BudgetGuessr rankings

The most expensive megaprojects in our catalogue

The 50 most expensive of 1665 built and under-construction megaprojects in the BudgetGuessr catalogue, ranked by documented cost in US dollars.

Ranking

  1. 1Spacelab was a versatile laboratory carried in the Space Shuttle's cargo bay for special research flights. Its various elements could be combined to accommodate the many types of scientific research that could best be performed in space. Spacelab consisted of an enclosed, pressurized laboratory module and open U-shaped pallets located at the rear of the laboratory module. The laboratory module contained utilities, computers, work benches, and instrument racks to conduct scientific experiments in

    Space Shuttle program

    United States · 2011 · Space mission$196 billion
  2. 2Namcha Barwa 南迦巴瓦峰, Tibet, 2012

    Medog Hydropower Station

    People's Republic of China · 2025 · Dam$166.9 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  3. 3Proposed layout of High Speed 2 terminus at Euston Station and also the terminus for High Speed 1 at St Pancras Station

    High Speed 2

    United Kingdom · 2026 · Railway$135.23 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  4. 4Computer-generated image of the proposed high-speed trains for use in California.

    California High-Speed Rail

    United States · 2026 · Railway$126 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  5. 5The station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon jsc2021e064211_alt (Dec. 8, 2021) --- This mosaic depicts the International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021.

    International Space Station, 2005 programme estimate

    United States · 2000 · Space mission$124.41 billionEstimate
  6. 6NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated flight test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems. SLS and Orion launched at 1:47 a.m. EST, from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kows

    NASA Artemis campaign, FY2012–2025

    United States · Space mission$93 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  7. 7JR-Maglev (which is Maglev train in Japan).

    Chūō Shinkansen

    Japan · 2025 · Railway$73.5 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  8. 8Это схема линий высокоскоростных поездов AVE в Испании. Развитие сети верно для мая 2013 года

    Spain's high-speed rail network (AVE)

    Spain · 2017 · Railway$58.49 billion
  9. 9View of Western Australia taken during ISS Expedition 26.

    Gorgon LNG development, first phase

    Australia · 2016 · Energy$54 billionEstimate
  10. 10DSCF2011

    Sound Transit 3

    United States · 2016 · Railway$53.8 billionUnder construction
  11. 11Карта размещение нефтяных и газовых месторождении Приморско-Эмбинская НГО

    Tengiz Future Growth and pressure-management expansion

    Kazakhstan · 2025 · Energy$48.9 billion
  12. 12Coast path diversion adjacent to Sizewell C

    Sizewell C nuclear power station

    United Kingdom · 2024 · Energy$48.57 billionUnder construction
  13. 13Two highways and a rail.

    Sichuan–Tibet railway

    People's Republic of China · 2022 · Railway$47.47 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  14. 14People with banners and balloons protesting against nuclear power at Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station in Somerset, England

    Hinkley Point C nuclear power station

    United Kingdom · 2026 · Energy$46.08 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  15. 15Kashagan Oil Field, Kazakhstan July 14, 2016 This enormous facility in the Caspian Sea was built to draw oil and gas from the Kashagan Oil Field—one of the largest contemporary oil discoveries. The facility, plagued by logistical delays and malfunctioning equipment, has yet to begin normal operations.

    Kashagan oilfield development, first phase

    Kazakhstan · Energy$46 billion
  16. 16Al Sadd Metro station

    Doha Metro

    Qatar · 2019 · Railway$36 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  17. 17Al Maktoum International Airport

    Dubai World Central – DWC

    United Arab Emirates · 2024 · Airport$34.85 billionUnder construction
  18. 18G25 to Shanghai-Hongqiao, just after G23.

    Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway

    People's Republic of China · 2011 · Railway$34.19 billion
  19. 19Aerial view of Darwin, Northern Territory over Darwin Harbour.

    Ichthys LNG development

    Australia · 2018 · Energy$34 billion
  20. 20The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River, China.

    Three Gorges Dam

    People's Republic of China · 2012 · Dam$33.45 billion
  21. 21Barakah nuclear power plant under construction in 2017.

    Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant

    United Arab Emirates · 2024 · Energy$32 billion
  22. 22Natural gas pipelines and LNG terminals around the world.

    Wheatstone LNG foundation phase

    Australia · 2017 · Energy$29 billionEstimate
  23. 23Edmondson Street Bridge closed for replacement as part of the Inland Rail project.

