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The 5 Most Expensive Superyachts in the World

By Brett Berk

Though superyachts are already among the most costly consumer items available for purchase, the prices of the most expensive superyachts in the world are still astounding. In recent decades, those with money to burn have settled on these floating palaces as an ideal locus for demonstrating their prosperity, and as such, the global superyacht industry is undergoing a golden age. The world’s über-wealthy think of their superyachts as toys, and they’re constantly trying to outdo each other in scale, design, amenities, materials, and sheer profligacy.

Knowing this, what features does it take to own one of the most expensive superyachts in existence? And how much do these opulent vessels actually cost? To that end, AD has compiled a list of the five priciest superyachts currently out on the water. As with many things connected to the very wealthy, details are shrouded in secrecy—often intentionally—to protect privacy or to shield the assets from taxation or seizure. Below, dive into the five reportedly most expensive superyachts in the world.

5. Dubai ($400 million)

This 531-foot yacht is reportedly owned by United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai. Though it was originally planned for another Middle Eastern potentate, Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei, he suddenly voided the contract in 2001. With exteriors designed by Andrew Winch and interiors by Platinum Yachts, this German-built Blohm + Voss vessel features several Jacuzzis, a pool inlaid with handmade mosaic tiles that is reportedly large enough to hold 115 people, a circular staircase, a discotheque, squash courts, a movie theater, a dining room for 90 guests (the other 25 presumably have to eat in the pool?), a helipad, and a submarine.

4. Topaz ($527 million)

Resembling a stealth bomber, this 483-foot ship is reportedly owned by Russian fertilizer and coal oligarch, Andrey Melnichenko. With exteriors by Tim Heywood Design Ltd. and interior designs by Terence Disdale Design, this German-built Lürssen Yacht features a 2,500-square-foot primary bedroom, six guest suites (with moveable walls so they can be transformed into four grand staterooms), glassware and tableware fashioned from French crystal, a helicopter hangar, a 30-foot speedboat tender, and three swimming pools, including one with a glass-bottom dangling menacingly above a disco.

3. Azzam ($600 million)

This 590-foot ship is currently thought to be the largest private yacht in the world and one of the fastest, with a top speed of 35 miles per hour. To achieve this immense scale and speed, it required a pair of gas turbines and two stratospherically potent diesel engines, rendering it very difficult to build. It is reportedly owned by a member of the royal family of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. With exteriors by Nauta Yacht and interiors by French decorator Cristophe Leoni, this yacht was also built by Lürssen in Germany. The vessel is set apart by its early 19th-century empire-style veneered furniture, as well as its state-of-the-art security systems including a fully bulletproof primary suite and a high-tech missile deterrence capabilities.

2. Eclipse ($1.5 billion)

In addition to being the second-costliest, this 533-footer is thought to be the world’s second-largest private yacht. Owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the ship was claimed to be located in Turkey and may be impounded as part of the United Kingdom’s sanctions against Russia. Designed by Terry Disdale and built by Blohm + Voss, it features two-dozen guest cabins, two swimming pools, two helipads, and multiple hot tubs. For privacy and security reasons, it hosts a missile detection system, bulletproof windows in the primary bedroom and on the bridge, an anti-paparazzi shield and, when all of that fails, a mini-submarine that can take a few VIPs 164 feet under the ocean’s surface.

By Erika Owen

By Katie Schultz

By Alia Akkam

1. History Supreme ($4.8 billion)

History Supreme has never actually been seen in a major port, and rumors suggest that the yacht may not be real, and instead just a publicity stunt. Reportedly owned by Malaysia’s richest man, Robert Kuok, and designed by Stuart Hughes in the UK, the yacht is only a paltry 100 feet long. Its worth is said to be derived from its lavish finishes, including a statue constructed from genuine Tyrannosaurus rex bones, a liquor bottle embedded with an 18.5-carat diamond, and a primary bedroom with one wall made from meteorite and another from a 24-carat gold Aquavista Panoramic Wall Aquarium. If you see it somewhere, let us know.

By Katherine McLaughlin

By Mitchell Owens

Most Expensive

The 20 most expensive yachts in the world.

What are the most expensive yachts in the world?

If you have a passion for sailing or can appreciate the engineering masterpieces mentioned below, then this is an article for you. 

To be able to afford even afford the cheapest superyacht on our list, your net worth will need to be in the hundreds of millions, if not, billions range!

Here’s a list of the 20 most expensive yachts in the world…  

Table of Contents

The list of yachts and figures mentioned below have been compiled from various sources around the web, such as Luxhabitat , List25 and Unilad . 

These are the 20 most expensive yachts in the world:  

20. Lionheart – $150 Million

Sir Philip Green kicks off the list with his 207-foot behemoth, Lionheart.

The British retail billionaire commissioned Italian shipbuilding company, Benetti, to build his superyacht.

The boat has six VIP rooms, several private balconies and was finished in 2016.

Lionheart has had many famous faces walking its decks, including Kate Moss , Simon Cowell and Cristiano Ronaldo .

19. Aviva – $150 Million

British billionaire Joe Lewis’s superyacht comes in at number nineteen at a cool $150 million.

His boat has a full-size tennis court and is thought to house some of his most precious and expensive art pieces, including Picasso.

When he’s not spending time in his Bahamas residence, Joe spends several months a year aboard Aviva and his other three superyachts.

18. Solandge – $180 Million

Next up, we have the $180 million dollar superyacht built by Lurssen. 

In 2017, the Solandge was the highest brokerage and is available to rent for around $1.1 million a week.

The 280-foot yacht has eight VIP suites, a grand piano and a glass art installation by Murano.

17. Ecstasea – $200 Million

Built by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in 2004, Ecstasea was the largest Feadship ever built.

The yacht is made of steel and is approximately 85.95 metres long and has a beam of 11.50 metres. This means it has a deadweight of 585 metric tons!

Ecstasea comfortably sleeps 14 passengers and has won multiple design awards for its stunning interior.

16. The Rising Sun – $200 Million

The Rising Sun was designed by Jon Bannenberg and built by Lürssen in 2004 for Larry Ellison .

It has 82 rooms over five floors, a basketball court, wine cellar and a movie theatre.

From 2010 it has been owned by David Geffen and is the 12th largest superyacht in the world, measuring 138 metres.

The Rising Sun cost $200 million to build and has since had even more money spent on luxury fixtures and fittings.

15. Octopus – $200 Million 

Designed and built in 2003 for Microsoft Co-founder, Paul Allen, Octopus has one hell of a lavish interior.

It has a large study, basketball court, recording studio, an outside bar with a whirlpool and a glass bottom swimming pool.

Octopus sleeps up to 26 guests and 56 crew members at any one time and comes equipped with two submarines and two helipads. 

14. Lady Moura – $210 Million

The next most expensive superyacht in the world is Lady Moura.

Lady Moura is owned by Saudi Arabian businessman Nasser Al-Rashid, who’s also an advisor to the Saudi Royal family.

The yacht comes with some very impressive features, such as a pool with a retractable roof, a helicopter and 24 karat gold lettering and embellishments throughout.

If that wasn’t enough, Lady Moura also features a unique sand-covered hydraulic platform that comes out of one side, to give guests a beach-like experience in the middle of the ocean.

13. Al Mirqab – $250 Million 

Al Mirqab is owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani, the former Prime Minister of Qatar.

The yacht has 10 bedrooms, a helipad, a swimming pool, a selection of VIP suites, an onboard cinema, jacuzzi and a variety of watersports equipment.

After it was completed in 2008, it was dubbed the second most beautiful yacht in the world.

It can accommodate up to 24 guests and comfortably house crew members in its 55 crew cabins.

12. Dilbar – $256 Million

Number twelve is Russian owned superyacht, Dilbar.

It belongs to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, and he’s often seen using Dilbar to cruise around his private islands.

As well as being one of the most expensive yachts in the world, it’s also one of the largest – measuring a colossal 360ft in length and just over 50ft high.

It was built in 2008 by Lürssen Yachts and was named after Alisher’s mother.

Dilbar has one helipad, several swimming pools and accommodates 20 guests and 48 cabin crew.

11. Pelorus – $300 Million

Pelorus was built by Lürssen in 2003 and bought by Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich in 2004.

Since then, Pelorus has changed hands a few times and is now owned by HongKong based billionaire, Samuel Tak Lee.

Pelorus is 115 meters long and weighs a staggering 5517 tonnes.

As well as all the normal luxuries you’d expect to find onboard a superyacht of this calibre, she also comes equipped with two helipads, landing boats and jet skis.

She accommodates a full-time crew of 46, year round.

10. Serene – $300 Million

The tenth most expensive yacht in the world is the 439-foot, Serene.

Built-in 2011 by Fincantieri, for Russian billionaire Yuri Scheffler, Serene is has been one of the favourite rental yachts for the mega-rich, reportedly costing celebrities like Bill Gates around million a week!

It was purchased in 2015 by Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and sleeps around 24 guests and 52 crew members.

It comes with multiple swimming pools, two helipads, a submarine, and an amazing underwater viewing room!

9. Al Said – $300 Million

The next mega yacht on the list is owned by and named after the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos Bin Said Al Said.

Built between 2007-2008, little else is known about the Al Said, other than it has a large concert hall that’s big enough to house a 50-piece orchestra.

Also, it can host up to 70 guests, sleep a crew of 154 and reach around 22 knots!

8. Radiant – $320 Million

Built by Lürssen in 2009, Radiant is owned by Emirate Billionaire Abdulla Al Futtaim.

The superyacht is roughly 110 meters long, weighs approximately 5027 gross tons and sleeps up to 20 guests and 44 crew members.

She comes with multiple swimming pools, a helipad, a massage room, a swimming platform, a movie theatre, a gym and a jacuzzi.

The Radiant is also equipped with a highly powerful water cannon to defend herself from pirate attacks!

7. Dubai – $400 Million

Dubai is owned by the Sheik of Dubai, Mohammed Rashid al-Maktoum.

Some of its features include jacuzzis, a swimming pool with handmade tiles, a helipad and a striking circular glass staircase which changes colour when lit from above.

Dubai also houses a split-level owner’s deck, several VIP and social areas, guest suites and a crew of up to 115 people.

6. Motor Yacht A – $440 Million 

This very impressive looking 390-foot superyacht was built by Blohm + Voss shipyard and launched in 2008.

It’s thought to be owned by Andrey Melnichenko, a Russian billionaire businessman and philanthropist.

Motor Yacht A can accommodate 14 guests and 42 crew members and is around 400 feet long.

It features a 2,500 sqft master bedroom, a disco, a helicopter hanger, a separate 30-foot speedboat and a glass-bottomed swimming pool.

Awesome! 

5. Topaz – $527 Million

Coming in at number five is this stunning Lürssen built superyacht, Topaz.

She was built for Abu Dhabi tycoon, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Germany and launched in 2012.

The exterior was designed by Tim Heywood and Terrance Disdale Design did the interior.

It has a large jacuzzi on the main deck, a swimming pool, double helicopter landing pads and a state-of-the-art gym, cinema and conference room.

4. Azzam – $600 Million

This 590-foot megayacht is the world’s largest yacht to date.

Its owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nayan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Abu Dhabi.

Lürssen Yachts are the ones behind this mega build. Azzam has its very own missile defence system, a bullet-proof master suite and can reach speeds of more than 30 knots, or 35mph, making it one of the fastest yachts on the planet!

3. Streets of Monaco – $1 Billion

The first billion-dollar yacht on our list is the “Streets of Monaco”.

By far one of the most impressive and expensive yachts in the world, once finished, the Streets of Monaco is going to be a 509-foot mega yacht, designed to feature miniature versions of some of Monaco’s and Monte Carlos most renowned landmarks.

The finished superyacht will include a go-kart circuit, three swimming pools, a mini-submarine a helipad, seven guest suites, a mini waterfall and a restaurant that with a fabulous underwater view.

2. Eclipse – $1.5 Billion 

The second most expensive yacht in the world, Eclipse, is owned by Roman Abramovich.

The Russian billionaire has spared no expense when it comes to his superyacht.

He’s installed a private defence system, including missile detection sensors, intruder alarms and armour plating and bulletproof windows in his master bedroom. 

On top of that, Eclipse has two helipads, two swimming pools, 24 guest bedrooms, a disco hall and a mini-submarine.

It’s unclear how much Eclipse actually cost, but it is believed to be in the region of $1.5 billion!

1. History Supreme – $4.8 Billion

Topping the list of the most expensive superyachts in the world at an eye-watering $4.8 billion is History Supreme.

This magnificent accomplishment is built from 10,000 kilograms of solid gold and platinum and is 100-foot long.

It was designed by Stuart Huges, a world-renowned luxury designer, for Malaysia’s richest man, Robert Knok. The History Supreme took roughly three years to build and features an array of luxury items.

The master bedroom includes a genuine Tyrannosaurus Rex bone statue and a wall made entirely of meteorite rocks!

If that wasn’t enough, the master suite also has a 24-carat gold Aquavista Panoramic Wall Aquarium.

We hope you enjoyed our list of the 20 most expensive yachts in the world.

How cool would it be to spend a few months a year cruising the world on one of these bad boys!

Here’s a quick recap of the 20 most expensive yachts in the world!

• History Supreme – $4.8 Billion
• Eclipse – $1.5 Billion
• Streets of Monaco – $1 Billion
• Azzam – $600 Million
• Topaz – $527 Million
• Motor Yacht A – $440 Million 
• Dubai – $400 Million
• Radiant – $320 Million
• Al Said – $300 Million
• Serene – $300 Million
• Pelorus – $300 Million
• Dilbar – $256 Million
• Al Mirqab – $250 Million
• Lady Moura – $210 Million
• Octopus – $200 Million 
• The Rising Sun – $200 Million
• Exstasea – $200 Million
• Solandge – $180 Million
• Aviva – $150 Million
• Lionheart – $150 Million

What’s your favourite most expensive yacht? Leave a comment below.

The 10 Most Expensive Precious Metals in the World

The 10 Most Expensive Guitars in the World

Matt McIntyre is a digital marketing consultant and certified marketing strategist. When he's not talking about business or marketing, you'll find him in the gym.

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The 20 Most Expensive Tequilas in the World

What are the most expensive tequilas in the world?

Tequila is one of the most popular liquors in the world and, in the United States alone, nearly 20 million 9-liter cases are consumed every year!

Whether you’re drinking it neat or mixing it into a margarita, you probably have a favorite brand that you know tastes great.

However, some brands can get incredibly expensive, and it is these tequilas that we are counting down today.

How did we select this list of tequilas?

We’ve put over 10 hours of research into re-writing and updating this list for 2024.

The tequilas on this list were selected by taking the current average sale price, at the time of writing.

Prices for rare tequila can vary depending on where they’re listed for sale; so for each tequila on this list, we checked the price across multiple websites and settled on the average.

Next comes the question, when does tequila stop being tequila, and start being artwork?

If you’re a fan of tequila you can probably think of at least one brand that treats their bottles as artwork.

These bottles can often be worth thousands, but is it all just similar tequila in a fancy and unique bottle?

We’ve decided we’re not going to be the judge of what’s tequila and what’s artwork, so what you see on this list reflects a true order, based on price per bottle.

The 2 Most Expensive Tequilas in the World

Tequila is a very versatile liquor and there is no shortage of varieties you can find at your local store.

