20 Celebrity Homes: Who Pays the Most in Insurance?

Ah, celebrities. They buy all sorts of things … especially houses. But how much do those celebrity mansions run them in homeowner’s insurance? We hunted down a few celebrity home samples to find out, and classed them in five groups: musicians, sitcom stars, movie stars, and American Idol judges (those guys get paid so much, they’re in their own class).

What we found is a bit surprising. We also found that one can save surprising amounts on insurance when they use our ZIP code search!

Musicians

1. Justin Bieber

That’s the best photo we could find of the Bieb’s house: he tends to be a private person. But it’s safe to say, the picture is probably of the servant’s quarters. The house itself? Much bigger. We wonder if Bieber has the best home insurance to protect his amazing home!

Insurance costs: At least $500,000 a year.

The problem? This big house is located in Southern California, which is prone to massive fires. It’s a problem for many of our celebs.  Expect celebs to have intense home fire insurance for protection from these California fires.

2. Lady Gaga

Pretty restrained, we know. We’re as shocked as you, but we guess even the most outrageous need a place to unwind.

Insurance costs: Approximately $250,000 per year.

Gaga, despite being seemingly crazy, is actually pretty smart: her home is big, but modest by Hollywood standards, and she’s also taken reasonable precautions against fires, cutting into her home insurance company premiums.

3. Rihanna

We know what you’re thinking: no, she did not have an office building refinished to live in. The house came like that. If it ended up being a refurnished office building, do you think she could have applied for business insurance?

Insurance Costs: $300,000 per year.

The house costs about $10 million, and being situated on the hills does put it at substantial fire risk, depending on the season. But the house itself is largely made of materials that don’t burn, so really her home insurance is covering the cost of covering personal properties in the house itself.

4. Beyonce and Jay-Z

That’s not very fierce. More staid, really.

Insurance Costs: $150,000 per year.

Since Beyonce and Jay-Z are largely out of New York, they mostly live in that area and play in the Hamptons, where the big problem isn’t fires, but flooding, and even that risk is fairly modest. With moderately flood risks, we doubt Beyonce and Jay-Z have flood insurance. Unless their state made flood insurance required.

5. Katy Perry

Yep, that’s the house she shares with Russell Brand. Apparently she got tired of her pink Barbie house, (yes, she had one). She sold it, and bought this mansion with her current beau.

Insurance Costs: $100,000

Brand and Perry apparently have Hollywood’s idea of a cottage: it’s still huge, but not nearly as ostentatious as some of our other celebs on this list. That keeps their costs down. Still, we’ve got to wonder what their neighbors pay in average home insurance, living next to Russell Brand.

Actors

Many A-list actors are surprisingly sensible about their home choices. Some, not so much.

1. Matt Damon

Damon owns several houses: one in L.A., one in New York, and this one, in Florida.

Insurance Costs: $450,000 per year, at least.

Why? One word: hurricanes. And we don’t mean the rum drinks; this $10 million house has a good chance of getting completely wrecked, and again, not on the rum drinks. Although it wouldn’t have Hurricane Katrina Insurance Statistics, we are pretty sure Damon wouldn’t want to lose his beautiful house!

2. Gwyneth Paltrow

0

This is Paltrow’s London mansion, which she shares with Chris Martin, as it was being renovated. We are pretty sure, however, that that isn’t her Prius.

Insurance Costs: $350,000 per year.

Being in the middle of London doesn’t mean you have too much risk of ecological disaster … just that your house has a good chance of being robbed.

3. Hugh Jackman

The star of “Real Steel” may have a home in L.A., but his heart belongs to his native Australia.

Insurance Costs: $75,000-$100,000 per year.

This home is in the crosshairs of some of Australia’s more extreme weather events … but has been designed well enough to withstand them. Then again, it is Australia, land of everything poisonous and scary. You better believe Hugh wanted the best insurance for his home. He most definitely had to take the time to compare homeowners insurance companies!

4. Seth Rogen

Why did we choose him? Because he was sensible with his money.

Insurance Costs: $25,000 per year.

