Elon Musk Houses From Mansions to Tiny Living
Elon Musk is worth somewhere north of $800 billion. He rents a 375-square-foot folding box from his own rocket company.
That’s not a metaphor. That’s just what’s happening.
The richest person in recorded history has at least publicly traded a portfolio of California mansions for a prefabricated unit that Boxabl, the Las Vegas startup that makes it, prices at $50,000.
His landlord is SpaceX. He founded SpaceX. So the world’s wealthiest man effectively pays rent to himself, just through a corporate structure.
Whether you find that admirable or unconvincing probably depends on how you feel about Elon Musk in general.
But the full story of Elon Musk’s house, every property he’s owned, what he said about them, and what the evidence actually shows is more complicated than either camp usually admits.
This article covers every Elon Musk house from his first Bel-Air purchase to his current Boca Chica base, including the Austin compound controversy and a breaking story no other roundup has caught yet.
Every House Elon Musk Has Ever Owned, In Order
Each Elon Musk house tells a different story about where he was in life at the time, which makes the progression from a $17M Bel-Air estate to a foldable box near a rocket launchpad genuinely interesting to trace.
1. The Bel-Air Mansion 2012
Source: The Wall Street Journal
This is where Musk’s California real estate story starts. He rented the property beginning in 2010, then bought it outright in 2012 for $17 million.
It sat in Bel-Air, overlooking the Bel-Air Country Club, with seven bedrooms, more than eleven bathrooms, a two-story library, a home theater, a wine cellar, a tennis court, and an infinity pool.
He sold it in 2020 to Chinese billionaire William Ding for $29.72 million.
2. The Gene Wilder House 2013
Source: West Side Real Estate Agency
This one is frequently misrepresented. Musk bought his neighbor’s house in October 2013, a 2,800-square-foot property that actor Gene Wilder had owned for more than three decades, but he never lived there.
He converted it into a private school called AdAstra for his children and a handful of other SpaceX and Tesla employees’ kids.
In a 2015 Vogue interview, he described it as “like a little schoolhouse on the prairie, except in Bel-Air on a golf course.”
When he sold it in 2020 for $7 million, the sale included an unusual condition: the buyer couldn’t demolish or fundamentally alter the property.
He wanted the “soul” of the house preserved. It’s one of the few glimpses into a more sentimental side of Musk’s decision-making.
3. The Bel-Air Expansion 2015 to 2017
Source: Domain
Between 2015 and 2017, Musk bought four more properties in the same Bel-Air neighborhood, ranging from $4.2 million to $24.25 million each.
A modern 7,000-square-foot home. An unfinished mansion. A colonial-style property. By the end of this stretch, he had what looked, from the outside, like a private compound in progress.
In 2020, he listed all four together for around $62.5 million, marketing them as perfect for “a big thinker.”
4. The Hillsborough Mansion 2017
Source: The Mercury News
Less discussed than the LA properties, but arguably the most architecturally interesting. Located on the San Francisco Peninsula near San Jose, this is a 100-year-old estate on roughly 47 acres.
Nine bedrooms, nine-and-a-half bathrooms, a ballroom, hiking trails, canyons, a reservoir. The kind of property that takes a full staff to maintain.
Musk listed it for $35 million in May 2020 as part of his broader sell-off, but it stayed on and off the market far longer than his California homes. Its current status is unclear.
5. The Boxabl Casita 2021, Ongoing
In 2021, Boxabl delivered one of its Casita units to SpaceX’s launch site, describing the customer only as “top secret.” Musk didn’t confirm living arrangements for a while.
In a July 2022 podcast appearance, he said he used it as a guesthouse. Over time, through Isaacson’s reporting and Maye Musk’s posts, it became clear that the Casita and the adjacent ranch-style house together form his actual home base.
What happened to Boxabl after the Musk connection went public is worth noting. The company received more than 47,000 registrations on its waitlist.
A startup making foldable prefab homes had struggled to gain mainstream attention; Musk’s association with one gave the entire prefab housing category visibility it hadn’t had before.
Where Does Elon Musk Live Right Now?
The clearest answer to where Elon Musk lives is a small Boxabl Casita near SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.
The 375-square-foot prefab home sits inside the SpaceX compound and is rented through the company. In 2026, Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, casually revealed details about the sparse interior on X, while biographer Walter Isaacson described it as a simple, work-focused living space.
