As the world’s richest man, Elon Musk could live in a palace – many palaces – if he chose, rather than the $6million hardly ostentatious six-bedroom Austin residence that is his home base.
Indeed, far from lavishing cash on huge houses, Daily Mail can reveal that Musk, 53, lives a relatively modest lifestyle when in Texas, where the only sign of his spectacularly sized fortune is the four-car security convoy that descends whenever he is in town.
Neighbors revealed that the new DOGE boss – whose net worth is an estimated $355 billion – has not been seen at the Georgian-style house since the presidential election, instead spending his nights in a rented cottage on the grounds of President Trump’s Palm Beach club Mar-a-Lago or on the floor of his DOGE headquarters in Washington, D.C.
But while the South African-born billionaire is a rare sight in the leafy Austin suburb of Westlake Hills, his Havanese dog ‘Marvin the Martian’ is very much in residence and is regularly taken for walks near the home, which sits in a secluded cul-de-sac.
‘You only really notice when he’s here because of the security,’ a neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told Daily Mail.
‘The Sheriff will sometimes come and sit here too. He travels in a convoy, and they aren’t Teslas either – he rides in a Lincoln Navigator.’
Despite Musk’s absence, weekly flower deliveries are still made to the house – known to neighbors as ‘Grimes’s house’, in reference to the Canadian singer and mother of three of Musk’s children who used to live there with him – and a large staff made up of security and maids work long hours at the property daily.
But even so, it’s a far cry from the $35million ‘compound’ Musk was reported to own in the area for the purpose of hosting some of his 13 children while working at his Texas-based companies.
Elon Musk’s $6million home in Austin, Texas is just one piece of his growing empire in the Lone Star State. Neighbors told Daily Mail the new DOGE boss hasn’t been seen at the house since the election
The Tesla founder lives a relatively modest lifestyle when in Texas, where the only sign of his spectacularly sized fortune is the four-car security convoy that descends whenever he is in residence
Locals refer to Musk’s mansion as ‘Grimes’s house’ as the mother of three of his children lived there before moving to San Francisco
And while Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis, the 38-year-old mother of four of Musk’s offspring, does indeed live nearby, it is on a different street in an ornate villa that backs onto a property owned by the billionaire’s model mother Maye, 76.
Musk is believed to live with favorite sidekick, four-year-old X Æ A-Xii, his oldest son with Grimes, 36, and formerly the subject of a legal dispute over custody.
Grimes moved to San Francisco, along with her two youngest children with the billionaire: Exa Dark Sideræl, three, and Tau Techno Mechanicus, two.
His eldest five surviving children, who he had with ex-wife Justine Wilson, also live in California, but in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Another child with Wilson, Nevada, died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 2002 at just 10 weeks.
His son Griffin, 20, appears to be close to his billionaire dad and was photographed with him at an American Express event in Miami last May. But Griffin’s twin Alexander – who transitioned in 2022 and changed her name to Vivian Wilson, dropping her father’s surname – remains estranged.
Despite the difficult relationship with Vivian, 18-year-old triplets Kai, Saxon, and Damian, also appear to get along with Musk and, like Griffin, are occasionally pictured with their dad.
Neighbors in Austin told the Daily Mail that Musk has not gone out of his way to meet them.
He has twice roused the ire of some residents since moving in two years ago by violating local HOA rules, letting his employees park on the cul-de-sac and building his wooden front gates too high – a violation that saw him receive a citation from the City of Westlake Hills.
Musk’s tiny Havanese, Marvin the Martian, is walked regularly on the streets around the billionaire’s home – although his ‘big brother’ Gabby has not been spotted
Neuralink executive and mother of three more of Musk’s offspring, Shivon Zilis, 38, lives nearby in an ornate villa
Musk’s mother, Maye, lives two streets away in a lavish mansion that backs on to the home Zilis shares with twins Strider and Azure, three, and the baby she had with the SpaceX tycoon last year
Musk and Shivon have three children together, including twins Strider and Azure who were born in June 2021. The two toddlers were seen with their half-sibling X, and their father in Washington, D.C. last month
Sun loungers surround the surprisingly small pool at Musk’s mansion while wooden furniture sigs on the deck above
Musk was given a citation by the City of Westlake Hills for building his wooden gates too high
Musk has been moving his business portfolio to the Republican Lone Star State from California since 2018 when SpaceX opened a rocket launch site in Boca Chica, 350 miles south of the Texan capital.
It is there that he is registered to vote and, when in the town – which is soon to be renamed Starbase – he lives in an even more modest $50,000 cottage rented from SpaceX.
In Austin, Musk has opened a vast Tesla ‘gigafactory’ close to the city’s airport and is busy building a vast new campus in Bastrop, a small town 30 miles southeast of the city.
