In September 2012, Moscow's 1,112 feet (339 metre)-tall Mercury City hit the headlines when it became the tallest skyscraper in Europe, overtaking the Shard in London. It's held on to the title ever since, and this unusual bronze-coloured tower located in the heart of Moscow's financial district is also one of the most expensive buildings in the world, coming in at $1 billion (£772m).

With its distinctive bottle opener-shaped structure, the Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) was created to be a "magnet" for the world's finance industry, bringing together information and financial services under one roof. The 1,614 foot (492m)-tall building is located in the centre of Lujiazui in Pudong New Area, surrounded by other tall skyscrapers including the Shanghai Tower and Jin Mao Tower. It was completed in 2008 at a cost of $850 million, the equivalent of $1 billion (£772m) in today's money.

Built in 1984 at a cost of $400 million, the equivalent of $1 billion (£772m) today, the Sultan of Brunei's eye-opening home is the largest palace in the world that is still in use as a royal residence. The complex contains a total of 1,788 rooms, including a banqueting hall that can seat 5,000 guests.

A soaring skyscraper topped by a pointed spire, the New York Times Tower is the second largest building in the city, measuring 1,047 feet (319m) tall. Built between 2003 and 2007, the 52-storey building that serves as the Times' company headquarters contains retail and garden space on the ground floor, while there are offices going up to the 50th floor and the top two floors are occupied by a mechanical space and a rooftop conference facility. It cost $850 million in 2007, the equivalent of $1 billion (£772m) in today's money.

Las Vegas is home to plenty of extravagant casinos and hotels, and Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa is one of the grandest. Costing $925 million in 2006, equivalent to $1.2 billion (£927m) in today's money, the casino includes a massive 3,000 slot and video poker machines, 60 table games, a 20-table poker room and a 600-seat bingo hall. Located on 70 acres of land next to Red Rock Canyon, it was the first luxury resort to be built off the Las Vegas strip, sitting 10 miles (16km) away.

Hilton hotels can be found all over the world but few have such mesmerising views as this. The Niagara Falls Hilton Tower 2 was originally meant to have 58 floors and rise to 581 feet (177m), but was reduced to 53 floors with a reported height of 531 feet (162m), although it's still the tallest hotel in Canada. Its cost came to $1 billion in 2009, the equivalent of $1.2 billion (£927m) in today's money.

American telecoms giant Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, and in 2018 it added the 1,121-foot (342m) Comcast Innovation and Technology Center to its cluster of HQ buildings in the heart of the city. Designed by British architecture firm Foster + Partners, with the vision of creating a "Silicon Valley-style" workplace, the building brings together a mix of work spaces and television studios, shops, bars, restaurants, and a 12-storey Four Seasons hotel.

Colloquially known as the "limestone tower" due to the fact it's clad in Alabama Silver Shadow limestone, the 952-foot (290m)-tall 220 Central Park South is home to some of the most exclusive apartments in New York. It opened in 2018 at a building cost of $1.3 billion (£1bn). In July this year, a duplex apartment in the building sold for an enormous $99.9 million (£76.9m), becoming this year's most expensive closing and the third-most expensive real estate sale ever in New York City. 

Situated in the heart of Singapore's business district, the 40-storey CapitaGreen building has been recognised for its eco-friendly design and has earned several awards. "Green" in every sense of the word, vegetation covers more than half of its facade, which helps to reduce heat in the summertime, while floor-to-ceiling double glazing keeps the warmth in when it's cooler. The innovative structure didn't come cheap though, coming in at a grand total of $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) when it was completed in 2014.

The tallest building in Sydney, Chifley Tower was constructed between 1989 and 1992 at a total cost of AU$1.2 billion at the time, AU$2.3 billion ($1.6bn/£1.2bn) in today's money. Initially owned by the international conglomerate Bond Corporation, it was transferred to Japanese construction company Kumagai Gumi in 1992 after Bond Corporation went bankrupt. Today, it's home to prestigious office spaces as well as retail stores, bars and restaurants.

Plagued by a series of construction problems and delays, the new Seat of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt went massively over-budget, with the total cost of the skyscraper complex hitting €1.4 billion ($1.6bn/£1.2bn) upon its completion in 2013.

Major hospitals don't come cheap, but the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia is by far the priciest ever built. The 800-bed mega hospital, the biggest Down Under, opened its doors in September 2017, 17 months behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over-budget at AU$2.44 billion ($1.7bn/£1.3bn).

Australia's current parliament building was built in 1988 at a cost of AU$1.1 billion. That's the equivalent of AU$2.5 billion ($1.8bn/£1.4bn) today. The modern structure, which is designed in the shape of two boomerangs and topped by an imposing flagpole, contains as many as 4,700 rooms.

Standing at a stomach-churning 2,722 feet (830 metres) high, Dubai's Burj Khalifa is hands down the tallest structure on the planet, but it isn't even the most expensive building in Dubai. Completed in 2009 at a cost of $1.5 billion, the equivalent of $1.9 billion (£1.46bn) in today's money, the Burj Khalifa may be the tallest but it is not the priciest edifice in the world.

In 1989, the Myer Centre in Adelaide was touted by local newspapers as Australia's "largest downtown shopping centre", and the building attracted around 200,000 visitors on its opening day in June 1991. Almost thirty years later the shopping centre is still going strong, having undergone significant refurbishments in 2013 and 2014. It's among the most expensive buildings in the world, costing AU$1 billion when it was built, the equivalent of $1.9 billion (£1.46bn) in today's money.

