Some 20 spots around the world are paying people to move in. But there’s usually a catch.
For most people thinking of moving abroad, the main concern is money. How much will it cost? Will I have enough? One of the hot new trends in destination marketing tackles this issue head-on: towns and regions around the world have laid out the welcome mat by offering to pay people to come settle down.
Most of these places are looking to boost population growth and their international profile, which is why the outlay is not unreasonable. Some seek digital nomads who’ll stick around for a while, while others are looking for entrepreneurs to launch startups or young families to build community, so it’s important to shop around and see what’s the best fit.
Leading the way is Extremadura, Spain, a sparsely populated province along the Portuguese border that is paying new arrivals up to €15,000 depending on age and length of stay. The region has committed €2 million to the program that aims to attract tech professionals to an area that offers pristine nature, great food, and charming historical towns.
Note that participants must reside in towns of fewer than 5000 people, so it’s not an initiative for city slickers. The small Spanish mountain town of Ponga has a similar program, offering new arrivals $3200 to relocate there, but participants must commit to five years.
Italy has probably gone furthest down this parth. The region of Calabria and the island of Sardinia are offering five-figure sums to people who decide to move there. As in Extremadura, they are required to live in small towns. Tuscany is also seeking to bolster its rural population and will pay people up to €30,000 to relocate to mountain towns with dwindling populations.
In addition, nearly a dozen Italian regions have embraced the country’s widely reported one-euro house scheme, aiming to attract outsiders to small towns in decline. On the other side of the pond, several US states are paying folks to come.
Tulsa is offering stipends of $10,000 to remote workers to settle in Oklahoma’s second-largest city, and the initiative has already brought in more than 3000 people. Other states flashing the bat sign to nomads include Alaska, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky.
To the north, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan is offering incentives and tax rebates totaling nearly $15,000 to recent college graduates willing to move there. Far to the south, Chile may have been the first to get on this bandwagon, launching Start-Up Chile 14 years ago as a “crazy experiment.” Entrepreneur participants are provided up to $80,000 to start a company. Today, Start-Up-launched businesses are valued at $2 billion.
The Swiss Alps village of Albinen is offering nearly $60,000 to young families willing to help build up its small community. The Greek island of Antikythira is offering around $13,000 to families willing to move there for at least two years. The list goes on and on, and you can find more info here.
With so many countries offering different programs to attract nomads, entrepreneurs and families, relocating is cheaper than it’s ever been. After years of the big-city grind, moving to a lovely, quaint village could be just the idyll the doctor ordered, and you’d be getting paid handsomely to boot.
Good luck, and happy new home hunting!
EA Editorial Staff