That said, some of these tequilas are reserved for only the most wealthy buyers, and you certainly won’t want to drink them on a casual night out.

Without further ado, here’s our list of the 20 most expensive tequilas money can buy:

20. 1800 Coleccion Tequila

Price/Bottle: $2,000

This unique expensive tequila gets its name from the year that distillers started using oak barrels for aging, and it is owned by the insanely wealthy Beckmann family.

Distilled twice during its 10-year aging process, this tequila has a flavor reminiscent of Amaretto, but with a bolder kick that reminds you that it’s tequila.

For $2,000, this tequila comes in its own crystal decanter trimmed with pewter and securely placed in a lavish case lined with suede to protect its precious contents.

It doesn’t get much more high-end than that!

19. Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio

Price/Bottle: $2,200

Made from 100% agave, Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio is a luxury tequila that has been aged for 10 years in French oak barrels and it is limited to special batches of only 2,000 bottles per year.

While its purity does impact this tequila’s price, the bottle that it comes in also makes it more expensive.

Each bottle comes with lettering and images engraved with one of the most expensive precious metals in the world, 21-karat gold.

It definitely looks and tastes every bit worth its hefty price tag.

18. Clase Azul Extra Añejo Ultra

Price/Bottle: $2,500

The first Clase Azul product to appear on this list is the only one in regular production and not a limited edition.

Clase Azul’s extra anejo ultra is aged for 5 years in American whiskey and sherry casks.

The bottle is decorated in platinum, silver, and 24-karat gold.

You can expect to pay around $2,500 a bottle for this tequila.

17. AsomBroso Reserva del Porto Extra Anejo

Price/Bottle: $2800

This brandy-like tequila is the type of drink that you break out during life’s greatest milestones.

Aged for 10 years in port wine barrels from Portugal, it is mixed with a small portion of white oak-aged tequila before being bottled.

Stored in a bottle shaped like a historical decanter found in an eighteenth-century Portuguese castle, it even comes secured in its own cedar humidor.

Although this tequila usually costs $2,800, you can sometimes get lucky and find it on sale for $1,499, which is honestly a great price, all things considered.

16. AsomBroso The Collaboration 12 Year Extra Anejo

Price/Bottle: $3,000

AsomBroso’s The Collaboration is an extra anejo tequila, aged 12 years in Silver Oak Cellar’s American casks.

The tequila is bottled inside a crystal decanter hand-made by Luciano Gambaro, a famous Italian artist.

The decanter is then packaged in a custom-polished humidor with laser engraving.

A single bottle might set you back $3,000, but there are places where you might be able to get your hands on one for cheaper.

15. Tesla Tequila Limited Edition Anejo

Price/Bottle: $4,000

It does seem that Elon Musk can do no wrong. 

Tesla Tequila started as an April Fool’s joke but quickly became a physical product that sold out immediately.

For the limited edition variant, only 420 bottles were produced, a number that jokingly references a time when Musk said he was going to take Tesla private at $420 a share.

The numbered limited edition variant with matching shot glass is currently selling for around $4,000, whilst the regular variant can fetch up to $1,500.

14. Codigo 1530 14 Year Extra Anejo

Price/Bottle: $4,500

Codigo’s 1530 extra Añejo has been aged inside French White Oak Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels for 14 years and then finished in French Cognac casks.

This is Codigo’s most expensive tequila they’ve ever produced.

A single bottle is now worth $4,500.

13. Clase Azul Pink Limited Edition Reposado

Price/Bottle: $6,000

This isn’t the first Clase Azul tequila featured on this list, and it definitely won’t be the last.

The ‘Pink’ limited edition reposado was originally released in 2016 for breast cancer awareness, with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to charity.

Just 3000 bottles of the original 2016 version were produced, featuring a white bottle hand-painted with pink artwork.

There have since been one or two other ‘Pink’ breast cancer awareness releases from Clase Azul.

12. Patron Limited Edition En Lalique Serie 3

Price/Bottle: $7,500

Patron’s En Lalique Serie line the creme de la creme of their tequila. 

Whatever we have here is the Serie 3, their latest release, but it’s the least expensive of the three.

The Serie 3 contains a blend of 14 different extra anejo tequilas, aged in 6 different barrel types.

Held in a crystal hand-carved decanter, with decoration inspired by the Weber Blue Agave.

The decanter is stored inside a luxurious wooden box.

Each decanter is numbered, and given the fact that this is Patron’s latest release, you can expect the Serie 3’s price to rise over the next few years.

11. Patron Limited Edition En Lalique Serie 1 Extra Anejo

Price/Bottle: $8000

Patron’s En Lalique Serie 1 uses some of their oldest tequila, presented in a hand-made decanter inspired by Mexico’s Weber Blue Agave plant, topped off with an amber stopper.

Although this bottle cost $8,000, it’s not their most expensive tequila. 

Patron went one step further for their next tequila, but more on that shortly.

10. Dos Armadillos Extra Anejo Sterling Silver

Price/Bottle: $10,000

The Dos Armadillos Extra Anejo uses only an 8-year mature Blue Weber Agave.

The tequila is bottled in their signature armadillo-armored bottle, however, the armor for this edition is made entirely out of sterling silver.

$10,000 is the current price to pick up one of these bottles, a number that’s far more expensive than any other product in their range.

9. Clase Azul Puebla Limited Edition

The Clase Azul Puebla limited edition tequila was released on the 5th of May 2021, to commemorate Cinco de Mayo, or the Battle of Puebla.

Cinco de Mayo is a yearly celebration held on the 5th of May to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire in 1862.

Just 300 bottles were produced and sold with a price tag of $400.

If you wished to purchase a bottle of Puebla Limited Edition today, the price would be more along the lines of $10,000.

8. Clase Azul Dia de Muertos Limited Edition

The Dia de Los Muertos collection from Clase Azul features several individual releases, but with most of them fetching similar prices, we’ve decided to include them in one single entry.

Dia de Muertos, or ‘The Day of the Dead’ as it’s otherwise known, is a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated during November. 

Clase Azul has released a new edition within the Dia de Muertos line annually for the past several years.

Some of the bottle designs for the Dia de Muertos range are spectacular and tend to rise in value once they are no longer produced.

7. Patron Limited Edition En Lalique Serie 2 Extra Anejo

Price/Bottle: $10,500

Patron’s En Lalique Serie 2 is aged and made slowly in small batches to ensure perfect quality.

The bottle is carved crystal, featuring a crystal bee stopper with hand-painted gold accents.

It’s then placed inside a wooden box that spins to open, creating a rather luxurious effect.

We’ve seen prices ranging from $8,000 to $12,000 for this bottle, so if you’re patient you might be able to get it at a good price.

6. Clase Azul Master Artisans

Price/Bottle: $20,000

Clase Azul’s most popular and iconic tequila is their resposado tequila, housed in a blue and white bottle.

In 2021, the brand collaborated with the award-winning artist, Ángel Santos to create a hand-crafted, limited edition resposado.

The ‘Master Artisans’ line aims to highlight the work of Mexico’s most talented artists.

The Ángel Santos edition, which at launch sold for $5,000 a bottle , can now reach up to $20,000.

5. Clase Azul Jalisco 200 Limited Edition

Price/Bottle: $25,000

The Clase Azul Jalisco is an extra anejo tequila, named after Jalisco, a state in Mexico.

As the name might also suggest, only 200 bottles of this limited-edition tequila were distilled.

The tequila comes packaged inside a custom-built wooden box, which opens to reveal a drinking glass on either side.

With just 200 bottles released, getting your hands on one of these bottles isn’t cheap.

4. Clase Azul 15th Anniversary Edition

Price/bottle: $30,000.

The Clase Azul celebrated its 15th anniversary by releasing 15 limited edition bottles priced at $30,000 each.

Each of the unique bottles was handcrafted to convey the story of Mexico and all proceeds from the sale of these bottles were donated to the Fundacion con Causa Azul A.C, which supports the work of craftsmen and artisans in Mexico.

Although this tequila is no longer available for sale, we imagine that Clase Azul will release another special edition for a future anniversary, so if you want to grab a bottle, be sure to keep your eyes peeled.

3. Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario The Rolling Stones Special Edition

Price/Bottle: $75,000

Jose Cuervo was the very first legal tequila company to be established, with the company’s history dating back to 1795 .

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Case Cuervo, Jose Cuervo released the 250 Anniversario tequila.

They also released a limited edition of the tequila, in collaboration with the Rolling Stones rock band.

The Jose Cuervo brand played a leading role in the Rolling Stones’ 1972 North American tour, ‘Tequila Sunrise’.

For the Rolling Stones special edition, the tequila bottle is embossed with the famous ‘Hot Lips’ logo in 14-carat gold, and spikes along the sides.

It also comes packaged in a leather guitar-shaped case, including seven shot glasses.

The tequila was initially released with a price tag of just $4,000, but prices have skyrocketed to almost $75,000 since then.

2. Tequila Ley .925 Ultra-Premium

Price/Bottle: $225,000

In 2006, the artists at Tequila Ley designed three unique bottles to contain the tequila designed by Mexican artist Alejandro Gomez.

Each bottle was only created 33 times, for a total of 99 bottles, each more expensive than the last.

While this tequila in a glass bottle retails for $3,500, the gold and silver bottle goes for $25,000, and the gold and platinum for $150,000.

The most expensive of all was the white gold and platinum, which carried the insane price tag of $225,000!

Although the tequila itself is delectable, the real stars are the bottles that collectors and tequila enthusiasts scrambled to try and grab while they lasted.

1. Tequila Ley .925 Diamante

Price/Bottle: $3.5 Million

Recorded as the most expensive tequila ever sold by a mile, the .925 Diamante is a true work of art.

The Ley .925 Diamante tequila is made from 100% Blue Weber agave, which is grown in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico.

The tequila is then aged for 7 years inside French Oak barrels before being poured into a platinum and white gold version of Tequila Ley’s signature-shaped bottle.

However, none of these things truly account for the Diamante’s insane price tag.

As the name might suggest, the bottle is encrusted with 4000 diamonds, amounting to a total of 18.5 carats.

Now that we’ve come to the end of the list, you might have noticed a common theme.

Clase Azul had the most entries on this list, holding seven positions in the top 20.

This is largely due to the fact they treat their bottles as artwork, often showcasing hand-painted art in limited edition releases.

That’s not to take away from their tequila, but to say that their unique approach is very popular among collectors and tequila enthusiasts alike.

Here’s a quick recap of the 20 most expensive tequilas in the world:

• Tequila Ley .925 Diamante
• Tequila Ley .925 Ultra-Premium
• Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario The Rolling Stones Special Edition
• Clase Azul 15th Anniversary Edition
• Clase Azul Jalisco 200 Limited Edition
• Clase Azul Tequila Master Artisans
• Patron Limited Edition En Lalique Serie 2 Extra Anejo
• Clase Azul Dia de Los Muertos Limited Edition
• Clase Azul Puebla Limited Edition Tequila
• Dos Armadillos Sterling Silver Extra Anejo
• Patron Limited Edition En Lalique Serie 1 Extra Anejo
• Patron Limited Edition En Lalique Serie 3
• Clase Azul Pink Limited Edition Reposado
• Codigo 1530 Fourteen Years Extra Anejo
• Tesla Tequila Anejo
• Asombroso The Collaboration 12 Year Extra Anejo
• AsomBroso Reserva del Porto Extra Anejo
• Clase Azul Extra Añejo Ultra
• Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio
• 1800 Coleccion Tequila

Are there any tequilas we missed out from the list? Leave a comment below.

The 25 most expensive cigars in the world.

What are the most expensive cigars in the world?

Cigars have risen in price rapidly over the past two decades.

They’re associated with luxury and wealth more than ever before, and cigar aficionados are constantly looking for rare and exclusive cigars to add to their collections.

This begs the question: how expensive can cigars be, and how difficult could it be to get your hands on the rarest of the rare?

Today we’re bringing you our updated list of the most expensive cigars in the world.

How did we select this list of cigars?

One of the issues with many expensive cigar lists on the internet, including the original version of our own, is how the cigar values are calculated.

For instance, there was once an auction for a very rare box of cigars that sold for more than half a million dollars, but the box consisted of almost 800 cigars. More details on that are below.

We’ve decided to thoroughly calculate the price/stick for each of the entries on this list, so you can have a clearer understanding of exactly which cigars are the most expensive in the world.

Whilst it may be difficult to obtain some of these cigars individually, assuming you’d want to obtain them of course, we think this is the best way of ranking the list.

Another thing we decided to take into account is limited edition releases which are packaged in custom humidors instead of regular boxes.

These humidors can often cost thousands of dollars alone, and end up distorting the price of the cigar.

Can people still buy these cigars?

Most of the cigars featured on this list can still be bought and smoked to this day. 

Many of them are limited edition lines and are likely harder to find than most cigars.

What exactly makes some cigars more expensive than others?

Typically, there are a few things that can factor into cigar price:

• Limited edition productions
• Aged tobacco
• Brand recognition

Limited edition productions can often limit the total number of cigars produced, and as time passes the number of those remaining drops.

A lot of rare cigar releases also use aged tobacco leaves, and you’ll see several brands on this list that age their tobacco for at least 10 years before the cigar is rolled.

Brand recognition also plays a part as particular brands such as Cohiba are always sought after.

Finally, if none of the above results in a cigar being expensive, there are a select few who will cover cigars in gold leaf, and diamonds, and infuse them with expensive cognac.

But more on that later.

The 25 Most Expensive Cigars

We’ve done countless hours of research to ensure that our updated version of this list is the best resource available.

Without further ado, let’s get into this list of the 25 most expensive cigars in the world:

25. El Septimo The Zaya Collection (Mirifico Sapphire)

Price/Stick: $100

The Zaya Collection, produced by El Septimo, contains 8 different varieties of cigars.

Each variety contains five different filler tobaccos, with the tobacco leaves aged up to 15 years.

Typically, each cigar features are larger ring gauge of around 60, due to the variety of filler leaves used.

Whilst the cigars within this collection have very different flavor profiles from one another, the prices/stick are relatively similar.

At the time of researching this article, we’ve included the variety selling for the most, which is Mirifico Sapphire, at $100/stick.

Other varieties within the collection include:

• Bomba Orange
• Short Dream Topaz
• Kolosso Amethyst
• Fabuloso Dark Ruby
• Excepcion Esmerelda
• Double Shot White
• Bullet Black

24. Arturo Fuente Opus X 20th Anniversary

Price/Stick: $115

Arturo Fuente has long been known for their high-quality cigars, and their Opus X range contains some of the most sought-after cigars in the brand’s history.

The Opus X line was created in 1995 and in 2016 Fuente released the ‘Opus X 20th Anniversary’ edition to commemorate 20 years of the Opus X.

The ’20th Anniversary’ line contained four cigars:

• Father & Son
• God’s Whisper
• Power of A Dream

The prices do vary between each variety, however, because the ‘God’s Whisper’ variety comes in a ‘Perfecto’ size it tends to be sold for higher prices than the rest of the line.

23. Cohiba Spectre 2023

Price/Stick: $130

The Spectre line from Cohiba was initially introduced in 2018 and cost $90 per stick.

Separate versions of the Cohiba Spectre have since been released annually, with the most expensive being the Spectre 2023.

The 2023 Spectre is limited to 600 boxes of 10 cigars, featuring a 52 ring gauge and 6 1/2 inches in length.

