Rihanna’s houses: from a humble Barbados bungalow to her secret London mansion

One of the world’s wealthiest women and now the mother of two boys, Rihanna has come a long way from her modest childhood in Barbados. With an impressive career as a chart-topping musician and entrepreneur spanning more than 17 years, the star has spent her riches wisely, buying, renting and flipping numerous properties over the years. Click to scroll on and let’s retrace Rihanna’s road to fame and step inside the spectacular houses she’s stayed in along the way…

Self-made female billionaire

Just how rich is RiRi? The Barbadian bad girl currently sits at number 20 in Forbes’ ranking of America’s richest self-made women, thanks to her success as a pop star and as the founder and owner of her fashion house, Fenty. The ranking puts her fortune at $1.4 billion (£1.2bn), but at 35 years of age, she is America’s sixth youngest self-made woman on the list. However, her wealth beats the five younger women by a significant amount. Kylie Jenner, 26, is the youngest on the list and sits at number 38 overall with a net worth of $680 million (£545m) thanks to her cosmetics empire.

Pop-star, entrepreneur, billionaire, mother

This remarkable achievement is just another highlight in what has been a truly unforgettable couple of years for Rihanna, and according to Forbes, she also boasts the title of the world’s richest female musician. In her personal life, the star and her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, welcomed their first child together, a son in May of 2022 named RZA Athelston Mayers. It is thought he was named after the leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. Rihanna gave birth to the couple’s second child – a son named Riot Rose – in August, after famously revealing her pregnancy during the halftime performance at the 2023 Super Bowl. The child’s middle name is said to be due to A$AP Rocky’s love of flowers.

Where does Rihanna live?

RiRi is guarded about her private life, but what we know for sure, however, is that the singer owns luxurious properties in Los Angeles and a beach home in her native Barbados. However, the Fenty founder wasn’t born into such luxury…

Rihanna’s Los Angeles starter home

Going back to the early days of her success, Rihanna reportedly jumped on the real estate ladder in 2009 with this home in the Beverly Hills Post Office area of Los Angeles – a known celebrity property hotspot. She paid $6.9 million (£5.5m) for the glamorous mansion, situated minutes away from the famous Rodeo Drive, behind private gates.

Rihanna’s Los Angeles starter home

Having since been given a bespoke makeover, the 8,500-square-foot home boasts a huge main living room with a double-sided fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glazing that opens up onto a luxurious outdoor lounge that’s perfect for alfresco entertaining.

Rihanna’s Los Angeles starter home

With seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms, the home has a sumptuous master suite with a one-of-a-kind brass and concrete fireplace and two huge celebrity-worthy walk-in wardrobes, as well as an amazing powder room. All of the main living spaces have access to the garden, which features a heated saltwater pool, Jacuzzi and grapevine-wrapped pergola.

Rihanna’s Los Angeles starter home

Rihanna sold the grand home in 2011 for $5 million (£4m). The home was plagued with problems, including major flooding issues, leading the star to file a lawsuit against the buyer’s agent and other involved parties, so she must have been glad to move on from the property. In 2016, it was reported that the home was purchased by celebrity duo John Legend and Chrissy Teigen for a shocking $14.1 million (£11.3m) – nearly twice what Rihanna sold it for. The couple stayed in the home until 2021 when they sold it for $16.8 million (£13.5m). The house now looks to have found a new buyer yet again but with a reduced price of $16.5 million (£13.2m).

Rihanna’s Pacific Palisades home

With her career skyrocketing after winning her fifth Grammy Award for her single ‘All of the Lights’, Rihanna splashed out on this luxurious home in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades for $12 million (£9.6m) in 2012. Encompassing 11,000 square feet, it’s definitely a mansion worthy of a megastar.

Rihanna’s Pacific Palisades home

Built in 2009, the hilltop estate boasts seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Inside, a towering two-storey entryway leads through to the formal living room, featuring a fireplace and picture windows that overlook the garden. Also on this level is a vast dining area with a wine refrigerator – perfect for A-list parties.

Rihanna’s Pacific Palisades home

The plush master bedroom includes a double-sided fireplace and a sitting area, while retractable glazed doors lead out onto the terrace. In the plush ensuite bathroom, you’ll find a rainforest shower, a Jacuzzi and a walk-in wardrobe complete with a vanity.

