39. The Titanic was the most expensive ship ever built – some economists estimate it cost more than $1.6 billion in modern money.
The Titanic took 26 months to build. And it was a hugely expensive project. At the time, it cost the equivalent of $7.5 million to construct, making it by far the most-expensive ship in history at the time. Given exchange rates, inflation and taking the Gold Standard and Fear Index into account, economists estimate that this was equivalent to around $1.66 billion in today’s money. Even more was then spent fitting the ship out. Unsurprisingly, therefore, tickets to travel on the Titanic were very pricey indeed. A first-class suite cost the equivalent of $83,000, though cheaper berths were available in the lower classes.