The Most Expensive Things Leonardo DiCaprio Owns
Go ahead and call Leonardo DiCaprio a high-rolling Hollywood A-lister. The dude certainly deserves it, since he first became a household name in earlier outings like "Romeo and Juliet" and "Titanic" and has since rivaled Robert De Niro as director Martin Scorsese's favorite go-to actor in his epic flicks, even winning a best actor Oscar for "The Revenant."
But it's in DiCaprio's portrayals of fictitious tycoon Jay Gatsby and real-life billionaire Howard Hughes that you could make a case for life imitating art. Like those characters, the actor lives lavishly on a fortune estimated at around $260 million. While detractors might accuse him of engaging in a lifestyle of reckless conspicuous consumption, DiCaprio can deftly defend owning extensive inventory. Not content to see his assets evaporate in an unpredictable economy, DiCaprio closely watches the housing market for deals and liquidation opportunities to improve his bottom line.
A rundown of some of the glitziest items he owns indicates that this philanthropic, activist-oriented and super-rich thespian is more likely to put his money where his mouth is, instead of carelessly throwing it away.
Leonardo DiCaprio has millions of dollars in property
Real estate is a venture that's yielded great dividends for Leonardo DiCaprio. But it's hard to keep up with his property inventory as he tends to act fast when it comes to buying and selling. In December 2021, the actor put down nearly $10 million for a Beverly Hills home boasting 5,000 square feet, including 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. A few months earlier, he bought a two-story Malibu beach house worth $13.8 million, with 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms occupying part of the nearly 3,300-square-foot dwelling.
Meanwhile, DiCaprio's been developing a Paradise Cove lot he bought in 2017, worth $23 million. According to Mansion Global, the 1.8-acre parcel previously owned by billionaire Vincent Viola and director Ridley Scott before him, is reportedly next door to a mansion owned by Courteney Cox. And he still has his first acquisition of two Hollywood Hills lots, one of which Madonna previously owned, that he bought for $4 million in 1994 (via Architectural Digest).
But the actor is notorious for quickly unloading property once he's accumulated enough equity over the years. According to Architectural Digest, previous homes under his name included a Spanish-style abode in Silver Lake (he sold it for $1.56 million) and a ranch outside Los Angeles (he sold it for $2.2 million). In 2022, Mansion Global reported that he sold a Malibu Beach home for $10.3 million.
Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't live in every home he owns
It's safe to say that Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't live in all of those palatial pads he owns. Two of them, he bought for his parents.
In 2021, the actor acquired for his biological mother, Irmelin Indenbirken, a $7.1 million Spanish Colonial mansion from "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson. It got an interior upgrade from a set designer who worked on the show "Will and Grace" (per Architectural Digest).The 5,000-square-foot abode includes 4 bedrooms and was previously occupied by the likes of actor Robert Pattinson and singer Gwen Stefani.
Three years earlier, Leo bought his dad, George DiCaprio, a Tudor-style Los Feliz home at almost $5 million. Its previous owner, recording artist Moby, redesigned the interior with a more contemporary look, belying its 1926 origins. But in January 2022, DiCaprio prepared to unload the property on a buyer looking to pay $4.9 million. It's not officially known where dad lives now.
DiCaprio has also developed a nice revenue stream by renting out some of his inventory, such as a Malibu Beach bungalow he paid $1.6 million for in 1998. The 3-bedroom space is one of his more modest homes, though its interior once boasted "Titanic" memorabilia (according to Megan Weaver from "Flipping Out," in an appearance on the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast), and he charges a monthly rental fee of $25,000. More luxurious is a Palm Springs home he reportedly purchased for $5.2 million in 2014 and rents out for $3,750 a night. Built in 1964 for singer Dinah Shore, the place has 6 bedrooms, a tennis court, and even a guest house.
He seeks wellness in The Big Apple
Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't based his entire real estate empire in California. He's also put money down on properties in New York, including an eco-friendly, self-sustaining condo in Battery Park he bought in 2008 for $3.67 million. He was so taken by the solar-powered Riverpark complex built with non-pollutant materials, he even purchased a next-door unit for $8 million six years later (via City Realty). "Riverhouse is a prime example of how green technology is both accessible and achievable for new residential developments," DiCaprio said to New York Magazine, via his publicist. "It is a groundbreaking building."
He still owns the suites in the building, which also includes a rooftop garden, swimming pool, yoga studio, filtered air and water technology, and even a doggie spa. But DiCaprio probably relishes the company he keeps, including like-minded celebrity residents like Sacha Baron Cohen and Oliver Stone.
