The Candidates’ Homes

Like many of us, presidential candidates are heading home for the holidays—retreating to their primary residences, where they already rule. And as the saying goes, a man (or woman's) home is his castle. With multiple multimillionaires in the presidential race, some of the candidates' homes are ritzy indeed. To get a price check on what their houses cost, we tapped real estate comparison sites like Cyberhomes.com, Trulia.com and Zillow.com. What we found: with the exception of Mike Huckabee, the Republicans generally live more handsomely than those in the rival party. Still, the leading Democrats aren't exactly slumming it. Which candidate can best relate to the "common man"? You decide.

Follow your favorite NEWSWEEK columnists

Customize the Newsweek homepage to feature the latest word from your favorite columnists.

Hillary Clinton
When the Clintons moved out of the White House in 1999, they paid $1.7 million to move into a five-bedroom, four-bathroom circa 1889 house in Chappaqua, N.Y., a woodsy Westchester suburb. (Although their post-Monica debts forced the Clintons to ask Democratic fund raiser Terry McAuliffe to guarantee their original loan, lucrative speaking engagements and Hillary's book deal enabled the couple to buy a second home in D.C. 16 months later for $2.85 million.) How does the Clintons' Chappaqua home compare to those of their neighbors? It's not the priciest in the 10514 ZIP code. Nearby homes are up for sale at $2 million or more, while a typical house in the area goes for $1.2 million.

Barack Obama
In 2005 Obama and his wife Michelle, an administrator at the University of Chicago Hospitals, spent almost as much as the Clintons, $1.65 million, on a Georgian-revival home surrounded by a wrought-iron fence in Kenwood, a landmark district on Chicago's South Side. But the Obamas' ZIP code, 60615, is more modest than Hillary and Bill's, with about half as many online listings in the $2 million-plus range. Local average: $328,000. Obama's biggest brand-name supporter, Oprah, lives on the pricier North Side.

John Edwards
The Edwardses handsomely outdo both their neighbors and Democratic rivals. In January the family moved into a $6 million 102-acre estate in Chapel Hill, N.C. The spread includes an indoor recreation area with a swimming pool as well as basketball and squash courts. The area (ZIP code 27516) is relatively inexpensive, though, with an average home price tag of just $366,000.

Rudy Giuliani
About five years ago Rudy and Judith Giuliani paid $5.25 million for a nine-room prewar co-op on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (ZIP code 10021), where home values average $1.5 million. Add in their $3 million Hamptons escape, and Rudy's real estate holdings beat out the Edwardses. The Giulianis also have more high-profile neighbors. New York City's current mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch own apartments nearby.

Mitt Romney
The multimillionaire has plenty of relaxation spots to choose from. He owns a ski lodge near Park City, Utah, and a $10 million estate in rural New Hampshire boasting a boat, a stable that's been transformed into a guest house and a contemporary six-bedroom house overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. But his primary residence is in Belmont, the Boston suburb where he moved with his wife, Ann, in 1971. Their ZIP code, 02478, boasts an average home value of $681,000. The Romneys' six-bedroom colonial is, however, worth nearly three times the area average, at $1.8 million.