When we think of the lives of the rich and famous, we imagine expensive dinners, private jets and of course, lavish homes. Celebrities make millions of dollars, so it only makes sense that they would spend their fortune on a beautiful mansion that they can relax in on their downtime.
Although most celebrities buy themselves an expensive home as soon as they make it in Hollywood, that’s not always the case. Some celebrities actually live in surprisingly modest homes. These houses would be a dream for me but not what you would expect from these stars. Check out some of your favorite celebrities and their surprisingly humble homes.
Robert Pattinson
Robert Pattinson had no problem making his mark on Hollywood throughout his career. The English actor proved his worth when he portrayed a very attractive vampire in the Twilight series.
He made a lot of money and love to spend it on lavish homes. However, in 2014, Pattinson sold his $6 million mansions. Instead, he chose to live a simpler life in a two-bedroom bungalow
Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl is a famous rock star who has been around since the 90s. The talented guitarist has a net worth of about $280 million, so you would think he would buy himself an expensive house.
Instead, Grohl kept it a bit simpler. He has a three-story and four-bedroom beachside house in LA. It’s not a small apartment; however, most people would expect a much more expensive property from such a famous star.
Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling has been in the spotlight since she starred in 90210. Unfortunately, Tori hasn’t had the easiest time living up to her dad’s wonderful reputation and of course, his fortune.
Spelling’s struggles caused her to move eight times in just six years. Tori has a three-bedroom bungalow. Although there isn’t much space in the house, there are 1.73 acres of land outside where everyone can play.
Keira Knightley
Keira Knightly is a stunning actress with an impressive career. She starred in hit movies such as Pride & Prejudice but is mostly remembered for her role in Pirates of the Caribbean.
She made millions throughout her career, but she bought this $2.2 million loft in New York. It turns out it wasn’t big enough for the star. It took about seven years for her to sell it finally.
Lauren Conrad
We all remember Lauren Conrad from the hit reality shows The Hills. Since she didn’t appear in the show’s reboot, it’s clear that Conrad decided to stay out of the spotlight. These days she’s focusing on fashion.
The beauty owns her own business and earned enough money to buy some properties. This is her Brentwood home. It looks absolutely gorgeous, but it turns out it’s too simple for the star. She listed it for sale in 2017.
January Jones
January Jones proves her critics wrong when she made a name for herself in Hollywood. Throughout her career, she starred in plenty of movies and TV shows, earning a lot of money.
However, January didn’t spend it all on big lavish houses. The actress bought her Los Angeles property for just $1 million in 2009. She ended up selling the three-bedroom home for about $1.5 million!
Sarah Jessica Parker
This woman will forever be Carrie Bradshaw. The actress shares a few similarities with her popular character. She finally sold her townhouse in New York, but it took her a while to find a buyer.
It was a pretty simple house, but it was on the market for three years! Yea, the actress lived in the house with her famous husband but, it was small for a celebrity house, which is why it took a while to sell.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney is probably one of the most famous musicians in the world. I mean, who hasn’t heard of The Beatles? The star has about 1.2 billion dollars and can buy whatever house he wants.
However, McCartney isn’t that interested in living expensive properties. Apparently, he doesn’t just throw money around. He chose to live in a small and modest townhouse in London.
Ke$ha
Ke$ha is known for her rebellious fun music. She likes to show off her unique look through music videos and her sense of style. It’s no surprise her aesthetic appearance reflects in her properties as well.
The singer bought a $1.65 million bungalow in California in 2014. Fans were shocked, expecting her to buy a huge party house. However, the three-bedroom bungalow is exactly what she wanted.
Zooey Deschanel
I can’t help but imagining Zooey Deschanel living with roommates in a loft apartment. However, the New Girl star loved her $2.2 million Hollywood Hills home. She sold it just a few years ago.
Although the price seems high due to the location, her house was just one story and included only three bedrooms. It was one of the smallest houses on the black but had a gorgeous view!
Pete Wentz
Love them or hate them, Fall out Boy’s music always makes you want to dance! Pete Wentz played the Bass in the band and had a pretty successful career. His face is easily recognized all over the place.
Pete also owns a record label, so it’s no surprise that he’s been racking in money. Unlike other rich stars buying properties, Pete spent just $1.5 million on his four-bedroom home.
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay is a gorgeous actress who is a pretty big deal for Law & Order fans. She starred in Law & Order: SVU for twenty seasons, meaning she has the money to spend on a lavish home.
She and her husband bought a $10.7 million home in 2012. It’s a six-bedroom townhouse, but it’s a much smaller space than you would expect for that price. They mostly paid for their Upper West Side Location.
