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Why there is no reliable monthly average
A monthly spending average would require comparable records covering a representative group of billionaires. The available sources do not provide that. A peer-reviewed study of super-rich consumption notes that reliable data on personal and household consumption are lacking and that its subjects were not representative. The study examines carbon footprints, not a full census of spending, so it supports the data limitation rather than a spending estimate.
Even individual examples are difficult to compare. A reported figure might include household staff and donations, while another might refer to a legal filing’s “lifestyle” category or to a one-time purchase. The figures can also differ by date, geography and whether an expense was personal or business-related.
What reported examples can—and cannot—tell you
| Example | What was reported | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Neil Patel, Forbes interview account (2024) | About $200,000 a month in household spending, including housing, staff, food and donations. Patel estimated donations at $50,000–$70,000 a month. | An individual founder’s approximate account, not a billionaire average. Forbes reported that Patel did not track his spending precisely, and he was not described as a billionaire. Forbes interview account. |
| Larry Ellison, CBS report based on legal filings (2006) | An accountant’s handwritten note listed $20 million a year in “lifestyle” expenses, as well as $194 million for a yacht and $25 million for a Japanese villa. | The annual lifestyle figure is distinct from the yacht and villa amounts, which are reported acquisition figures—not monthly costs. This is an old, case-specific account, not a current budget or typical-spending estimate. CBS report. |
| Mike Fernandez, ProPublica reporting (published around 2022) | Fernandez claimed $11.3 million in yacht-related expenses over 2017–2018, compared with $178,000 in revenue over those two years. | A reported tax-return example, not a general yacht operating-cost estimate or a measure of household spending. It illustrates how business-use and tax classifications can shape reported figures. ProPublica report. |
Patel’s account is the only example in this table expressed as a monthly household estimate. It is useful as a scale-setting anecdote, but it cannot answer what billionaires as a group spend each month. Ellison’s note combines an annual category and large acquisitions; Fernandez’s figures concern claimed yacht expenses and revenue over two years.
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Why net worth is not a monthly spending allowance
Net worth is an estimate of assets minus liabilities, not a bank balance. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index includes public and private assets, cash and other liquid investments, and liabilities; its estimates change with markets and are updated each business day. The page displayed data as of May 20, 2026. A changing wealth estimate does not show how much cash someone has available to spend in a particular month, or how much they choose to spend. Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
For scale, Forbes reported that the average net worth of Forbes 400 members was $11.3 billion in 2023, up 13% year over year. That is a wealth measure, not an estimate of monthly expenditure. Forbes 400 report.
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Luxury prices do not reveal what billionaires spend
Forbes’s Cost of Living Extremely Well Index (CLEWI) tracks prices for a selected basket of luxury goods and services. Forbes reported that the index rose 4.9% in 2023, compared with an average annual gain of 5.1% over the previous four decades; it reported a 3.2% rise in the U.S. Consumer Price Index over the prior year. These are price changes, not measurements of anyone’s household budget. The CLEWI can show how the cost of selected luxury items changed, but it cannot tell you what a billionaire bought or spent. Forbes CLEWI report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What counts as spending matters
Household consumption, donations, taxes, business expenses, investments and purchases of expensive assets are different kinds of outlay. Combining them into one monthly number can mislead. For example, ProPublica reported that personal use of aircraft may be treated as a taxable fringe benefit, while yachts are treated differently for tax purposes. The treatment of a particular asset or trip depends on its circumstances; these examples should not be generalized into a single tax rule or a universal estimate of personal spending.
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Aircraft and other assets may also serve both personal and business purposes. ProPublica quoted Michael Kosnitzky, co-chair of the private client and family office group at Pillsbury Winthrop, advising clients to “go to their secondary business location first” after landing; the article presented this as advice about documenting a business purpose for a trip. That context matters: a reported expense is not automatically a personal household expense. ProPublica report.
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How to read claims about billionaire spending
- Check the period. A monthly household estimate is not interchangeable with an annual filing or two years of reported expenses.
- Separate recurring costs from purchases. Housing or staff costs may recur; buying a yacht or villa is an acquisition, not a monthly bill.
- Ask whose spending it is. An interview or legal filing about one person does not establish what a group typically spends.
- Check what the number includes. Donations, taxes, investments and business-use expenses may be handled separately—or folded into a reported figure.
- Do not substitute wealth or prices for spending. Net worth measures estimated wealth; a luxury price index measures prices in a selected basket.
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