If you walked past a certain nondescript, grayish-white box in the dusty corner of Boca Chica, Texas, you’d probably assume it was a tool shed or maybe a temporary office for a construction foreman. You definitely wouldn't think it was the primary residence of a man worth more than the GDP of several small nations. But that’s exactly what Elon Musk's house looks like in 2026.
Honestly, the reality of Musk's living situation is a bit of a head-scratcher. We’re used to billionaires buying private islands or 30-bedroom mega-mansions with gold-plated shark tanks. Musk did the opposite. He went on a selling spree, dumped over $170 million worth of California real estate, and moved into a literal foldable house.
The $50,000 "Casita" Breakdown
The centerpiece of the Musk housing myth is the Boxabl Casita. It’s a prefabricated, modular tiny home that measures just 20x20 feet. That is roughly 400 square feet of living space. To put that in perspective, many people have primary bathrooms larger than his entire house.
Inside, it’s basically a studio apartment with a very high ceiling. There are no hallways. No grand foyers. You walk in, and you’re in the kitchen, living room, and bedroom all at once. The kitchen is surprisingly decent, though—it has a full-sized fridge, a double sink, and an oven. The "bedroom" is really just a corner of the room separated by a shelving unit that doubles as a TV stand.
It's spartan. It’s functional. It looks like something you’d find in a high-end IKEA catalog if IKEA started selling entire buildings.
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What Elon Musk's house looks like from the outside
If you’re looking for curb appeal, you’re going to be disappointed. The Boxabl unit is a flat-roofed cube. It’s made of steel, concrete, and EPS foam, which makes it incredibly durable—it can actually withstand hurricanes—but it isn't exactly "architectural digest" material.
Musk’s unit is typically situated on a small plot of land he rents from SpaceX, right near the Starbase launch facility. There’s a basic fence, maybe a Tesla Powerwall on the side, and a few parked cars. In some photos shared by his biographer, Walter Isaacson, you can see a wooden coffee table inside with a rocket sculpture and a katana. It’s very "divorced dad who happens to own a space company" aesthetic.
The Secret Austin "Compound" Rumors
Now, here is where things get a little more complicated. While Elon loves to tweet about his $50k tiny home, records and reports from late 2024 and 2025 suggest he’s been quietly building a bit of a base in Austin. You’ve probably heard the rumors about the "family compound."
Reports from the New York Times and various real estate trackers indicate Musk has purchased at least two (and potentially three) properties in the West Lake Hills area of Austin. One is a 14,400-square-foot Tuscan-style villa. The other is a six-bedroom house directly behind it.
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- The Austin Villa: This one is worth about $35 million.
- The "Secret" Fence: Musk got into a bit of a spat with neighbors over a 16-foot chain-link fence he put up without a permit.
- The Purpose: Word on the street is he wants his children and their mothers to live in adjoining properties so the kids can grow up together.
So, does he live in a 400-square-foot box or a $35 million villa? The answer is probably "both." He likely uses the Casita when he's grinding at Starbase—which is often—and uses the Austin properties as a family hub.
The Gene Wilder House Saga
There’s one more house that technically keeps popping up in Musk’s orbit. He used to own the former home of actor Gene Wilder in Bel-Air. He sold it to Wilder’s nephew with the condition that the house couldn't be "torn down or lose its soul."
In a weird twist of fate, the nephew fell behind on payments recently, and an LLC tied to Musk actually bought the house back at a foreclosure auction. It seems Musk is a sentimentalist when it comes to Willy Wonka’s old digs, even if he claims he wants to "own no house."
Is it actually "sustainable"?
Musk frames his lifestyle as a way to free up capital for Mars. If you don't own a $100 million estate, you don't have to worry about a staff of 20 people, property taxes, or gardening. You just lock the door and go.
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The Casita itself is actually a marvel of engineering. It’s highly energy-efficient and can be set up in a single day. In a way, his house is a prototype. If we’re going to live on Mars, we aren't taking marble columns and crown molding. We’re taking modular, stackable, hyper-efficient pods. He’s basically beta-testing his future Martian bedroom in the Texas desert.
What this means for you
Looking at Elon Musk's house isn't just about celebrity voyeurism. It’s a signal of where high-end living might be heading—away from "excess space" and toward "integrated tech."
- Downsizing works: Even if you aren't a billionaire, the "less is more" philosophy is gaining steam.
- Modular is the future: Prefab homes are no longer just "trailers." They are high-tech, storm-proof, and customizable.
- Proximity is king: Musk lives in a box because it’s 5 minutes from his rockets. Time is the only thing a billionaire can't buy more of.
If you're curious about the tiny house life, you don't need a billion dollars to start. You can look into ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) or modular startups like Samara or Boxabl. Just maybe skip the 16-foot unpermitted fence if you want to stay on good terms with your neighbors.
Check your local zoning laws before you try to plop a foldable house in your backyard. Many cities are still catching up to the "Casita" revolution. If you're serious about the minimalist transition, start by auditing your current square footage—you'd be surprised how much space you pay for but never actually use.