The world has seen an explosion of new skyscrapers over the past 20 years, as rapidly developing Asian and Middle Eastern countries fall over each other to build the world's tallest, or the world's most eye-catching, new high-rise. And as the buildings grow taller and more extravagant, costs rise with them. The first place in this ranking belongs to Abraj Al Bait, the construction of which was estimated at $15 billion. This complex of buildings is located in the holy city of Mecca. It is recognized as the tallest building in Saudi Arabia and the third in the world after the Burj Khalifa and the Shanghai Tower.

The second place among the most expensive skyscrapers in the world goes to Marina Bay Sands, the hotel and casino on the shore of Marina Bay in the Central region of Singapore. The cost of the building is $5.7 billion. Marina Bay Sands comprises three 55-storey buildings and contains restaurants, exhibition centers, theaters, retailers, and entertainment venues.

The 60-storey $4.1 billion Wynn Las Vegas is the third most expensive building in the world. The Wynn resort has 2716 rooms, convention center, retail space, and casino.

Cosmopolitan is the fourth in the list. Its construction cost $3.9 billion. This grand resort includes casino, shops, restaurants, theater, gym, spa, and recreation areas.

One World Trade Center located in New York City takes the fifth place in the ranking. The height of the building is 541 m, the price is $3.8 billion. It was built to replace and commemorate the twin tower of the original Word Trade Center which was destroyed on September 11.

The Venetian is a resort located in city of Macau, China. The construction of this 39-storey skyscraper cost $2.4 billion. This project can be reliably attributed to postmodernism. The complex includes one of the largest casinos in the world, 3 thousand hotel rooms, a center for exhibitions and conferences, 350 shops, and 30 restaurants.

The seventh place in the list belongs to 101-storey Princess Tower located in Dubai (UAE). It is also the second tallest residential building in the world at a height 414 meters. The total construction cost of the skyscraper was estimated at $2.17 billion. The Princess tower features 763 residential units, 8 retail units, 957 parking units, and 13 elevators.

Palazzo Casino is the eighth in the list of most expensive buildings. Its price is $2.0 billion. The hotel tower has a total of 3,068 rooms and suites as well as 375 concierge-level suites. The resort's hotel offers the largest suites in Las Vegas.

The ninth place belongs to Taipei 101, situated in Taipei, Taiwan. The cost of its construction is estimated at $1.8 billion. Its height is 509.2 meters, the number of floors is 101. The skyscraper used to hold the record for the fastest ascending elevator (16.83 m/s). It was also designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes.

Kingdom Centre of Riyadh closes the top 10 most expensive buildings. It is a 99-storey skyscraper, which costs $1,5 billion. Besides the shopping mall, Kingdom Tower contains the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh and apartments.