Ellen Page
After starring in Juno, Ellen Page became one of the coolest actresses out there. After making a name for herself, Ellen Page continued making money and has enough to buy some of the biggest mansions out there.
However, Ellen likes the homey feel of smaller houses. She lived in this two-bedroom Hollywood Hills bungalow until 2014. She spends just $1 million on the property but sold it for more.
Simon Helberg
Simon Helberg is known for her role in the hit show The Big Bang Theory. Helberg spent under $1 million on his first home while he was still trying to make a name for himself in Hollywood. He clearly liked the rustic, homey feel.
Of course, since buying the house, he became much more famous. According to some sources, Simon earns the amount of the house for each episode of The Big Bang Theory. Therefore he moved into a bigger home.
Charlotte Ronson
If you’re into the fashion world, you probably heard about Charlotte Ronson. The beautiful designer made her way from England to bring her talent to America. She now lives in New York City.
Because of high New York prices, Charlotte chose to live in a simple duplex with her husband. However, it’s been reported that Charlotte uses her design skills to make the small home seem much bigger.
Meredith Vieira
Meredith Vieira shows up on our screens regularly. It’s not very surprising that the TV host makes a lot of money. What is surprising is that the broadcast journalist has a humble abode.
Her Hollywood Hills house has three bedrooms, and she spent a little over $1.1 million on it. To us, it may seem large and expensive, but compared to other celebrity homes, hers is pretty small.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most famous basketball players of all time. He is well still well known today and has a lot of money to his name. So it makes sense that he owns some real estate.
Although some of his properties are huge expensive mansions, Shaq wanted to keep it modest with his this home. His house is five bedrooms, and he bought it for just $235,000. That’s a very average price for such a rich man.
Brandon Boyd
Brandon Boyd is a man of many talents. He is an author and visual artist in addition to being a singer-songwriter. In an attempt to stay out of the Hollywood drama, Brandon chose to keep his home situation low key.
He spent $2.5 million on his Topanga home in 2016. He has a lot of space to relax in the home, but he actually bought the house because of the yurt in the backyard. He now uses it as an art studio.
Ellen Pompeo
If you’re a Grey’s Anatomy fan, you know exactly who Ellen Pompeo is. She had a starring role on the show for years, earning her big bucks. She owns a few different properties, but this is her most modest one.
Of course, living in the Hamptons isn’t cheap. However, she didn’t spend much compared to other celebrities living in that area. In 2011, she bought the home for just $925,000. Unfortunately, she had to cut down to the price when she was having trouble selling it.
Mama June
Mama June has been through a lot. She appeared in three different reality shows. First in Toddlers & Tiaras as a pageant mom and then her family got their own show called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Mama June then showed off her weight loss journey on yet, another TV show. With all this reality show fame, Mama June racked in cash, but she didn’t spend much on her home. Her house looks expensive; however, it cost her just $149,000! What a bargain!
Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood has been in the spotlight for years. When I think of him, my mind immediately goes to a giant Hollywood mansion. However, the actor no longer wants to spend so much of his money on homes.
He spent a good amount of money on real estate in the past. However, in 2013, he decided to downgrade. He moved to Austin, Texas, and bought this awesome gingerbread-style house. He spent just $1 million on this home, which is nothing for huge Hollywood stars.
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood took the world by storm when she won season four of American Idol. Her career quickly skyrocketed, and she became one of the most famous singers ever! Underwood is a country girl at heart.
She lives a simple life in a simple home with her family in Ottawa. While her house is large, it’s still pretty modest. Especially if you compare it to the fancy houses of other famous singers.
Tom Shadyac
It’s tough for movie directors to keep up with Spielberg and Cameron. However, Tom Shadyac managed to prove his worth throughout his career. The director made big bucks and was behind hit movies, including Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty, and many more.
Sadly Tom found himself in an incident that almost cost him his life. Tom realized he didn’t want to live his life based on how much money he has. He gave a large amount of his money to charity and moved to a trailer home near Malibu,
Hilary Swank
You would think Hilary Swank lives in some expensive luxury mansion, considering she is one of the most famous women in the world. However, her New York City apartment is pretty simple and small.
Yes, it’s beautiful and modern, but not what you would expect from a huge star. However, rent in New York City is not cheap. Rent for this place costs $20,000 a month!
Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are one of Hollywood’s most beautiful couples. Both of them have long and impressive acting careers, and together, they have more than enough money.
While they can afford a huge modern mansion, the couple decided to enjoy a simpler life. The couple lives in a country home in New York with their family. It’s far from the city, and they are neighbors with Martha Stewart.
