Bill Gates Wears A $10 Watch And Eats McDonald's —Yet Paid $42,000 In Horse Manure Fines At His $8.7 Million Equestrian Farm

Bill Gates is the kind of billionaire who enjoys a McDonald's burger — so much so that he can get one for free anytime he wants, thanks to his McDonald's McGold Card. His famously frugal friend Warren Buffett has one too. The pair have bonded over Happy Meals, coupons, Coca-Cola, and a shared love of modest living. Buffett still lives in the same Omaha house he bought in 1958 for $31,500. Gates? He sports a $10 Casio watch.

But don't mistake frugal for stingy. Gates may not care about flashy clothes or luxury watches, but when it comes to real estate, that's a different story. He's long had a soft spot for land, famously investing in farmland across the country and owning multiple estates — including his prized Xanadu 2.0 mansion in Washington, a 66,000-square-foot tech-loaded lakefront home worth a reported $130 million.

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In 2013, Business Insider reported that Gates purchased an $8.7 million equestrian estate in Wellington, Florida, for his daughter Jennifer, who was just 15 at the time. The lavish horse farm sat in the heart of the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit and featured stables for 20 horses, a show-quality arena, and access to world-class training. Gates also reportedly leased elite horses, hired top-tier coaches, and even spent $600,000 renting a luxury eight-bedroom mansion in the area to support her riding career, according to Forbes.

But not even billionaires are exempt from local code enforcement. In 2014, a Page Six article stated the Wellington property was cited for two violations: a manure bin placed too close to a pond, and failure to secure the required permits. After months of warnings, the infractions remained unresolved and fines began piling up at $250 per day. Gates ultimately paid $42,000 to settle the matter — a quiet cost of supporting a serious sport.

But his support didn't end with the manure fines. According to Fox News, that same year, 2014, Gates purchased a 228-acre thoroughbred training facility in Rancho Paseana, California, for $18 million. In 2018, he bought a $15.82 million horse farm in North Salem, New York, to mark Jennifer's graduation from Stanford. And in 2023, the New York Post reported she was living in a $51 million Tribeca triplex penthouse with a plunge pool and 3,400 square feet of outdoor space — purchased through a Seattle-based trust reportedly tied to Gates.

Beyond elite show barns and city views, Gates has quietly become the largest private farmland owner in the country. He holds approximately 242,000 acres across states like Louisiana, Nebraska, and North Dakota. In a Reddit AMA, Gates explained the motivation: "I have invested in these farms to make them more productive and create more jobs. There isn't some grand scheme involved — in fact all these decisions are made by a professional investment team."

That kind of thinking — long-term, income-generating, asset-backed — is exactly why more everyday investors are turning to real estate. Arrived is a platform that allows anyone to buy fractional shares of rental homes or farmland starting with just $100. Investors earn passive income from rent or crop yields, without the responsibility of managing a property or shoveling out barns.

Gates may skip the Rolex and reach for a free Big Mac, but when it comes to where he puts his money, he bets on land. And the manure fines? Just part of the investment.

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