have the most expensive tap water in the world.

Water in Denmark costs $6.70 per cubic meter. That’s about 2.5 cents per gallon–quite a bit more than in the US, where a gallon of water costs between .07 and .2 cents. Part of the reason for this price is that it includes the price to clean and dispose of the water. This practice has led Danish consumers to use water more conservatively, but it has also strained their agricultural industry.

The least expensive water came from Mexico, where citizens pay about 50 cents per cubic meter.

World’s Most Expensive Real Estate

Luxury gadgets, clothing and food are all well and good, but let’s face it—history is written by the land barons. Real estate put the feud in feudalism, made legends of early explorers and put Donald Trump on primetime television. So where is the most valuable land in the world?

The world’s most expensive real estate market, according to a recent survey by the Global Property Guide, is Monte Carlo. Named “Mount Charles” after Prince Charles III of Monaco, Monte Carlo is a northern district in the city-state of Monaco and is home to the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, the renowned Hôtel de Paris and the greater portion of the Curcuit de Monaco, where Formula One drivers race in the Monaco Grand Prix.

Real estate in this land of luxury cost an average of $47,578 per square meter, according to the Global Property Guide’s 2009 report.

Monte Carlo was followed by Moscow, Russia at less than half that price—$20,853 per square meter—and London, England at $20,756 per square meter. New York City placed 6th on the list at $14,898 per square meter.

Global Property Guide’s full top ten list is as follows:

1. Monte Carlo, Monaco – $47,578
2. Moscow, Russia – $20,853
3. London, England – $20,756
4. Tokyo, Japan – $17,998
5. Hong Kong – $16,125
6. New York, USA – $14,898
7. Paris, France – $12,122
8. Singapore – $9,701
9. Rome, Italy – $9,166
10. Mumbai, India – $9,163

Most Expensive Apartment

In the US, we usually think of apartments as rental properties. The most expensive apartments, like condominiums, are purchased outright.

One Hyde Park penthouse – $220 million

The four penthouse apartments atop London’s most luxurious address sold well before its construction finished. The buildings, developed by Candy & Candy and funded by Qatar’s foreign minister, include eighty apartments designed by architect Richard Rogers. It features communal spas, squash courts, a private wine-tasting facility and a top notch security force staffed by former members of the British SAS. The building cost £1.5 billion (around $3 billion USD in 2008) to develop.

The most expensive of them, a six-bedroom penthouse, sold for £140 million (about $220 million) in 2010. The two-storey apartment has security features of its own, including bulletproof glass and a panic room.

La Belle Epoque penthouse – $308 million

This Monacan apartment is perhaps best known as the apartment where Lebanese banker Edmond Safra’s life was claimed in an act of arson perpetrated by his nurse. Despite its grisly past, the penthouse at Le Belle Epoque (literally “The Beautiful Era”) has become not only the world’s most expensive apartment but also the world’s most expensive private residence. Its noteworthy amenities include a game room with billiards tables and arcade games, a Jacuzzi and spa, cinema screens hidden in the walls, a two-storey library and a media room with chairs that convert into beds. Its security features include a panic room with reinforced glass and surveillance cameras.

Most Expensive New Home in Britain

Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, ranked 278th richest person in the world in 2006, is relocating to London with his wife Olga and two of their children. Why do we care? Well, the Northwest London house into which Mr. Leviev is moving just happens to be Britain’s most expensive new home.

Located on the same private street in Hampstead where stars Lulu and Ringo Starr have owned homes, the house was designed by architect William Bertram, who was coaxed out of retirement for the job. Unfortunately for him, Mansour Namaki, for whom the house was designed, decided to move to Regent’s Park instead.

Hampstead

The house itself is 17,000 square feet and includes such luxuries as an indoor swimming pool decorated in gold, a cinema, a hair salon, a gym and even its own nightclub. Lest you worry about the Levievs and their guests aching from walking through such a massive house (and we know you do worry), the house includes a six-person elevator. Security is also not an issue, as the house is protected by a $100,000 armor-plated door, 25 infra-red cameras and a 24-hour security barrier between the outside world and the road on which the house is located.

What was the crucial factor in Mr. Leviev’s decision to throw down £35 million on the most expensive newly-built house in Britain? It’s within walking distance of a synagogue. In fact, there are three nearby synagogues, the Garden Suburb Synagogue in Norrice Lea being the closest.

Most Expensive Streets in the UK

A property research website called Mouseprice.com recently compiled its data concerning the most expensive streets in the United Kingdom after researching average property values. The top 5 most expensive streets in the United Kingdom are Kensington Square, Chelsea Square, Portnall Rise, Ravenscroft Road, and Park Avenue South. The majority of streets in the top twenty are centrally located around the London city limits.

South East region of England saw a six year property increase of 86.6%, for London, it was an 82.4% increase. Surprisingly, property in Wales, Yorkshire and North East are boasting six year increases of over 140%. Because the property value of the current most expensive streets is not showing a steady increase, one of these other regions may house the most expensive street within a few years.

The average price for a home in the UK is around £200,000. This of course will not get you a house on Kensington Square. The average property value there is 28 times the national average.

Eight streets in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea are in the top ten most expensive streets and area noted to be where many famous people call home.