Why settle for a house when you could get a whole island?

New Zealand’s housing market may be cooling, but the average cost of a home in Auckland is still above $1.2 million.

If you’ve been priced out of the market for uninsulated weatherboard homes in our biggest city, it might be time to consider a castle or private island. No, seriously.

Here are five incredible properties on the market for less than the average house in Auckland.

The New York apartment, $1.1m

Who hasn’t daydreamed about a life in the middle of Manhattan? Now might be the time to make that dream a reality.

You won’t get the same floor space in this West Village starter apartment as you would in Auckland, but you will get a decent chunk of change from $1.2m.

The good-sized living room has hardwood floors, pressed tin ceilings and a decorative fireplace, while the bedroom will comfortably fit a queen size bed and side table. And you get to live in New York!

The Canadian island, $584,600

The original 88m2 cottage on Rothwells Island, Ontario, was built in the 1900s and has two bedrooms, a walk-in closet, a claw-foot bath and a composting toilet.

The main living areas face south – a good thing in the northern hemisphere – for nice light and views, and there is a separate 19m2 guest cottage, sleeping four. The island has two docks and birdlife galore, including the occasional bald eagle, but if boats and birds aren’t your bag, there is also wi-fi.

The Scottish castle, $927,000

Island life not for you? How about a castle? A three-bedroom penthouse apartment in Scotland’s Lomond Castle could be yours for under $1m.

Built about 1860, the sandstone castle sits on 2.4 hectares of communal grounds right on the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.

The 138m apartment has a splitlevel

2 ‘‘drawing room’’ and dining area, a full bathroom, two en suites and a large kitchen.

One of the bedrooms also has a turret window, as you’d expect from any castle apartment worth its salt.

The Swiss Alps chalet, $1.1m

Get excited, ski bunnies, because this two-bedroom, two-bathroom home is just 10 minutes from the popular Portes du Doleil resorts.

The property faces the Dents du Midi mountain range for views galore and is only a few minutes from the village centre and a train station.

Partially renovated in 2018, the property is accessible all year round and has the potential for expansion.

The vineyard in France, $867,000

This wine estate in Montrichard, three hours from Paris, has 11ha of vines and 4ha of cultivated land, a 300m2 wine cellar, a 165m2 storage cellar and an assortment of workshops and garages.

There’s also a four-bedroom, twobathroom farmhouse with a library, office, and two guest bedrooms with separate entrance.

The French capital is a relatively easy drive away, but with castles, bike trails and plenty of places to eat in the surrounding areas, you might never want to leave your new home.