What’s most interesting about the release is the packaging, which differs somewhat from most cigars, including that of Cohiba.

The cigars are stored in a box that opens vertically, featuring a hydraulic system that elevates the tubed cigars when you press the ‘O’ button inside the Cohiba logo.

22. Davidoff Royal Release Salamones

Price/Stick: $150

To be qualified enough to roll the Royal Release Salamones, Davidoff makes sure you have more than 15 years of experience rolling cigars.

This cigar is only rolled by 8 different people who together have rolled over 7 million cigars.

The Royal Release Salmones takes 10 years to grow from tobacco seed to finished product and is sold in boxes of 10 for $1,500.

21. Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 Reserva Cosecha 2012

Price/Stick: $181

The Epicure No. 2 is one of Hoyo de Monterrey’s signature cigars.

In 2016, Habanos SA announced the release of the No. 2 Reserva Cosecha 2012.

This blend only uses tobacco leaves from 2012, aged for a minimum of three years.

With just 5000 boxes of 20 cigars produced, this cigar is bound to increase in value with time.

20. Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas Gran Reserva Cosecha 2013

Price/Stick: $200

Here we have another Hoyo de Monterrey ‘Reserva’ release, the Double Coronas Gran Reserva Cosecha 2013.

Typically, Gran Reserva lines are more sought after than regular Reserva series, due to the difference in tobacco aging.

Reserva cigar blends use tobacco leaves that are aged for a minimum of three years.

Whereas Gran Reserva blends use tobacco leaves aged for a minimum of 5 years.

Gran Reservas are also produced with only 15 sticks per box, instead of the usual 20.

19. Cohiba Siglo De Oro (Year of the Rabbit)

Price/Stick: $250

In 2023, Cohiba announced the release of the Siglo De Oro, to commemorate both the Chinese ‘Year of the Rabbit’, and also the 30th anniversary of the Siglo series.

Naturally, people across China, Hong Kong, and various other countries in Asia were the first to see these cigars unveiled.

Only 18,888 boxes of the Siglo De Oro will be produced.

That number might sound oddly specific, and it is indeed no coincidence, as the number 8 is lucky in Chinese culture.

The Siglo De Oro is a 54 ring gauge, 4 1/2 inch long cigar, sold in boxes of 18.

  18. H. Upmann Sir Winston Gran Reserva Cosecha 2011

Price/Stick: $260

H. Upmann is one of the oldest cigar brands in the world, with history going all the way back to 1843.

The Sir Winston Gran Reserva Cosecha is of course named after the legendary Sir Winston Churchill , who was known not only for being one of the most important prime ministers in British history; but also for his love of cigars.

The Gran Reserve line was launched by H. Upmann in 2009, and in 2011 the Sir Winston edition was released.

Just 5000 boxes of 15 cigars were produced, for a total of 75,000 cigars.

17. Partagas Serie E No.1 Colección Habanos 2013

Price/stick: $280.

The Serie E No. 1 Colección Habanos 2013 from Partagas appears 18th on our list of the most expensive cigars.

With this particular cigar now being over 10 years old, its price has risen heavily.

You can still find this cigar for sale in the USA for roughly $280 per stick, however, prices do vary.

16. Hoyo De Monterrey Maravillas Collection 2015

Price/stick: $290.

The most expensive Hoyo de Monterrey cigar is the Maravillas Collection 2015.

There were just 2000 boxes of 20 cigars produced, amounting to a total of 40,000 cigars.

Given the smaller production number in comparison to the other Hoyo de Monterrey’s featured on this list, you can expect to pay $290/stick for this cigar.

15. Cohiba Behike Series

Price/Stick $300

Cohiba Behikes are one of the most popular and sought-after cigars in the world.

Behike cigars are known for their full-strength flavor and quality, provided you can get your hands on the authentic product.

They’re sold in three different ring gauges: 52, 54, and 56.

These sizes are represented in their names respectively: Behike 52, Behike 54, and Behike 56.

The Cohiba Behike cigars are sold in 10-count boxes and increase in price depending on their size.

14. Oliva Serie V Roaring Twenties Super Limited Edition

Oliva Cigar Co. are well known for producing cigars that provide a great smoking experience for a great value.

However, in 2023 they decided to do something a little different.

The most popular line of Oliva cigars is the ‘Series V’, and last year they announced a new Series V Roaring Twenties Super Limited Edition.

When we take a look at the average price of an Oliva cigar, we can see a price of around $10, so what’s different?

The packaging is the most notable difference, with the Roaring Twenties SLE cigars being placed in boxes produced by Daniel Marshall.

Half of the cigars (the top layer) are also covered in gold foil.

In addition, there will only ever be 300 boxes created, for a total of 3000 cigars.

13. Trinidad Casilda Coleccion Habanos 2019

Price/stick: $370.

As you may have already noticed, Habanos limited edition collections can become incredibly expensive.

The Trinidad Casilda 2019 is another edition within the Coleccion Habanos with only 3000 boxes being produced.

This cigar once again features the traditional book-shaped box packaging as with any ‘Coleccion Habanos’ release.

Getting your hands on a single stick could cost up to $370.

12. Daniel Marshall 24KT Golden Gigante

Price/Stick: $395

Continuing both the obsession with gold and also the story of Daniel Marshall brings us to the next cigar on our list.

For those who are unaware of Daniel Marshall ; he’s a well-known figure within the cigar industry for his work with manufacturing custom humidors.

In 2011, Marshall decided to create a 24KT gold cigar for his friend’s 64th birthday. 

Marshall then produced a limited run of the cigar which would be packaged in a custom-signed travel humidor.

The 24kt cigar comes in two sizes, Torpedo and Gigante, with the Gigante size being the more expensive of the two.

Its base is that of the DM2 cigar, also sold by Daniel Marshall, which is rolled and sold to him by the Plasencia factory.

Daniel then covers the cigar with a thin layer of gold leaf from Italy.

  11. Montecristo Gran Piramides Limited Edition 2017

Price/Stick: $400 

Montecristo is one of the most popular cigar brands in the world, and one of their most expensive cigars is the Gran Piramides Limited Edition from 2017.

The Gran Piramides are part of the ‘Coleccion Habanos’, which come packaged in a box that’s shaped to look like a book.

At its core, the Gran Piramides are a Montecristo No. 2 that has been increased in size for this limited collection.

This cigar has a length of 6.25 inches and a ring gauge of 57, while Montecristo No. 2’s are a 52 ring gauge, and slightly shorter in length.

Only 2000 boxes of the Gran Piramides 2017 were produced by Habanos SA.

10. Partagas Lusitanias Gran Reserva Cosecha 2007

Price/Stick: $430

Continuing with another Habanos SA-produced cigar, the 2007 Gran Reserva Lusitanias from Partagas is our 11th most expensive cigar.

Just 5000 boxes of 15 cigars were produced, resulting in a total count of 75,000 cigars.

The Gran Reserve Cosecha 2007 can still be found for sale, but given its age, you might have to shell out more than you wish to.

9. Cohiba Talisman Edicion Limitada 2017

Price/Stick: $450

When it was originally released, the Cohiba Talisman EL 2017 cost just $547 for a box of 10.

Since their release, the price has risen rapidly year over year.

The cigars were produced at the world-famous El Laguito factory in Havana, Cuba.

At the time of writing this article, you’d be lucky to find a single stick for under $450.

8. Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edicion Limitada 2021

Price/Stick: $500

While not the most expensive release from Cohiba in the year 2021, the next entry on this list was certainly an important one.

The 55 Anniversario Edicion Limitada 2021 marked the 55th anniversary of Cohiba.

As the name suggests, the cigar was indeed a limited edition, and difficult to get a hold of.

The cigar was released in 10-count boxes, costing roughly $5000/box.

7. Davidoff Oro Blanco

Price/Stick: $600

Davidoff claims that the Oro Blanco is the most exceptional cigar they’ve ever created.

The Oro Blanco is a 6-inch, 54 ring gauge, toro-shaped cigar, with an all-Dominican wrapper, binder, and filler

So why does it cost $600 per cigar?

One of the main reasons for its high cost is due to Davidoff’s aging process.

The Oro Blanco, which translates to “White Gold”, is made with tobacco leaves grown in areas with some of the richest soil across the entire Dominican Republic.

The leaves are then aged for 12 years before the cigar is rolled; a task completed only by Davidoff’s most experienced rollers (15+ years of experience).

After one additional year of aging, the single cigar is then reviewed, approved, and placed into a custom box.

6. Mayan Sicars

Price/stick: $633.

At the beginning of this article, we mentioned a specific auction involving a box of 800 cigars.

In 2012, a large crate of Mayan cigars, expected to be more than 600 years old, was discovered in Guatemala.

It’s important to mention that the most reliable source of this information mentions the sale of all 800 cigars for a total of $507,000, which would put the price/stick at $633.

The cigars were buried deep below the surface in sealed clay pots, and discovered by an archeologist team from Tampa University.

Who paid the $507,000? A man named Gary Liotta, owner of the Santiago Cigar Factory in New York.

5. Gurkha His Majesty’s Reserve

Price/Stick: $750

On the sixth spot, we have Gurkha His Majesty’s Reserve cigar.

It’s made each year, and if you’re a cigar enthusiast, you will need to preorder them a few years beforehand. 

The total size of each cigar is 7-5 x 52 inches. The Connecticut Maduro wrapper comes with a Dominican binder and filler that is aged for 12 years.

The filler is infused with Louis XIII cognac, which gives it an amazing aroma.

This cigar is very rare and special, and the cognac has been known for selling only to dignitaries worldwide. 

A total of 75 boxes are being made every year. The incredible aroma, as well as the taste of the cigar, will be something that you will be so impressed with that you will never forget. 

4. Cohiba Ideales Coleccion 2021

Price/Stick: $1100

As the name suggests, this Cohiba cigar was released in 2021, measuring almost 7 inches in length, with a 56 ring gauge.

The Ideales Coleccion 2021 is limited to just 3000 boxes of 20 cigars, totaling 60,000 sticks.

The box is manufactured to look like a book.

Cohiba’s Ideales Coleccion 2021 is the last cigar to feature on this list that isn’t either covered in gold leaf and crystals or nearly 20 years old.

Which makes it the most expensive plain cigar that can still be purchased today.

3. Gurkha Black Dragon (2006 Edition)

Price/stick: $1,150.

The Gurkha Black Dragon is a cigar that you can still buy and smoke newer versions of to this day, but the original 2006 edition is a rare find.

The OG boxes were handmade using camel bone and were limited to just 5 boxes of 100 cigars.

Those who have smoked the original Black Dragon from 2006, and the newer editions seem to conclude that the taste is more or less the same.

Although the 2006 first edition of the Gurkha Black Dragon cost around $1,150, given how limited it was at the time; the current version of this cigar can be added to your collection for just $40/stick.

2. King of Denmark Cigar

Price/stick: $4,500.

The King of Denmark cigar is produced by Royal Danish and only 30 sticks are rolled per day.

Buyers can customize the cigar with both 24KT gold leaf and Swarovski crystals. 

They’re also able to have their name inscribed on the cigar.

Whilst this cigar doesn’t have to cost you thousands, it can reach up to $4,500/stick depending on the customization.

1. Gurkha Royal Courtesan

Price/Stick: $1.36 Million

The most expensive cigar in the world is the Gurkha Royal Courtesan cigar.

The Royal Courtesan is worth a ridiculous $1.36 million per stick.

One of the most interesting things here is that Gurkha are not known for their quality. 

In fact, Gurkha’s quality control is often a common problem reported by fellow cigar aficionados.

This begs the question: why does this cigar cost so much more money than anything else on the list before it?

Let’s get into the details of the Royal Courtesan:

• The cigar’s filler is infused with Remy Martin’s Louis XIII cognac.
• It’s hand-rolled by a select few skilled rollers, who are blindfolded.
• The band of the cigar is covered in 5-carat diamonds.
• Rare Himalayan tobacco leaves are used for the wrapper.
• The wrapper is also covered in a layer of 24KT gold leaf.
• Personal delivery to the owner by a messenger

Notable Mentions

That concludes our main list of the 25 most expensive cigars in the world.

There are, however, a few entries we’d like to mention.

Although these weren’t included in the main list, they’re worth mentioning to any fellow cigar aficionado.

Regius Double Corona Cigar

Price: $52,000.

We decided to leave out the Regius Double Corona from our main list as the cigar itself is not the main reason for the high price.

In 2013, Regius Cigars developed their Double Corona cigar, which is produced in Nicaragua.

However, the main attraction was not actually the cigar itself, but what was included with the purchase.

The buyer of the cigar would be flown first class out to Regius headquarters in Nicaragua, where they would be given a private tour of the factory.

They would also be allowed to create their own cigar blend, and be given 1000 sticks of said blend to take home with them.

Gran Habano #5 El Gigante

Price: $185,000.

Technically this cigar does have a clear price/stick, selling for $185,000 in 2013.

However, it’s probably worth mentioning that the cigar is 19 feet long, 3 feet thick, and weighs over 600 pounds.

Here are some interesting facts about the Gran Habano #5 El Gigante:

• Despite its size, it can be smoked by multiple people at the same time.
• Made with 1,600 pounds of tobacco.
• Equivalent to smoking 25,000 cigars
• Contains 15,000 wrapper leaves
• Has a ring gauge of 1920
• Weighs 2,500 pounds with the wooden case

We decided to separate the El Gigante from our main list of expensive cigars, but the story itself is worth mentioning.

If you enjoyed this list, don’t forget to check out our other most expensive lists:

• The Most Expensive Vodkas
• The Most Expensive Alcoholic Drinks
• The Most Expensive Cigarettes
• The Most Expensive Bourbons
• The Most Expensive Tequila

Here’s a quick recap of the 25 most expensive cigars in the world, per stick:

• Gurkha Royal Courtesan
• King of Denmark
• Gurkha Black Dragon (2006 Edition)
• Cohiba Ideales Coleccion 2021
• Gurkha His Majesty’s Reserve
• Mayan Sicars
• Davidoff Oro Blanco
• Cohiba 55 Aniversario Edicion Limitada 2021
• Cohiba Talisman Edicion Limitada 2017
• Partagas Lusitanias Gran Reserva Cosecha 2007
• Montecristo Gran Piramides Limited Edition 2017
• Daniel Marshall 24KT Golden Gigante
• Trinidad Casilda Coleccion Habanos 2019
• Oliva Serie V Roaring Twenties Super Limited Edition
• Cohiba Behike Series
• Hoyo De Monterrey Maravillas Collection 2015
• Partagas Serie E No.1 Colección Habanos 2013
• H. Upmann Sir Winston Gran Reserva Cosecha 2011
• Cohiba Siglo De Oro (Year of the Rabbit)
• Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas Gran Reserva Cosecha 2013
• Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 Reserva Cosecha 2012
• Davidoff Royal Release Salamones
• Cohiba Spectre 2023
• Arturo Fuente Opus X 20th Anniversary
• El Septimo The Zaya Collection (Mirifico Sapphire)

Are there any cigars we’ve missed from this list? Leave a comment below.

The 10 most expensive countries to live in worldwide.

Which are the most expensive countries to live in worldwide? Hold tight, as you’re about to find out.

If you’ve dreamed about moving abroad and starting life afresh in a new country, then read through this list before you do, as you might be shocked to find out just how expensive some of these lesser-known countries are. 