This house is well away from the, ahem, more combustible parts of Los Angeles, while also being in a safe neighborhood. So, even if the work dries up, his house is still easy to keep.

5. Leonardo DiCaprio

DiCaprio, meanwhile, doesn’t realize he lives in a place with a lot of earthquakes.

Insurance Costs: $475,000 per year.

Why so high? The windows. One earthquake means weeks of glaziers on site fixing every single one, and if you’re going to cost the insurance company a fortune, they’ll charge you one in return. At least windows aren’t one of the secret danger home insurance problems.

American Idol Judges

1. Paula Abdul

Abdul keeps it (relatively) modest, even when she was making a fortune on American Idol

Insurance Costs: $15,000 per year.

Abdul’s house is well-designed and of a reasonable size. She doesn’t need a ridiculous house … so her insurance payments are equally down to earth. Yes, the crazy one actually is sensible with her money. Who knew?

2. Steven Tyler

Yep, that’s all his. Keep in mind Steven Tyler has burned through more money than even the most crazed Wall Street trader in his lifetime.

Insurance Costs: $1 million per year.

OK, so he probably paid for this from the proceeds of his hit albums with Aerosmith, rather than his American Idol job, but the house is so huge, and so close to the lake, that flooding is a risk he can afford to take with his homeowners insurance policy.

3. Randy Jackson

Jackson also happens to be a successful record producer, but apparently he can’t afford a tree surgeon.

Insurance Costs: $50,000 per year.

Jackson’s abode is fairly small, and it’d be a lot lower if it weren’t for the fire risk. Oh, and the crazed Idol wannabes that he occasionally finds trying to break into his house.

4. Ellen DeGeneres

Boy, being on a talk show and on American Idol just pays off, doesn’t it?

Insurance Costs: $750,000 per year.

Why so high? The size. This complex is absolutely enormous, with lots of valuables, and it’s at risk from fire and earthquakes.

5. Simon Cowell

Then there’s the king of hostility himself: Simon Cowell. Keep in mind, he’s also a record producer who produces much of the output of Idol’s winners, so he’s got a lot coming.

Insurance Costs: $1.25 million per year.

His home insurance is higher than most people’s home mortgage. Hey … he can afford it.

Sitcom Stars

Finally, we’ve got TV’s best funny people. Their house costs, however, are just a little sobering.

1. Ashton Kutcher

Insurance Costs: $375,000 per year.

Good thing he’s got that Two and a Half Men gig to pay for it, and Demi to go halfsies. Well, if they’re still talking.

2. Hugh Laurie

Hey, we find House’s verbally abusive antics absolutely hilarious. Also it’s really hard to find a picture of Jon Cryer’s house, for some reason.

Insurance Costs: $600,000 per year.

Why so much? Well, it’s the entire complex and the grounds, all of which have the usual California problems. Oh, Hugh, couldn’t you have settled for an English mansion?

3. Neil Patrick Harris

Formerly Doogie Howser, and now Barney on How I Met Your Mother, Harris had a nice place, although it’s currently on the market.

Insurance Costs: $65,000 per year.

It’s a very small place, and it’d be lower except, of course, for all that glass. What is it with celebrities and their desire to have highly-breakable windows all over their house in the middle of an earthquake zone? Case in point…

4. Ed O’Neill

The house of Al Bundy (oh, and cast member of Modern Family) has one massive window. Then again, it’s also insured at cheap home insurance rates…

Insurance Costs: $40,000 per year.

It’s that window, Ed. Get rid of the window and you’ll be fine.

5. Steve Carrell

Not a bad house for an Office job.

Insurance Costs: $175,000 per year.

The house that Michael Scott built is surprisingly cheap, due to some intelligent choices about fire prevention. Still, he has to pay: it’s a huge complex that you can’t get a full photo of without the house disappearing!

While your own home may be a little more modest, your insurance rates will be, too. Want to find the lowest possible rate on your home insurance? Just enter your ZIP code in our ZIP code finder below and get the best home insurance quotes for free!