- Millionaires and billionaires are known for dropping big on yachts, mansions, and cars.
- But some have more eccentric taste and unique spending habits.
- Nicolas Cage likes rare artifacts and exotic pets, hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen likes his art weird, and Kanye West wants pretty much all of his stuff to come with bling.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The ultrawealthy are known for buying extravagant things.
Yachts, mansions, jets, cars, sports teams, and even islands are commonplace in the portfolios of millionaires and billionaires. What's not so common are dinosaur skulls, pet octopuses, ghost detectors, endless glitter, gold-plated toilets, and other similarly eccentric splurges.
Business Insider rounded up some of the most notable millionaires and billionaires who have a history of splashing out cash on strange or unique things. These purchases are more than outrageous or outlandish — they're also a little weird and a little fun.
From Nicolas Cage's pair of albino cobras to Paris Hilton's dog mansion, these superrich people have some seriously quirky spending habits.
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Lady Gaga has a history of out-of-this world purchases, involving NASA and ghosts.
Estimated net worth: $275 million
Lady Gaga is so afraid of ghosts that she reportedly spent $50,000 on an Electro Magnetic Field meter to detect them. She also reportedly spent $52,000 on a NASA trained chemist to find a way to let steam out of a teacup-shaped dress during her Monster Ball tour, $19,000 on hand-crafted lace, and $60,000 on 27 koi carp for her fish tank.
Nicolas Cage loves exotic pets and historic artifacts.
Estimated net worth: $25 million
Cage paid $276,000 for a rare dinosaur skull in 2015, which turned out to be stolen (he had to give it to authorities). He also spent $150,000 on a pet octopus, and another $150,000 on the first Superman comic. He has also purchased two castles and a pair of albino cobras.
Cage has spent so much money that reports began to emerge in 2015 that he blew his $150 million fortune from 1996 to 2011, Business Insider previously reported.
And hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen likes a combination of the two, as seen in his unusual art taste.
Estimated net worth: $14.6 billion
Like many of the ultrawealthy, Cohen is an avid art collector. But his taste extends beyond paintings. He has spent a reported $8 million on a 14-foot shark preserved in formaldehyde, made by Damien Hirst.
Cohen also once paid $100,000 for Food Network star Guy Fieri to spend the day with him, Business Insider previously reported.
Mike Tyson, too, has a taste for the exotic — and for flashiness.
Estimated net worth: $3 million
Tyson has purchased three Bengal tigers that cost $70,000 each and a trainer for them, who he paid $125,000 a year, according to International Business Times. He has also purchased a $2.2 million 24-karat gold bathtub as a gift.
In 2003, he filed for bankruptcy.
Kanye West also has a thing for bling, especially when it comes to gold.
Estimated net worth: $1.3 billion
West is a giver. He's purchased a $34,000 golden skull for Jay-Z, a $62,000 diamond-encrusted tiara for North West, and diamond-encrusted teeth (that may have cost up to $60,000) for himself.
He and wife Kim Kardashian have also glammed up their pad, reportedly spending $750,000 on four gold-plated toilets and another $750,000 on Electrolux gear and a Swarovski- encrusted fridge freezer.
Kesha also likes some sparkle, but that's a result of her regular glitter habit.
Estimated net worth: $5 million
Kesha told Vanity Fair in 2011 that her yearly glitter budget was "pretty exorbitant."
"It's probably more like a few thousand every month," she said. "If you come and see a show of mine, there is no shortage of glitter. By the end, everyone from the back of the auditorium to the very front is covered and potentially choking on glitter."
And Drake has a penchant for customized luxury.
Estimated net worth: $150 million
Drake has luxurious taste that often veers into the unique. He purchased a $400,000 luxury horsehair mattress with a whiskey and champagne bar built into the headboard. He also fitted his customized Rolls-Royce Phantom with a diamond-encrusted gold owl ornament.
While many of the superrich like a pampered lifestyle, Mariah Carey's lavish spending even extends to her dogs.
Net Worth: $520 million
Carey reportedly spends $100,000 every month on having exotic flowers delivered to wherever she is located, according to Vanity Fair, and Page Six reported in 2016 that she drops $45,000 a year on spa treatments for her dogs.
She has also outfitted her house with unusual designs, such as a candy room for her kids.
Paris Hilton, too, has dropped major cash on her pets.
Estimated net worth: $300 million
Hilton bought her dogs a two-story doggy-mansion replete with air conditioning, heating, designer furniture, and mood lighting, Business Insider previously reported. It reportedly cost $325,000.
And while many millionaires splurge on cars, Hilton's auto collection is more unusual. It includes a holographic BMW i8 and a pink Bentley Continental GT with a diamond-encrusted dashboard she paid $200,000 to get installed.
Hilton recently told Glamour she bought a selfie drone.