A woman who studied 600 millionaires discovered that most of the superrich have surprisingly affordable homes. Here's what some of those look like.

tony hseih airstream trailer

The key to building wealth is living in a home you can easily afford, according to Sarah Stanley Fallaw, a researcher who studied more than 600 millionaires.
She found that most of the millionaires she studied lived in houses that cost below their means, allowing them to save and accumulate more wealth.
Several well-known millionaires and billionaires, like Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg, live in affordable homes that cost little compared with their overall wealth.
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The key to building wealth? Living in a home you can easily afford.

That's according to Sarah Stanley Fallaw, the director of research for the Affluent Market Institute. She's an author of "The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth," in which she surveyed more than 600 millionaires in America.

She found that no factor plays as big a role in accumulating money as where you choose to live. Most of the millionaires she studied had never purchased a home that cost more than triple their annual income. Even some high-profile, ultra-rich people — from Mark Zuckerberg to Serena Williams— have purchased homes well below their means.

To compile the list below, we compared each person's net worth with the cost of their homes. We didn't have the data to determine their net worth at the time of purchase, so we adjusted the house purchase price for inflation using an inflation calculator to compare that with their net worth today.

For example, the billionaire investor Warren Buffett bought his home in 1958 for $31,500. Adjusted for inflation, that's equivalent to $274,357 in today's dollars, or just 0.0003% of his $82.1 billion net worth.

Everyone on this list owns a home that cost less than 5% of their net worth.

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Sarah Stanley Fallaw, the director of research for the Affluent Market Institute, studied more than 600 millionaires for her book, "The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth."

Source: "The Next Millionaire Next Door"

She found that your neighborhood plays a huge role in how much you save and spend.

Source: "The Next Millionaire Next Door"

If you live in a pricey home in an affluent neighborhood, you're more likely to mirror your neighbor's consumption habits and less likely to accumulate wealth over time.

Source: "The Next Millionaire Next Door"

She found that most millionaires live in a home they can easily afford, allowing them to save more money.

Sarah Stanley Fallaw, the director of research for the Affluent Market Institute, studied more than 600 millionaires for her book, "The Next Millionaire Next Door: Enduring Strategies for Building Wealth."

She found that your neighborhood plays a huge role in how much you save and spend.

If you live in a pricey home in an affluent neighborhood, you're more likely to mirror your neighbor's consumption habits and less likely to accumulate wealth over time.

She found that most millionaires live in a home they can easily afford, allowing them to save more money.

Consider Warren Buffett, who lives in a modest home in Omaha, Nebraska, that he bought in 1958 for $31,500, or $274,357 in today's dollars.

That's 0.0003% of his $82.1 billion net worth.

As of 2017, the home was worth an estimated $652,619. He called it the "third-best investment" he's ever made.

It's 6,570 square feet, with five bedrooms and 2-1/2 bathrooms.

It's also guarded by fences and security cameras.

Meanwhile, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh lives in a Las Vegas trailer park called "Llamapolis" that he created in 2014 as part of his efforts to revitalize the city.

Llamapolis, which was inspired by the Burning Man festival, is home to 30 Airstream trailers and tiny houses.

The cost of Airstream trailers ranges from $25,900 to $139,900. The most expensive option — $148,750, adjusted for inflation — is just 0.02% of Hsieh's $840 million net worth.

Aptly named, Llamapolis is also home to Hsieh's pet alpacas, which (usually) live in a pen.

Hsieh previously told Business Insider his favorite aspect of living in the park was impromptu interactions with his neighbors.

Hseih said he founded Llamapolis "because I wanted to maximize serendipity and randomness in my life."

Mark Zuckerberg lives in a home equal to 0.01% of his wealth. He paid $7 million for a house in Palo Alto in 2011, equivalent to $7.8 million today. While that's not an outright modest number, it is modest for a man worth $71.1 billion.

It comes with a big backyard and a pool ...

... and lush, detailed landscaping.

Inside, the house has tons of windows for sunlight ...

... a bathroom with a tub and separate sinks ...

... and a spacious kitchen.

Evan Spiegel also lives in California. He purchased the Los Angeles house he shares with Miranda Kerr, his wife, in 2016 for $12 million, or $12.6 million adjusted for inflation. That's 0.57% of his $2.2 billion net worth.

The house used to belong to Harrison Ford.

At 7,164 square feet, the house has an open floor plan with plenty of sunshine ...

... a dining room, a library with dark-gray wood ...

... and a kitchen with marble accents.

The backyard overlooks the city.

Meanwhile, over in Beverly Hills is Serena Williams' home that she bought in 2017 for $6.7 million, or $6.9 million in today's dollars, only 3.8% of her reported $180 million net worth.

The 6,000-square-foot, three-story Spanish-style residence sits on a quarter-acre lot in a gated community.

It has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and a light and airy feel.

The floors are brushed oak, and the kitchen — which opens out onto a veranda — has marble countertops.

There's also a lower-level bonus room, complete with a glass-front wine cellar.

Outside, the grassy backyard has a built-in grilling station and a swimming pool.

Williams isn't the only sports star living in a relatively affordable home. Shaquille O'Neal's $21.9 million Florida home, which sits on 700 feet of lakefront property in a gated Orlando community, was on the market in January.

He bought the house in 1993 for a little less than $4 million, or $6.9 million in today's dollars. That's 1.7% of his $400 million net worth.

The home has 12 bedrooms spread across 35,000 square feet.

The entryway features a curved double grand staircase and polished marble floors, leading into the 1,170-square-foot great room.

The master suite has a spacious walk-in closet, a mirrored wall, a gilded ceiling, and expansive views of the lake.

O'Neal's home also has many additional rooms, like a recording studio, a 17-car garage, a cigar bar and lounge, a home theater, and, of course, an indoor basketball court.

The outside is just as impressive, with a 95-foot-long, 15-foot-deep swimming pool and waterfall, space for barbecuing, and a cabana.

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