The most famously modest rich person in 2026 is Warren Buffett, worth about $148.9 billion in January 2026 per Forbes, who still lives in the Omaha house he bought in 1958. This list covers nine extremely rich people, living and deceased, whose documented habits are far more modest than their bank balances.
| Rank | Name | Latest wealth figure we used |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren Buffett | about $148.9 billion (Jan 2026) |
| 2 | Carlos Slim | roughly $125 billion (Aug 2026, reported) |
| 3 | Jim Walton | $142.4 billion (Feb 2026) |
| 4 | Li Ka-shing | about $45 billion (Feb 2026) |
| 5 | David Cheriton | about $19.8 billion (2025) |
| 6 | Azim Premji | about $11.6 billion (2023) |
| 7 | Ingvar Kamprad | Deceased 2018, IKEA held by a foundation |
| 8 | Chuck Feeney | Deceased 2023, gave away about $8 billion |
| 9 | Christy Walton | See entry |
Our ranking logic is simple: how big is the gap between what they could spend and what they visibly do spend, and has that gap stayed in place for decades. The list is ordered by that gap, not by wealth.
1. Warren Buffett: about $148.9 billion
Buffett bought a five-bedroom stucco house in Omaha in 1958 and still lives there. His annual salary at Berkshire Hathaway was about $100,000 for years, tiny for a company that size.
Greg Abel became Berkshire’s CEO on January 1, 2026, and Buffett reportedly stepped down as chairman in September 2026. He has long said he plans to give away nearly all of his fortune and has told his children they will not inherit most of it.
2. Carlos Slim: roughly $125 billion
Slim’s fortune rests on Grupo Carso and above all telecoms, including América Móvil, Telcel and Telmex. His net worth hit a record of about $133 billion on the Bloomberg index in March 2026, reportedly, and stood near $125 billion at the end of August 2026.
He has long been described as indifferent to showy spending, and his office has famously had no computer, with financial data kept in handwritten notebooks. He was ranked the richest person in the world from 2010 to 2013.
3. Jim Walton: $142.4 billion
Walton, the youngest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton, was ranked 12th richest in the world in February 2026 by Forbes. He lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he grew up, and chairs the family’s Arvest Bank.
His wealth is mostly Walmart stock. Reports have long described a down-to-earth style with pickup trucks and a hometown life, though we could not confirm his current vehicle, so we do not name one.
4. Li Ka-shing: about $45 billion
Li is a Hong Kong tycoon who retired as chairman of CK Hutchison and CK Asset in May 2018 and remains senior advisor. Forbes put him at about $45.1 billion in its February 2026 Hong Kong rich list, making him Hong Kong’s richest for the sixth straight year.
He has long been called plainly dressed for a tycoon. In the 1990s he wore a HK$50 Citizen watch and plain ties, later a Seiko, and has more recently been spotted in an Apple Watch.
5. David Cheriton: about $19.8 billion
Cheriton, a Stanford computer science professor, was an early Google investor, writing a $100,000 cheque in 1998, and has backed many start-ups since. Forbes estimated his net worth at $19.8 billion in 2025, a huge jump from the $2.8 billion this article once cited.
He has a reputation for frugality, avoiding costly cars and large houses, and was once on a list of “cheapskate billionaires.” He has also given away tens of millions to universities, including $25 million to Waterloo in 2005.
6. Azim Premji: about $11.6 billion
Premji took over his father’s cooking-oil business at 21 and turned it into the IT giant Wipro. Forbes estimated his net worth at $11.6 billion in October 2023, down from the $17.4 billion once quoted here because he has given away so much.
In 2013 he signed the Giving Pledge, starting with a $2.2 billion donation to the Azim Premji Foundation. He has repeatedly topped India’s philanthropy rankings. Older profiles describe an economy-class traveller who drove a modest car, though we have not re-checked those details for 2026.
7. Ingvar Kamprad: IKEA founder, died 2018
Kamprad began selling matches at age five and founded IKEA at 17. He died on January 27, 2018, aged 91. In 2006 he was reported to drive a 1993 Volvo 240, fly economy and tell staff to use both sides of the paper.
His fortune was once put at $23 billion, but documents later showed a Liechtenstein foundation owns IKEA and its bylaws bar him and his family from benefiting from its funds.
8. Chuck Feeney: gave away his fortune, died 2023
Feeney co-founded Duty Free Shoppers and in 1984 secretly moved his entire 38.75% stake into the foundation Atlantic Philanthropies. He died on October 9, 2023, aged 92.
He flew coach until he was 75, owned no house or car, and wore a $10 Casio watch. Forbes called him the James Bond of philanthropy for giving away roughly $8 billion, with nearly $1 billion going to Cornell alone.
9. Christy Walton
Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, who died in 2005 and left an estate then put at $18.2 billion. She has been among the biggest givers as a share of her wealth, and supports education and cultural institutions.
Her own net worth has been estimated far lower than the family headline: in 2015 reporting showed much of her husband’s wealth had been transferred to their son, leaving her at around $5 billion. We could not find a verified 2026 figure, so treat that as a historical estimate.
Special mentions
Mark Zuckerberg was the classic example of the grey-T-shirt billionaire, but he has reportedly spent at least $145 million on land in Kauai for a gated retreat of roughly 1,450 acres, so he no longer fits. Tony Hsieh, the former Zappos CEO known for modest personal spending, died in November 2020.
Keep reading
- They got rich but gave all the money away: more people in the Feeney mould
- 5 cheap mistakes the rich avoid: where thrift backfires
- $1 a day vs $1,000,000 a day lifestyle: what spending levels actually look like
FAQ
Who is the richest person with a modest lifestyle?
Our pick is Warren Buffett, whose net worth was put at about $148.9 billion by Forbes in January 2026, and who still lives in the Omaha house he bought in 1958. Carlos Slim is close behind on both wealth and frugal habits.
Which billionaires are known for living frugally?
Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim, Jim Walton, Li Ka-shing and David Cheriton are all publicly described as living well below their means. Ingvar Kamprad and Chuck Feeney, both now deceased, were famous for the same.
Why do some billionaires avoid showy spending?
Many built wealth through ownership and compounding, and see cash as capital to reinvest or give away. Chuck Feeney gave away roughly $8 billion; Warren Buffett has pledged most of his fortune to philanthropy.
Did Mark Zuckerberg make the cut?
Not any more. He was long known for plain T-shirts, but he has since spent heavily on a large Hawaiian estate, so we list him under special mentions rather than in the ranking.
How did you rank these people?
We ranked by how consistently their documented habits stay modest relative to their wealth, then listed the latest published net worth with its source year.
Is living modestly a good strategy for the average person?
It can be. Spending less than you earn and investing the difference is the one habit all of these people share, whatever their wealth.
How we put this list together
We checked each person’s documented lifestyle against current public reporting on their wealth and giving. Wealth figures are the latest we could find and are labelled with their year.
Last updated: October 2026.