We’ve put together this list based on accommodation and living expenses for a single person living in the capital city of each country, and according to population. 

Here’s a list of the 10 most expensive countries to live in worldwide…

The list of countries and figures mentioned below have been compiled from various sources around the web, such as World Population Review & Nomad List .

These are the 10 most expensive countries to live in worldwide:

10. Barbados – $2,061

Kicking off our list of the 10 most expensive countries to live in worldwide, is Barbados. 

Barbados is a sovereign island nation in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, which is the Caribbean region of North America. 

It covers approximately 349km² and is 23 kilometres wide and 34 kilometres long, with a total population of 285,719 people. 

Barbados is the fourth-most densely populated country in the Americas and, it’s capital city, Bridgetown, has approximately 110,000 people living in it. 

To rent a one-bedroom studio apartment in Bridgetown, you’re looking at spending around $500 a month, or $100 a night in an Airbnb. 

A basic meal out will cost you no less than $13. A beer is around $6.50 and coffee is approximately $5.00 depending on where you go. 

9. Japan – $2,612

The ninth most expensive country to live in worldwide is Japan. 

Japan is an archipelago island nation in South-East Asia, made up of 6,852 islands, with a current total population of 126.8 million people. 

Of the 6,582 islands, the four largest islands account for the majority of inhabitants, as roughly 97% Japans population live on the four islands. 

Japan has many major cities, like Osaka, Yokohoma, Nagoya and Sapporo, which are all populated by more than 2 million people. 

However, Tokyo, Japans Capital City and the largest city in Japan, has an approximate population of 37 million people. 

To rent a one-bedroom studio apartment in Tokyo, you’re looking at spending in the region of $1,370 a month, or $111 a night in an Airbnb. 

Eating out varies in price, but as an average for one person, you should be looking at spending around $15.00 for a basic meal and around $6.00 for a beer.

Coffee is also pretty reasonable, considering how expensive Tokyo is, at $2.81 a cup. 

8. Norway – $2,659

Located in Northern Europe, Norway is a Scandinavian country with a total population of 5.3 million people. 

Norway shares its borders with Sweden, Russia and Finland, and has a total landmass of 385,203 km².

It’s only the 171st most densely populated country on earth, with roughly 14 people for every square kilometre. 

Rent is expensive in Norway’s capital, so renting a one-bedroom studio apartment in Oslo, will set you back around $1,193 a month, or $85 a night in an Airbnb. 

You won’t have much change left from $15 when buying a meal out, and a beer will set you back around $9.11.

7. The Bahamas – $2,704

The next most expensive country in the world to live in is The Bahamas. 

Made up of over 700 islands, the Bahamas has an approximate population of 389,482 million people living across its 13,943km² landmass. 

The largest city in the Bahamas is Nassau, with a total population of 255,000. 

If you’re thinking about visiting the Bahamas, then you should budget approximately $950 a month for a one-bedroom studio apartment in the city, or $149 a night for an Airbnb. 

You’ll need to take at least $50-$100 with you when you go out for a meal and some drinks, as a basic meal costs around $15-$20 and a beer will cost you around $2.50. 

Coffee is a little on the expensive side, at around $5 each. 

6. Luxembourg – $2,751

One of the smallest countries on our list, Luxembourg, is also one of the smallest sovereign nations on the planet, and it won’t leave you with a lot of wiggle room when it comes to your monthly expenses. 

Luxembourg is a landlocked country, located in western Europe, and has an estimated population of 620,319 people. 

Its population is small compared to other countries on the list, however, it has roughly 207 people per square kilometre, making it the 67th most densely populated country on earth. 

When you arrive in Luxembourg City, you can expect to pay around $1,322 per month for a one-bedroom studio apartment, or $80 a night in an Airbnb. 

Luxembourg seems like it’s slightly more expensive than the Bahamas when it comes to luxuries like beer and coffee, as one beer will cost you around $9 and coffee will set you back $6. 

Eating a basic meal out will cost between $17-$25 for one person depending on what you order. 

5. Iceland – $2,802

Coming in at number five on our list of the most expensive countries in the world is Iceland. 

Iceland is located between the North and Atlantic Oceans and has a total surface area of 103,001 square kilometres. 

However, Iceland’s population of 339,949 people, remains relatively low in comparison to others on our list as its harsh geographical landscape proves difficult to live in for many, at times. 

As a result, Iceland has the lowest population density of any European country, at just 3 people per kilometre. 

Staying in Iceland will cost you approximately $1,236 a month for a one-bedroom studio apartment in the capital city of Reykjavik, or $128 a night in an Airbnb.  

Whilst you’re there, eating out will cost you around $12 for a basic meal, $8 for a beer and $2.15 for a cup of coffee. 

4. Denmark – $3,312

The southernmost Nordic country in Northern Europe, Denmark, is the fourth most expensive country to live in worldwide. 

Denmark, bordered by Germany, Sweden and Norway has a total current population of 5.7 million people. 

The Scandinavian countries capital city is Copenhagen, which has an urban population of 1.2 million people, and a metropolitan population of 1.99 million.  

Known as one of the happiest places to live on earth, Copenhagen is also a very expensive city to live in.

For a one-bedroom studio apartment, you’re looking at $1,917 a month, or $96 a night in an Airbnb. 

Eating out will cost you approximately $18 per person and beers and coffee are anyway between $5.50-$6.50 a pop!

3. Switzerland – $3,162

Switzerland is the third most expensive country to live in worldwide. 

With more than 8.6 million people living across, 41,285 square kilometres, Switzerland is the 95th most populated country in the world, and the 135th largest country in terms of the total landmass. 

Switzerland has a number of beautiful cities to live in, like it’s capital, Bern, and it’s the largest city, Zurich. 

Bern has approximately 133,000 people living there and accommodation for a month in Bern, for one person, will cost in the region of $1,366, or $86 a night in an Airbnb. 

A meal out will cost you approximately $15-$20, with an additional beer costing around $6.00 and coffee costing around $5.00 a cup. 

2. Cayman Islands – $3,387

The Cayman Islands is the second most populated British overseas territory in the world, just behind Bermuda.

It is located in the western end of the Caribbean sea and has a total current population of approximately 63,000 people. 

It’s made up of a number of islands like Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. 

The Cayman Islands are well known for housing offshore companies, and it’s believed that there are over 100,000 companies registered in the Cayman Islands. 

If you’re considering doing business in George Town, the capital city of the Cayman Islands, then a one-bedroom studio apartment will cost you around $1,924 a month or $83 a night in an Airbnb. 

Food and drink on the island are where you might spend a lot of your money.

A basic meal out will cost you at least $20-$30, with beer costing around $8.00 and coffee costing around $7 a cup. 

1. Bermuda – $5,011  

At over $5,000 a month for accommodation and living expenses, Bermuda is the most expensive place to live in worldwide.

Similar to the Cayman Islands, Bermuda is another British territory located in the North Atlantic. 

Bermuda has a total population of approximately 65,000 people living across a total landmass of 20.5 square miles. 

Its capital city, Hamilton, is also Bermudas only incorporated city and has a current population of just over 1,000 people. 

When looking for accommodation in the city, you’re going to need some deep pockets, as a one-bedroom studio apartment will cost you around $2,675 a month, or $212 a night in an Airbnb. 

If you’re a drinker, then get prepared to spend some cash, as one glass of beer will cost you a minimum of $10, and dinner will be around $20-$30 per person. 

Bermuda is the most expensive country to live in worldwide. 

We hope you enjoyed our list of the 10 most expensive countries to live in worldwide.

Well, there you have it, those were some super expensive countries to live in.

Living in those countries might make you think twice about drinking alcohol , on a regular occasion, and make you sharpen the purse strings a bit more.

However, it’s all relative and depends on your disposable income and expenses.

So, if you’re still planning on moving to, or even visiting one of these countries long term, then at least you know what to expect. 

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 most expensive countries to live in worldwide:

• Bermuda – $5,011
• Cayman Islands – $3,387
• Switzerland – $3,162
• Denmark – $3,312
• Iceland – $2,802
• Luxembourg – $2,751
• The Bahamas – $2,704
• Japan – $2,612
• Norway – $2,291
• Barbados – $2,061

What’s your favourite most expensive country? Leave a comment below.

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The 15 Most Expensive Yachts in the World

These dream machines show what's possible when money is no object., rachel cormack.

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As superyachts continue to get bigger and more extravagant than ever before, so too do the accompanying price tags. According to the Boats Group’s market index, the average cost of a yacht above 80 feet in the US last year was $5.3 million. As you’ll see below, though, there are a handful of high-end vessels that blow that figure out of the water.

Although it’s difficult to get exact prices in what is a fiercely secretive industry, sales of luxury yachts have surged amid the pandemic and the ultra-wealthy are more willing than ever to fork out for ostentatious ocean goers. Case in point: Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly parted with $485 million for his Oceanco megayacht that’s currently in build.

Believe it or not, that’s quite a modest price compared to at least half of the entries on this list. Lürssen’s Dilbar , for instance, is rumored to have cost in the ballpark of $800 million. As alluded to, the shipyards behind these lavish, nine-figure designs seldom share details regarding ownership or price. Therefore, the amounts cited here are estimates pulled together from Wikipedia and other reliable sources. Still, the 15 vessels here give you a good idea of what’s possible when money is no object and the best builders in the business are at your whim.

Lürssen: ‘Dilbar’ — $800 Million

Delivered in 2016, Lürssen’s Dilbar is the largest motor yacht in the world by gross tonnage. It’s also the most expensive with an original price tag in the ballpark of $800 million. Weighing in at 15,917 tons, the monolithic 512-footer is one of the most complex and challenging vessels the German yard has ever built. Penned by Espen Øino, Dilbar features a classic profile and a light ivory hull with bronze accents. Onboard, meanwhile, the elegant interiors were brought to life by Winch Design and outfitted with only the best luxury materials. The pièce de résistance is, of course, the 82-foot swimming pool. Lürssen says it is the largest pool ever to have been installed on a yacht. Seafarers also have access to 41,000 square feet of saloons, staterooms, spas and cinemas to explore. German authorities impounded Dilbar earlier this year after establishing it was linked to a Russian billionaire. According to the US Treasury Department, the yacht is now worth between $600 million and $700 million, with annual maintenance costs of about $60 million.

Blohm+Voss: ‘Eclipse’ — $600 Million

The epic 533-foot Blohm+Voss superyacht Eclipse took half a decade to come to fruition before it was finally delivered to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2010. At that time, it was the largest yacht in the world and certainly one of the most expensive. It has now been 20-odd years and Eclipse still sits at the top of both lists and is estimated to be worth over $600 million. Designed inside and out by Terence Disdale, the vessel is equipped with 17 staterooms, a 185-foot-long owner’s deck with a palatial owner’s suite, a giant swimming pool that doubles as a dance floor, a gym, a beach club and a spa. Other highlights include a helicopter hangar with space for three choppers and a garage that can hold six tenders. On top of that, Eclipse has a top-end speed of 21 knots, with a range of 6,000 nautical miles.

Lürssen: ‘Azzam’ — $600 Million

Lürssen has proven itself adept at delivering sizable (and expensive) vessels. In fact, the German yard is behind the world’s longest superyacht, which reportedly set one private owner back more than $600 million. Delivered in 2013, Azzam measures just shy of 593 feet and offers a volume of 13,136 GT. Penned by Nauta Yacht, the yacht’s exterior is characterized by a long, sleek forward area and a series of tiers ascending to the skydeck. The interior, meanwhile, was brought to life by Christophe Leoni and showcases luxurious decor inspired by the Empire style of the early 19th century. Azzam is no slouch on the high seas, either, with a top speed of more than 30 knots. Astonishingly, the behemoth only took three years to build after one year of engineering. Azzam also underwent a refit in 2020 that likely resulted in a few more dollars being spent on her.

Lürssen: ‘Al Said’ — $600 Million

Another nine-figure Lürssen megayacht on the list is Al Saïd . Delivered in 2008, the 508-footer reportedly set the Sultan of Oman roughly $600 million and, well, you can tell. Designed by Espen Øino, Al Saïd ’s exterior is reminiscent of a classic cruise liner with the twin-exhaust stacks in the center of the superstructure. Sporting a steel hull and lightweight aluminum superstructure, the yacht is capable of 25 knots flat out, with a cruising speed of 22 knots. Inside, meanwhile, the contemporary interior was penned by Redman Whiteley Dixon. Highlights include a concert hall that can hold a 50-piece orchestra.

Lürssen: ‘A+’ (Topaz) — $527 Million

Lürssen megayacht A+ , previously known as Topaz , reportedly cost approximately $527 million (€400 million) to come to fruition. It is the fourth-largest yacht ever built by the German shipyard and was launched back in 2012. It’s rumored that Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan, the deputy prime minister of the UAE and owner of Manchester City Football Club, took delivery of the vessel and is the current owner. A+ ’s exterior was penned by Tim Heywood Designs, while her interior was brought to life by Terence Disdale. She is equipped with cabins for 62 guests and 72 crew, as well as two helipads, a pool and a large swim platform. What more do you need?

Fincantieri: ‘Serene’ — $444 Million

Fincantieri’s first superyacht turned out to be big in terms of both proportions and price. The 439-footer was the largest yacht ever launched in Italy when it hit the water in 2011 and cost approximately $444 million (€450 million) to complete. Designed by Espen Øino, the seven-deck vessel is characterized by a sleek blue hull, a contrasting white superstructure and a ton of racy curves. She’s brimming with amenities, too, including an enclosed winter garden for dining in any season, a tender garage large enough to house a submarine and a supersized swimming pool for soaking. She also has two helipads and a hangar to facilitate comings and goings. Although the details of Serene ’s interior remain tightly under wraps, we do know Pascale Reymond of Reymond Langton Design penned the 43,056-square-foot living quarters.

Platinum Yachts: ‘Dubai’ — $400 Million

Dubai was, quite literally, built for royalty at a princely fee of roughly $400 million. The superyacht was originally commissioned by Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei as a joint project between Blohm+Voss and Lürssen. The duo only got to finish the bare hull and skeletal superstructure before construction was halted in 1998. The incomplete design was then sold to the government of Dubai and turned into a royal yacht for the country’s ruler. The 532-footer, which was finished off by Platinum Yachts, was delivered to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2006. Penned by Winch Design, Dubai spans seven decks and can sleep 24 guests and 88 crew. Befitting a sheikh, she is also equipped with a landing pad for a Black Hawk helicopter, a submarine garage, a disco and a cinema.

Blohm+Voss : ‘Motor Yacht A’ — $300 Million

Legend has it that architect Philippe Starck sketched the design for Motor Yacht A on a napkin in a matter of minutes. Blohm + Voss then sold the superyacht for approximately $300 million. Commissioned by Russian industrialist Andrey Melnichenko, the 390-footer is characterized by a minimalist exterior and a highly distinctive pelican bow that cuts a striking silhouette. With a beam of 62 feet, the vessel offers a generous interior volume of 5,500 GT. She offers accommodation for 14 guests and 42 crew. She also has no less than three swimming pools, one of which has a glass bottom that creates a wow factor on the deck below. Melnichenko kept  Motor Yacht A for nearly a decade before replacing it with Nobiskrug’s Sailing Yacht A . The 468-footer is not only the largest sailing yacht in the world, but also the most expensive with an estimated value of $578 million .

