Inside the strange, sparkling world of billionaire price pain...When inflation hits your yacht before your groceries

Spare a thought for the billionaires.In 2025, inflation didn’t just raise the price of food and cab rides – it quietly ambushed racehorses, private jets and Ossetra caviar.According to Forbes’ Cost of Living Extremely Well Index (CLEWI), the annual tracker of how much it costs to live like the world’s richest people, billionaire inflation clocked in at 5.5% in 2025 – twice the rate faced by ordinary consumers, whose global Consumer Price Index rose a comparatively modest 2.7% . In other words, while the rest of us debated switching shampoo brands, billionaires were confronting a far grimmer question: Is this the year my sailing yacht becomes unaffordable? The good news: they’re doing just fine.There are now 3,148 billionaires worldwide, collectively sitting on $18.7 trillion. The average billionaire is worth $5.9 billion, up roughly 5% year-on-year, almost perfectly matching the rise in their luxury inflation .Think of it as a perfectly balanced ecosystem: prices rise, fortunes rise, yachts still float. What got more expensive in 2025 (aka: billionaire problems we didn’t know existed)Some highlights from 2025’s billionaire shopping basket:Racehorses: Up a staggering 23%, with average yearlings selling for nearly $650,000. Trump’s tax breaks made horses the new hedge fund, with hoovesSporting shotguns: Up by 26%. Apparently, shooting pheasants is now a luxury sport even for the ultra-richCaviar: Up by 9%. Inflation, but make it fish eggsConcierge services: 11% uptick. A bespoke lifestyle fixer now costs $200,000 a year, because pressing “book private jet” on an app is no longer exclusive enoughSailing yachts: up by +6.9%. Sailing your troubles away got more expensiveOlympic-sized swimming pools: 6.2% uptick. Even billionaires can’t escape cement pricesMeanwhile, some things stubbornly refused to inflate: Rolls-Royce Phantoms stayed parked at around $600,000. The price of luxury bed sheets remained unchanged – $3,700 for a sheet set from Frette? That’s practically a steal The bigger pattern: How billionaire spending has evolvedLooking at CLEWI trends over the last few years, a few themes emerge:Experiences > Objects: Over the past 2–3 editions, price growth has consistently been strongest in travel and experiences – concierge memberships, fine dining, yachts and hospitality – rather than pure bling. Billionaires already own enough things. What they’re buying now is access, ease and stories.The rich are richer: Luxury spending globally has plateaued, but it’s being driven by a shrinking, ultra-elite consumer base. CLEWI reports since the early 2020s show a steady concentration of spending among the very top – centibillionaires rather than “mere” billionaires.Inflation doesn’t scare them, it signals quality: From concierge services to yachts – providers openly admit that higher prices attract richer clients, especially from Europe and the Middle East. In billionaire psychology, expensive isn’t a bug – it’s a feature. So… are billionaires feeling the pinch?Technically, yes. Practically, no. When inflation rises faster for billionaires than for the rest of the world, it doesn’t signal distress – it signals demand so strong that even absurd prices are acceptable. If anything, CLEWI’s steady climb over the past few years confirms one truth: luxury inflation is the most honest economic indicator of extreme wealth concentration.How much more it costs to live like a billionaire in 2025 Entertainment +9.6% Food +8.0% Fashion +5.2% Household +4.9% Travel +3.5% Services +0.8%The one thing that got cheaper? The people At least one service got cheaper for billionaires. While therapy sessions, facelifts and spa retreats held their ground in 2025, estate managers in San Francisco actually saw salaries dip from 2024. The only professional who still managed a price hike? Lawyers – obviously. Written by: Sharmila Bhowmik