A lot has changed since December 21, 2012, when around 10% of people falsely believed the world would end.

The effects of climate change have become more frequent and severe, threatening vulnerable areas with floods, hurricanes, and extreme heat. Machines have become more intelligent, leading some to worry about a technological overthrow of society. And the possibility of global nuclear warfare looms even larger, with North Korea continuing to advance its nuclear weapons program.

Read more: The nuclear ‘Doomsday Clock’ is closer to midnight than it’s been in 58 years

Predicting one of these unlikely doomsday scenarios may be impossible, but planning for them isn’t if you’re a member of the 1%. Take a look at the “billionaire bunkers” that could house the superrich during an apocalypse.


Amid growing threats to the safety of our planet, a small group of elites — namely, Silicon Valley execs and New York City financiers — have started to discuss their doomsday plans over dinner.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

In some cases, these conversations have prompted wealthy individuals to purchase underground bunkers to shelter themselves during a disaster.


"Billionaire bunkers" don't need to be built from scratch.

Foto: sourceVivos.com

A few companies now manufacture luxury doomsday shelters that cater to superrich clientele.


The Vivos Group, a company based in Del Mar, California, is building a "global underground shelter network" for high-end clients.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Their fanciest compound, known as Europa One, is located beneath a 400-foot-tall mountain in the village of Rothenstein, Germany.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The shelter was once a storage space for Soviet military equipment during the Cold War, according to the company's website.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Source: Vivos


In exchange for purchasing a bunker, residents are provided with a full-time staff and security team.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The property is designed to withstand a close-range nuclear blast, airline crash, earthquake, flood, or military attack.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

A typical living quarters has two floors. On the lower level (shown below), there are multiple bedrooms, a pool table, and a movie theater.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Each family is allotted 2,500 square feet, but has the option to extend their residence to 5,000 square feet.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

This sample movie theater can fit a family of five.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The bunker includes communal spaces, such as a pub for tossing back a few while the world comes to an end.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Or a chapel for sending prayers to the rest of humanity.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

When doomsday arrives, the company envisions residents arriving in Germany by car or plane. From there, Vivos will transport them via helicopter to their sheltered homes.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Vivos

The full underground structure stretches nearly 230,000 square feet.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

There are only 34 private living quarters, so space is limited.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

But the price will likely preclude most people from buying. Private apartments start at $2.5 million and fully furnished, semi-private suites start at around $40,000 a person.

Foto: source© Copyright Terravivos.com

If billionaires can't find space at Europa One, there's also xPoint, a compound in South Dakota that's almost the size of Manhattan.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

xPoint was originally built by Army engineers.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The compound's location near the Black Hills of South Dakota makes it relatively safe from flooding and nuclear targets, according to Vivos.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

xPoint comes with its own electrical and water systems, so residents can survive for at least a year without having to go outside.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The entire compound consists of 575 bunkers, each with enough space for 10 to 24 people.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Each bunker is around 2,200 square feet.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The bunkers start at $35,000, but residents will also have to pay $1,000 in annual rent. That'll likely require some savings when it's unsafe to go outdoors.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The company has yet another shelter in Indiana, which can house just 80 people.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The Vivos website likens the shelter to "a very comfortable 4-Star hotel."

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Source: Vivos


The communal living room has 12-foot-high ceilings.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Residents aren't expected to bring anything other than clothing and medication.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Vivos provides the rest, including laundry facilities, food, toiletries, and linens.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

There's even exercise equipment and pet kennels.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The shelter is co-owned by its members, which makes it slightly more affordable than the company's other models.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Vivos claims on its website that the shelter is safe from tsunamis, earthquakes, and nuclear attacks.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

In a statement, the company said interest in its shelters has "skyrocketed over the past few years." The website says that "few" spaces remain across its network of bunkers.

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

Source: Vivos


Vivos members aren't all elite one-percenters, the company said, "but rather well-educated, average people with a keen awareness of the current global events."

Foto: sourceTerravivos.com

The Survival Condo Project, on the other hand, caters exclusively to the superrich.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

Read more: This 15-story underground doomsday shelter for the 1% has luxury homes, guns, and armored trucks


The company's 15-story facility, fashioned from a retired missile silo, cost $20 million to build.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

In an interview with the New Yorker, the company's CEO, Larry Hall, said his facility represented "true relaxation for the ultra-wealthy."

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

Source: The New Yorker


The facility only has room for about a dozen families, or 75 people in total.

Foto: sourceSurvival Condo Project

The facility is somewhere north of Wichita, Kansas, but its exact location is secret.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

A single unit is relatively small — around 1,820 square feet.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

As of last year, units were advertised for $3 million each. The company also sells half-floor units for around $1.5 million.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

All floors are connected by a high-speed elevator.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

Homeowners can venture outside, but there are SWAT team-style trucks available to pick them up within 400 miles.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

Under a crisis scenario, residents have to secure permission from the company's board of directors before leaving the premises.

Foto: sourceSurvival Condo Project

But conditions inside are far from unbearable. The facility comes with a gym, game center, dog park, classroom, and 75-foot swimming pool.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project

There's even a rock wall. Doomsday has never sounded so luxurious.

Foto: sourceCourtesy of Survival Condo Project