Lürssen: ‘Radiant’ — $300 Million

The tale behind Radiant ’s price tag is almost as long as the 360-footer itself. Rumor has it, the superyacht was built for Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky at a cost of roughly $149 million (€148.5 million). After Berezovsky ran into financial difficulties, he asked Edmiston to list the vessel for $352 million (€350 million) and it eventually sold for a hair under that. Delivered in 2010, Radiant sports a steel hull, an aluminum superstructure and gorgeous teak decking. She can comfortably accommodate up to 20 guests in 10 suites, as well as up to 44 crew. Her top-tier amenities include a movie theatre, a beauty salon, a beach club, a gym, a pool, a Jacuzzi, a helipad and a fully stocked tender garage. Certainly sounds worthy of $300 million to us.

Lürssen: ‘Pelorus’ — $300 Million

In the late ‘90s, Saudi Arabian businessman Abdulmohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh commissioned Lürssen to create Pelorus . The 377-footer hit the seas in 2003 and was the 11th-largest yacht in the world at the time. During her maiden voyage, Pelorus was sold to Roman Abramovich. The Russian entrepreneur had it altered by Blohm & Voss, adding a second helipad and other lavish amenities. Fast forward to 2009, Irina Abramovich received the yacht as part of her divorce settlement from Roman. She sold it to David Geffen in 2011 via broker Merle Wood for $300 million. Pelorus features a sleek exterior designed by Tim Heywood and a beachy chic interior penned by Terence Disdale. She has several terraces with doors that open out to the sea to create a true indoor/outdoor feel.

Peters Werft: ‘Al Mirqab’ — $300 Million

The 436-foot Al Mirqab is one of the largest yachts in the world and has a price tag to match. Launched in 2008, the $300 million vessel was built for Qatar’s former prime minister under the supervision of Kusch Yachts in the Peters Werft shipyard in Germany. Penned by Tim Heywood, the elegant exterior pairs a long, navy-blue hull with a contrasting white superstructure. The interior, meanwhile, was brought to life by Andrew Winch and has won several awards. Arguably, the most striking feature is the Arabic-influenced motifs on the marble floors. Another highlight is the swimming pool on the lower deck, which can be opened up to the sea via side hatches in the hull. Al Mirqab has staterooms for 36, and crew quarters for 45. She was also treated to a refit in 2014 and thus looks fresher than your average 14-year-old vessel.

Abeking & Rasmussen: ‘Aviva’ — $250 Million

Abeking & Rasmussen’s Aviva shows what kind of lavish amenities you can get with $250 million. The 323-footer, which was delivered in 2017, features the largest gym on any yacht. It’s so big, in fact, that it houses a full-size paddle tennis court that pulls double duty as a soccer field when the nets are down. Penned by Toby Silverton and Reymond Langton Design, Aviva pairs a curvacious blue exterior with a chic modern interior. She is equipped with a hybrid propulsion system that enables her to reach up to 11 knots using only electric motors or 20 knots with the addition of diesel power. The yacht is reportedly the sequel to another smaller Aviva that was delivered to British billionaire Joe Lewis in 2007. The yacht was launched just 33 months after the signing of the contract, which is quite an impressive feat given the complexity and scope of the project.

Lürssen: ‘Octopus’ — $200 Million 

Launched in 2003 at a cost of approximately $200 million, Octopus was built by Lürssen for late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The 414-footer is regularly loaned out for expeditions and scientific research initiatives. A true explorer, it features a dive center with a hyperbaric chamber, a yellow submarine named Pagoo and a remotely operated vehicle that can dive thousands of feet below the surface. Of course, this is complemented by state-of-the-art research technology. In addition, Octopus features two helipads, a hangar and seven tenders to facilitate comings and goings. She is also equipped with 13 staterooms, several bars, a recording studio, a cinema, a spa, a gym, a library and a basketball court. (You might remember Allen once owned the Portland Trail Blazers.) What’s more, Octopus appears to be climbing in price as time goes on. In 2019, the vessel was listed for sale for a cool $325 million .

Lürssen: ‘Rising Sun’ — $200 Million

Rising Sun was designed by one of the brightest minds in the industry: the late, legendary Jon Bannenberg. In fact, it was the last yacht the Australian designer penned before he died in 2002. The $200 million vessel was built by Lürssen and delivered to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison two years later in 2004. The 138-footer is characterized by large expanses of glass that let in plenty of the sun’s rays. In addition, it offers 86,000 square feet of living space brought to life by Seccombe Design. There are nine cabins for up to 18 guests and generous crew quarters for up to 46 crew. Elsewhere, you’ll find a gym, a cinema, a wine cellar and a basketball court. As for grunt, Rising Sun promises a maximum speed of 28 knots and a cruising speed of 26 knots. She was last refitted in 2011 and is currently owned by billionaire David Geffen.

Lürssen: ‘Solandge’ — $150 Million

Lürssen’s Solandge is rumored to have cost $150 million to come to fruition, and you can tell. Delivered in 2013, the 279-footer is replete with the finest materials. The floor, for example, sports no less than 50 types of exotic wood. There are also around 50 samples of natural stone in the bathrooms. Designed by Espen Øino, Solandge has a sleek exterior with elegant, clean lines. Aileen Rodriguez’s interior, meanwhile, is full to the brim with extravagant amenities. The spa comprises multiple pools on different decks, along with a hammam and a sauna. In addition, the yacht features a beauty salon is equipped with a sink and crane that together creates “snow” à la a snow room, as well as a gym and a massage room. As Lürssen puts it, Solandge was built with pure yachting pleasure in mind.

Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…

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The 50 most expensive yachts for sale now

How much does a superyacht cost? The answer is not so simple. Much like a luxury watch or car, the asking price depends on a variety of factors such as age, pedigree and finish, with the largest and newest vessels peaking into the hundreds of millions. To give you a better idea, BOAT International rounds up the 50 most expensive yachts currently listed for sale, starting with Lady Lara ...

Builder : Lürssen Length : 91m Designers : Reymond Langton Design

The most expensive superyacht for sale is Lady Lara , which has joined the market for the first time since her delivery in 2015. She boasts a range of entertainment amenities, including two swimming pools – the largest of which can be transformed into a dance-floor – and a custom surround sound set-up. The second pool is found on the sundeck with a swim-up bar, with a large day bed and sun lounger also on this level. Accommodation is for a total of 16 guests across eight cabins and the master suite is positioned on a dedicated owner's deck. It includes a private exterior terrace accessible from the cabin, a library, his and hers bathrooms and dressing rooms.

More about this yacht

Yachts for sale.

Builder : Lürssen Length : 114.5m Designers : Tim Heywood , Terence Disdale

Pelorus was delivered in 2003 as the 11th largest superyacht in the world and easily the largest yacht to be built by Lürssen at the time. She was commissioned by a Saudi businessman who enjoyed a single cruise aboard his new vessel before a new buyer made an offer too good to refuse. Exterior designer Tim Heywood stocked the yacht with a top deck lido featuring two swimming pools, two helicopter pads and a vast sea-level platform that is revealed by opening the transom. The immense task of designing the interior was carried out by Terence Disdale, who opted to use natural materials wherever possible to maintain a "casual" atmosphere to offset the yacht’s imposing frame. Pelorus can welcome 18 guests with room for an additional 46 crew members.

Builder : Lürssen Length : 74m Designers : Winch Design

Constructed to Lloyd’s classification, Aurora ' s key figures include an impressive volume of 2,113GT (split across four decks) and a beam of 13.2 metres, while a crew of 22 waits on an owner’s every need. 1920s Art Deco-inspired interiors house up to 16 guests in eight stately cabins. Among these is the private owner’s suite which features wraparound views and access to a private lounge foredeck. She also features an intimate top deck observation lounge with a daybed and a lounge with three bar stools forward, while a gym and Jacuzzi are found aft.

Builder : Yachtley Length : 80m Designer : Alpha Marine , Cristiano Gatto

Delivered in 2019, Elements is Lloyd's classed and SOLAS compliant. Her gilded Gatto interiors can accommodate 24 guests in 12 cabins, all equipped with entertainment centres, Sony television screens and full en suite bathroom facilities. A favourite area for active guests will be the beach club aft on the lower deck, which features two swim platforms opening to sea level port and aft, a massage room, Turkish bath and a bar. Other leisure highlights include an elevator providing access to all decks and a helipad.

Yachts for charter

Planet nine.

Builder : Admiral - The Italian Sea Group Length : 73.2m Designer : Tim Heywood , Admiral Engineering , Mlinaric, Henry & Zervudachi

Planet Nine ’s meticulous owner ensured that she was built to cruise the waters of Greenland, Antarctica and everywhere in between with ease. This is realised in the specially-designed ice-classed hull, constructed with thick hull plates, strong frames and bulkheads, and careful protection for her seawater intakes, to protect from cold temperatures and deal with sea ice up to 15 centimetres thick. Guests can enjoy 180-degree-views from the forward observation lounge, take a dip in the sundeck Jacuzzi, or relax in the spacious cinema. The dedicated owners' deck also comes complete with its own private lounge, terrace and study. The superyacht made an appearance in Christopher Nolan's mind-bending blockbuster Tenet .

Builder : Oceanco Length : 80m Designer : Nuvolari Lenard , Azure Yacht Design and Naval Architecture , Alberto Pinto

Commissioned by a "very experienced, highly discerning owner", Y701's angular exterior belies a considerable internal volume of 2,310GT. Nine cabins can accommodate up to 18 guests, including an owner's suite that takes up almost half of the upper deck's interior. The space features a private lounge, an office and a his and hers bathroom with a large central bath. There is also direct access to the Portuguese bridge and private terrace with two Jacuzzis. Another highlight is the main deck wellness spa, which includes a gym with "spectacular views", a buffet, a bar, medical room, beauty salon and massage room.

Moonlight II

Builder : Neorion Length : 91.4m Designers : Alpha Marine , Lally Poulias , Murray & Associates

Delivered in 2005, Moonlight II is passenger-ship certified and can host up to 36 guests across 18 staterooms. During a refit period between 2014 and 2015, she was extended by 6.1 metres resulting in additional exterior spaces. Her 14-metre beam results in a spacious owner's apartment (with private access to a Jacuzzi) and plenty of spaces for entertaining, such as the skylounge with games room and bar. A vast beach club, cinema, grand piano and elevator to all decks are other standout features. Irish Boxer Conor McGregor was spotted holidaying on the superyacht in 2021. 

Builder : Benetti Length : 63m Designer : Espen Øino , Winch Design

Delivered in 2019, Artisan won a World Superyacht Award in 2020 for Best Exterior Design. The superyacht blends powerful performance with vast 1,245GT of internal living space, which feels surprisingly spacious considering her sleek profile. Accommodation is for a party of up to 12 guests in seven cabins, including a generous 160-square-metre master suite that overlooks a private bow terrace with intimate seating and sunpads. Perched just above the bridge deck, the forward fly deck is home to an enclosed gym and yoga studio, as well as a forward "love nest" to unwind in – a lofty area with a round outdoor sofa.

Builder : Heesen Length : 50m Designers : Omega Architects , Van Oossanen Naval Architects , Cristiano Gatto Design

Book Ends follows Aquamarine as the second unit in the Dutch shipyard's 5000 Aluminium series. She was built by an experienced yachtsman and is in as-new condition with low hours and light owners use. Accommodation is for 12 guests in five cabins, including a full-beam (nine metre) owner's cabin forward on the main deck with marble bathroom, separate study and walk-in wardrobe. Book Ends ' flex-use beach club is also worth noting – the broker envisions the space converted to a sea-level gym for morning workouts, a lounge area during the day and an entertainment space by night.

Builder : Amels Length : 55m Designer : Tim Heywood , Laura Sessa

Papa is one of the youngest pre-owned Amels on the market. Delivered in 2019, she’s most recently been used as a charter yacht. Accommodation is across five cabins including a full-beam owner’s suite with a fold-out balcony. A stand-out feature is her split-level sun deck, featuring a large raised hot tub, open-air Teppanyaki grill, al fresco cinema and helipad. The sea-level beach club is another. There’s also a light-filled saloon, formal dining room and bright sky lounge to enjoy at all times of day and night.

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What the US$600M 'world's biggest yacht' will look like inside

It's set to be one of the largest private residence yachts in the world when it launches in 2024, but what does a luxury apartment on board the 728 foot (221 metres) Somnio actually look like?

Interior renderings of the US$600 million vessel have just been unveiled, offering a glimpse inside what's being described as the world's first "yacht liner."

While all 39 of the floating apartments, which come with a private balcony or terrace, are said to be "fully customizable," some of the options showcased include huge shell-shaped beds, expansive living areas with ocean views, and wall-length mirrors.

FLOATING HOMES

Prices start from around $11 million, with sizes ranging from 1,600 to 6,500 square feet -- the largest condo takes up most of the top deck.

Somnio, which means "to dream '' in Latin, was designed by Winch Design and Tillberg Design of Sweden, and will be built by Norwegian ship designer and builder VARD.

The interior renderings were devised by Winch Design, Tillberg Design of Sweden along with Luttenberger Design.

Those who snap up a condo on "the most exclusive address in the world" will get to work with one of the design teams for up to three months in order to "decide the room configurations and select the materials, furniture, lighting and artwork."

EXCLUSIVE ADDRESS

A gym, a library, inside and outside dining spaces, "distinct" dressing areas and a "vast living room space with 270-degree forward views" are among the options available, although the layout is to be based on the buyer's preferences.

The identity of the owners will be kept secret, but all residents will have access to full concierge services "for both onboard and land-based needs."

"As the only residential superyacht in the world, we are delighted to work with designers that complement our exacting standards," Captain Erik Bredhe, co-founder of Somnio, said in a statement.

"Our owners will experience only the best, as is befitting of a yacht of this nature."

SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS

According to its designers, sustainability will be a key focus for Somnio, which is to be constructed with the "latest clean engine technology" along with materials and products to "create environmentally responsible interior design with a reduced impact" where possible.

Among the shared on board amenities onboard available include a 10,000-bottle capacity wine cellar and tasting room along with a lounge located in the ship's bow, a spa, a movie theater, restaurants and a beach club.

Residents will be charged an annual fee to cover expenses like maintenance and repairs, along with fuel and food.

A spokesperson for the project tells CNN Travel that Somnio has attracted exceptional interest since it was unveiled earlier this year, with some apartments already sold.

At present, The World, which measures 643 feet, is the largest private residential yacht on the globe, with a combination of studios as well as one to three-bedroom apartments on board.

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The World's Most Expensive Yachts Available for Charter in 2024

By Katia Damborsky |   Last Updated 20 December 2022

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Thinking about renting a multi-millior dollar superyacht in 2024? Discover what you can expect on board the world’s most expensive luxury yachts available for superyacht charters   for more than $1 million per week. 

Most expensive charter yachts in the world in 2022:

Need more information?

There’s no doubt that the latest superyachts of the charter fleet offer the finest in luxury living, with a selection of cutting-edge amenities and state-of-the-art on-board facilities. From spacious swimming pools and plush cinemas to impressive basketball courts and underwater observation lounges, take a look at the world’s most expensive yachts which you can privately rent in 2023. 

Best for: an action-packed vacation with all the family

Coming in at 446ft (136m) superyacht FLYING FOX  is the world’s largest superyacht for charter. She features accommodation for 22 guests in 11 suites. Across her five colossal decks, she houses a pair of helipads that are large enough to accommodate some of the biggest choppers on the market.

