The most expensive thing in the world is the International Space Station (ISS), with an estimated development and construction cost of about $150 billion. It is a large, habitable scientific laboratory orbiting Earth, built by a collaboration of 15 nations including NASA and Russia. The extreme engineering challenges of building a structure in microgravity, launching numerous modules via rockets, and outfitting it with life-support and research systems contribute to its immense cost.
Other extremely expensive items include the Three Gorges Dam in China ($37 billion), the James Webb Space Telescope ($10 billion), and luxury items such as the History Supreme yacht reportedly costing $4.8 billion. Among artworks, Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi sold for $450.3 million, making it one of the most expensive paintings ever sold. The most expensive watch is the Graff Diamonds Hallucination valued at $55 million.
For general keywords about the most expensive things globally, the International Space Station is recognized as the most costly single object created.
