Kevin Costner’s Estranged Wife Christine Moves Into Luxury Montecito Rental Home Amid Divorce

Kevin Costner’s estranged wife, Christine Baumgartner, is living in a gorgeous new rental home in Montecito, which she moved into over the Labor Day weekend.

Baumgartner’s new rental property in Santa Barbara County costs $40,000 per month, The Daily Mail reports. However, it appears that Baumgartner is not thrilled with having her family in the luxury accommodations

The move came around the same time that a Santa Barbara County judge cut down the amount Costner was obligated to pay Baumgartner in child support — from $129,000 to $63,209. This move came after she had asked the judge to increase payments to $161,000.

Baumgartner reportedly told the court during a recent hearing that the new rental property is insufficient to provide her children with living space comparable to that provided by their father. One point made, per Daily Mail, was that her kids might have to share a bathroom.

As seen in photos obtained by the publication, the $40,000 per month rental property, which rests on an acre of land, has luxury fittings, an idyllic pool, manicured lawns and gardens and is adjacent to a scenic hiking trail.

In court on Friday, Baumgartner, 49, had argued that it was important for their children to have a “comparable lifestyle” to the one they enjoyed when she and Costner were still a couple. They share three children — sons Cayden, 16, and Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 13. Baumgartner filed for divorce in May after 18 years of marriage.

Costner previously painted Baumgartner’s claim that he “steadfastly refuses” to pay child support sufficient to meet the children’s reasonable needs as “demonstrably false and purposely inflammatory.” Costner insisted he and Baumgartner “simply differ on what ‘reasonable needs’ means in the context of child support.” 

In the end, the actor-director proposed he should only have to pay her $63,209 per month in child support, adding that the monthly figure fully meets the reasonable needs of the children. And the judge agreed.

The actor testified that his “biggest concern” was that the court would order him to pay child support above the children’s needs. He also shared his fear of running out of money, largely because he’s not an actor known for doing sequels and only taking on projects he cares about and/or has financed himself.

“I will always take care of my family, but that number [Baumgartner’s child support request] is grossly inflated,” Costner said on the stand.

He admitted that the family “wants for nothing” and that they enjoy an “incredible life” but he insisted they are fiscally conservative. To that point, Costner pointed to the fact his son drives a 15-year-old Range Rover because he and Baumgartner didn’t believe in buying him a new car.

“‘I could run out of cash very quickly and that could force me to take jobs I don’t want to do and work later than I want to work,” Costner told the court. “My homes in Aspen and here, I could lose them. I have spent my whole life building them as places for me and my family and friends.”

For more on their messy ongoing divorce, see the video below.

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