The World's Thriftiest Millionaires and Billionaires

There used to be a time when showing off your wealth in every possible way was the thing to do. Those days are gone. Many of today’s richest people live famously frugal, simple lives despite their millions. Here are some of the world’s thriftiest millionaires and billionaires.

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1. Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett famously still lives in the same Omaha, Nebraska house he bought in 1958, long before he amassed $75.6 billion to become the world’s third richest person, according to our 2018 list of the top 20 richest people on the planet.

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1. Warren Buffett

According to Business Insider, Buffett also buys cars at discount prices and drives them for years. He also enjoys McDonald’s more than fancy restaurant food.

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2. Carlos Slim Helú

Worth $54.5 billion, Carlos Slim Helú has topped the list of the world’s richest people in the past. (In fact, he was the richest man in the world from 2010 to 2013).

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2. Carlos Slim Helú

Despite owning prime real estate in cities like New York, the telecom tycoon has been living in the same house for 40 years, according to Wikipedia. He also drives himself around his native Mexico City and buys his clothes from retail stores.

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3. Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth’s frugality is legendary, even though she’s thought to be worth at least $500 million.

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3. Queen Elizabeth II

According to People, the Queen uses a space heater in Buckingham Palace, has fabrics and wallpaper mended rather than replaced, reuses wrapping paper and recycles her outfits, with some of her trademark handbags dating back as much as 40 years.

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4. Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is worth $56 billion but lived in a rented home for years.

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4. Mark Zuckerberg

While Zuckerberg and his family now live in a $7 million home, he still prefers T-shirts and hoodies to designer suits. He was married in his backyard and, according to The Wall Street Journal, drives a Volkswagen GTI.

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5. Charlie Ergen

Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen is worth $17.1 billion.

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5. Charlie Ergen

According to Wikipedia, Ergen doesn’t fly first class and he has second-hand couches in his office. He also packs his own lunch every day.

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6. Ingvar Kamprad

The late Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, had an estimated $3.4 billion to his name, but as Time reports, he wore mainly second-hand clothing.

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6. Ingvar Kamprad

Kamprad also would choose cheap haircuts, preferring to visit barbers when travelling outside of Sweden.

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7. Azim Premji

Wipro’s Azim Premji demands that his employees switch off the lights when they leave the office. Worth $19.5 billion, the Indian tech tycoon walks or takes public transport where he can and flies economy class.