Half a mill around here ( Norfolk ) would buy a nice converted barn, open plan with all the trimmings and a decent whack of land, we've got a 4 bed detached we brought 2 years ago for £180k in a nice quite village. Pick it up and put it down south id imagine you'd pay nearly half a mill at a guess. Cost of living around here, especially if you don't want to be in town is exceptional, we are 10 mins away from 3 different towns and an hour away from 2 Citys ( 3 if you count Cambridge on the train 45 mins, and London Kings cross in 90 mins ).