In the fickle world of real estate, £774,850 ($1m) stretches further in some locations than it does in others – for the same sum, you can pick up a vast property with acres of land, or a tiny apartment in a bustling city. To illustrate the difference, we've found two homes in key countries, with a similar six- or seven-figure price tag, but very different amenities and square footage. 

From a sprawling French castle to a micro-apartment in London, an Auckland boatshed and a fairytale estate in Mexico, click or scroll on to discover what a million bucks can buy you around the world...

*All prices, conversions and average prices correct at time of publication.

Australia is home to bustling cities and beautiful, rural locales, so it makes sense that its real estate prices vary greatly. But in general terms, prices are on the up. In the last 12 months, house prices have increased in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney, by 19.4%, 9.9%, 8.6% and 3.1% respectively.

According to an analysis from Money.com.au, since 1975 the average home price in Australia’s major cities has risen by 3,435%, while median full-time wages have increased by only 1,183%. This means there's a huge affordability issue.

New South Wales is home to the country's most expensive property market, Sydney, with a median home value of around AU$1.6 million (£778k/$1m). Meanwhile, the most affordable region is the Northern Territory, with the average house price in Darwin being AU$614,192 (£299k/$387k), as of February 2025, according to financial advice website Michael Yardney's Property Update.

Like most countries, the United States is home to super-expensive metropolises and more affordable cities and towns. House prices continue to rise across the nation. In fact, Forbes reports that median existing-home prices have grown by roughly 38% over the past five years, alongside rising mortgage rates.

According to US real estate brokerage Redfin, the average house in America costs £330,500 ($428k), as of March 2025, up 4.5% over the last year. Redfin's data shows that California is the most expensive state at £606,100 ($785k), while Iowa is the least expensive state, with a median house value of £175,500 ($228k). However, with a median listing home price of £1.2 million ($1.5m), Manhattan has one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.

The United Kingdom is suffering from a housing crisis. Due to a huge supply and demand imbalance, decent homes are hard to come by and extremely unaffordable for many. According to British property search site Zoopla, the value of houses has increased 24% over the last five years, which is three-times faster than the value of flats, which have seen 7% growth. The average price of a detached home in the UK in January 2025 was £448,500 ($581k) and prices are set to rise by 2.5% by the end of the year.

As of January 2025, Aberdeen in Scotland is the cheapest place to buy a house in the UK, with an average price of just £137,000 ($177k), according to Property Investor Today. Cities and towns in North East England, such as Sunderland and Durham, also consistently feature on affordable housing lists. Unsurprisingly, London is one of the most expensive areas. Here, homes cost £685,847 ($888k), as reported by British property site Rightmove.

A country with dramatic natural landscapes and vibrant cities, New Zealand is a sought-after place to live and is regularly named one of the best places to reside in the world, thanks to its stunning landscape and quality of life.

So, what about affordability? Well, real estate here is on the up. In February 2025, the median house price in New Zealand was NZ$772,000, or £343,555 ($444k). That figure was just NZ$430,000 (£191k/$247k) 10 years ago. That means that the median New Zealand property has increased in value by 6.03% each year, or NZ$34,200 (£15k/$20k) on average, according to property investment site Opres Partners.

Auckland, the country's most populous city on its North Island, is the most expensive hotspot, with an average house price of NZ$1 million (£445k/$575k). Meanwhile, some of the cheapest markets are found on the West Coast. Here, the median house price is just NZ$430,000 (£191k/$245k).

A country with vast national parks, gorgeous mountain ranges and thriving metropolises, Canada is often described as one of the best countries in the world, not just for travel, but for living, too.

In March 2025, the nation's average house price was CA$712,400 (£384k/$496k), but, according to Statista, this figure is expected to reach CA$746,379 (£403k/$521k) by 2026.

The three most affordable provinces for housing are Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. In Newfoundland and Labrador, average house prices are around CA$350,000 (£188k/$243k). British Columbia and Ontario have the country's most expensive property markets, with the average three-bed home selling for CA$1.3 million (£702k/$908k) and CA$1.1 million (£594k/$767k) respectively.

