The most expensive building in your country
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Costly urban landmarks around the world
Want to know which building is most valuable in your hometown or nearest major urban area? From swish skyscrapers and parliaments to super-hospitals and stadia, we reveal the priciest edifice in 25 selected cities worldwide, ranking them from the cheapest to the most expensive.
Auckland, New Zealand: Metropolis, $183 million (£139m)
The 39-storey Metropolis tower is New Zealand's tallest residential building and the priciest building in Auckland. The luxury development was completed in 1999 and the final construction bill topped $183 million (£139m) when adjusted for inflation.
Cardiff, UK: Millennium Stadium, $264 million (£200m)
The pride of the Welsh capital, the 74,500-seater Millennium Stadium opened in 1999 and cost a total of $264 million (£200m) in today's money. The runner-up for most expensive building in Cardiff is the new $158 billion (£120bn) BBC Wales HQ.
Phoenix, USA: University of Phoenix Stadium, $567 million (£430m)
No building in Phoenix has swallowed up more cash than the city's flagship stadium. The structure was revamped in 2006 at a cost of $455 million (£345m) and incorporates design features that reference Arizona's desert landscape.
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Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne Cricket Ground, $644 million (£489m)
Tallying up the cost of major renovation projects that were completed in 1992 and 2006, a total of $644 million (£489m) has been spent on Melbourne Cricket Ground, making it the Australian city's priciest structure.
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Belfast, UK: Victoria Square, $669 million (£507m)
Belfast's Victoria Square shopping centre and leisure complex is Northern Ireland's biggest construction project to date, and its most expensive. The construction bill for the city-centre mall came to $528 million (£400m) in 2008.
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Edinburgh, UK: Scottish Parliament Building, $797 million (£604m)
Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004, Scotland's controversial new parliament building went massively over-budget, costing a total of $545 million (£414m), which is $797 million (£604m) in today's money.
Bobak Ha'Eri/Wikimedia Commons
Vancouver, Canada: Vancouver Convention Centre West Building, $1 billion (£759m)
The 310,500-square-foot (28,846m2) West Building of Vancouver's enormous convention centre is the city's most valuable building. The vast edifice was completed in 2009 at a cost of $883 million (£670m).
Birmingham, UK: Birmingham New Street railway station, $1 billion (£759m)
Replacing a much-hated1960s Brutalist building, Birmingham New Street railway station was redeveloped in the early 2010s at a cost of $988 million (£750m), which works out around $1 billion (£759m) when adjusted for inflation.
Dublin, Ireland: Blanchardstown Centre, $1.1 billion (£835m)
Amazon has been given the green light to build what could potentially be a multi-billion-dollar data centre in the Irish capital, but in the meantime, the Blanchardstown Centre remains Dublin's priciest building. The mega-mall was sold in 2016 to the Blackstone Group for $1.1 billion (£835m).
Toronto, Canada: Scotia Plaza, $1.1 billion (£835m)
The most valuable buildings in Toronto include the Rogers Centre and the Toronto South Detention Centre, but the priciest of them all is the Scotia Plaza. The skyscraper was snapped up for the equivalent of $1.1 billion (£835m) back in 2012.
Philadelphia, USA: Comcast Technology Center, $1.2 billion (£911m)
Due for completion this year, Philly's 1,121-foot (342m) Comcast Technology Center will be the city's greenest building, as well as its tallest and most expensive. All in all, constructions costs for the tower are likely to total $1.2 billion (£911m).
Glasgow, UK: Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, $1.2 billion (£911m)
Nicknamed the Death Star, Glasgow's sprawling super-hospital opened in 2015. The 1,677-bed Queen Elizabeth University Hospital has everything from a children's cinema to robots and a helipad, and cost a palpitation-inducing $1.2 billion (£911m) to build when adjusted for inflation.
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Sydney, Australia: Chifley Tower, $1.6 billion (£1.2bn)
Sydney's poshest and most expensive skyscraper, the 801-foot (244m) Chifley Tower certainly didn't come cheap. The total cost of constructing the 42-storey building was a hefty $884 million (£673m) back in 1992.
