5 European castles you can buy for the same price as a home in Toronto
If you’ve ever indulged your fantasy of starting a luxurious dream life somewhere new by browsing real estate listings of some far-off place, you may already know that there are some absolutely jaw-dropping properties around the globe that you could nab for far less than the price of a home in Toronto.
Somehow, the average price for a residence in the GTA — $1,119,428 as of September 2023, per the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board — is as much as many bonafide castles in Europe, most of them in places with lower costs of living in general to boot.
We’ve gathered just a few that are currently for sale to really put the city’s ridiculous market into perspective:
A 13th-century castle in a French nature reserve
You could own this sprawling piece of history for less than some condos in downtown Toronto with this castle in Nontron, France, listed for just €636,000 (C$913,137), which includes all fees.
Located in the Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin in Nontron, the renovated property comes on 0.45 hectares of land, which includes the 3,640-square-foot castle, a terrace with plunge pool, a shepherd’s hut and magnificent gardens overlooking a view of the countryside.
If you’re missing the city, Paris is a five-hour drive, and Nantes is just 3.5 hours away.
A villa on the Amalfi Coast
Instead of heading to Italy’s renowned Amalfi Coast on vacation, why not buy a villa there for the low price of just €780,000 (C$1,119,758)?
With private sea access, 1,670 square feet of living space and views out of a movie, the property is located less than an hour away from all of the top tourist destinations of the area, including Positano, Sorrento and Capri.
The thick stone walls, arched windows, and defensive tower show the castle’s rich history — it was built all the way back in 1564.
One caveat of the listing is that it is not full ownership that you’d be getting for the above price, but 2/12 ownership, much like a timeshare.
A 16th-century chateau with a private lake in Limoges, France
This 4,360-square-foot stunner is listed as having nine bedrooms and six bathrooms across a main building and guest house, and even comes with its own two-hectare lake on an 8.1-hectare estate.
Along with an entrance hall, formal dining room, drawing room, library, and other bougie rooms, it has an unfinished top floor with an extra 10 rooms that the sellers say would make for a great boutique hotel or bed and breakfast for extra profit to pay off the €648,900 (C$931,658) price tag, which includes agency fees.
A nearly 7,000-square-foot fortress with its own moat
This property in Châtellerault, France, is perfect for those who want to leave Toronto and its bonkers prices behind them, as it comes with a 4.28 piece of property and a moat to keep it all to yourself.
The moat — which is just one of the home’s impressive features, along with a Louis XIV stone staircase, seven bedrooms, multiple outbuildings including a Medieval chapel, and a lake — was actually created by Mr. Eiffel himself, apparently as a wedding present to a previous owner, the listing says.
The listing price of €757,264 (C$1,087,183) including fees would seem utterly absurd to anyone used to Canadian prices.
A baroque-style fortified manor in coastal Spain
Located in northwest Spain about an hour from the ocean, this gem from the 16th century is, like all on this list, oozing with history.
It has a defence tower with original battlements and a stellar view of the fields of Ourense, a barn, a wine cellar, its own well, granite staircases and balconies, two living rooms, and more on a 6.2-hectare lot.
Though it needs a little fixing up due to its age, at €625,000 (C$897,295), it is an absolute steal.