$28M for a flight to space — or you could buy 5.4M hot dogs from Nathan’s and these other luxuries
A trip to space comes with out-of-this-world expenses.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was aboard his Blue Origin company’s first human space flight Tuesday. Blue Origin hasn’t been a cheap initiative for Bezos, with Fortune saying he’s spent $5.5 billion of his income on the company, and Forbes projecting he’s poured $7.5 billion into the endeavor — figures the space company deny.
Following his return, Bezos brazenly thanked Amazon customers and employees, saying, “You guys paid for all of this.”
Bezos, 57, hopes to one day send customers into space on commercial flights at an undisclosed cost. A spot on Tuesday’s historic flight was auctioned at $28 million to an unidentified winner, with Blue Origin saying the winnings will go to its Club for the Future charity.
The auction winner ultimately didn’t go to space due to a scheduling conflict, so the spot went to Oliver Daemen, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands, whose father originally paid an unknown amount for a future flight.
SEE IT: Jeff Bezos launches into space aboard New Shepard rocket
With the flight lasting just over 10 minutes, the auction price broke down to nearly $3 million per minute.
Here are a few other ways to spend $28 million:
Nathan’s Hot Dogs
A hot dog at Nathan’s Famous on Coney Island costs $5.17. With $28 million, you could get 5,415,860 hot dogs. That’s more than you could ever eat — or one heck of a Fourth of July party.
Knicks Season Tickets
The current Ticketmaster listing for full season tickets to Knicks home games starts at $4,092. Prices often change, but at that cost, you could have a seat at Madison Square Garden for the next 6,842 seasons. They’re bound to win a championship in one of them.
Private Island
Private islands often cost much less than $28 million, according to a 2020 Forbes report. Those include Cerralvo Island in Mexico, valued at $20 million for 35,000 acres, and Guafo Island in Chile, valued at the same price for nearly 50,000 acres.
Or you could buy numerous smaller islands: New York’s 5-acre Naomi Island was just $99,000!
New York City Apartment
The monthly cost of a one-bedroom apartment in popular areas like West Village or NoHo averages about $3,600, according to RentHop.com.
At that rate, $28 million would get you 7,777 months — or 648 years — of rent. Or, you know, a bigger place.
Trip to Hawaii
The cheapest nonstop, round-trip flight from New York to Honolulu for a week-long vacation beginning a month from now costs $1,122 through Hotwire.
You can buy nearly 25,000 such flights with $28 million — and could save a little money if you book earlier.
“Hamilton” tickets
Broadway’s buzziest musical reopens Sept. 14, with the cheapest tickets on Ticketmaster available for $893.
If every seat cost that much, $28 million would let you see “Hamilton” 31,354 times. Don’t throw away your shot.
Pizza
One of New York’s trendiest pizza places, Lucali in Brooklyn, sells its large pie for $24. You could buy 1,166,666 of them with $28 million — but would have wait in line for a couple of hours.
Subway Swipes
Every ride on the subway costs $2.75. With $28 million, you could pay for 10,181,818 trips. Plus, commuting on the subway is way more practical than on a rocket.
Giancarlo Stanton’s contract
The final six years of the Yankees slugger’s contract owe him $179 million — which averages out at more than $29 million per season. Nearly one year of Stanton’s mega-deal could be covered with $28 million.