FLYING FOX is the world's largest superyacht for rental

The superyacht’s aft deck is home to a 12m swimming pool, where you can slide in and soak up spectacular views from a prime vantage point. The beach club of Flying Fox is particularly noteworthy, as it boasts a split-level spa with a hammam, steam room, Cryosauna and treatment room. 

This majestic vessel also features a large indoor jacuzzi, with access to the sea lounge and a scuba-diving room. Take a look at pictures inside superyacht Flying Fox for a closer look.

Best for: jaw-dropping interiors and luxury amenities

Marking her debut on to the charter fleet in 2022, the 115m (387ft) Lurssen megayacht AHPO has been turning heads with her supercar-inspired exterior and vast deck spaces.

Her chic interiors come from the boards of Nuvolari Lenard, showcasing elegant refinement that borrows influences from the natural world, with plenty of calm colors, soft lines and organic patterns that help create a warm and convivial atmosphere that can be felt as soon as you step onboard.

Highlights on board include a beach club spa, 12-seater cinema with sound-proofing for the very best acoustic experience and vast 8-meter heated swimming pool via an innovative heat recovery system from its generators, as well as large well-equipped gymnasium up on her sky deck affording glorious views.

She provides accommodation for 12 guests across 8 cabins, including a sprawling full-beam owner’s duplex.

Best for: epic exploration in opulent surrounds

Legendary Lürssen superyacht OCTOPUS made serious waves when it was announced she was going to be available for charter for the very first time from January 2022.

A pioneering 126m vessel that was the largest explorer yacht ever built at the time of her launch in 2003, she's been mostly shrouded in secrecy until now. Up to 26 charterers in 13 elegantly appointed suites will have the joy of chartering OCTOPUS, with the primary guests being able to luxuriate in their own private bar, Jacuzzi, alfresco dining area and elevator in the Owner's suite.

Superyacht OCTOPUS is an iconic explorer yacht, available for charter in 2022 for the very first time

Packed bow to stern with seriously impressive charter-focused amenities, guests can quench their thirst for adventure in the utmost style and luxury. She boasts a showstopping aft swimming pool encircled by loungers, as well as a gorgeous glass-bottomed observation lounge, spa, library, basketball court, cinema and even a sound studio.

Best for: corporate yacht charters

Superyacht DREAM is a mammoth vessel that offers expansive and intimate areas for dining, sunning and relaxing, making her the ideal choice for a corporate yacht charter. A true declaration of superyacht style, this luxury yacht was built in 1997  by Olympic Yacht Services before being carefully refitted in 2018 to keep her in flawless condition. Her exteriors are crafted by Studio Vafiadis and interiors are helmed by CQStudio.

Sleeping up to 36 yacht charter guests across 22 plush rooms (one master suite, 2 VIP staterooms, 6 double cabins, and 9 double/twin cabins) she truly is a yacht of epic proportions. And with such colossal size comes an extraordinary number of amenities: including a sundeck swimming pool, helipad and swim-up bar, plus a multitude of wellness and beauty facilities. Whenever the open water beckons, peruse her veritable flotilla of toys and tenders for a rip-roaring ride.

Best for: vast interior and exterior spaces

Representing Benetti’s longest yacht built to date, the 108-meter superyacht IJE is a sleek charter platform offering endless possibilities for her guests. Whether that’s lounging in her chic interiors or taking advantage of more than 1,000 square-meters of outdoor space; from her bridge deck fire pit to her vast full-beam beach club the guests will be spoiled for choice. 

The yacht’s 3,367 GT of interior volume also ensures there’s plenty of sleeping space, with accommodation for 12 charter guests in no less than 11 cabins, along with 28 dedicated crew members on hand to offer exceptional 5-star service at all hours of the day and night.

Guests will particularly delight in her beautiful light-infused interiors, equipped with a wellness suite where guests can enjoy a wide range of treatments, as well as a gymnasium that overlooks the water thanks to a hydraulic fold-out platform on the yacht’s starboard side. There is also a dedicated movie theater with an array of wide plush sofas – perfect for lounging with a bucket of popcorn in front of your favorite film.

Best for: cruising in comfort

Luxury yacht LANA provides accommodation for up to 12 guests in eight cabins. She is replete with exciting onboard amenities, including a beach club with spa facilities and a continuous connection to the ocean, thanks to a swim platform and twin fold-out sections on both sides of the beam.

The yacht enjoys tasteful and minimal interiors from Benetti ’s in-house team, who have made full use of the tall windows and subsequent infusions of light. The owner’s suite onboard LANA is particularly lavish, with fold-out balconies flanking the space, large private dressing rooms and an interconnecting bathroom.

Best for: Award-winning interiors and layout

Boasting a wealth of amenities, highly-trained crew and unmistakable Feadship pedigree, the 97m (317ft) superyacht FAITH is one of the finest yachts in the fleet and supremely worthy of her charter price tag.

Delivered in 2017, and refitted in 2022, this award-winning yacht is brimming with crowd-pleasing features. Nowhere is this more evident than on her main deck aft, where you’ll find an impressive 9 meter by 3.5 meter glass-bottomed swimming pool, which floods light into her vast beach club below replete with a large bar and fold-out sea terraces for unparalleled waterside living.

FAITH is one of the most sophisticated superyachts ever to grace the world’s oceans

Additional highlights include a mammoth games deck with facilities for football, tennis, volleyball, paddle tennis, basketball and golf, as well as a dedicated wellness center with a beauty treatment room, spacious Hammam and snow room – ideal for muscle therapy, plus a sundeck gymnasium with indoor/outdoor layout. There’s also two movie theaters for cozy nights in, either inside or under the stars. 

She provides accommodation for 12 charter guests across 7 suites, including a dedicated owner’s deck with skylight and fireplace, plus a crew of 32 are on hand to offer the highest level of service. The yacht also comes with three on-board chefs trained in different disciplines, offering a dining experience unmatched by other yachts in the charter fleet.

Best for: a lavish superyacht vacation

Since 95m superyacht MADSUMMER made her charter debut in 2019 she has been met with critical acclaim, awarded with a continous string of accolades for her cutting edge exterior and interior design. Showcasing a riot of color, she sleeps up to 12 guests in 10 cabins all fitted with Calcutta-marbled ensuites, with her bridge deck master suite featuring its own private terrace. To ensure every possible guest whim is met, she also accommodates up to 28 members of crew.

Showcasing cutting-edge design and spectacular amenities decked in a kaleidoscope of colour, superyacht MADSUMMER is a one-of-a-kind vessel.

Upon boarding charter yacht MADSUMMER, the only words guests will be uttering is an endless murmur of wow — she's nothing short of extraordinary. Her standout amenities (of which there are many) include a 12m swimming pool with Jacuzzi, cinema, sprawling beach club, extensive spa facilities, and even a room completely dedicated to diving.

And when you are keen to jump off-board, superyacht MADSUMMER's glorious selection of water toys and tenders (which includes an uber-sleek 11m limo tender and Husky seaplane) will keep you occupied.

Best for: entertaining in style

Luxury yacht LADY S   comes from one of the most revered shipyards in the world: Feadship. She is also one of the most sought-after yachts on the charter market.  Her interiors are by the esteemed Reymond Langton Design, who has styled the yacht to reflect a contemporary jewelry box with plenty of crystals and shimmering surfaces. 

Offering accommodation for 12 guests in seven suites, superyacht LADY S's most impressive onboard highlights include her duplex IMAX cinema, an amenity that had never previously before featured on a yacht. She also volunteers two helipads, and the one positioned aft doubles as a basketball court.

Hard to miss on her main deck aft is an enticing swimming pool that offers separate shaded and sunning areas. Below it, the beach club is suffused with light, featuring generously sized large side-opening balconies.

Want to see her sheer size in perspective? Take a look at this video of superyacht Lady S in Portofino .

Best for: Endless entertaining in a supremely opulent setting

Luxury yacht AQUARIUS artfully fuses iconic Feadship design with contemporary flair throughout her indoor and outdoor spaces. With her exterior craftsmanship styled by De Voogt, and her deluxe interior by Sinot Yacht Design, she is a superyacht that has a lot up her sleeve, waiting to be discovered. 

She comfortably accommodates 12 guests in 7 gracefully designed staterooms, comprising a master suite and 6 VIP staterooms, all kitted out with state-of-the-art facilities to ensure the best possible charter experience.

Her splendid spaces are copious, but highlights worth mentoring are absolutely her capacious owner's penthouse, featuring its own private aft balcony, cinema suite, impressive 6.5m swimming pool cum dancefloor, as well as her extensive array of water toys and tenders. This includes a custom glass-roofed Venetian taxi and Riva tender.

Best for: extravagant interiors and premium exterior living

Joining the fleet of luxury yacht rentals in 2024, 400.3ft (122m) superyacht KISMET offers an opulent luxury yacht charter experience with highly indulgent interiors and exteriors that blend seamlessly to create a unique and inviting environment.

Featuring a plethora of key highlights including a state-of-the-art cinema, a deck Jacuzzi and swimming pool, a grand piano, and a spa-quality health and wellness center, this striking Lurssen charter yacht is the perfect match for charter guests wanting the utmost luxury and indulgence.

KISMET is spacious and packed with things to do making her fully primed for guests seeking a luxury charter at sea

Boasting collaborative design input from well-known designers Nuvolari Lenard and Reymond Langton Design, she can comfortably accommodate up to 12 charter guests in a well-appointed eight-cabin layout.

Superyacht KISMET offers the ultimate yacht charter experience with an ongoing list of amenities to be enjoyed across the decks and beyond.

If you would like more information about any of these superyachts, please reach out to your preferred yacht charter broker .

Are you considering renting a luxury yacht for a crewed yacht charter vacation? You can view and compare the complete fleet of superyachts for charter  to find the best one to suit the needs of you and your charter party. 

Be sure to check out our yacht charter destination features for inspiration to plan to help you plan your dream superyacht charter vacation. 

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SUPERYACHTS WHICH COST OVER $1 MILLION PER WEEK TO RENT:

136m Lurssen 2019

126m Lurssen 2003 / 2021

122m Lurssen 2024

115m Lurssen 2021

108m Benetti 2019

107m Olympic Yacht Services 1997 / 2022

97m Feadship 2017 / 2022

95m Lurssen 2019

95m Golden Yachts 2020

93m Feadship 2019

92m Feadship 2016

92m Neorion 2004 / 2023

92m Oceanco 2014 / 2023

90m Lurssen 2010 / 2024

90m Oceanco 2018 / 2024

89m Oceanco 2017

89m Oceanco 2015 / 2023

86m Oceanco 2010 / 2018

85m Lurssen 2011 / 2019

85m Lurssen 2013 / 2022

84m Feadship 2015 / 2020

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The Midas Touch: $4.8 Billion History Supreme Most Expensive Yacht Ever Sold

We’ve seen some opulent yachts, but the 100-foot History Supreme takes the gold-encrusted cake. Stuart Hughes, a British purveyor of luxury gadgets, took a break from his role as an iPad alchemist to create the $4.8 billion superyacht, covered in platinum and gold from bow to stern.

Purchased by an anonymous Malaysian businessman, History Supreme is the most expensive yacht ever sold, according to Luxury Launches. The Daily Mail reports that the impressive vessel took three years to complete and used over a staggering 220,462 pounds of precious metals. Everything – from the base of the boat, to the deck, dining area, rails and anchor – were decked out in gold and platinum.

The exorbitant price tag is also the result of the lavish master bedroom, adorned in platinum with a wall feature that is made from meteoric stone and a genuine T-Rex dinosaur bone. It is rumored that Robert Kuok purchased the superyacht, worth 10 times the amount Roman Abramovitch (previous title holder for world’s most expensive yacht) paid for the Eclipse megayacht. Kuok is one of only three Malaysians with a net worth of $5 billion or more, according to Forbes billionaire’s list . If the purchase price is accurate, “the most likely buyer is Robert Kuok , the richest man in Malaysia, with a net worth of $12.5 billion,” reports Business Insider .

We may not have any gold-fringed yachts for sale , but Atlantic Yacht & Ship features a wide variety of yachts and boats for sale that will suit even the most distinguishing tastes. Check our listings and contact a sales rep today to tour any vessel at 1-888-230-0439.

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Jeff Bezos’ $500M yacht has a 246-foot support ship, Lauren Sanchez figurehead

Much like Amazon, Jeff Bezos’ $500 million superyacht offers every bell and whistle imaginable, from A to Z.

The colossal, triple-masted Koru began its career serving the world’s third richest man this week, cruising the Mediterranean around Mallorca.

The 417-foot schooner first left Rotterdam in the Netherlands for sea trials in February. Dropping anchor in Mallorca put its jaw-dropping size on full display.

It also showed the extent of Bezos’ fleet: Not only did the Koru sail into harbor, so did its support vessel, Abeona, a mega-boat in its own right, the luxurious fast-launches used to move between the two — and aerial support in the form of his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez’s personal helicopter.

Sanchez also seemingly serves the fleet’s mascot, with the Koru’s figurehead, a part of traditional large sailing ships, modeled after her.

The Koru is the world’s tallest sailing yacht. Its three huge 229-foot masts power it to 20 knots. It’s also the biggest billionaire’s yacht which can move under sail-power alone.

The masts are so tall that Dutch officials considered dismantling the 95-year-old Koningshaven Bridge to allow the vessel past the 131-foot span on its journey from the Oceanco shipyard in Alblasserdam through Rotterdam to the North Sea.

That controversial plan was scrapped after local backlash, including residents being urged to toss eggs at Bezos’ “latest toy,”  the New York Times reported . The superyacht, previously known as Y721, was instead towed to a shipyard in Rotterdam, downstream of the bridge, without its masts.

Bezos, 59, and the bikini-clad Sanchez, 53, appeared ready for the summer as the pair soaked up the sun aboard Koru, a Māori word for loop or coil that symbolizes new beginnings — possibly a coy reference to their relationship.

Sanchez started secretly dating the Blue Origin founder in the summer of 2018. Bezos then announced in January 2019 he and his wife Mackenzie were divorcing after 25 years , while Sanchez finalized her split from husband Patrick Whitesell later that year.

Sanchez plays a critical role in the Bezos fleet: As a helicopter pilot, she was seen landing on the Abeona. She was also at Bezos’ side when he took the wheel of the Koru.

Koru was first seen under construction in 2021 at Oceano’s yard. The company is owned by a fellow billionaire, Oman’s Mohammed Al Barwani.

As many as 18 guests can enjoy the yacht’s three outdoor decks, including one with two pools. The vessel, which has a crew of up to 36, also boasts a cinema, meeting spaces and lounges,  Luxuo reported .

Every detail is designed for luxury, even down to the masts’ technology.

Bezos opted for high-tech “in-boom furlers,” which store the vast canvases at the bottom of the mast, above the deck. Each weighs nearly 2,000 pounds, but they allow his deck to be kept clear of ropes.

Clearing ropes out of the way maximizes entertaining space, and allows for a hot tub forward of the mainmast.

The yacht is also built for speed. Its three masts provide “one of the largest sail areas ever seen in yachting,”  according to SuperYacht Times .

The Koru’s original designer, and the identity of its captain, remain secret. Boat International noted : “With the elegant curve of the bow and a bowsprit, the lines are certainly classic, but we still have no idea which designer drew them.”

