SLOVENIA You can still pick up a house for around £25,000 in the “Surrey of the Balkans”, but count on spending at least £15,000 to make it habitable. Increasingly popular with British buyers looking for quiet rural retreats

POLAND Although largely neglected so far by investors because of its ugliness, Warsaw looks likely to take off in coming months. Studios start at around £30,000. Prices now rising by about 10%-15% a year. Pretty Krakow is also popular

DUBAI One of the hottest global property spots, with off-plan flats changing hands at substantial mark-ups several times even before they are completed. Prices start at around £40,000 for a studio, but can exceed £1m in the most prestigious developments. Some experts fear it is a bubble about to burst

SHANGHAI Expect to pay upwards of £100,000 for a two-bed flat that you can let out for a likely 6%-7% return. Prices have been rising at an annual 20% or so but are expected to slow as the government raises interest rates and tightens restrictions on credit to try to calm things down

CZECH REPUBLIC Prague was one of the first Central European cities to attract British buyers, but prices are already relatively high and rents have been falling. A two-bedroom flat in the centre could set you back more than £100,000

CROATIA Popular with Britons as well as Germans and Italians, but prices have already increased steeply and may be steadying. Houses in Dubrovnic and elsewhere on the Dalmatian coast could cost upwards of £130,000, but stone-built cottages on the more inaccessible islands are still substantially cheaper

SPAIN Britons have been buying here since the 1970s and it still remains favourite for holiday homes. Prices can vary widely: you can still pick up a home inland for as little as £40,000, but apartments in prestigious resorts such as Marbella can cost more than £1m. Prices are still rising, although confidence may have been dented by a series of scandals

FRANCE Another popular choice with British buyers. Average prices have risen 48% over the past three years, but rural houses in less fashionable regions can still be picked up for less than £50,000. Count on paying at least four to five times that for the equivalent on the Cote d’Azur

ITALY Villas in the most prestigious parts of Tuscany can go for £500,000 and upwards. Prices are slightly lower in neighbouring Umbria and bargains can still be had in less popular areas further south. Italy’s economic woes may dampen future price rises

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