Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal, India

The much-loved monument took 20+ years to complete, with ~20,000 craftsmen/labourers, for ₹32 million in 1653. If you convert Rs 32 million in silver coins from 1653 to today's prices it would be ₹3,975–₹4,255 crore (₹39.8–₹42.6 billion) in 2025 money.

Pic: Kind courtesy Sudipta Maulik/Wikimedia Commons

Empire State Building, USA

Rising to 102 floors, designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, it was constructed in 1931 and the initial cost of $41 million, that would be around $557 million today as per esbnyc.com.

Pic: Kind courtesy Eric Kilby/Wikimedia Commons

Pyramids, Egypt 

Standing proudly since around 2600 BC, the pyramids were crafted from roughly 2.3 million limestone blocks. Recreating such a marvel would cost nearly $250 to $300 million for each pyramid, according to science.howstuffworks.com.

Pic: Kind courtesy Ricardo Liberato/Wikimedia Commons

Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom

The palace is the official home of the British monarch when he is in residence in London. With an incredible 775 rooms -- 52 reserved for royalty -- it valued at an astonishing $8.1 billion today according to loveproperty.com.

Pic: Kind courtesy Diliff/Wikimedia Commons

Eiffel Tower, France

Completed in 1889, came with a hefty price tag of nearly 7.8 million French francs back then -- a sum that would top 30 million euros in today’s money, according to  eiffelguidedtours.com.

Pic: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Sydney Opera House, Australia

Work started in 1959 and instead of taking 4 years, it took 14 years and 10,000 workers. The cost escalated 13 times. The final bill: staggering AUD$102 million, a figure that would today be, according to Australian Financial Review, AUD$11.4 billion.

 

Pic: Kind courtesy Lenny K Photography/Wikimedia Commons

Great Wall Of China, China

Spanning an astonishing 13,171 miles, the Great Wall of China has been around for over 2,300 years. Travis Perkins, a building financier, estimated in 2017 that rebuilding such a marvel would cost a jaw-dropping $90 billion.

Pic: Kind courtesy Ahazan/Wikimedia Commons

St Mary Axe

Famously nicknamed The Gherkin (and also a sex toy and COVID nasal swab), it is an iconic silhouette of the London’s skyline, soaring 180 m in the heart of the city. Originally built in 2003 for £138 million, its cost today would be closer to £288 million, according to skyscrapernews.com

Pic: Kind courtesy Aurelien Guichard/Wikimedia Commons

White House

Constructed back in 1792, the total expenditure was just $232,300 at the time, a modest figure by today’s standards, which would now translate to roughly $4.3 million in 2024 as per Wikipedia figures obtained from whitehousemuseum.org.

Pic: Kind courtesy PHC C.M. Fitzpatrick/Wikimedia Commons
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