The Cayman Islands-flagged vessel also has engine power like most sailing yachts.

And while other billionaires measure yachts by size, Bezos’ is only the 24th largest.

However, since Koru’s masts rule out a helicopter deck, the billionaire commissioned a support vessel, Abeona, named for the Roman goddess of outward journeys.

In addition to a helipad, the 246-foot Abeona features an extra two staterooms for four guests and as many as 45 crew and support staff.

It’s the largest custom-built support vessel ever manufactured by Damen Yachting. On board in Mallorca were at least four jetskis, two fast launches, and an additional dinghy. Its heavy winch is capable of lifting a small submarine, although Bezos is not believed to have one thus far.

The “classic exterior lines” of Koru, are reminiscent of another billionaire’s boat: Eos, a 305-foot sailing yacht owned by Barry Diller, 81, who may have inspired Bezos after hosting him on the vessel.

Favored by megastars like Katy Perry and Bradley Cooper — who were Diller’s guests during 2019’s Google Camp in Sicily — the German-built Eos can accommodate up to 16 guests and 21 crew.

It was the largest private sailing yacht in the world when it was completed in 2006. Diller, chairman of IAC and Expedia, who is worth $3.9 billion, bought it three years later. Intriguingly, its figurehead is modeled on Diller’s wife Diane von Fürstenberg, the fashion designer.

But the $200 million, 305-foot schooner is now dwarfed by Bezos’ boat.

As Koru sailed in the Balearic Sea this week off the coast of Spain, Bezos’ boat symbolically surges past several other tech billionaires’ vessels – including Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s $80 million, 240-foot Dragonfly, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison’s, $160 million, 288-foot Musashi.

It will cost Bezos, 59, an estimated $25 million per year to operate Koru, but the world’s third-richest man isn’t likely to need a loan with his $140.6 billion fortune,  according to Forbes .

Bezos’ use of sailpower sets him apart from most billionaires, but others are seeking a hi-tech zero-carbon power source: a Japanese billionaire has reportedly commissioned the world’s first hydrogen-powered superyacht.

Germany’s Lürssen Yachts announced in March that they had a hydrogen-powered superyacht in advanced construction.

It declined to identify the future owner of the unnamed superyacht, but specialist publication FuelCellsWorks reported Japanese billionaire tech Yusaku Maezawa, worth an estimated $1.7 billion, commissioned the innovative effort.

Dubbed Project Cosmos, the 374-foot superyacht is designed by Apple’s legendary Marc Newson and was first unveiled in early March at Lürssen’s facility in Rendsburg, Germany.

Once completed as soon as next year, the vessel is expected to utilize emission-free fuel cell technology to generate power lasting up to 15 days while anchored or to travel as far as 1,000 miles at slow speeds.

Three other major shipyards, including in Italy and the Netherlands, are likely to launch their own hydrogen started outfitting newly constructed vessels with hydrogen fuel cells as of March 2022, with the first models reportedly expected in 2024.

Other megayachts expected to soon join Bezos’ Koru in the water include two Lürssen models, the 475-foot Luminance and the 400-foot Jag, and Feadship 821, a 389-foot offering from the Netherlands manufacturer.

But even those won’t best the biggest megayacht in the world, the 593-foot Azzam, which launched in 2013 after being commissioned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the United Arab Emirates who died last year.

Azzam, which means determination in Arabic, reportedly cost more than $600 million and is nearly 60 feet longer than the world’s second-largest yacht, the 533-foot Eclipse, owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Those monster vessels are expected to be surpassed next year by REV, a 600-foot yacht under construction in Norway which will have space for 36 guests and 54 crewmembers, according to Boat International .

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Jeff Bezos’s New Yacht Comes With Its Own Yacht?

Another day, another reason that we must simply eat the rich. Construction is almost complete on the $500 million superyacht purchased by Amazon Daddy and Lizzo superfan Jeff Bezos. The 417-foot-long monstrosity, which Bezos bought two years ago, is among the biggest ever built in the Netherlands, the unofficial big-boat-building capital of the world.

What does a yacht longer than a football field come with? Multiple decks, an “ ambient cinema,” and its own support yacht. Yes, the yacht comes with its own yacht.

Project Y721 — the big boat’s temporary name — also has its own helipad. This is apropos given the rumors that Bezos’s sudden interest in helicopters may be what exposed his affair with now-girlfriend and famously “alive girl” Lauren Sanchez.

On top of the half-a-billion-dollar price tag, operating costs for the yacht will average about $60 million a year, per Bloomberg . To put that into context, for someone who makes $68,700 a year, the current median income in the U.S., that’d be like paying $23 in yearly operating costs. A pittance for the literal richest man on the planet.

Bezos isn’t the only rich person continuing to do rich-person things amid a struggling global economy. As Bloomberg reports, the yacht industry is among the few markets that thrived despite the spread of coronavirus. This shouldn’t come as any surprise, given the pandemic made the rich even richer . Bezos, for example, saw his wealth increase by 57 percent, per CBS News . Between March 18, 2020, and March, 18 2021, Bezos’s worth grew from $113 billion to $178 billion. Last year, the median income among Amazon employees was $29,007, per Business Insider .

Perhaps this purchase is Bezos in full post-divorce crisis mode. (He did buy the yacht the same year he and MacKenzie Scott announced they would be splitting.) While Scott recently remarried , Bezos continues to surround himself with the biggest, dumbest things money can buy. If anything, this all just further proof that the only good boats are the ones that get stuck .

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Jeff bezos’ massive new $500m superyacht — complete with helipad and pool — spotted in north sea.

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Hoist up the Jeff B sails.

Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos’ $500 million superyacht Koru, codenamed Y721, is finally seaworthy — spotted in the North Sea after leaving Rotterdam on Feb. 13,  footage posted by the organization Dutch Yachting  shows.

The massive, 417-foot vessel’s test run came months after it was originally set to be delivered to the 59-year-old billionaire. 

It requires a 250-foot support vessel that houses a helicopter landing pad for the Blue Origin founder.

Bezos’ mega boat created controversy last year after a report that Dutch officials would  have to dismantle  the historic Koningshaven Bridge because the 130-foot steel structure wouldn’t allow the vessel and its 229-foot masts to pass through.

Following an uproar from residents, local leaders decided the plan was a bridge too far — and the boat was towed from its construction location to another shipyard in a nearby town without its masts,  according to Jalopnik .

The uproar likely played a big part in how and when it would float away.

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Citizens of Rotterdam reportedly swore in February that, should Bezos’ superyacht traverse the De Hef bridge, they would pelt it with eggs in protest . 

And when it finally came time to move the vessel out of its Dutch shipbuilding yard, the decision was made to tow it away under cover of darkness, the Cut reported.

Koru costs about $25 million a year to run. The pleasure boat can accommodate 18 guests — and requires a crew of 40 sailors.

It is far from the world’s most expensive yacht. That dubious honor is reserved for the $4.8 billion History Supreme — a gold- and platinum-plated vessel featuring a Tyrannosaurus rex bone wall made of meteoric stone. It was bought in 2011 by an anonymous Malaysian businessman,  according to the Richest .

Yet the half-billion-dollar price tag is a relative drop in the ocean for the Amazon founder, whose net worth was valued at  $181 billion  by Forbes.

Koru will join a fleet of superyachts , helicopters and planes already owned by the entrepreneur and his millionaire girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez.

The aluminum and steel schooner reportedly boasts three decks, including one with a swimming pool. 

The smaller, 250-foot support vessel that will sit alongside the mammoth one will include a helicopter landing pad for Bezos or his celebrity guests. This smaller yacht is also expected to be loaded with an array of toys including luxury cars, jet skis, speedboats, and perhaps even a personal submarine, the Daily Mail has reported .

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Underwater superyachts? A CEO is pitching fantastical ships that can go 800 feet down and stay submerged for weeks

• Austria's Migaloo is offering to build a private "submersible superyacht" for the ultrarich.
• It says the M5 would be able to travel 820 feet underwater and stay submerged for a month.
• Despite the high up-front cost, CEO Christian Gumpold says the firm is in talks with buyers.

Forget megayachts. Forget billionaire basements. If you're unfathomably rich and want a new toy, there's an Austrian company that says it will build you a fully submersible yacht.

And this is no rickety Titan submersible .

The Migaloo M5 concept, the company says, involves a 540-foot base-model superyacht that would travel about 820 feet underwater and stay down there for up to a month.

"The needs of superyacht owners for their vessels are more complex than ever," Migaloo CEO Christian Gumpold told Business Insider, adding: "These wishes do not just include performance, length, or design."

Gumpold said that yacht owners were "looking for privacy, security, and protection for themselves, their guests and their valuables, or for the fulfillment of unique experiences up to scientific desires, as well as for the greatest possible exclusivity."

According to its marketing materials, Migaloo says the vessel's layout and features could be designed around any customer priority, whether that's security, thrill seeking, research, or simply vacation.

The company offers prospective buyers a checklist of options, including LED exterior lighting with a laser show, a helipad, a hot-air balloon, and — for the aspiring Bond villain — an underwater shark-feeding station.

The vessel could feasibly host a wealth of supplemental vehicles, including mini submarines, exploration vehicles, and working boats, it said.

Although at times it's described in the company marketing materials as a "private submersible superyacht" the M5 would technically be able to sail as a submarine — an underwater vessel that can launch itself and return under its own power, rather than having to be launched by a mother ship.

It's envisioned as being able to house up to 20 guests and about 40 staffers.

The Migaloo concept aims to satisfy an increasing desire for privacy and security among the world's richest people.

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The most expensive megayachts ever sold now run into the half-billion-dollar range or more, with at least three $600 million yachts afloat, owned by various oligarchs and oil-state royalty.

Bobbing about underwater in a Migaloo M5, Elon Musk wouldn't have to worry about a jet-tracking student any longer.

Gumpold told BI he had specialized in yacht design since 2008, and he promised that all the complex arrangements of the Migaloo project — working with shipyards, flag states, and classification societies — would be taken care of by his company.

Much of the marketing material for Migaloo runs to possibilities that sound like science fiction, addressing problems that would either apply only to the ultrarich or which the rest of us would be too dead to care about.

Saying it works with the security company Safe, Migaloo claims it could create a "private submersible fortress," offering protection from electromagnetic pulses, cybercrime, piracy, solar flares, asteroids, and polar shifts.

That's on top of a gamut of features that any megayacht owner might expect, including spas, gyms, a gaming room, a wine cellar, an art gallery, and a panic room.

The cost, however, is the ultimate "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" test.

Gumpold told Fast Company that the price depended on the scope of the client's requests, comparing it to the price tag on large superyachts.

According to Fast Company's estimation, there are only 50 people in the world who could afford to purchase a luxury submergible megayacht.

It remains to be seen if and when any prospective buyers will bite.

Gumpold told BI his company was "still in close contact with several potential owners worldwide" and "very close" to executing the first project steps.

But he didn't elaborate on any concrete steps and wouldn't name any of his prospective clients.

With a turnaround time of about four to seven years, it's also going to be awhile before any of them would take to the seas.

Watch: The search is on for clues in the Titan sub implosion

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Rebuilding Baltimore’s Key Bridge expected to cost up to $1.9 billion

Rebuilding the Baltimore bridge destroyed by a container ship in March will cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, according to Maryland estimates.

Officials are targeting fall 2028 for completing the new bridge, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said in an interview.

The replacement for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which opened in 1977, will be designed to meet modern safety standards and will not be vulnerable to collapse if a single component fails, Wiedefeld said. Its towers may also be placed farther apart to give ships a bigger buffer, he said.

Maryland officials said the cost estimates are in line with projects of a similar scale and complexity, including the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge in California, which opened in 2020 and cost about $1.5 billion. The Key Bridge replacement, like the Long Beach bridge, will be designed as a “cable-stayed” span, in which the bridge deck is held up by cables connected to towers.

The federal government stands to be repaid from insurance on the bridge, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars, and could receive additional funds from legal proceedings against companies that are found to be responsible for the collision, Wiedefeld said.

The cost estimates and timeline come as a congressional delegation set out Thursday to survey the wreckage and the stranded Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali that created it after losing power and slamming into the bridge on March 26.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the committee’s top Democrat, were among the lawmakers on hand for a boat tour and briefing from Coast Guard and other officials overseeing the cleanup of debris blocking the main shipping channel to the Port of Baltimore.

A spokesperson for Cole did not respond to a request for comment.

After surveying the disaster site last month, President Biden vowed not to rest “until the cement has dried on the entirety of a new bridge.”

Biden said he intends to have the federal government cover the full cost of rebuilding the bridge — “all of it,” he said —and called on Congress to authorize that effort as soon as possible.

Some congressional Republicans have raised concerns over Biden’s push for funding. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers, are seeking concessions in exchange for any new funds for Baltimore, including approvals for liquefied natural gas projects, according to a letter from the group.

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), chairman of the caucus, said Thursday he would not vote for any additional spending for the bridge that is not offset by cuts elsewhere. He also said the National Environmental Policy Act and other federal statutes must be waived for the project.

In addition, Good said in a statement that “after holding accountable the foreign entity who caused the accident and accessing any already available federal funds, Maryland must be responsible for a share of any costs to rebuild.”

Rep. David Trone (D-Md.), who joined the boat tour Thursday, said the bipartisan meetings on board a Coast Guard vessel “went extremely well,” adding, “Today was a great day to have the other party with us.”

Trone rejected Good’s call for Maryland to shoulder part of the cost of rebuilding the bridge. “This is an American plan, an American problem, and it will be solved by bipartisanship in America,” Trone said.

Wiedefeld said officials have not yet decided whether to build the new bridge with a higher clearance so bigger ships can travel under it. “That’s still to be determined,” he said.

As for protections against collision by another errant ship, Wiedefeld said the new span’s design will adhere to current national standards and be shaped by the ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. National bridge specifications issued the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials could also be updated , he said.

“They are looking at those types of issues, so that would roll into the engineering,” Wiedefeld said.

Canada risks losing investment to Mexico as labor productivity skids

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Bodies found in Mexico where Australian, US tourists went missing

Mexican authorities have located three bodies in the state of Baja California where one American and two Australian tourists were reported missing, the local prosecutor's office said in a statement late on Friday.

New Zealand said on Saturday that its Antarctic agency signed a memorandum of understanding with Germany's Alfred Wegener Institute to foster cooperation between the two polar science bodies, amid China's growing presence in Antarctica.

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Would You Still Use Google if It Didn't Pay Apple $20 Billion to Get on Your iPhone?

Microsoft has poured over $100 billion into developing its Bing search engine over the past two decades but has little market share to show for it. About nine out of every 10 web searches in the US are made through Google, with Bing splitting the remaining queries with a long list of small competitors.

On Thursday the US government asked a federal judge in Washington, DC, to rule that Google maintains that lead illegally, by unfairly manipulating users to keep Microsoft and other competitors down.

Google’s dominance drove the US Department of Justice to sue the company in 2020 alleging that it had violated antitrust law by using exclusionary contracts to maintain a monopoly . The two sides went into a secretive trial at the end of last year before breaking for nearly five months for US Judge Amit Mehta to digest the evidence.

Mehta heard closing arguments on Thursday, with government attorneys arguing that without his intervention Google’s dominance would remain in years to come— despite nascent threats from AI chatbots like ChatGPT . “The search engine industry has been impervious to any competitor entering,” attorney Kenneth Dintzer said.

