14 Celebrities Who Chose to Live in Modest Homes Despite Earning Millions

Surely you’ve seen those television programs featuring luxurious and beautiful mansions of celebrities. The amount of money that some people spent on their lavish houses often looks extravagant to us. However, though it may be hard to believe, some celebrities agree with you and live in modest homes despite being worth millions of dollars. This argument can be proven by Matthew McConaughey and his motorhome, John Krasinski and his bachelor apartment, and Kesha and her bungalow. These are just a few examples of celebrities who choose to live in inexpensive homes, voluntarily.

Bright Side compiled a list of celebrities who, at certain times in their lives, preferred to spend money on things more important than just some additional square feet.

1. Robert Pattinson

Around 6 months after ending his relationship with Kristen Stewart, with whom he shared a large house in Los Angeles (which measured at 4,026 square feet in size, to be exact), decided to sell his property and move to a nearby home within the same city, but it was way more modest. Pattinson, with an estimated wealth of $100 million, bought a nearly 2,000-square-foot home for a mere $2,176,500.

The home boasts a “rustic” look decorated with high-end finishes and only 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Another modest feature of the home serves as the actor’s refuge, located behind another house, accessible only through a long, enclosed corridor.

2. Vincent Kartheiser

Kartheiser, who played advertising executive Peter Campbell on Mad Men, lived in a 500-square-foot booth of sorts. Yes, you read that correctly, 500 square feet. It turns out that the actor bought this place at the wrong time and in an attempt to get his money back, the home underwent a total remodel while he was living there. Inspired by the concept of industrial houses in Japan, Kartheiser sought to create an apartment with every comfort, while taking advantage of every available inch.

He was finally able to sell the cabin, but for much less than he had expected since the original price was $808,000 and he sold it for $650,000. He actually bought the site for $547,000. But considering the total remodeling job, which likely cost him more than $100,000, you could say it wasn’t exactly a highly profitable investment.

3. Jennifer Lawrence

This renowned actress, who in 2015 was declared by Forbes as the best-paid actor in the world (raising $52 million that year alone), also had her moment of “humility.” Even during that high-grossing year, Jennifer Lawrence continued to live in a 1,413-square-foot condo located in Santa Monica. In 2012 she had said in an interview that she was used to living in “normal” places, so it would be strange for her to find herself alone in a large mansion. However, despite those statements, she has made 2 significant investments: in 2014, she bought a 5,500-square-foot Los Angeles house and in 2017, a $9-million-dollar, over 3,100-square-foot Tribeca condo.

4. Matthew McConaughey

It’s well known in show business that McConaughey has certain bohemian tendencies. And it’s no wonder: for a few years, he lived in a house trailer of just under 28 square feet. Even before eventually leaving it in a trailer park and renting a house with his girlfriend upon the birth of their first child, the actor used his trailer as a home and office. What “luxuries” did this little trailer contain? A satellite dish on the roof, a barbecue at the back, and some racks and nets where he kept his books and scripts. What else do you need to live a happy life?

5. Lena Dunham

As hard as it may be to believe, the protagonist and creator of the hit series, Girls lived in an apartment with just one bedroom and one bathroom. Dunham bought this 800-square-foot property in 2012, the year of her series’ premiere, for only $500,000. However, when we see where the home is located, that price seems small compared to the price tags that are found in the vicinity. The apartment was located in Brooklyn Heights, the affluent residential area of New York City.

But she didn’t stay in that apartment for long. In 2014, she rented it out and in 2017, finally sold it for $850,000, earning more than $300,000 in profit.

6. Elijah Wood

Elijah Wood definitely doesn’t need great luxuries to be happy. In 2013, the actor bought his Austin home for just over $1 million. The property belonging to the actor best known for his role as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings is designed in a Victorian style, and even though its price is barely over a million, it’s about 3,200 square feet in size.

7. Deion Sanders

Sanders, who has a place in the NFL Hall of Fame, also has a net worth of about $40 million. However, he chose to live in a house of around 29,122-square-foot in Prosper, Texas.

Despite not being a huge place, this refuge in the forest has some luxuries in keeping with the lifestyle of an American football star like a cinema at scale, a barbershop, a two-lane bowling alley, a motor court, two swimming pools, and a rooftop terrace with an area to practice yoga.

8. Kesha

Between 2014 and 2015, Kesha lived in a Spanish-style bungalow of about 1,400 square feet located in Venice Beach. Despite not being a mansion, this place had extraordinary beauty. It was built with a very romantic main room and French doors that led to a secluded patio with an outdoor fireplace.

The famous singer bought this property for $1,650,000 and sold it a year later for over $1,800,000.

9. Tori Spelling

A few years ago, this actress and businesswoman who became a star in the ’90s thanks to her role on Beverly Hills, 90210, lived in a bungalow with her family. There, she had her own garden where she grew vegetables and fruits. She also had a pet chicken and a pig.

10. Warren Buffett

Despite holding equity valued at approximately $70.5 billion, Warren Edward Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway President and CEO, still lives in the same house he bought in 1957 for about $31,500 (currently valued at more than $600,000). His small mansion located in Omaha, Nebraska is around 65,000 square feet and has 5 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.

His house isn’t modest at all, but considering his immense fortune, it’s small. This 89-year-old billionaire could live any place in the world he wanted but has chosen to stay in the city where he was born.

11. Tom Shadyac

At first glance, this name may not be well known. Still, Shadyac was he great mind behind famous comedies such as Bruce Almighty, Ace Ventura, Liar, Liar, and The Nutty Professor, among others. This American writer, director, and producer generated much of his fortune between the late 1990s and 2000s, which he then invested in a mansion of about 17,000 square feet. However, after a bicycle accident that left him with a depressive disorder, he had a revelation. He decided to sell his large house and move to a trailer park.

12. Lea Michele

In 2012, when the show Glee was at its peak of popularity, the main protagonist of the series, Lea Michele, lived in a cozy house in Los Angeles that she bought for $1.4 million. The property wasn’t huge, but it had its luxuries, such as a beautiful marble finish in the kitchen and a solar-heated saltwater pool. The actress lived there until 2015 when she decided to move into a $3-million-dollar mansion that has, among other things, a 2-story gym.

13. Chris Daughtry

Musician and vocalist Chris Daughtry, who came in fourth place on American Idol, bought a house in North Carolina for $690,000 in 2006. This 3,782-square-foot property has 4 bedrooms and 3 and a half bathrooms — and living with his wife and 4 children, two of them had to share a room. However, despite not having an individual room for each family member (what a sin for a celebrity, right?), the house did have a saltwater pool, spa, and professional golf course. Finally, in 2011, the artist put the property up for sale.

14. Mark Zuckerberg

Tech entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg lives on a $7 million property, a price that is not at all low. However, considering that it’s located in Silicon Valley, an excessively expensive region if we’re talking about real estate and taking into account that Zuckerberg is worth around $76.4 billion from Facebook, we can quickly conclude that this house is not an excessive luxury.

Zuckerberg’s most significant expense is privacy. He spent $30 million buying 4 properties surrounding his home just to tear them down and build smaller ones.

If you had the fortune that many of these millionaires possess, where would you choose to live? In a huge mansion or in a small house but with luxuries? Tell us in the comment section!