South Africa's property market has been described as "sluggish" over the past few years, due to high levels of unemployment, weak household finances and an underdeveloped mortgage market. However, the country's property market is poised for growth in 2025. It's anticipated by Statista that the market will experience an annual growth rate of 2.99% over the next few years.

As of March 2025, the average two-bed property goes for R850,000, which is just £36,000 ($47k), according to data compiled by the real estate search website Property24. Property analytics group Lightstone revealed the most expensive suburbs in the country based on property value and they’re all in the Western Cape. 

The average home price in the three most expensive suburbs, Llandudno, Bishopscourt and Clifton, was more than R20 million (£850k/$1.1m), while Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape is the cheapest city to buy, with homes costing, on average, R514,000 (£22k/$28k).

With its bustling cities, glittering coastlines and picturesque mountains, Spain has plenty to offer prospective homebuyers. As such, in 2024, the housing market experienced a significant rise in property prices. In fact, according to Idealista data, the price of resale homes surged by 10.7% in November 2024. Plus, it's predicted that there will be a further 3% rise in prices in 2026.

Extremadura in the west of the country is considered one of the most budget-friendly places to buy, with an average property price of around €65 (£54/$70) per square foot (€700/£589/$761 per sqm). Comparatively, in Madrid the average property price hovers around €297 (£249/$321) per square foot (€3.2k/£2.7k/$3.5k per sqm) and Barcelona is a little cheaper, at around €279 (£234/$303) per square foot (€3k/£2.5k/$3.2k per sqm).

Germany is home to beautiful, historic cities and stunning rural wilderness, yet it's been a turbulent few years for the country's property market. Thanks to years of low interest rates and strong demand, the property market in Germany was booming until "a post-pandemic surge in borrowing and construction costs quickly turned it into one of the hardest-hit markets, in a global real estate slump", finance market experts Reuters explains.

Since soaring nearly 25% from 2020 to mid-2022, home prices have fallen about 12%. But things are slowly turning around and it's expected that the average German house price will rise by 3.5% in 2025.

According to March 2025 data from Engel & Völkers, the average offer price for homes in Germany is €453,740 (£380k$492k). Germany's most expensive market is Munich in Bavaria, where the typical home costs €1,083 (£907/$1.2k) per square foot (€11.7k/£9.8k/$12.6k per sqm). Leipzig in Saxony is one of the most affordable spots, with the average home costing just €355 (£297/$385) per square foot (€3.8k/£3.2k/$4.1k per sqm).

From a rural château to a romantic city pied-à-terre, French real estate is diverse – and what's more, it's currently a buyer's market. According to data from Global Property Guide, house prices in the country have been going down for some time. In the third quarter of 2024, prices dropped by 3.96% year-on-year, the fifth consecutive drop.

In late 2024, the three most expensive cities were located on the French Riviera: Ramatuelle, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Saint-Tropez, according to a recent study by the National Federation of Real Estate (FNAIM). Amazingly, homes in Ramatuelle cost, on average, €1,494 (£1.3k/$1.6k) per square foot (€16k/£13.5k/$17.4k per sqm).

The capital, Paris, is also highly expensive, with homes averaging €1,054 (£883/$1.1k) per square foot (€11.3k/£9.5k/$12.3k per sqm). Central France remains the cheapest place to buy, with the city of Limoges offering homes at an average price of just €187,600 (£157k/$204k).

Renowned for its breathtaking mountains and historic cities, Austria is a popular location among prospective buyers and investors. The nation had a remarkably stable market for years, with sustained growth year-on-year. Not even Coronavirus had any negative impact on property prices. In fact, prices rose by 30% following the pandemic. But in 2023 and 2024, prices dropped steadily, by 2.35% and 1.08% respectively, according to analysis by Global Property Guide.

According to forecasts, the supply of property is expected to increase by 4% in 2025, while demand could rise by around 5%. Property prices in Austria will likely rise by 3% in the next 12 months, too. The highest property prices can be found in the Kitzbühel region, with villas and chalets selling for around €2.6 million (£2.2m/$2.8m). 

As the nation's capital, Vienna is one of the most expensive regions to purchase property, too, while house prices are much lower in Burgenland, Austria's least populous state in the east.