Rihanna’s Pacific Palisades home

The rooftop sundeck is the home’s main attraction, featuring a large swimming pool with an adjoining spa and waterfall, as well as a covered outdoor kitchen area with a wet bar and alfresco dining zone. Following multiple break-ins, the star packed up and rented out the home at a cost of $65,000 (£51.9k) a month and eventually sold it for $11.2 million (£8.9m) a few years later in 2016.

Rihanna’s Manhattan penthouse

In 2013, after putting the Pacific Palisades estate on the rental market, Rihanna relocated to the East Coast and moved into this glamorous apartment in lower Manhattan’s Chinatown. The star leased the apartment for a reported $39,000 (£31.1k) per month, forking out a huge amount in rent until she finally left the Big Apple in 2017.

Rihanna’s Manhattan penthouse

With 4,600 square feet of space spread across the top two floors of the 11-storey building, the penthouse has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. While Rihanna stayed there, the plush property was owned by celebrity fashion photographer Antoine Verglas. Situated on the prestigious penthouse’s upper floor, the living room, dining room and entertaining spaces feature 13-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. Elsewhere, there’s also a chef’s kitchen, a bar and a powder room.

Rihanna’s Manhattan penthouse

Accessed by a floating staircase, the lower floor is home to three guest bedrooms and the corner master suite, which features breathtaking views of the Empire State Building, a huge walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom with a frameless glass shower.

Rihanna’s Manhattan penthouse

The property’s pièce de résistance is without doubt the 2,400-square-foot wraparound terrace on the top floor. Offering a relaxed seating area that’s ideal for entertaining, it offers panoramic views of the city’s glittering skyline.

Rihanna’s Barbados beach house

In October 2013, Rihanna also decided to snap up a property in her native Barbados. A far cry from her modest childhood home, she bought an opulent villa in the One Sandy Lane resort. Returning to the island for Christmas the year before, the star rented out the mansion, before deciding she loved it so much she was willing to pay $22 million (£17.6m) to call it home.

Rihanna’s Barbados beach house

One of eight properties on the lavish complex, the home has five ensuite bedrooms, each with their own private terrace and dressing room. The ultimate in luxury, the A-list holiday home features a grand entrance with a spiral staircase, complete with intricate, handmade balustrades, that leads up to the bedrooms. That’s the way to make an entrance!

Rihanna’s Barbados beach house

Known as the most luxurious accommodation on the island, the property is conveniently located just along the beach from the five-star Sandy Lane resort, which Rihanna is also said to be a fan of. We can’t imagine a more luxurious spot for the star to unwind from her hectic schedule.

Rihanna’s Barbados beach house

With a chauffeur, 24-hour concierge, gardener and private chef on hand to help, the home is the perfect pad for Rihanna to kick back, relax and spend some quality time with her family. From the manicured gardens to the swimming pool and the state-of-the-art gym, what more could the star need?

Rihanna’s Los Angeles fortress

In June 2014, RiRi decided to return to the West Coast and began renting out new digs in Los Angeles for $60,000 (£47.9k) a month. The imposing 12,000-square-foot house, known locally as ‘The Fortress’, has a tough steel-and-concrete façade and plenty of security features, making it the perfect ultra-safe hideout for the star.

Rihanna’s Los Angeles fortress

Truly built like a fortress, the interior of the home is just as imposing as the exterior. With 60-foot-high ceilings and towering glass windows, the entryway leads through to an array of cavernous living rooms that have been finished in stone, concrete and steel.

Rihanna’s Los Angeles fortress

The grand master suite not only features opulent dual ensuite bathrooms but also an incredible panic room hidden behind a bulletproof door that slides down from the ceiling. Individual rooms within the seven-bed home also require a security fob to gain entry, ensuring residents are safe and protected at all times.

Rihanna’s Los Angeles fortress

Sotheby’s International Realty

If all this wasn’t enough, the Bauhaus-style home, which was built in 1994, also features a whole host of luxury amenities including a chef’s kitchen, a two-bedroom guesthouse, a large movie theatre and a gym. It’s not clear how long the star stayed here for, but in 2014, she also snapped up a condo in a super-secure Los Angeles skyscraper.

Rihanna’s Hollywood Hills mega-mansion

In 2017, Rihanna purchased this home in the Hollywood Hills for $6.8 million (£5.4m). The property sits on a nearly half-acre parcel behind a towering wall of foliage and secure entry gates. It’s located high above the popular Sunset Strip, ensuring the star had complete privacy. The stucco and terracotta-roofed structure was built on spec and reportedly completed in 2015.

