Property Insights: What Does US$2.5 Million Buy Around the World?

In the global marketplace for luxury real estate, just what does US$2.5 million buy?  

In this Luxury Defined edition, we tour the world to learn what this price point provides. For starters, space and spectacle, fixtures and finishes, landscaping and location, location, location!  

Choose from a thoroughly modern apartment in Central London, or an opulent riad in Marrakesh. Or escape the city in a restored 17th-century manor house on 60 acres in the Dordogne region of France or an equestrian estate in the Swedish countryside. 

Read on to discover what and, perhaps even more importantly, where US$2.5 million gets you. 

1. Unique Horse Farm in Bäringe Hemman, Skåne, Sweden 

This unique country estate is surrounded by fields and woodland in the heart of Skåne, Sweden’s southernmost county. 

Built in the late 19th century, the nine-acre property was reimagined for the contemporary equestrian lifestyle.

The superb facilities include indoor and outdoor riding arenas, a workshop, numerous paddocks, stables, fenced paddocks and pastures, and riding trails.

The centerpiece is a 25,833-square-foot, Danish-designed riding hall with beamed cathedral ceiling, fiber-sand surface, and automatic irrigation system. 

The human amenities are equally appealing, with a traditional manor house, half-timbered cottage, guest house, and lawned gardens with a pergola, orangery, and fountain.  

2. Manor House in the Dordogne, Aquitaine, France

This gated estate encompasses nearly 60 parklike acres near the market town of Le Bugue in the Dordogne department of southwestern France. 

The main residence is a beautiful stone manor house built in the 17th century and immaculately renovated for the 21st. The living spaces include a modern kitchen, living room and dining room (both with fireplaces), and a veranda with a barbecue. The office, with three windows facing the grounds, is the ideal work-from-home space. 

Four en suite bedrooms are on the second level, including a luxurious primary suite. The guardian’s house offers private accommodations for staff.  

The property is arrayed with lifestyle features, including a car collector’s garage, aircraft hangar, swimming pool (with a retractable cover for year-round use), and equestrian facility (with stables, a barn, and fenced paddocks).

Pastures, vegetable gardens and a heart-shaped lake surrounded by private woodland are further highlights of this idyllic property. 

Related: Explore What You Can Get for US$5 Million Around the World

3. Eco-Friendly Alpine Villa in Castaneda, Grisons, Switzerland 

This charming eco-villa is at one with its breathtaking Alpine setting in the Swiss canton of Grisons. 

Constructed in 1900, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom residence and its beautiful gardens underwent a contemporary redesign in accordance with the principles of Feng Shui.  

Walls of glass flood the living spaces with natural light while showcasing the mountain views.

Each of the three levels has a landscaped balcony or terrace to bring nature indoors, including the top level, reimagined as a private office with a mountain-view balcony. 

The sustainable features include solar panels, a heat pump, and chimney boiler. The landscaped grounds are a haven of flowering plants, palm trees, and herb gardens. 

4. Riad Anyr in Marrakesh, Morocco 

This enchanting Moroccan riad is near, yet seemingly a world away from, the bustling Medina of Marrakesh.

Set in the old Dar el Bacha, a short walk from the souks and Jemaa el-Fna square, the property, once owned by a spice merchant, retains much of its original splendor.   

The riad underwent a sensitive renovation, true to its Moroccan roots with influences from the East Indies. The sumptuous 12-bedroom, 12-bathroom home is adorned with beautiful details throughout.

Zellige tiles grace the floor and walls of the interior courtyard anchored by a mosaic-tiled swimming pool with fountain. Above is a mezzanine level embellished with latticed banisters, intricate stonemasonry, and arched doorways leading to the upstairs bedrooms. 

The top floor is a spectacular wraparound roof terrace with an alfresco lounge, dining spaces, and a 360-degree vista of the Red City’s rooftops and the snow-covered peaks of the Atlas Mountains. 

Related: Discover More Luxury Market Insights 

5. Residence at The Great Portland in London, England 

In the heart of London’s W1, The Great Portland is a new luxury residential and retail development designed by architect Simon Bowden.  

Its bright, limestone façade is punctuated by bronze-framed lantern bay windows and cast aluminum balustrades inspired by Japanese porcelain. 

Located on the building’s second story, this two-bedroom apartment has an open-concept layout with a living and dining space, minimalist kitchen, and two bathrooms (one en suite and a separate shower room). 

The residence is elegantly appointed throughout with oak floors and floor-to-ceiling bay windows bringing in the light and the views of Great Portland Street, the unifying line between the historic Central London neighborhoods of Marylebone and Fitzrovia. Great Portland Street underground station is just steps away.