Completed in July 2012, Renzo Piano's 1,016-feet (310-metre) masterpiece was the EU's tallest building until the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020. The pointed building was also briefly the tallest building in the geographical region of Europe, until Mercury City in Moscow overtook it in September 2012. The cost of the entire development, which included revamping areas around London Bridge railway station, totalled around $1.9 billion (£1.46bn).

The Bank of China Tower is one of Hong Kong's most recognisable buildings and at 1,033.5 feet (315 metres) high, the first supertall skyscraper to be built outside the US. Eye-watering at the time, the construction bill for the building totalled $1 billion in 1990. That's the equivalent of $2 billion (£1.5bn) in today's money.

The most expensive private residence on the planet, Antilia is the Mumbai home of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The super-ostentatious 27-storey tower was completed in 2010, and is thought to have cost its owner a massive $2 billion (£1.5bn).

Read more about Mukesh Ambani's extravagant life

The first stadium in the world with a price tag in excess of $1 billion (£719m), Wembley Stadium in North London cost a total of £1.1 billion to build, equivalent to $2.1 billion (£1.6bn) in today's money. Completed in 2006, the iconic home of English football seats 90,000 spectators and is crowned by a prominent arch.

Kyoto's eponymous terminus comprises a 15-storey building that houses everything from a hotel to a department store. The world's most expensive railway station was completed in 1997 at a cost of $1.3 billion, the equivalent of $2.1 billion (£1.6bn) in today's money, but is only Japan's second-largest after Nagoya Station.

Once described by Donald Trump as “the eighth wonder of the world”, the Taj Mahal hotel and casino in Atlantic City cost $1.2 billion to build in 1990. That's the equivalent of $2.4 billion (£1.85bn) in today's money. The blingy 120,000-square-foot complex eventually became unprofitable and shut for good in October 2016, but has since reopened as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

When it was completed in 2004, Tapei 101 was the world's tallest building, but five years later it was usurped by Dubai's Burj Khalifa. The postmodern skyscraper, which effortlessly blends traditional and contemporary styles, cost $1.8 billion to build at the time. That's the equivalent of $2.5 billion (£1.9bn) today.

Kuala Lumpur's spectacular twin towers held the title of the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004. Designed by Argentine architect Cesar Pelli, the duo cost around $1.6 billion to construct during the late 1990s, the equivalent of $2.5 billion (£1.9bn) today.

The total construction bill for MGM's Bellagio casino resort in Las Vegas came to $1.6 billion in 1998, which equates to around $2.5 billion (£1.9bn) in today's money. The resort boasts 3,950 rooms and acres of gaming space.

The replacement Yankee Stadium in New York cost $2.3 billion to construct in 2009, making it the most expensive stadium ever built. That's the equivalent of $2.8 billion (£2.2bn) in today's money. Controversially, a hefty $1.2 billion of public money helped fund the project.

The City of Dreams is the second largest resort and casino complex in Macau. Opening to the public in 2009, the slick complex, which features a gigantic aquarium and bubble fountain among other attractions, cost $2.4 billion to build at the time. That's the equivalent of $2.9 billion (£2.2bn) today.

One of the swankiest hotel and casino complexes in Las Vegas, the Wynn resort launched in 2005. The construction bill for this luxury 2,716-room complex hit $2.7 billion, around $3.6 billion (£2.8bn) in today's money.

A hotel rather than a royal residence, the Emirates Palace in Dubai is as regal as they come. Completed in 2005 at a cost of $3 billion, the Kempinski-operated hotel has a total of 394 residences, not to mention two spas, a cavernous ballroom, and scores of shops and restaurants. Taking inflation into account, the build cost around $3.9 billion (£3bn) in today's money.

One World Trade Center is the principal building in the rebuilt World Trade complex in New York. Standing a symbolic 1,776 feet (541 metres) tall, the skyscraper was completed in 2012 at a cost of $3.9 billion (£3bn), and is now the tallest building in the Americas.

The 3,027-room Cosmopolitan cost an eye-watering $3.9 billion to build in 2009. That's the equivalent of $4.7 billion (£3.6bn) in today's money. The art-themed hotel and casino comprises two high-rise towers and houses everything from a 3,200-seat theatre to a gargantuan spa and fitness centre. The complex was sold to private equity firm Blackstone in 2014 for $1.7 billion (£1.3bn).

Apple, which reached a $2 trillion (£1.5tn) valuation this year, is the richest company in the world with more spare cash than many developing countries, so it's only natural the firm would pump billions into its shiny new HQ in Cupertino, California. The campus, which was completed in early 2018, cost an estimated $5 billion (£3.8bn) in total.

Islam's most sacred site and the largest mosque in the world, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which covers 99 acres and can accommodate up to four million people during the Hajj, is estimated to have cost a colossal $100 billion (£72.1bn) in total. Architectural components have been on the site since the 7th century, but renovations that took place in the 16th and 17th centuries created the main shape of what we see today. There have been other renovations since. Saudi Arabia is now planning a $100 billion (£72.1bn) expansion so that 30 million worshippers will be able to perform Hajj by 2030.

Now discover the record-breaking auction sales of 2020