Rihanna’s Hollywood Hills mega-mansion

Inside, the home spans 7,100 square feet and includes a poolside guesthouse and two-car garage. The glamorous property boasts high ceilings, arched doorways and steel-framed windows and doors, while the large formal living room with its rustic tiled fireplace is big enough to accommodate a grand piano.

Rihanna’s Hollywood Hills mega-mansion

The three-storey main house is home to three ensuite bedrooms, plus a sprawling master suite with a city-view sitting room, fireplace, and luxurious private bathroom. Imagine waking up to those picturesque views! Unfortunately, it wasn’t all peace and quiet for the Diamonds singer. Once again plagued by disaster, the home was breached by an intruder who stayed in the home for 12 hours when Rihanna wasn’t in residence. Consequently, in 2018, she put the home on the market for $7.5 million (£6m).

Rihanna’s Hollywood Hills mega-mansion

Outside, an infinity-edge swimming pool and spa sit between the main house and guesthouse, which the star was said to use as a fitness centre. After struggling to sell initially, Rihanna decided to rent out the pad for $35,000 (£27.9k) a month instead, before ultimately selling to an unnamed buyer in an off-market deal for just under $6.6 million (£5.3m) in August 2022, according to Dirt.

Rihanna’s West Hollywood house flip

Also in 2017, the popstar shelled out $2.8 million (£2.2m) for this Spanish-style villa in West Hollywood, but just three months later, put it back on the market for $2.9 million (£2.3m). Concealed behind secure gates, the fixer-upper house was sold in February 2018 for the asking price.

Rihanna’s West Hollywood house flip

Encompassing 2,650 square feet, the two-storey main house has four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a den. The open-plan main living space oozes Californian beach vibes, with fresh white walls, neutral furnishings and light wooden floors throughout.

Rihanna’s West Hollywood house flip

The master suite, which sits on the home’s upper floor, dazzles with an airy vaulted ceiling, walk-in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom. Our favourite feature, however, has to be the space’s private balcony, which offers scenic views over the garden.

Rihanna’s West Hollywood house flip

Outside, there’s a detached two-storey guesthouse with its own ensuite bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette. The living area features bi-folding glass doors that open out onto the terrace and swimming pool – the perfect spot to host A-list guests.

Rihanna’s secret London house

Sometime in 2018, when she was focusing on the expansion of her Fenty Beauty range, Rihanna secretly moved across the pond to London and started renting this regal mansion. The star had lived incognito in the capital for around a year until eagle-eyed fans noticed a Sainsbury’s bag from one of the UK’s biggest supermarket chains in an Instagram post.

Rihanna’s secret London house

The stunning eight-bedroom home was previously on the market for $44.5 million (£35.7m) but the listing has since been removed. It features a whole host of luxury amenities befitting of the megastar, including a gym, sauna, plush master suite, elevator and a CCTV security system.

Rihanna’s secret London house

The period property, which Rihanna reportedly paid $20,000 (£16k) a week to rent, has a choice of two studies, plus a glamorous kitchen that sits alongside the dining room and living room. With plenty of space for hosting friends and family, the property also comes with off-street parking for up to 10 cars, which is a rarity in London.

Rihanna’s secret London house

The beautiful four-storey city retreat has no shortage of outdoor space to enjoy, too, with sprawling manicured lawns extending to the rear of the property. We’re sure this picture-perfect backyard was the scene of many A-list gatherings during Rihanna’s tenure.

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

In early 2021, not long after things got serious with her beau A$AP Rocky, Rihanna bought this sprawling five-bedroom, seven-bathroom Beverly Hills home for $13.8 million (£11m).

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

The star reportedly put the property up for rent at $80,000 (£64k) a month shortly after purchasing it. The 5,900-square-foot mansion sits secluded in the exclusive 90210 zip code, surrounded by famous faces. The property’s neighbours include some of Rihanna’s biggest musical influences, such as Madonna and previous collaborator, Sir Paul McCartney.

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

The house was originally built in the 1930s and was formerly owned by Mary Sheldon, daughter of best-selling crime and thriller writer, Sidney Sheldon. The home’s sale in 2016 was chronicled in an episode of the reality show Million Dollar Listing when it was bought by tech entrepreneur, Daniel Starr. The investor splashed millions on the demolition and rebuild of the property, later suing his contractors for fraud and poor workmanship.

