You can’t take your money with you when you die, but you can certainly spend it all on an extravagant final resting place. Yes, you can build yourself a mausoleum — essentially a monument to house your remains. The world’s most expensive mausoleums were built long ago, which means, today, they would cost millions or even billions of dollars to build.
Today’s wealthy are more likely to give that kind of money to charity or create a legacy by different means, but even a standard walk-in mausoleum will set you back between $300,000 and $1 million.
However, the world’s most expensive mausoleums listed here are anything but standard — in fact, most are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and for good reason. These famous burial sites are beautifully crafted, having taken years upon years to build.
7. The Lincoln Tomb
chas53 / Getty Images
Location: Springfield, Illinois
Cost: $180,000 in 1869
Cost adjusted for 2023 inflation: $4 million
Located in Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery, the Lincoln Tomb is the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, as well as his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and three of their four sons: Edward, William and Thomas.
Constructed out of granite from 1869 to 1874, the cost of the build then was $180,000.
6. Westminster Abbey
IR_Stone / Getty Images
Location: London, England
Cost: £46,000 in 1246
Cost adjusted for 2023 inflation: $18.5 million
Westminster Abbey serves as the final resting place of 30 kings and queens, but it’s also the resting place for a total of 3,000 notable people — several of which are housed in tombs or have elaborate grave sites. During the 20th century, however, the Abbey started accepting only cremated remains due to space constraints.
It costs more than $16 million to maintain Westminster Abbey each year, and during the pandemic, the church issued a statement on their website asking for donations specifically to maintain the property.
2. The Valley of the Kings
zbg2 / Getty Images
Location: Luxor, Egypt
Cost adjusted for 2023 inflation: $750 million
In 1922, the tomb of King Tutankhamun (or King Tut) was discovered in the valley of Theban Hills, Egypt, aka the Valley of Kings. There have been 63 tombs found here.
The Valley of the Kings is the burial place of the New Kingdom Pharaohs as well as some of their relatives, officials and priests. The tombs are concealed by the cliffs of Western Thebes. Established by Amenhotep I, the Valley of the Kings was not used as the burial place for a king until Thutmose I was buried here.
The objects buried with King Tutankahamun alone are estimated to be worth around $700 million. In total, adding the construction and material, the tomb might have cost around $750 million to build.