    Inland Rail

    Australia · 2026 · Railway$28.99 billionOn holdEstimate
  24. 24El-Dabaa nuclear power plant construction

    El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant

    Egypt · 2026 · Energy$28.75 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  25. 25Key oil and natural gas infrastructure in Azerbaijan

    Shah Deniz 2 and South Caucasus Pipeline expansion

    Azerbaijan · 2018 · Energy$28 billion
  26. 26Sabetta. LNG

    Yamal LNG development

    Russia · 2017 · Energy$26.9 billion
  27. 27Construction of the Rail Baltica high-speed railway in Riga, Latvia.

    Rail Baltica

    Estonia · 2025 · Railway$26.89 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  28. 28Flamanville Nuclear Plant, seen from the sea. Reactor 3 (EPR) in foreground, Reactors 1 and 2 in background

    Flamanville Nuclear Power Plant

    France · 2023 · Energy$25.63 billion
  29. 29Short description: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon Full description: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, stands on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module, Eagle, during the Apollo 11 moonwalk. Astronaut Neil Armstrong, mission commander, took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera. While Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the lunar module to explore the Sea of Tranquility, astronaut Michael Collins, command module pilot, remained in lunar orbit with the Comman

    Apollo program

    United States · 1972 · Space mission$25.4 billion
  30. 30Aerial view of Great Seto Bridge linking Honshū and Shikoku islands in Japan

    Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Project

    Japan · 1999 · Bridge$25.2 billion
  31. 31Le terminal est situé sur la rive gauche de la baie de Burrard.

    Trans Mountain Expansion Project

    Canada · 2024 · Energy$25.19 billionEstimate
  32. 32Construction for the Ontario Line at the site of Pape Station

    Ontario Line

    Canada · 2026 · Railway$24.32 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  33. 33Artist's rendering of the Space Launch System Block 1 sitting on Launch Pad 39A with the Orion spacecraft at sunrise.

    Space Launch System programme, FY2012–2025

    United States · 2022 · Space mission$23.8 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  34. 34Crossrail development

    Crossrail (Elizabeth line project)

    United Kingdom · 2022 · Railway$23.3 billionEstimate
  35. 35Mumbai Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor, India

    Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor

    India · 2026 · Railway$22.72 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  36. 36リヤドメトロイエローライン アルマタール(空港)T5駅のホーム

    Riyadh Metro

    Saudi Arabia · 2024 · Railway$22.5 billion
  37. 37Graphic of eastern section of Melbourne Suburban Rail Loop.

    Suburban Rail Loop East

    Australia · 2035 · Railway$22.23 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  38. 38Port Prigorodnoye is Russia's first seaport built specifically to serve liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships and oil tankers.

    Sakhalin-II multi-phase development

    Russia · 2009 · Energy$22 billion
  39. 39Sabetta.Utrenny.LNG Plant

    Arctic LNG 2 development

    Russia · Energy$21.3 billion
  40. 40Las Vegas station (Brightline West), parking garage construction

    Brightline West

    United States · 2026 · Railway$21.05 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  41. 41連霍高速

    Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway

    People's Republic of China · 2009 · Railway$21.01 billion
  42. 42Chantier au Puits Rû de Nesle pour la ligne 15 du métro de Paris, Noisy-le-Grand.

    Paris Métro Line 15

    France · 2020 · Railway$20.56 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  43. 43Nuclear power plant under construction in Akkuyu, Turkey

    Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

    Turkey · 2028 · Energy$20 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  44. 44World's largest crude distillation column at the Dangote refinery

    Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals

    Nigeria · Energy$20 billion
  45. 45這張照片在機場拍攝。

    Hong Kong International Airport

    People's Republic of China · 1998 · Airport$20 billion
  46. 46Stadt Lichoslawl (Oblast Twer, Russland). Die Bahnlinie Sankt Petersburg — Moskau nahe dem Bahnhof.

    Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway

    Russia · 2024 · Railway$19.32 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  47. 47Taken from a TurboJET after leaving Macau.

    Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge

    People's Republic of China · 2018 · Tunnel$19.18 billion
  48. 48201806 Construction of The Three Runways System Expansion at HKG

    Hong Kong Airport Three-Runway System

    Hong Kong SAR China · Airport$18.25 billionEstimate
  49. 49Photo of the construction site of The Bays metro station, taken during October 2024

    Sydney Metro West, 2025 estimate

    Australia · Railway$18.04 billionUnder constructionEstimate
  50. 50metro type DT4 in Hamburg

    Hamburg U5

    Germany · 2024 · Railway$17.86 billionUnder constructionEstimate

How this ranking works

This is a curated catalogue, not an exhaustive list of every megaproject. Projects are ordered by their recorded US-dollar equivalent; each detail page shows the source amount and any currency conversion. Figures are not adjusted for inflation, and construction bills, estimates, and programme costs can have different scopes. Unbuilt proposals and cancelled projects are excluded.

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