Lived in Europe and US and building and landscape design play a big part on how much you really need AC, well at least they used to. Now I would say for the most part living in either place AC is an important quality of life option as it's just getting gross everywhere with crazy high temps.
If you really live in a 500 yo house, the walls are probably like 1 meter thick full stone/brick and the windows are tiny. They stay cold in summer, it's like living in a cave.
The much more common 60-100 yo houses on the other hand...