Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, made history in October by becoming the first person to achieve a net worth exceeding $500 billion. Despite this astronomical wealth, Musk has consistently maintained a surprisingly modest lifestyle. In 2021, he revealed that he resides in a $50,000 prefabricated home in Texas, near SpaceX’s Starbase facility. His former partner, Grimes, echoed this sentiment in a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair, stating that Musk often lives “below the poverty line” and once refused to replace a mattress with a hole in it. However, Musk’s frugality in daily life contrasts sharply with his penchant for extravagant purchases, such as his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in 2022 and his collection of unique vehicles, including a James Bond-inspired Lotus Esprit submarine car. Musk’s real estate journey has been equally intriguing. After amassing a $100 million portfolio of seven Bel-Air properties, he announced in 2020 that he would sell nearly all his physical possessions to focus on his Mars and Earth endeavors. He retained one exception: the former home of actor Gene Wilder, which he later reclaimed in 2025 after the buyer defaulted on payments. Musk’s philanthropic efforts have also drawn attention. While he has donated billions to various causes, critics argue that his charity work is often self-serving, with significant tax benefits and donations to organizations linked to his businesses. Musk defends his ventures as inherently philanthropic, claiming that Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink are advancing humanity’s progress. Despite his immense wealth, Musk’s lifestyle remains unconventional, often rotating through friends’ spare bedrooms during his travels.