Butler + staff + cleaning + food + chef combined would be either in striking distance or more expensive than renting a suite for a year. The smaller suites are around $2k to $3k per night. You can usually get up to a 40% to 60% discount if you pay upfront for a year (or three) and they throw in all kinds of stuff for free.

Assuming $1.5k as a conservative estimate, we get about $550k/yr. Or, $45k/mo. If you have a mortgage, then for a marginally expensive home ($3M in the bay), a 20-year mortgage all in at 3% is $21k.

A good butler starts at around 9k/mo before taxes etc. And goes up to $12k/mo to $15k/mo. Let's assume $10k, then that's $31k so far.

Add about $6k more for household cleaning and a part-time chef (pricey!), then we get to $37k before the groceries are brought in.

Depending on how you shop, this can be between $2k/mo/head to $5k/mo/head. let's assume $2.5k. So $39.5k before utilities, upkeep etc are taken into account.

Add $2.5k in high-speed internet and utilities. If you want a house with a good HVAC system, air purification and all the other bells and whistles that are incidental in a hotel. We're now at $42k with a $3k difference so far. I'm sure that can be easily made up if you buy a more expensive property or the property taxes go up or you refurnish your home...

It's fairly price competitive to live in a hotel for a rich person versus having your own gigantic household. The biggest tradeoff is space. And I'm happy to do that for the greater peace of mind.

> If you have a mortgage, then for a marginally expensive home ($3M in the bay), a 20-year mortgage all in at 3% is $21k.

Not only you are comparing a “small suite” with a probably much larger $3mn home but you’re comparing renting with buying over 20 years. You should count only the interests paid.

A butler charges $9k+ per month? That's about two-and-a-half times the median graduate salary in the UK: how does one become a butler?

It's a high trust role. You have to work your way up.

From where though? I've seen about high-class nannies, and presumably they might work their way up to being housekeepers (by which I mean managers of households as opposed to cleaner/cook type positions).

In the past private school fags, or military batmen presumably might follow a "gentleman" in to later service, but I don't see where it fits in now? I'd guess it must be like being an equerry, about social positioning in the first place?

Your staff can serve more than one suite. Family size will be a factor here.

Might be different in other countries, but in the U.K. at least I believe the highest-ranking member of staff is usually the steward / majordomo.