What $500,000 buys around the world, from a French house to a Caribbean oasis

1. A five-acre lot of land on a shared ranch property in central Texas.

Address: 1078 Cr 1070, Lot I-1
Where: Clifton, Texas Price: US$400,000 (approximately $527,000) With a total of 3,744 acres, Bosque Canyon Ranch is the perfect set-up to channel your inner John Wayne. Just 48 members own an undivided interest in this shared ranch community (with full-time ranch hand) and with that you get your own five-acre plot with shared amenities like a lodge kitted out with designer kitchen, stone fireplaces, a gym, pools and more outdoor porches than you can shake a lasso at. Members also have access to 4 furnished casitas, a 3-bed/3-bath house, barn and horses, and a shooting range.

2. A stone home in a cozy village in southwestern France.

Where: Montils, Poitou-Charentes, France
Price: US$378,000 (approximately $498,000) Specs: 4 bedrooms, 4 baths From this French stone village house, you're in the famed Bordeaux region in under an hour and a half. But the wine is good everywhere here, so you'll likely be tempted to stay put in your own idyllic park-like setting on more than half an acre with a pool. A guest house means you'll never be short on company, and there's a baker within walking distance for morning croissants.

3. A small oceanfront home in the Dominican Republic.

Where: Cabrera, Dominican Republic
Price: US$375,000 (approximately $494,000) Specs: 1 bedroom, 1 bath Oceanfront in the Caribbean for under half a million—what's the catch? Well, don’t invite too many friends—while this pad in paradise is a respectable 1,200 sq/ft., there's only one bedroom (but room for futons). The Cabrera area is higher-end and you're close to world-class golf on over an acre of waterfront.

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