The bathroom Guinness World Records lists as the world’s most expensive was built in 2001 for jeweller Lam Sai-wing’s Hong Kong shop. Guinness values the gold-and-gemstone washroom at HK$27 million (US$3.5 million; £2.4 million). That is a record listing, not proof that no newer record exists: Guinness notes its online records may not immediately reflect changes.
What makes the Hong Kong washroom so expensive?
This was not a private home bathroom. Hang Fung Gold Technology’s interim report identifies its “Gold and Jewellery Environmental Friendly Washroom” as part of the company’s 3D-Gold Tourism Exhibition Hall, and says it was recognized by Guinness in both the “Most Expensive Bathroom” and “Most Expensive Toilet” categories.
Guinness’s record entry describes an installation where precious materials were applied throughout the room. In Guinness’s words, “The toilet bowls, wash basins, toilet brushes, toilet paper holders, mirror frames, wall-mounted chandeliers, wall tiles and doors are all made out of solid 24-carat gold.” The ceiling is decorated with ruby, sapphire, emerald and amber; the floor is embedded with 900 grams (2 pounds) of gold bars.
The record page gives a value of HK$27 million, equivalent on that page to US$3.5 million and £2.4 million, and dates the record to 2001. Those figures should be attributed to Guinness rather than treated as an uncontested final construction bill.
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Why do reports give different prices?
Two South China Morning Post accounts give substantially higher figures. A 2003 report calls the gold toilet an HK$38 million project and says it had attracted more than one million visitors since its construction in 2001. A 2006 article says it cost “more than $38 million,” and describes 380 kg of 24-carat gold and 6,200 jewels incorporated into the installation.
The accounts do not explain whether they measure the same scope, reflect a later valuation, use different currency terms or contain an error. The 2006 article’s stated currency basis is not clear in the available account, so it should not be silently converted or presented as a confirmed HK-dollar figure. Hang Fung’s filing supports the Guinness recognition and exhibition context, but does not settle the price discrepancy.
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How spacecraft toilets compare
Space toilets can cost millions for reasons unrelated to gold finishes or room construction. A spacecraft system must collect and manage waste safely and hygienically without gravity, making it specialized engineering hardware rather than a luxury bathroom.
| System | Reported amount and type | Date and source context |
|---|---|---|
| Space Shuttle Endeavour Waste Collection System | About $30 million for development and manufacture | Guinness cites U.S. General Accounting Office figures published in October 1992. |
| NASA Universal Waste Management System | $23 million development cost | Guinness World Records record page, accessed 2026; this is a development figure, not a bathroom construction cost. |
| Russian ASU-8A toilet | $19 million price | Guinness World Records record page, accessed 2026. |
NASA’s 2020 account of the Universal Waste Management System described its launch to the International Space Station and the specialized equipment needed for ordinary biological processes in microgravity. NASA also said a unit would be installed in Orion for the Artemis II flight test. The engineering challenge helps explain why spacecraft toilet figures belong in a separate category from the price of a finished room.
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What about the $12.11 million gold toilet?
That figure is an auction result, not a bathroom construction cost. On November 18, 2025, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! bought Maurizio Cattelan’s functional 18-karat gold toilet sculpture America at Sotheby’s in New York for $12.11 million, according to Guinness World Records.
The comparisons therefore answer different questions: Guinness’s Hong Kong entry concerns a washroom’s listed value; spacecraft figures concern system development, manufacture or price; and America’s figure is the sale price of a one-off artwork. They are not like-for-like contenders in a single cost ranking.
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- ERGONOMIC DESIGN – Gently sloped lines follow the natural curves of the body, combining luxury aesthetics with exceptional soaking comfort.
- EASY CLEAN & LOW MAINTENANCE – Stain-resistant and scratch-resistant surface maintains its high-gloss finish while remaining easy to clean and maintai
Sources
- Guinness World Records: Most expensive bathroom
- Hang Fung Gold Technology interim report
- South China Morning Post, 2003: report on the gold toilet and visitors
- South China Morning Post, 2006: report on the installation
- Guinness World Records: Most expensive toilet system
- NASA, September 17, 2020: “Boldly Go! NASA’s New Space Toilet Offers More Comfort, Improved Efficiency for Deep Space Missions”
- Guinness World Records: sale of Maurizio Cattelan’s America
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