In 2014, DiCaprio also bought a wellness condo in The West Village for $10 million, apparently drawn by such amenities as vitamin C-infused showers, aromatherapy via the building's duct infrastructure, circadian lighting systems, and even kitchen herb terrariums. But it turns out he didn't spend enough time in the 3,700-square-foot, 3-bedroom suite to warrant keeping it. DiCaprio sold the space two years later for $8 million, losing $2 million in the process (via the New York Post).
Leo owns an island in the Caribbean
Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't merely dabble in real estate; he goes all in, head-first. Case in point: besides owning Casas de DiCaprio galore, he also includes in his holdings his own Isle de Leo. That's right, the movie star owns an uninhabited, 104-acre atoll called Blackadore Caye just off the coast of Belize. He and partner Jeff Gram acquired the island for $1.75 million after being inspired by the rustic scenery of mainland Belize.
But rather than loll about the unspoiled island, DiCaprio had planned to open an eco-friendly resort in hopes that it would be the most luxurious development of its kind in the world. Renderings of DiCaprio's dream include a 118-suite lodge, 48 private residences, and 68 villas, all reliant on green energy. The actor planned to add natural nurseries to bolster the island's surrounding wildlife, from fish and other marine life to types of grass and trees. "I couldn't have gone to Belize and build on an island, and done something like this, if it weren't for the idea that it could be groundbreaking in the environmental movement," he remarked to The New York Times about his project.
Oddly enough, DiCaprio's biggest opponents happen to be environmentalists fearing that construction will damage the island ecosystem; they have been pressuring the star to scale back on his ambitions. And ever since DiCaprio made his plans public in 2018, there's been nary a hint of development on the island.
He has owned environmentally-friendly cars
For someone who leads a jet-setting life, it's amazing that Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't amassed a car collection that matches the rapid velocity of his career. Nope, he's a celeb more into fuel mileage than speed. In other words, the fewer emissions his vehicles emit, the greater the benefits to the environment.
It wasn't always this way for Leo, whose first four-wheeler was a Ford Mustang muscle car. "It was incredibly fast, and I could smoke anyone on the road," he said to Top Gear. But when the environmental activism bug bit the actor, he shifted his vehicular sensibilities toward green energy. Five years later, Leo became the first consumer to own a Fisker Karma hybrid, worth about $95,900 at the time. Per the Los Angeles Times, Fisker was moved to create their model when they saw Leo driving his Toyota Prius hybrid car.
Arguably, his pride and joy would be the $200,000 Tesla Roadster he's rumored to have purchased. Apparently, the electric vehicle inspired DiCaprio to team up with Tesla CEO Elon Musk to work on an eco-documentary. While biosphere-friendly, this Tesla's also pretty quick, as it can hit 60 mph from a standstill in 1.9 seconds, making it convenient for Leo to outrun the paparazzi. The star once told Top Gear that he had a Lexus hybrid, and per unconfirmed reports, he may have bought a decidedly environmentally-unfriendly Porsche Cayenne.
Leonardo DiCaprio boasts an impressive art collection
For a person who became famous in the dramatic arts, it's not surprising that Leonard DiCaprio is also a visual arts fan. That association seems karmic, given that his father and still-pregnant mother came up with his name while standing in front of a Leonardo da Vinci painting at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. "My dad, being the man that picks up on cosmic messages, said that 'His name must be Leonardo,'" DiCaprio said to Barbara Walters on ABC News' "20/20."
Once DiCaprio was wealthy enough to purchase some classic works, he didn't waste any time, reportedly snapping up pieces by Walton Ford, Oscar Murillo, and Heinz Schulz-Neudamm (per Volupt Art). Over the past decade, DiCaprio's tastes have since expanded to include paintings by Ed Ruscha, Frank Stella, Takashi Murakami, and Polish eccentric Stanislaw Szukalski, who became the subject of a 2018 Netflix documentary produced by the actor.
DiCaprio rarely talks about his collection, so it's not immediately known how much it's worth. Still, it is enough for trade website ARTnews to rank Leo among the world's top 200 art collectors. But some works he owns have been controversial. In 2017, DiCaprio surrendered to the FBI a $9-million Jean-Michel Basquiat work as well as a $3.2-million Pablo Picasso painting as part of a money laundering investigation. At the time, authorities were focusing on the activities of Malaysian investor Jho Low, who helped fund "The Wolf of Wall Street," a Martin Scorsese film that starred DiCaprio (per ArtNet).
He collects movie memorabilia
It's safe to say that Leonardo DiCaprio has starred in a number of flicks that already qualify as classic outings, from "Titanic" to "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," so it stands to reason that he's a big fan of vintage films from yesteryear. In a few cases, his infatuation with those stellar releases has led to an acquisition of props and other items.