Dolly Parton
Everyone knows who country singer Dolly Parton is. She has so much money that she invested in theme parks and charities. However, she isn’t too extravagant when it comes to her own life.
Dolly bought a $1.2 million bungalow trying to stay true to her humble beginnings. She bought the adorable two-bedroom property in 2007. It’s not too big, but that’s how she likes it.
Nicky Hilton
Nicky Hilton is a member of the prodigious Hilton dynasty. You would think she has expensive taste and would live in a glamorous mansion. However, this Hilton is surprisingly more into simple houses.
Nicky spent just $2.8 million on her three-bedroom LA home in 2007. Sure, that sounds like a lot of money to us, but you would expect a lot more from the hotel heiress.
Tobey Maguire
Toby Maguire definitely made his mark on Hollywood with his blue eyes and acting talent. Unlike other successful stars, Maguire didn’t want a huge mansion with a gym and multiple pools.
Instead, he bought a 1920’s Santa Monica home with his ex-wife Jennifer Meyer. Reportedly the couple spent a lot of money to make the interior look beautiful, but from the outside, it’s pretty basic. Unfortunately, the couple sold the house when they ended their marriage.
Rosie O’Donnell
Rosie O’Donnell’s house doesn’t seem that modest, but there is a reason she’s on this list. In addition to being an actress and comedian, Rosie O’Donnell needs to add “Real Estate Mogul” to her resume.
Rosie has purchased many properties around the Hudson River. Although this house looks lavish and impressive, she also owns some very small and modest properties. I wonder which one of these homes she actually lives in.
Vincent Kartheiser
Today, Vincent Kartheiser is known as Alexis Bledel’s husband. However, before he tied the knot, the actor was living in his own bachelor pad. He lives a minimal life in a cool bungalow.
Space was just one level and very compact. The bed needed to be pulled down from the ceiling when he wanted to go to sleep! Although it wasn’t big, Vincent was very proud of his bungalow.
Jack White
Jack White is recognized in the celebrity world because of his talent. In addition to being the lead singer in The White Stripes, Jack White continued his journey with a solo career.
Unlike other singers, Jack White doesn’t like being in the spotlight. Therefore he decided to buy a house in the woods. The musician spent just $510,000 on his Kalamazoo home in Michigan.
Lea Michele
Lea Michele is mostly recognized for her iconic role in Glee. The triple threat earns a lot of money for her talents. However, when it comes to houses, Lea wanted something a little more low-key.
She sold this bungalow a few years ago, but Lea Michele loves this property. She spent a lot of time in the backyard gardening or swimming. The house cost her $1.8 million. She probably really misses it.
Christina Ricci
Christina Ricci began her career at a very young age. She is a stunning model, and talented actress has been racking up some big bucks. This gave her the chance to invest in some real estate.
She could easily afford a Hollywood mansion worth a few hundred million dollars. Still, the star prefers to live in a 2 bedroom property that costs her $1.5 million. The inside of the house is small and modest, but she has a big backyard featuring a pool!
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett has a net worth of $82 billion! As one of the richest people in the world, Buffer can buy whichever house his house desires. However, big Hollywood houses are not exactly his style.
Apparently, Warren Buffet doesn’t act like a typical billionaire. He saves his money and spends it on necessities. He has been living in the same home he bought in 1958 for $38,000. He just doesn’t see a reason to move.
Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson is a huge NFL legend. The sports star managed to receive an impressive reputation and net worth throughout his career. It’s no secret that he can buy just about any property he wants.
However, Adrian doesn’t really care much for huge expensive homes. He sold this house, but when he bought it, he paid just $665,000. This is nothing compared to what other sports stars spend on their homes.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Geller has an impressive acting career. She had iconic roles such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Daphne Blake in Scooby-Doo. After marrying her Scooby-Doo co-star, Geller has been focusing more on her family than acting.
The family downsized over the years, but they currently live in this beautiful home. While it has five bedrooms, the house isn’t as big as you would expect. To me, this looks like a dream home, but in the Hollywood world, it’s not that impressive.
Wolf Blitzer
Wolf Blitzer is a CNN reporter who has been on our screens for decades. At 71 years old, it’s not very shocking that he racked up a very impressive net worth throughout his career.
Reportedly, CNN pays Blitzer between $2 million and $5 million a year! One thing he doesn’t spend his money on is lavish properties. Since 1990, Wolf has been living in this Maryland home with his family.