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Chicago, USA: Willis Tower, $1.4 billion (£1.1bn)
The landmark Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, is Chicago's tallest building and the second highest in America. The 1,450-foot (442m) skyscraper cost the equivalent of $830 million (£630m) to build in the early 1970s, but was bought in 2015 by Blackstone for an inflation-adjusted $1.4 billion (£1.1bn).
Dubai, UAE: Burj Khalifa, $1.8 billion (£1.4bn)
Standing a stomach-churning 2,722 feet (829.8m) high, Dubai's Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure on the planet and the city-state's priciest building. The super-tall tower was completed in 2009 at a cost of $1.5 billion (£1.1bn).
Hong Kong: Bank of China Tower, $1.9 billion (£1.4bn)
The Bank of China Tower is one of Hong Kong's most recognisable buildings and at 1,034 feet (315m) high, the first super-tall skyscraper to be built outside the US. Eye-watering at the time, the construction bill for the building totalled $1 billion (£759m) in 1990.
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Houston, USA: JPMorgan Chase Tower, $2 billion (£1.5bn)
The tallest building in Texas, Houston's JPMorgan Chase Tower, formerly the Texas Commerce Tower was completed in 1982 at a cost of $2 billion (£1.5bn) when adjusted for inflation. The tower, which stands 1,002 feet (305m) tall, dominates the downtown area.
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Adelaide, Australia: Royal Adelaide Hospital, $2.1 billion (£1.6bn)
The Royal Adelaide Hospital is by far the priciest health facility ever built. The 800-bed mega-hospital is Australia's biggest and opened its doors in September, 17 months late and hundreds of millions of dollars over-budget.
Mumbai, India: Antilia, $2.3 billion (£1.8bn)
The most expensive private residence on the planet, Antilia is the Mumbai home of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The super-ostentatious 27-storey tower was completed in 2010 and is thought to have set back its owner a massive $2 billion (£1.5bn) at the time.
Montreal, Canada: Olympic Stadium, $2.6 billion (£2bn)
The 1976 Olympics almost bankrupted the host city and Montreal didn't pay off the debt until 2006. Dubbed 'the Big Owe' for obvious reasons, the city's Olympic stadium cost $579 million (£439m), which translates to $2.6 billion (£2bn) in today's money.
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Manchester, UK: Trafford Centre, $3 billion (£2.3bn)
The Trafford Centre is Manchester's most expensive building by a long-shot. Now estimated to be worth some $3 billion (£2.3bn), the supermall was the UK's largest and most costly shopping centre when it opened in 1998.
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Los Angeles, USA: LA/City of Champions Stadium, $3 billion (£2.3bn)
Scheduled to open in 2020, the Rams and Chargers' new LA/City of Champions Stadium, which will have capacity for up to 100,240 spectators, is the most expensive building in the City of Angels. The entire project is expected to cost $5 billion (£3.8bn), while the stadium itself will set back investors $3 billion (£2.3bn).
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New York, USA: One World Trade Center, $4.2 billion (£3.2bn)
One World Trade Center is the principal building in the rebuilt World Trade complex in New York. Standing a symbolic 1,776 feet (541m) tall, the skyscraper was completed in 2012 at a cost of $3.8 billion (£2.7bn), and is now the tallest building in the Americas, as well as being the Big Apple's most valuable piece of real estate.
Singapore: Marina Bay Sands, $6.4 billion (£4.9bn)
Singapore's sensational Marina Bay Sands wows with the world's most awesome infinity pool, the largest atrium casino ever built, a 2,561-room luxury hotel, and a lot more besides. The landmark complex was completed in 2010 at a cost of $5.5 billion (£4.2bn).
London, UK: Houses of Parliament, $9 billion (£6.8bn)
The Palace of Westminster took 36 years to construct and cost the equivalent of $4.4 billion (£3.3bn) in today's money when it was completed in 1876. Now in a sorry state, the iconic building is poised to undergo major renovation that's expected to set UK taxpayers back at least $4.6 billion (£3.5bn).
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