Since Boca Chica officially became the city of Starbase in 2025, Musk technically lives in a city he helped create.
What Does the Inside Look Like?
Based on Isaacson’s photographs and Maye Musk’s comments, the Casita interior includes a compact kitchen with basic appliances, a living area with a wall-mounted TV, a foldable Murphy bed, and a single small bathroom.
It’s a studio layout. There’s no separate bedroom. The Boxabl Casita is designed to resist fire, mold, flooding, and wind it’s built to last, not to impress.
Elon Musk Austin Compound Controversy
Source: Getty Images
In 2024, reports claimed Elon Musk quietly bought multiple Austin properties through LLCs, including a 14,400-square-foot villa and nearby mansions worth about $35 million, allegedly for a family compound.
Musk denied building or owning such a compound. While the properties appear to exist and some family members reportedly live nearby, the “shared family estate” narrative remains unclear.
Since wealthy buyers often use LLCs for privacy, it is difficult to verify ownership details publicly.
The $300M Miami Megamansion
Source: Latination
A $300 million estate is under construction on North Bay Road in Miami Beach, a stretch sometimes called Billionaire’s Row.
The developer, Todd Michael Glaser, told the New York Post that a billionaire had recently toured the property, arriving by helicopter, landing in Biscayne Bay, and reaching the site by raft.
Glaser described the home as unlike anything currently on the market: modern architecture with expansive glass, rooftop green spaces, a 31-car garage, waterfront access, a private dock, and construction specifically engineered to withstand hurricanes at 17 feet above the flood zone.
He declined to name the visitor. Multiple brokers familiar with the deal have suggested Musk is among those interested.
For context: Mark Zuckerberg recently made headlines by buying a not-yet-finished estate on Indian Creek Island for $170 million. Miami’s ultra-luxury tier has become genuinely competitive at the very top.
If Musk buys the North Bay Road property, it would be the single most expensive real estate purchase of his life and the clearest signal that the “I will own no house” era is over.
He hasn’t commented. The property isn’t officially for sale yet. But it’s worth watching.
Why Elon Musk Really Sold Everything in 2020
- Lower Taxes: Moving from California to Texas helped Musk avoid California’s 13.3% state income tax, potentially saving hundreds of millions from Tesla stock sales.
- More Liquidity: Selling over $100 million in California real estate freed up cash that could be invested into companies like SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company.
- Closer to SpaceX Operations: Living near Starbase in Texas keeps Musk close to rocket testing and SpaceX engineering work, which often happens around the clock.
- Minimalist Philosophy: Musk publicly said he wanted to own fewer possessions and focus more on long-term goals like Mars and technology development.
How Musk’s Housing Compares to Other Billionaires
Most of his peers don’t make the same choices.
- Jeff Bezos: Has spent over $500 million on real estate, including a $90 million Washington, DC, compound and a $78 million Florida estate.
- Mark Zuckerberg: Owns a property portfolio worth more than $300 million, with homes in Hawaii, Lake Tahoe, and Miami.
- Larry Ellison: Owns most of the Hawaiian island of Lanai, along with luxury estates, including an $80 million mansion in Newport, Rhode Island.
- Bill Gates: Lives in a 66,000-square-foot Washington estate estimated to be worth around $130 million.
Conclusion
Elon Musk’s housing story is unlike that of any other billionaire. Over the years, he moved from massive Bel-Air mansions and historic estates to a modest prefab home near SpaceX’s launch site in Texas.
Some see it as proof of his minimalist philosophy, while others view it as a carefully managed public image.
The reality likely sits somewhere in between. What makes Musk different is not just the value of the properties he bought or sold, but also how closely his living choices align with his business goals, lifestyle, and public identity.
From luxury California compounds to the small Boxabl Casita at Starbase, every Elon Musk house reflects a different phase of his life. Whether he eventually returns to mega-mansions or stays close to SpaceX operations, his real estate decisions will continue to attract global attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Elon Musk Still Own a House?
Yes, Elon Musk has owned several luxury properties over the years. Reports also suggest he may still control properties through LLCs.
Do Elon Musk’s Kids Live with Him?
Some of Elon Musk’s children reportedly spend time with him, especially in Texas, though the arrangements vary by mother and location.
Elon Musk’s House For Sale?
Elon Musk put several of his famous California properties up for sale in 2020 after announcing he wanted to “own no house.”