Phaedra Parks
Phaedra Parks was living in this modest dollhouse style home until she recently sold her. The star fell in love with the house because of the French provincial architecture. The actual property, however, was very small.
In 2013, Parks bought the house for $845,000. As we know, that’s nothing when it comes to celebrity homes. Luckily Phaedra made quite the profit when she sold the home.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence seems to be one of the most famous actresses in Hollywood right now. She has plenty of fans who think she is the hottest actress in the industry right now. Although she has been making a ton of money, she’s not caught up in her property portfolio.
Instead of buying a huge spacious mansion, she bought a much simpler LA home in 2014. She spent $8 million on this gorgeous five-bedroom house. She could have spent way more with all the money she makes.
Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry made a name for himself when he appeared on season five of American Idol. Ever since he maintained a successful career as both a band member and solo artist.
His career slowed down recently but racked in plenty of money during the height of his fame. He could have bought a fancy expensive house, but instead, he bought a standard home. The house cost him $699,000. Although he no longer lives there, he has a lot of memories from that house.
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is famous for playing strange and bizarre characters. The actor is very talented and has a successful career under his belt. However, Fred likes his time away from the spotlight.
That’s probably why he bought a simple looking home that looks pretty boring from the outside. However, Fred turned the interior into a decked out hipster paradise. He knows how it’s done!
Lena Dunham
Throughout her career, Lena Dunham had no problem speaking her mind. This has gotten her into a bit of trouble because she speaks about very controversial and difficult topics. Still, it seems, most people love her.
Due to her popularity, Dunham managed to earn a significant net worth and bought several properties. She spends most of her time in New York, but in 2015 she bought a three-bedroom bungalow in LA. It cost her about $2.7 million, and it even has a pool!
Daryl Hannah
In addition to being a famous and talented actress, Daryl Hannah is an environmental activist. She invests a lot of her time in energy into campaigning for people to change their lifestyles.
Daryl chose not to live in a giant mansion made of materials that can negatively impact the environment. Instead, the star lives in this adorable Malibu woodland compound. There are three stone buildings with stunning wood accents and gorgeous views
Lena Headey
Unless you literally live under a rock, you heard of Game of Thrones. I mean, it’s one of the biggest TV shows in history. Although the show ended, the iconic characters will live on. We have no doubt that Lena Headey will stay in the spotlight.
In the height of her Game of Thrones fame, Lena could have bought whatever house her heart desired. However, the actress as living in San Fernando Valley, in this small $790,000 bungalow. Although it looks cool and unique, it’s not what you would expect from such a successful actress.
John Krasinski
John Krasinski has a huge fan following all around the world. When he married Hollywood starlet Emily Blunt, they moved into a huge family home. Before that, John was just another bachelor.
The actor owned a $1 million bachelor pad! It was a two-bedroom property that didn’t leave the actor much space. However, he loved the home and living a simple life.
Michael Symon
Michael Symon has taken the culinary world by storm throughout the years. Being on TV also helped rack up millions of dollars. Michael’s net worth is about $4 million and could have bought himself a fancy mansion.
Instead, Michael wanted to settle on something smaller and simpler. He spent $500,000 on this Cleveland property. It holds five bedrooms, but what sold Michael was the beautiful surrounding woodland.
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields began her career as a model at a young age. She quickly started acting, and to this day, she is one of the most famous faces on the planet. When she’s not gracing our screens, Shields hangs out in her Hampton’s home.
The house isn’t small, but I would expect Brooke to have a much bigger home. Although the house looks pretty basic, after buying it in 2013, the actress completely remodeled the interior, making it perfect for her!
Bill & Giuliana Rancic
Bill Rancic and Giuliana DePandi got a lot of criticism when the first got together. Nobody thought that there love real. However, they proved everyone wrong and have been married for over ten years.
Their careers and reality show earned the couple quite the fortune, and they bought themselves a wonderful home. Although it’s pretty big, it’s not your average celebrity house. The Chicago townhouse looks pretty simple on the outside but reportedly looks much different on the inside.
Tim Cook
Tim Cook is famously known as the CEO of Apple. Most people can’t even comprehend the amount of money he’s worth. Even though his company is worth over $1 trillion, Tim was never motivated by money.
He actually just enjoys working and focuses on that. Since he doesn’t get caught up with his bank account, he never moved out of his simple four-bedroom condo.
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey owns his share of actual homes and properties. However, he also made it clear that he would rather live in a small, simple transportable home. I wonder if he lives in his trailer full time.
He definitely spends most of his time living in his fancy airstream trailer. He updated his trailer, making it comfortable and convenient for him, but apparently, he tries to keep in simple and plain!