The most expensive completed building with a company-disclosed budget is Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, which its owner’s filings put at roughly $6 billion at opening in 2010 (our arithmetic from the filings). Building costs are rarely published, so this list ranks only projects whose owners or governments disclosed a budget in a filing, results release or budget document. That leaves four completed buildings and complexes, plus a separate section for the biggest unranked claim, Abraj Al Bait in Mecca, whose cost is reported at anything from $3 billion to $15 billion.
| Rank | Building | City | Disclosed cost (USD) | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marina Bay Sands | Singapore | About $6 billion (our arithmetic) | 2010 |
| 2 | Grand Lisboa Palace | Macau | About $4.9 billion (HK$38.2 billion) | 2021 |
| 3 | Wynn Palace | Macau | $4.1 billion | 2016 |
| 4 | Oslo Government Quarter, stage 1 | Oslo | About $2.4 billion (NOK 24.7 billion) | 2026 |
1. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore: about $6 billion
Three hotel towers carry a rooftop park over Marina Bay. Las Vegas Sands said in its 2007 annual report that the project would cost more than $4.0 billion. By the end of 2009 it had capitalized about S$5.63 billion, or $4.01 billion, and expected about $2.3 billion more in spending through 2011. Adding the two gives roughly $6.3 billion, which is our sum and not a figure the company states. The headline number has moved between filings because land premiums and financing costs came in and out of the count.
Sands is now spending again. In October 2024 it disclosed an expansion at the resort that it put at about $8 billion, with completion now targeted for 2031. That is a project under way, so it sits outside the ranking.
How we valued it: our arithmetic from Las Vegas Sands annual reports for 2007 and 2009: capitalized cost plus expected remaining spend. The company does not publish this exact total.
2. Grand Lisboa Palace, Macau: about $4.9 billion
SJM Holdings opened the Grand Lisboa Palace in Cotai on 30 July 2021. The company reported an investment cost of HK$38.2 billion as of 31 December 2021, and HK$37.8 billion in its September 2021 update. At 7.8 Hong Kong dollars to the US dollar, that is about $4.9 billion. The budget had been HK$36 billion when the project was announced in 2017 and HK$39 billion in a 2019 update.
How we valued it: the company’s reported investment cost at 31 December 2021, converted by us at 7.8 HKD per USD.
3. Wynn Palace, Cotai: $4.1 billion
Wynn Resorts told investors the Cotai resort would cost $4 billion in its 2013 annual report and raised that to $4.1 billion in the 2014 and 2015 reports. The figure includes construction, capitalized interest, pre-opening costs, land and financing fees. By the end of 2015 it had invested $3.5 billion. The building contractor’s guaranteed maximum price was HK$20.6 billion.
How we valued it: the budget stated in Wynn Resorts’ annual reports filed with the SEC.
4. Oslo Government Quarter, stage 1: about $2.4 billion
Norway rebuilt its central ministry district. The first stage officially opened on 13 April 2026 with about 2,000 employees. Parliament approved a cost frame of NOK 24.7 billion for it, and a trade report says the stage is expected to finish about NOK 2.5 billion under budget, with a final account after a year of trial operation. At roughly 10 kroner to the dollar that is about $2.4 billion. A second stage is budgeted at NOK 9.0 billion.
How we valued it: the approved cost frame from the Norwegian government, converted by us at an approximate exchange rate; the final cost is not settled.
Unranked: Abraj Al Bait, Mecca
The Clock Towers beside the Great Mosque are often named the most expensive building on earth, usually at $15 billion. We could not find a cost from the owner, the Saudi government, or the builder, Saudi Binladin Group. Reported figures run from $1.6 billion to $3 billion to $15 billion, so we do not rank it. If the $15 billion figure is right, nothing else on this page comes close.
Under construction
The Marina Bay Sands expansion, at about $8 billion by its owner’s own disclosure, would top the completed buildings above. Resorts World Sentosa’s expansion began with a S$4.5 billion budget, and its operator warned in 2023 that the cost would likely run higher.
What drives these prices
- Land. Premiums paid for waterfront sites in Singapore and Cotai make up a large share of the budget.
- Casinos. Integrated resorts bundle hotels, theatres and gaming floors, so one address carries the cost of several buildings.
- Disclosure. The most expensive buildings are public companies and governments, because private owners and sovereign projects rarely publish a number.
- Overruns. Three of the four budgets rose after they were announced.
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What is the most expensive building in the world?
Among completed buildings with a disclosed budget, Marina Bay Sands at roughly $6 billion by our reading of its owner’s filings. The Abraj Al Bait in Mecca is often cited at $15 billion, but no owner figure exists.
Is the Mecca Clock Tower really $15 billion?
That is the number most often repeated, but we could not trace it to the owner or builder. Other reports say $3 billion.
What is the most expensive building under construction?
The Marina Bay Sands expansion, disclosed at about $8 billion in October 2024 and now targeted for 2031.
Why are so many on this list casinos?
Resorts in Macau and Singapore combine hotels, malls and theatres, and their listed owners must disclose project budgets.
Does the price include land?
It depends on the project. The Wynn Palace budget includes land; for others we noted what the filings count.
How we put this list together
We ranked buildings by a budget their owner or government disclosed in a filing, results release or budget document. Unconfirmed press figures are listed separately. Currency conversions are our approximations, and prices change over time.
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Last updated: October 2026.