When complete, it will be home to the headquarters of The Boring Company, SpaceX and social media company X, formerly known as Twitter.
Included in the development is a company town called Snailbrook – currently a motley collection of trailer homes behind The Boring Company – and a Montessori-style school called Ad Astra which occupies what used to be an isolated farmhouse.
Bastrop is approximately a 40-minute-drive from Musk’s Austin home, while the colossal Tesla factory, where a fleet of brand-new Cybertrucks could be seen parked outside, is even closer.
Musk has been moving his business portfolio to the Republican Lone Star State from California since 2018 when SpaceX opened a rocket launch site in Boca Chica, 350 miles south of the Texan capital. He is pictured during a visit to the site with Donald Trump in November
Musk has been busy building a vast new campus in Bastrop – a small town 30 miles southeast of Austin – that will be home to the headquarters of The Boring Company, SpaceX, (pictured) and social media company X, formerly known as Twitter
Pictured: The Starlink manufacturing facility functioning while still under construction in Bastrop, Texas
Bastrop is approximately a 40-minute-drive from Musk’s Austin home, while the colossal Tesla factory, where a fleet of brand-new Cybertrucks are parked outside, is even closer
Musk toured the Tesla plant gigafactory in Austin, with his son and Hungarian President Katalin Novak in 2023
But if Musk’s presence on his Austin cul-de-sac has raised eyebrows among neighbors, the same cannot be said of those living close to his development in Bastrop where the prospect of investment and good-paying jobs has been welcomed with open arms.
A small city of 10,000 people, Bastrop boasts a picturesque historic Main Street and, until Musk arrived, relied on the nearby Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa for employment.
His vast development, which is still under construction but already includes a grocery store for staff called the Boring Bodega and a pub, is eight miles outside of town and has already started hiring locals.
It’s a prospect that Jose Sandoval, 22, who currently works in a Buc-ee’s gas station and lives in a trailer park called The Colorado River RV Park, is looking forward to.
It directly overlooks the development and is festooned with MAGA and Trump 2024 campaign flags.
‘I’ve been living here for over a year now and I’ve seen it grow,’ he told the Daily Mail. It’s nice because it will bring jobs.’
Pictured above is the facility for The Boring Company, a subsidiary of Space X that specializes in American infrastructure., tunnel construction service and and equipment
Included in the development is a company town called Snailbrook – currently a motley collection of trailer homes behind The Boring Company
The vast development is still under construction but already includes a grocery store for staff called the Boring Bodega and a pub, is eight miles outside of town but has already begun hiring locals
Despite the ongoing construction, he added: ‘It hasn’t created any disruption or problems with traffic. It’s a good thing it’s here.’
Not that there aren’t concerns. A website called Keep Bastrop Boring complains that Musk has been handed a permit to discharge 143,000 gallons of treated wastewater a day into the Colorado River that runs through town.
Others worry that the expansion of Musk’s Texas holdings could see their properties forcibly purchased under Texas’ eminent domain laws – as happened in Boca Chica.
A neighboring rancher, who asked not to be named, said: ‘It’s a good thing you’re here keeping an eye on them – they need it.
‘My sister sold her portion of land to them but it would be hard for me to leave. I’ve lived here all my life and walked every inch of my land. But if it comes to it, it comes to it.’
Another local resident, who also asked not to be identified ‘because I don’t want my name put on a list’, said: ‘I don’t like it. I like my town small. I don’t want it to be Austin so I’m not a huge fan.’
In downtown Bastrop, Mike Salvo, 61, the owner of a curio shop, says he hopes Musk’s arrival will bring growth to the town. He is seen holding a painting he did of the billionaire Tesla boss
Dee Turnbow, at Unique Beads and Bangles on Main Street Bastrop, Texas, is concerned that Musk’s arrival may cause rent prices to rise
In downtown Bastrop, Mike Salvo, 61, says he hopes Musk’s arrival will bring growth to the town – but is also keen to see it retains its character.
The owner of a curio shop called Something Salvo, the 61-year-old said: ‘I think we welcome the opportunity to bring growth to the area but we are concerned about keeping our small-town charm.
‘I think we can absorb it; it’s far enough away.’
Holding a painting he did of the billionaire Tesla boss, he added: ‘It would be nice to see him downtown and making friends with the local community, but I understand he’s a pretty busy guy.’
Jewelry maker Deandra ‘Dee’ Turnbow, 70, agrees. ‘We’re a small community and we want to keep it clean and friendly.
‘There was an issue with him dumping in the Colorado River. But as long as everybody is following the rules, he’s bringing jobs here and that’s a good thing.’