# Expensive stuff ... I mean really, REALLY expensive!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 28, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307 "2016-04-28T02:41:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rotola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rotola)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/1 "2016-04-28T02:41:32Z")
What is the single most expensive man made object in the world? The space shuttle? The new World Trade Center? I don’t believe I’m thinking BIG enough. Help!
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/2 "2016-04-28T02:43:53Z")
Reported for forum change.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/3 "2016-04-28T02:50:42Z")
F-35?
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/4 "2016-04-28T02:53:34Z")
[International Space Station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station#Cost)
> [@](#):
>
> Cost
>
> The ISS is arguably the most expensive single item ever constructed.[289] In 2010 the cost was expected to be $150 billion. This includes NASA’s budget of $58.7 billion (inflation-unadjusted) for the station from 1985 to 2015 ($72.4 billion in 2010 dollars), Russia’s $12 billion, Europe’s $5 billion, Japan’s $5 billion, Canada’s $2 billion, and the cost of 36 shuttle flights to build the station; estimated at $1.4 billion each, or $50.4 billion in total. Assuming 20,000 person-days of use from 2000 to 2015 by two- to six-person crews, each person-day would cost $7.5 million, less than half the inflation-adjusted $19.6 million ($5.5 million before inflation) per person-day of Skylab.[290]
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/5 "2016-04-28T02:56:39Z")
Something like the Golden Gate Bridge or Hoover Dam?
Maybe the Great Pyramid of Giza? I’m not sure how you’d put a price on it.
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### Author:  [@Rotola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rotola)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/6 "2016-04-28T02:58:55Z")
Yeah but … The international space station is not “in the world.”
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/7 "2016-04-28T03:00:39Z")
> [@Rotola](#):
>
> Yeah but … The international space station is not “in the world.”
Fair enough, but the space shuttle was mentioned in the OP, so I thought ISS would be fair game.
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### Author:  [@Rotola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rotola)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/8 "2016-04-28T03:26:45Z")
True. The ISS would probably win if it counted. How about an aircraft carrier?
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/9 "2016-04-28T03:34:54Z")
Moved to GQ.
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/10 "2016-04-28T03:43:44Z")
According to the [List of most expensive buildings in the world](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_buildings_in_the_world), the Hajj Mosque costed upwards of $100B…
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/11 "2016-04-28T03:46:19Z")
> [@Rotola](#):
>
> True. The ISS would probably win if it counted. How about an aircraft carrier?
The [Gerald Ford Aircraft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_R._Ford-class_aircraft_carrier) carrier seems to cost:
```
Program cost: $36.30 billion[1](FY15)
Unit cost: $10.44B[1](FY15)
```
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/12 "2016-04-28T03:52:19Z")
Some items hit the ‘priceless’ level in the real sense so nobody can buy them. The Mona Lisa, Hope diamond and the Great Pyramid are among them so I am not sure if there is a single answer. Sure, France or Egypt may relent if something horrible happens and they need some indeterminate amount of money to keep their country going but some things are not currently for sale even at ISS level prices.
Do you want to include cost for research and development? How many single items can be included if they go together as a package or idea? What about something that exists and can be made to work again but not easily like a Saturn V rocket that can take people to the moon again? What about property like Yellowstone National park that is bigger than some countries?
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/13 "2016-04-28T03:52:30Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> F-35?
Never mind; I didn’t realize how many of them we’ve built (it’s over 100, so the $1.5 trillion current project cost is a measly $10 billion or so apiece at this point).
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/14 "2016-04-28T04:02:55Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#):
>
> Some items hit the ‘priceless’ level in the real sense so nobody can buy them. The Mona Lisa, Hope diamond and the Great Pyramid are among them so I am not sure if there is a single answer. Sure, France or Egypt may relent if something horrible happens and they need some indeterminate amount of money to keep their country going but some things are not currently for sale even at ISS level prices.
>
> Do you want to include cost for research and development? How many single items can be included if they go together as a package or idea? What about something that exists and can be made to work again but not easily like a Saturn V rocket that can take people to the moon again? What about property like Yellowstone National park that is bigger than some countries?
Yellowstone is not man made.
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### Author:  [@Rotola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rotola)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/15 "2016-04-28T04:08:39Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#):
>
> Some items hit the ‘priceless’ level in the real sense so nobody can buy them. The Mona Lisa, Hope diamond and the Great Pyramid are among them so I am not sure if there is a single answer. Sure, France or Egypt may relent if something horrible happens and they need some indeterminate amount of money to keep their country going but some things are not currently for sale even at ISS level prices.
>
> What about property like Yellowstone National park that is bigger than some countries?
Yellowstone isn’t man made. I guess I wasn’t thinking research and development but merely the cost of the object. And in $2016. I wonder how much the Great Wall of China would cost now?
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/16 "2016-04-28T04:16:23Z")
How about the first atomic bombs? I was just reading a site that said the Manhattan Project cost the equivalent of thirty billion dollars if you adjusted for inflation. We got two bombs out of it, so call it fifteen billion dollars for each. Not quite the International Space Station but that’s a lot of money for something you only use once.
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/17 "2016-04-28T04:20:47Z")
> [@Rotola](#):
>
> Yellowstone isn’t man made. I guess I wasn’t thinking research and development but merely the cost of the object. And in $2016. I wonder how much the Great Wall of China would cost now?
If the Great Wall is considered a single object then why not the US highway system?
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/18 "2016-04-28T04:23:22Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> How about the first atomic bombs? I was just reading a site that said the Manhattan Project cost the equivalent of thirty billion dollars if you adjusted for inflation. We got two bombs out of it, so call it fifteen billion dollars for each. Not quite the International Space Station but that’s a lot of money for something you only use once.
The infrastructure built during the Manhattan project was used to produce hundreds, if not thousands, of bombs.
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/19 "2016-04-28T04:32:53Z")
> [@davidm](#):
>
> If the Great Wall is considered a single object then why not the US highway system?
[Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System#Financing)
> [@](#):
>
> The initial cost estimate for the system was $25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $114 billion (adjusted for inflation, $425 billion in 2006 dollars[5]) and took 35 years.[25]
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2016, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expensive-stuff-i-mean-really-really-expensive/753307/20 "2016-04-28T04:47:11Z")
If you want to count “The U.S. Military” as one man-made thing:
For the 2011 fiscal year, the president’s base budget for the Department of Defense and spending on “overseas contingency operations” combine to bring the sum to $664.84 billion.[2][3]
That was just for one year of Militarying.
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