What Bezos spending $2 billion would feel like to the average American

Lindsey Wasson | Reuters

Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos speaks at the new Amazon Spheres opening event at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters in Seattle, Washington, U.S., January 29, 2018.

Envision a world where attending Princeton University costs you about two quarters and staying in one of the most luxurious hotels in Dubai for a week would cost less than a nickel. That’s the reality for the Amazon CEO and many of his rich counterparts, relatively speaking.

On Thursday, Jeff Bezos announced his new $2 billion “Day One Fund” to create preschools and help homeless families. At a net worth of about $164 billion, according to Bloomberg, Bezos is the wealthiest person on the planet. The average American’s median household total wealth is $97,300, according to the Federal Reserve 2016 data (latest available).

So, for Bezos, everything is on a grander scale. Spending $2 billion on a noble cause would actually feel like spending $1,187 for the average American.

To put Bezos’s wealth in even better perspective, check out the following list of eight purchases. The left column shows the real cost of each purchase Bezos would pay. The right column gives you an idea what that cost feels like to Bezos, based on the median household total wealth for Americans.