Probably his most expensive cinematic connection is a pair of ruby red shoes worth $2 million, worn by a young Judy Garland, who played Dorothy in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz." DiCaprio and a group of donors provided the funds for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to acquire the slippers in 2012. Garland wore at least four different pairs of the red pumps while filming, although the ones DiCaprio is linked to were apparently used most frequently on the set (per Entertainment Weekly).
In 2013, DiCaprio and a philanthropist bought the legendary upright piano used by actor and musician Dooley Wilson in the 1941 epic "Casablanca." The iconic piece, which brought star Humphrey Bogart to tears while Dooley played "As Time Goes By" in one classic scene, was slated for display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. To demonstrate that he's as normal as any other "Star Wars" fan, DiCaprio had 150 of the franchise's action figures, including one vinyl caped Jawa that's estimated to be worth $4,500, per unverified reports. According to TheForce, the star auctioned them all off in 2006 for his foundation's environmental protection efforts — for $100,000.
Leonardo DiCaprio wears a lot of Armani
If Leonardo DiCaprio is really worth roughly a quarter of a billion dollars, it helps to look the part. And Leo certainly delivers in the style department. He's come a long way since his days on the series "Growing Pains," when he would frequently be seen in t-shirts and jeans. Today, he dresses up to the nines.
His fave designer has long been Georgio Armani, whom he's known for years. And the fashion icon frequently customizes the star with his signature timeless and sleek attire. "I have dressed him on many occasions, on the red carpet, but also on set," said Armani to GQ, about DiCaprio. "He is a perfect example of an inconspicuous elegance that can always be appreciated, everywhere," the designer added.
It's a perfect match between film and fashion when these two get together. The tandem has resulted in Armani designing suits for DiCaprio to wear at the Oscars in 2016, when he won the best actor trophy for "The Revenant." The designer made him look very much like the stock market high-roller in "The Wolf of Wall Street," and a celebrated patron at high-profile shindigs like the Cannes Film Festival. But what's great about Armani suits is that while stylish, they're hardly over-the-top fashion items. Instead, the designer's tilt toward understatement proves that his apparel isn't strictly for the likes of Leo, but showcases a look that almost any dude can pull off.
His watches are expensive
There's no way Leonardo DiCaprio could ever be late for an event, especially with the expensive timepieces he wraps around his wrist. If one of his watches, like his prized stainless-steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, is worth over $30,000, the least it could do is display the correct time. That Rolex is one of a handful of watches DiCaprio owns, according to Swiss Watch Expo.
One watch he doesn't wear as often is likely among the most durable in his collection. That would be the titanium-cased Avenger put out by Breitling. Most Avenger models are at least $4,000. DiCaprio wore that tough-looking timepiece in 2006 while filming the drama "Blood Diamond." And then there are watches by Jaeger, which Leo wore at charity auctions held by the company. Jaeger watch prices keep climbing into the thousands.
Another brand he likes is Tag Heuer, which signed Leo up to become its global ambassador in 2009. During his downtime, he's known to strap on an Aquaracer, which still functions at depths as extreme as 1,600 feet below sea level and goes for $2,700 or more. He's also worn other Tag Heuer models in such flicks as "The Wolf of Wall Street" and "Inception." As GQ noted, DiCaprio's "Wolf of Wall Street" watch actually resembles a Rolex, but the gold-plated Tag Heuer would have cost around a thousand dollars in the '80s.
He owns Bono's guitar and a few oddities
So far, of all the expensive items Leonardo DiCaprio owns, the actor could likely justify those purchases from a practical perspective. The homes? Equity investments. The cars? Environmental awareness. The art? Cultural appreciation. Those "Star Wars" toys? Well, he's rich...
But he has a few more items to add, namely an electric guitar previously owned by U2 lead singer Bono, which he obtained for $100,000 in 2016 (per NME). While we're not certain about his prowess on the instrument, he's apparently musically inclined, having played the organ when he was a kid. That said, he likely had other motives for the purchase, as the transaction took place at a Beverly Hills charity auction for Haitian relief, facilitated by Sean Penn. Evidently, Leo passed on a ukulele auction item owned by Madonna, who promised to kiss and lick the four-stringer once the final bid went through.
DiCaprio also collects dinosaur fossils and once lost a bidding war to Nicolas Cage over a prehistoric skull that went for $276,000. But of all the bones in Leo's collection, there was a dinosaur skull that he sold to Russell Crowe for a price potentially between $30,000 and $35,000. "There was a bunch of vodka involved in that transaction," Crowe later told Howard Stern.
Make no bones about it, you're in the big leagues when you're dealing with Leonardo DiCaprio.