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

Despite the upheaval, Starr transformed the home into an ultra-contemporary farmhouse that blends modern and traditional design throughout its architecture and interiors. There are plenty of glamorous fixtures and classy detailing on display from French white oak hardwood floors to marbled surfaces, to brass and stainless steel accents.

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

Rihanna – whose lingerie collection Savage X Fenty was valued at $270 million (£216.5m) in March 2022 – has previously announced plans to release a Caribbean-inspired cookbook, which could be why the home caught her eye. The light and spacious kitchen is the perfect place for trying out recipes with famous friends.

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

Throughout the home, there are plenty of open-plan spaces for socialising, such as an intimate lounge area, a luxurious wet bar and an alfresco courtyard complete with a firepit, pool and spa amenities.

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

Upstairs, there’s an array of custom, walk-in wardrobes and a truly stunning master bathroom with a standalone bathtub. This leads out to a beautiful sun terrace, perfect for savouring a morning coffee.

Rihanna’s Beverly Hills manor

As you would expect from a Beverly Hills retreat, there are also a myriad of spots to enjoy private moments, as well as multiple interior and exterior viewpoints that overlook the verdant greenery of Coldwater Canyon. Talk about picturesque!

Rihanna’s house next door

Shortly after purchasing her Beverly Hills manor, Rihanna snapped up this Tudor-style home just next door for $10 million (£8m) in March 2021. According to reports by Dirt, the home was never on the open market, which meant that the singer must have acquired a private sale. However, evidently already tired of the home, the singer has recently relisted the property for $10.5 (£8.4m), Mansion Global has reported.

Rihanna’s house next door

Hidden behind secure gates, the home was built in the late 1930s and boasts four bedrooms and five bathrooms spread out over 5,100 square feet of space. Cathedral-style ceilings and large windows make the home feel airy and spacious throughout.

Rihanna’s house next door

With formal living and dining rooms, it’s the perfect house for entertaining. The more casual open-plan kitchen leads out to a beautiful backyard, so it’s the ideal space to kick back and relax.

Rihanna’s house next door

With an attached garage and a small office, the home has plenty of amenities for the star to enjoy. Spread over two storeys, it may be smaller than her property next door, but it still has half an acre of land and ample living space.

Rihanna’s house next door

With no end of formal living and dining rooms, it’s the perfect house for entertaining. However, there are plenty of casual spaces to relax in, too, including this light and airy bedroom with a romantic balcony.

Rihanna’s house next door

Outside in the back garden, there’s plenty of space for alfresco entertaining on the roomy patios, as well as a built-in barbecue and a swimming pool. Ever the savvy businesswoman, Rihanna had been leasing the home out to tenants, according to Dirt, like her mansion next door.

Rihanna’s Super Bowl rental

When it came to accommodation during the lead up to the 2023 Super Bowl, the star spared no expense. Rihanna reportedly rented out this fabulous Arizona home from 48-year-old cybersecurity expert Spyro Malaspinas for $500,000 (£401k) during Super Bowl week in February 2023. It was enough to cover his mortgage payments for two years, he told The Wall Street Journal. Malaspinas claimed he was happy to move out of the home for a week when he was approached by a property management firm whom he already worked with, not realising they were working on behalf of Rihanna.

Rihanna’s Super Bowl rental

Nestled in the affluent Paradise Valley neighbourhood, the home made a perfect retreat for the pop star after long days of rehearsals. The 6,400-square-foot home cost Malaspinas a whopping $7.3 million (£5.9m) when he bought it last year, and taking a look around the posh pad’s interiors, it’s not hard to see why. With five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, the home offers plenty of space in which to spread out, as well as bright, airy interiors and plenty of plush furnishings. The split floor plan includes a great room, bonus living room and formal dining room.

Rihanna’s Super Bowl rental

Just off the dining room, a set of huge sliding glass doors lead out onto a secondary terraced dining area complete with a barbecue and outdoor bar overlooking the expertly manicured rolling lawns, private putting green and pickleball court. The terrace would have made the perfect place to unwind at the end of a long day of rehearsals, although as she was pregnant at the time, the star probably didn’t enjoy a glass of wine from the home’s walk-in wine cellar.

Rihanna’s Super Bowl rental

The resort-style master bedroom includes a spa-like ensuite and a bonus adjoining workout room/den where Rihanna must have enjoyed some R&R. Since the Super Bowl, Malaspinas has apparently been offered “crazy amounts of money” to sell. We wonder if he’ll take up the offer…