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Bill Gates is a billionaire who loves McDonald’s burgers so much that he can get one for free at any time thanks to his McDonald’s Mckin Card. His famously frugal friend Warren Buffett also has one. The two bonded over Happy Meals, coupons, Coca-Cola and a shared love of simple living. Buffett still lives in the Omaha house he bought in 1958 for $31,500. Gates? He’s wearing a $10 Casio watch.
But don’t mistake frugality for stinginess. Gates may not care about fancy clothes or luxury watches, but when it comes to real estate, that’s a different story. He has long had a soft spot for land, known for investing in farmland across the country and owning several properties, including his prized Xanadu 2.0 mansion in Washington, a 66,000-square-foot, tech-heavy lakefront home reportedly worth $130 million.
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In 2013, Business Insider reported that Gates purchased an $8.7 million equestrian estate in Wellington, Florida, for his then 15-year-old daughter Jennifer. Located in the heart of the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit, this luxurious horse farm features stables for 20 horses, a show-quality arena and world-class training opportunities. Gates also reportedly rented elite horses, hired top trainers and even spent $600,000 to rent a luxurious eight-bedroom mansion in the area to support her equestrian career, according to Forbes.
But even billionaires are not exempt from local code enforcement. In 2014, a Page Six article noted that the Wellington property was cited for two violations: manure bins placed too close to the pond, and failure to obtain required permits. After months of warnings, violations remained unresolved and fines began to increase to $250 per day. Gates ultimately paid $42,000 to settle the matter—a significant sum to support a serious movement.
But his support didn’t end with the poop fines. In the same year, 2014, Gates spent $18 million to purchase a 228-acre thoroughbred horse training facility in Rancho Passena, California, according to Fox News. In 2018, he spent $15.82 million to purchase a horse farm in North Salem, New York, to commemorate Jennifer’s graduation from Stanford University. In 2023, the New York Post reported that she lived in a $51 million Tribeca triplex penthouse with a plunge pool and 3,400 square feet of outdoor space purchased through a Seattle-based trust reportedly tied to Gates.