In the global marketplace for luxury real estate, just how much does US$2.5 million buy? In this Luxury Defined edition, we tour the world to learn what that price point provides.

What do we find? For starters, space and spectacle, fixtures and finishes, landscaping and … location, location, location!

Choose among a contemporary duplex penthouse on Spain’s Costa del Sol or a converted Victorian police station near the English Cathedral city of York. Or escape to the country in a charming cottage on Canada’s Rideau River or an idyllic New England farmhouse overlooking Vermont’s Green Mountains.

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

1. Elmore Mountain Farm in Morristown, Vermont, United States

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Mount Elmore Farm represents a rare opportunity to own a fully restored New England farmhouse in a remarkably private setting, just 5 minutes’ drive from the village of Morrisville and 15 minutes from Stowe Mountain Resort.

The property offers complete privacy on 34 acres at the foot of Mount Elmore, with 180-degree views of Mount Mansfield, Camels Hump, and the Green Mountains.

The farm has changed hands just twice in the last 75 years and recently underwent a thoughtful and thorough restoration, adding luxurious 21st-century creature comforts while preserving all of its antique charm.

There are multiple outbuildings with extensive accommodations for residents, guests, and staff. The main house offers 4,760 square feet of luxurious living space with five bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths.

Adjacent is a traditional, three-level red barn with a 2,700-square-foot, four-bedroom apartment, ideal as a guest apartment or in-law suite. There’s plenty of space for one or two income-producing rentals, a home office, or a farm-based business, as well as equipment storage and stabling for horses and livestock.

The grounds are a haven of pastoral splendor with extensive pastures and woodlands, mature gardens, fruit trees, and a pond.

2. Sea-View Penthouse in Nueva Andalucia, Marbella, Spain

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This duplex penthouse has a tranquil hillside setting in Los Belvederes, Nueva Andalucia, a luxury golf community on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

The property was refurbished in July 2024 with an array of features for the resort lifestyle, including a rooftop pool, a covered terrace with lounge seating, and private parking for golf buggies.

The sleek, open-plan living spaces are wrapped in glass to frame the views of the fairways and the coast. Light wood carpentry adds warmth and elegance to the reception areas and the minimalist kitchen, fully equipped with Miele appliances.

All three bedrooms are en suite and fitted with underfloor heating, including a luxurious primary suite with its own panoramic sea view.

3. Waterfront Bungalow in Manotick, Ottawa, Canada

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Offered for the first time in 20 years, this elegant waterfront bungalow in the peaceful Ottawa suburb of Manotick, Ontario, comes with 407 feet of river frontage and a boat slip for up to four vessels.

A gated driveway leads through an acre of landscaped grounds to the four-bedroom main house. The interiors have a seamless indoor-outdoor flow inspired by Florida living.

The principal reception rooms, the primary suite, and the wellness suite (with a yoga studio and resistance pool) open to a central courtyard where a resort-worthy outdoor pool, changing rooms, and a charming, thatched tiki hut await. Just beyond are meticulously landscaped gardens and shaded terraces with riverine views.

The lifestyle features continue with an office, a game room, a recreation room, and a detached garage—a dream for car collectors with six parking bays, a service pit, and 14-foot-high doors for RVs or boat storage.

The self-contained guest studio is heated for year-round use and could easily double as an atelier, studio, or a second office.

4. Alma House in Fulford, Yorkshire, England

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What’s all this, then? It’s Alma House: a former Victorian police station, superbly revived and transformed for luxurious contemporary living.

This historic property, in the village of Fulford on the outskirts of York, reposes behind the brick-arched doors and windows of its elegant, original façade.

Its future-forward interior spaces run to nearly 4,000 square feet, with sumptuous bedrooms and bathrooms. Configured as a private house/Airbnb with three luxurious suites tailored for specialist culinary and wine experiences, the dwelling could easily revert to a substantial, five-bedroom private home.

The property’s innovative rebuild incorporates Nu-heat underfloor heating, Loxone home automation, and Resstende electric blinds and curtains. Other high-end features include Listone Giordano wood floors, Graniti Fiandre marble and hard flooring, Davide Groppi light fittings, Antonio Lupi and Ex.t bathrooms with Aqua Elite spa systems, and an Abimis commercial-grade kitchen.

The ground floor offers a potential annex with separate external access, providing options for multi-generational living, home-office space, or an income stream via Airbnb. Externally, there is a south-facing walled courtyard area to the rear, driveway parking for three vehicles and an EV-charging point.

Seeking a luxury lifestyle for $2.5 million or thereabouts? Start here.