5 TV Dream Homes: Could the Actors Who Lived There Really Afford Them?
When it comes to TV dream homes, it’s easy to get envious of the stunning apartments, houses, and even mansions characters call home. But while these settings may seem like the epitome of luxury, we’re often left wondering how the characters can afford them. The answer typically requires us to suspend disbelief for the sake of the plot. So let’s ask the next logical question: Could the actors who lived in these iconic spaces actually afford them in real life?
From the Peaky Blinders mansion to the chic penthouse in Gossip Girl, we’re taking a closer look at five of the most famous TV residences to see if the actors’ net worths would realistically align with the high cost of living in these dream homes.
Cillian Murphy and the ‘Peaky Blinders’ mansion
At the peak (no pun intended) of his power and influence, Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) sets up his family at Arrow House in Warwickshire, England. The gangster’s home with wife Grace is actually Arley Hall and Gardens in Northwich, Cheshire.
The mansion boasts eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms. With an estimated value of $5.4 million, affording Arrow House requires a net worth of just over $5 million.
That makes it an easy buy for Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy. The Irish actor’s net worth is an estimated $20 million thanks in part to his role in the period crime saga. Murphy and his family currently live in Dublin, Ireland after spending 15 years in London.
Tom Ellis and the ‘Lucifer’ penthouse
Lucifer ran for six seasons, charming audiences with a blend of fantasy and police procedural. The series, inspired by DC Comics characters, imagines Lucifer giving up his throne in Hell to instead run a nightclub in Los Angeles.
In LA, Lucifer calls Hollywood Boulevard home. His penthouse is accessible via an elevator from Club Lux, adding to the property’s estimated $6 million value (apparently in Lucifer’s budget). The price would necessitate a net worth of about $5.6 million.
Lucifer star Tom Ellis just barely meets that threshold with an estimated net worth of $6 million. The Welsh actor’s most recent credits include the 2024 Netflix film Players and the upcoming Washington Black TV series and The Thursday Murder Club movie.
Candace Cameron Bure and the ‘Full House’ house
It’s hard to watch Full House and not wonder how Danny Tanner (Bob Saget), Uncle Jesse (John Stamos), and Joey Gladstone (Dave Couiller) managed to afford the Victorian home on Broderick Street in San Francisco.
But it was the kind of house necessary to tell the story of three men raising three girls (and more as the series went on). The house returned to the spotlight with Netflix’s reboot, Fuller House. By then, it was DJ Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure) who owned the house.
The 5-bedroom and 4-bathroom house carries a $6.5 million price tag, requiring a net worth of $6.1 million and an annual income of just over $1 million. Bure’s net worth is an estimated $14 million. The Hallmark Channel star could easily afford the home for her husband, former hockey pro Valeri Bure, and their three children.
Leighton Meester and the ‘Gossip Girl’ penthouse
So much of what happened on Gossip Girl required viewers to suspend disbelief and truly believe that these high school kids were living such luxurious (and dramatic) lives. That included seeing Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) living in a New York City penthouse.
Located on 5th Avenue, the 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom penthouse requires a $17.7 million net worth. Even combining her assets with her husband Adrian Brody leaves Meester short; the couple’s combined net worth is estimated at $16 million.
Both actors have worked steadily since the days of Gossip Girl. Brody co-stars in the breakout Netflix hit Nobody Wants This. Meester starred in 2023’s EXMas and will feature in The Buccaneers Season 2. In 2019, the celebrity couple spent $6.5 million on a nearly 6,000-square-foot home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
However, Meester’s Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively could easily afford the penthouse. Her character, Serena van der Woodson, lives there in season 5. Lively boasts a $30 million net worth on her own thanks to her film career and business ventures. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, carries a $350 million net worth.
The ‘Downton Abby’ cast and Downton Abbey
Few television homes are as expensive as the one on Downton Abbey. Home to the aristocratic Crawley family, the castle features over 300 rooms. Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England stood in for Downton Abbey for exterior shots, the grounds, and some interior shots.
The Downton Abbey castle has an estimated value of $400 million. In other words, it requires an annual income of $98 million and a net worth of $376 million.
Unsurprisingly, no member of the Downton Abbey cast can touch that net worth, making the property unaffordable for all involved. Dame Maggie Smith had a $20 million net worth at the time of her death. Michelle Dockery ($4 million), Hugh Bonneville ($8 million), and Elizabeth McGovern ($4 million) also remain far from the necessary income to afford Downton Abbey.
So who could afford the castle? If King Charles gets bored of Buckingham Palace, his $700 million net worth would make moving to Downton a little easier. Or, unofficial British royals David and Victoria Beckham could foot the bill. The celebrity couple holds a combined net worth of $450 million.
House valuations via Evernest
Net worth estimates via CelebrityNetWorth.com