The case is the first to go to trial out of a handful of lawsuits the government has brought against the biggest tech companies since stepping up antitrust scrutiny of the industry in 2019 under then-President Donald Trump. The Biden administration hasn’t let off the gas .

Central to the government’s case against Google is the over $20 billion it says that Google pays Apple annually to be the default search engine on iPhones and the Safari browser across much of the world. Google pays an additional more than $1.5 billion a year to wireless carriers and device makers, and more than $150 million to browsers, for similar defaults in the US, according to the government. Google can afford to pay those sums and still enjoy enormous profits because it has the US market for search and search ads cornered, the government alleges.

Google’s attorneys counter that companies such as Apple choose Google as the default because it offers a better experience to users, not just because they are getting payouts. When browsers such as Mozilla have opted for alternatives to Google, they have lost users because of the change, the search company argues. “Google lawfully acquired what the government claims is monopoly power and scale,” attorney John Schmidtlein told Mehta. “Microsoft missed the boat.” Before Mehta now is the question of whether Google unfairly earned its popularity.

Profit Boost

Google’s deals with Apple date to 2002, when the Safari developer first gained the option to integrate Google search into the browser, according to court papers. The payments started after Google cofounder Sergey Brin in 2005 raised the idea of sharing a slice of the company’s blossoming search revenue or “helping Apple out in other ways,” Brin wrote, according to court papers.

But in a deal struck that year, Google got something in exchange for agreeing to pay Apple half of its sales: Google search would be required to be the default in Safari. The requirement has spread to more Apple services in the years since, while the revenue share and related incentive fees have fluctuated.

Julian Chokkattu

Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica

Brenda Stolyar

Matt Reynolds

Apple has avoided what it estimated at one point, according to court filings, would be $6 billion in annual costs to run its own search engine. Instead, it’s pocketed extra profits. The government estimates Google’s payments accounted for 17.5 percent of Apple’s operating profit in its fiscal year 2020.

Mehta quizzed Google’s attorneys about the payments Thursday. “If you’re talking about quality, why pay billions in revenue share?” he asked, describing the situation as “odd.” He wondered about how reasonable it was that to replace Google as Apple’s default, someone would have to spend not only billions of dollars to develop a search engine, but also billions of dollars to keep Apple’s bank account full. “Wouldn’t the writers of the Sherman Act be concerned?” Mehta asked. “How would anybody be able to dislodge Google?”

The government envisions a world in which Google could pay to be offered as a search option on some phones and services, but would be barred from making such payments contingent on excluding rivals. In the government’s telling, competition would be more even in that scenario and companies such as Apple should end up with more revenue overall.

Google’s attorneys acknowledge if Bing supplanted Google as the default on iPhones, the ripples would be wide and steep—just not in a way users would want. If Apple truly felt Google search wasn’t best, it can opt out of the deal, Google’s attorney Schmidtlein told Mehta. “Apple has every incentive to make sure there is competition and that they are putting out the highest quality product,” he says.

Mehta will hear closing arguments about Google’s dominance in search ads on Friday. It’s unclear how soon his final ruling will come, though it could be months. Appeals are expected to drag on the case for years more after that. In the meantime, Microsoft will have to keep spending on Bing to hold on to what little search share it’s got.

Additional reporting by Lauren Goode

Updated 5-3-2024, 12 pm EDT: This article was updated to correct a quote from Google attorney John Schmidtlein.

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LAX People Mover gets $200 million more to resolve claims between contractor and airport

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An additional $200 million will go to the Los Angeles International Airport’s Automated People Mover project after approval by the Board of Airport Commissioners on Thursday.

The money will be used to settle claims submitted by the contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS), and bring the project’s total budget to $2.9 billion.

The People Mover is a major part of the airport’s multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul terminals and gates, update airport signage to help travelers navigate the sprawling airport and improve ground transportation ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.

LAX’s long-promised rail link, the People Mover, likely delayed until late 2025

A strained relationship between LAX and the People Mover contractor has led to project delays, according to credit agency Fitch Ratings.

March 29, 2024

The project was initially expected to be open in 2024, but disagreements between LINXS and the airport over the production, timeline and compensation claims have led to delays. The project is now expected to be completed by late 2025.

“Recent discussions have turned toward negotiating a potential global settlement for all outstanding ... claims and an appropriate extension of time to complete the project,” the board report stated.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the funding and said that clarity on that completion date is necessary.

“The LINXS partnership has been told very clearly that the most important thing for LAWA and our community is knowing when this project is going to be done,” said John Ackerman, CEO of Los Angeles World Airports.

The issue has been discussed in closed session during multiple board meetings, according to meeting minutes. Ackerman said LAWA has changed its approach and believes LINXS has also done so in order to “come to a fair settlement that allows us to deliver the train that this community really deserves.”

The project is more than 95% completed, according to Fitch Ratings. Once finished, the 2.25-mile elevated train will offer access to and from airport terminals, parking lots and rental car facilities and will connect to the Metro train system to the airport. Airport officials believe the People Mover will eliminate 117,000 vehicle miles per day.

Experts have said the train will improve the flow of traffic at the world’s fifth-busiest airport and will enhance access for those who rely on public transit.

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Colleen Shalby is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. She has covered education, the pandemic, the vaccine rollout and breaking news throughout California. She was part of the team that was a 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist for coverage of a dive-boat fire off the Santa Barbara coast. Shalby grew up in Southern California and graduated from George Washington University. She previously worked for PBS NewsHour and joined The Times in 2015.

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Serena Williams’s father made her manage money from the start; now she’s using those lessons as head of her venture capital fund

Even as a teenager, tennis star turned venture capitalist Serena Williams was already managing her own money.

Before she was the first-ever 23-time Grand Slam champion, Williams was a 16-year-old prodigy who turned to her father when she started getting her first real paychecks from tennis and sponsorship deals, she said in an interview on Bloomberg’s The Deal podcast with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly. But while he was an astute businessman, Williams’s father, Richard Williams, made sure Serena managed her own finances.

“I remember having to figure that out and having to learn how to manage from a very early age and not get crazy with it, and so he empowered us to do that,” Williams said in the interview.

The elder Williams, portrayed in the 2021 film King Richard, was a major influence not just on Williams’s career, but also her second act, she said. He helped turn her and her sister, Venus Williams, into superstars, but he also taught Serena many lessons about business. 

When Serena was seeking what would become a reported $13 million sponsorship deal with Puma as a 16-year-old, her father made sure she came along while he negotiated with major Puma investor and movie producer Arnon Milchan. Although she admittedly fell asleep during the late-night negotiation, Williams said she incorporated the lessons learned from that first sponsorship when she made her own deals later on.

“I’m 16, my dad is negotiating, they’re going back and forth, and he wants me there for the whole time to make sure I know what to do in the future,” she said.

For her entire career, her focus was on her game, so much so she admitted that she often forgot to pick up the checks she would win from participating in tournaments. But thanks to her father, she also developed a knack for business and sponsorships, as evidenced later by the half billion dollars she would earn throughout her more than two-decades-long career.

“I learned early on that your paycheck from tennis—maybe that’s why I forgot them—should be your smallest earning,” she said.

After retiring in 2022 , Williams began to dedicate more time to Serena Ventures, the venture capital fund she started in 2014, and she’s been able to use many of the lessons she took from her father and her own business dealings. And she’s channeled the same competitiveness she used on the court into her work.

“For me, success right now is having great investments,” she said.

At Serena Ventures , Williams has aimed to help level the playing field for women and people of color after she learned that only 2% of venture capital dollars flow to women founders and only 1% to Black founders. Serena Ventures has invested in more than 20 companies, and Williams has made dozens of angel investments. The fund’s portfolio of companies contains 68% that were founded by women and people of color, she said.

“We don’t care what you look like, but we hear your story if you’re a woman, we hear your story if you’re a person of color, and a lot of people that look like me don’t even get their story heard.”

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NASCAR and Its Race Teams Fight Over the Sport’s Future

Team owners said they needed to share in racing’s financial success, putting them at odds with the privately held business that runs the sport.

Television viewership and racetrack attendance have risen in recent years for NASCAR, but many of the racing teams said they still lost money. Credit... Logan R. Cyrus for The New York Times

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By Ken Belson

Reporting from Charlotte, N.C.

• May 1, 2024

When Michael Jordan and his right-hand man, Curtis Polk, bought a NASCAR team in 2020 with the driver Denny Hamlin, they were prepared to endure short-term losses. Drivers, mechanics and a sales staff had to be hired. The Next Generation cars that were introduced in 2022 would cost top teams about $18 million a year to run before paying a driver, and their team, 23XI, had two. Paying for a new building to house the cars would cost tens of millions of dollars more.

But they believed they’d make that money back over time because NASCAR had a lot of room to grow. They predicted, accurately, that television viewership and attendance, while not returning to their numbers from a decade ago, would pick up in recent years. Sponsorships, the lifeblood of every race team, were still in demand, especially for a team owned by a basketball legend like Jordan. They also guessed that the value of the sport’s broadcast rights would increase, a hunch confirmed in November, when NASCAR signed a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal with Fox, NBC, Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery.

They are struggling to make a return on their investment, however. The main reason, they said, is NASCAR’s reluctance to share more of its growing revenue with 23XI and the 15 other racing teams in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“In all partnerships, if you grow the pie, that means your business is going to continue to grow,” Jordan said in an interview. “And to grow the pie, you’ve got to make sure everybody’s healthy within the partnership. If our ownership in NASCAR is losing money and NASCAR’s the only one making money, that’s not a good partnership.”

For more than two years, the racing teams and NASCAR have essentially been at a standstill about the financial future of the sport. In sporadic talks between the sides, NASCAR has offered a modestly larger share of its new broadcast contract to the teams. But it has balked at the teams’ request that it share revenue from any future money streams like gambling, and it has refused their calls to make permanent the charters that teams must own to operate their cars.

Teams, most of which lose money each year under the current model, said that this hurt their ability to prepare for the future, scared investors away and made operations tenuous at a time when NASCAR seemed flush.

But the continuing dispute is not just about revenue. It’s about competing visions for stock car racing. Will it remain popular but provincial or will it recast itself to be more like a major sports league?

NASCAR declined to make an executive available to comment for this article, but in November, Steve Phelps, NASCAR’s president, said that his organization wanted “to change the paradigm for our race teams and we need to make sure our race teams are profitable, competing on the racetracks.”

At a sports industry conference two weeks ago, Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s chief operating officer, said that a deal with the teams was “very close,” without elaborating.

Unlike the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and most other sports leagues, NASCAR is a privately held business that is tightly controlled by the France and Kennedy families. NASCAR is the sanctioning body for the sport, but it also owns many of the tracks where the races are held and sells its own national sponsorships and broadcast deals.

Teams are independent businesses that compete fiercely on the track and for sponsorships, which make up well more than half their revenue. Roughly 30 percent of NASCAR’s broadcast revenue is also split among the teams. Teams also win shares of track purse payouts, which can bring the share up to 39 percent. Only recently have the teams had unified representation in discussions with NASCAR.

And unlike the New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Lakers, the teams are not permanent franchises. They can lose their charters if they fail to put cars on the track each week or if they perform poorly. The charters can be sold, allowing team owners to recoup some of their investments when they exit the sport. (NASCAR does not release figures on charter sales, but teams said prices had risen steadily. The most recent sale is said to have fetched $40 million.)

The charters obligate teams to enter all their cars in all 36 Cup races and two exhibitions each season. The cost of hauling cars and flying race teams around the country each week is significant. Teams also must pay fees to enter each race, buy credentials for their personnel and set up their own hospitality suites at the tracks.

“I think that the teams want to play in that playground, and if you want to play in that playground, you’ve got to abide by NASCAR’s rules,” said Tom Cotter, a former spokesman for the Charlotte Motor Speedway who also ran the country’s largest motor sports management agency. “But it’s worked out well for, I think, both sides. NASCAR has made a lot of money, and these teams have, until recently, made a good living.”

Most race teams lose money under the current economic model, however, and they expect to collectively lose more than $200 million over the next five years if nothing changes.

NASCAR issued the charters to qualified teams in 2016 to give them equity that they could sell or borrow against. But they were granted for only the length of the current broadcast rights deal, which expires at end of this year. (Since 2016, 11 teams have closed, merged or gone bankrupt.) The teams said that NASCAR offered to give them a larger slice of the new broadcast deal, but would renew the charters for only seven years, the length of the upcoming broadcast contract. Polk and other team owners and executives said that the uncertainty around the charters made it hard for them to invest in their operations and that it scared off outside investors.

“Until we are all aligned and paddling the boat in the same direction, we’ll never be able to reach the full potential that NASCAR has,” Polk, a member of the five-man committee negotiating with NASCAR, said in an interview. “There’s just a ton of money on the sidelines that wants to invest in big-time sports, and NASCAR is a big-time sport. It’s not what it was in the early 2000s, but there’s no reason it can’t get back there again.”

The teams do not seem as optimistic. They want to negotiate, “but they won’t take an unacceptable deal,” said Jeffrey Kessler, a leading antitrust lawyer who has represented the N.F.L. Players Association and other unions, and is now working for the NASCAR racing teams. “I was hired to help them think through their options.”

One option was for the teams to form their own race series with all the top racers and owners. If NASCAR tried to impede their access to racetracks, Kessler said, “they open themselves up to antitrust violations.”

Jonathan Marshall, the executive of the Race Team Alliance, an advocacy group for the teams, said that the teams would much rather reach a fair deal with NASCAR that gave them more of a stake in the sport’s future. The teams are not asking for part of income that NASCAR already has, like ticket sales at the tracks, he said. But getting a cut of future revenue would encourage them to invest in their cars and facilities.

Permanent charters would also help teams attract outside investors, who could help defray the costs of running the Next Generation cars.

“The Next Gen car has produced greater parity, but it is still really hard to win a Cup race and teams that consistently win in the Next Gen car tend to be the teams that spend more,” Marshall said.

NASCAR said it introduced the new cars to level the playing field and reduce costs . Parity on the racetrack has increased, but the cost savings have not.

Teams must buy most of their car parts from single suppliers , and they had a lot of obsolete inventory that they sold for pennies on the dollar. The new parts are also less durable, lasting just four races or so, compared with the 10 races that the parts in the previous cars lasted for. The Next Gen cars have carbon fiber bodies that are more durable but cannot be repaired when damaged, unlike the metal bodies of the older cars, which could be welded and repurposed. Teams must now buy a minimum number of tires, which can cost more than a $1 million a season.

Team executives said that they appreciated all that NASCAR had done to increase the sport’s visibility. There is a new video and broadcast production center outside Charlotte, and the reality series “ Full Speed” on Netflix , which follows drivers through a season. And NASCAR has installed more remote cameras and scanners at tracks so that fans can watch and listen to their favorite drivers and their pit crews.

But these enhancements don’t change the fundamentals of operating teams, owners and executives said.

“If you had permanent charters, then you could create a revenue stream, either with new investors or different types of sponsorships that would subsidize that type of variance between ownership and the league,” Jordan said. “That’s a big, big miss right there. If you don’t correct that, this sport’s going to die not because of the competition aspect, but because economically it doesn’t make sense for any businesspeople.”

Ken Belson is a Times reporter covering sports, power and money at the N.F.L. and other professional sports leagues. More about Ken Belson

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