Kevin Costner’s houses include some very pricey properties, and it is no surprise. His turn as John Dutton on the hit drama Yellowstone has earned him a handsome sum of $1.3 million per episode, making him one of the highest-paid actors on television. Costner’s homes have long held his fans’ interest, especially given that there has been so much dispute over his longtime Carpinteria, California, home following his divorce from his second wife, Christine Baumgartner. The Dances with Wolves star also recently told Deadline that he mortgaged his nearby 10-acre Santa Barbara home in order to fund Horizon: An American Saga. “I did it without a thought,” he said of leveraging the property for his creative endeavor. “It has thrown my accountant into a f–king conniption fit. But it’s my life, and I believe in the idea and the story.” Still, Costner has done well in maintaining his long-standing properties, retaining most of his estates for several decades. Below, we’re sharing a glimpse into each of his homes.
Carpinteria beachside compound
Costner married his first wife, Cindy Silva, in 1978, after the pair met in college. The couple welcomed three children together, and earned a reputation as the “perfect couple” among their friends and family, according to a source who spoke to People about them. A decade later, in 1988, the Oscar winner purchased a massive compound in Carpinteria, California, near Santa Barbara, which became the couple’s primary residence. Now valued at around $145 million, the 1.4-acre compound comprises several different structures, including a main house and two additional houses, all situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Costner and Silva split in 1994, with The Bodyguard star retaining ownership of the home. Fast-forward to 2023, and the beachside compound was thrust back into the spotlight after Costner and his second wife, Christine Baumgartner, called it quits on their marriage of nearly two decades. It was reported that Baumgartner refused to leave, moving into one of the smaller houses on the property, often used as staff quarters. Eventually, the handbag designer agreed to move into a $40,000-a-month rental in Montecito and the pair reached a settlement, the terms of which were not made public, allowing Costner to once again keep his compound.
La Cañada Flintridge home
Back in 1989, Costner and Silva purchased a home in La Cañada Flintridge together and moved in two years later. The walled compound, designed by San Juan Capistrano architect and builder John McInnes, was an Italian Mediterranean villa that included a 6,754-square-foot main house and a separate 840-square-foot structure with a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, custom aquarium, and game room. There were five bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms spread across the main house, which boasted stone pillars and Spanish marble. The couple held onto the property for about a decade before selling it in 1999 for $2.69 million.
Midnight Star Casino and Restaurant
Though not technically a residence, Costner did once own the Midnight Star Casino and Restaurant in Deadwood, South Dakota. As the story goes, the actor discovered the area when he was scouting for shooting locations for his 1990 film Dances with Wolves. He opened the venue one year later, in 1991, out of his “deep love for Deadwood and the Black Hills of South Dakota and their historical importance in our country’s story,” he told the Associated Press. “I hoped that resurrecting and restoring the famed Phoenix Block Building would allow it, as the Midnight Star, to also become a part of the famed Deadwood story.” The complex featured a grand staircase to the casino’s mezzanine and two restaurants. Costner closed the venue in 2017 and the place was eventually sold to a new owner in 2020.
Spanish-style LA residence
Following his split from Silva in 1994 (their divorce resulted in an $80 million settlement), Costner picked up a Westside home for close to $3 million in 1995. The purchase followed the success of the Oscar winner’s science fiction epic Waterworld. Details about the property are sparse, but the Los Angeles Times reported that the pad was described as a “Spanish hacienda” measuring about 9,000 square feet, with five bedrooms and additional staff quarters. There was also a library, a gym, a wine cellar, and a screening room, as well as a tennis court and a swimming pool. The celeb-friendly spot had quite the Hollywood pedigree—Costner purchased the house from Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss, and eventually sold it to Ryan Seacrest for $11.5 million in 2006.
Sprawling Aspen ranch
Costner began the next decade with a major investment in a ranch in Aspen affectionately referred to as Dunbar Ranch, named after his character in Dances with Wolves. He reportedly paid $30,000 for the 160 acres of land in 2000. The main house features 12 bedrooms and eight bathrooms spread across nearly 6,000 square feet, and the estate is located just minutes from downtown Aspen. Other standout features of the luxury retreat include a massive lake, a baseball field, a sledding hill, and three hot tubs. Caretakers are on hand to help care for the grounds 24/7. The Oscar winner reportedly typically rents out the property during the winter months, when he presumably spends more time in Santa Barbara. (According to reports, Costner’s rental situation is a lucrative one; in the high season, he can make up to $250,000 per week.) In recent years, he even listed the ranch on the rental market for $36,000 a night. The property, which features stunning views of the surrounding mountains, was also where Costner and Baumgartner tied the knot in 2004. The actor still owns this vacation getaway.
Second Santa Barbara residence
In 2006, Costner was apparently jogging in his Santa Barbara neighborhood when he saw a For Sale sign on the same street. He paid $28.5 million for the 17.25-acre lot he’d seen while on the run, selling seven of those acres to his neighbor one year later. The property features views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Barbara mountains, with exclusive beach access and a path for horseback riding. Perched on a dramatic bluff, the main house is, by contrast, decidedly modest: a 1942 home with two bedrooms and two bathrooms spread across around 1,000 square feet. Costner initially had plans to build a larger residence, a guesthouse, and a pool in its place, but ended up infamously taking out a mortgage on the property instead in order to finance his longtime movie project Horizon: An American Saga. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the decision I needed to make,” he previously told the AP. He put the estate up for sale for $60 million in 2017, but later took it back off the market. He still owns this residence.
