Cold Hard Cash for Changing Your Address
Remote work changed everything. Suddenly, you could live anywhere with decent internet, and entire regions started noticing their populations draining away to bigger metros or other countries entirely. As a result, floundering cities began to try and entice newcomers through grants, relocation packages, and benefits that make moving financially irresistible. Here are twenty cities that will straight up bribe you to relocate with various incentives.
1. Ponga, Spain: €3,000 Per Person
This Asturian village in northern Spain offers €3,000 to anyone willing to move there, with the total capped at €9,000 per family. Ponga has fewer than 600 residents and desperately needs young families to keep schools open and services running. The region is stunningly green, tucked into mountains with traditional stone houses and a slower pace of life.
2. Albinen, Switzerland: Up to $25,000
The village of Albinen only has about 240 residents, and they’re prepared to offer 25,000 Swiss francs per adult and 10,000 per child if you're under 45 and willing to buy or build a property worth at least 200,000 francs. You must commit to living there for ten years or pay it back.
3. Candela, Italy: €2,000 Plus Rent Assistance
This hilltop town in Puglia offers €2,000 to anyone who moves there and commits to opening a business or taking a job with a local employer. Candela's population dropped from around 8,000 in the 1990s to fewer than 2,700 today. The mayor launched the program in 2017 after watching his hometown hollow out.
4. Antikythera, Greece: €500 Monthly Plus Land and House
The Greek Orthodox Church offers families €500 per month for three years, plus a house and land, if you move to this tiny island between Crete and the mainland. Antikythera has about 45 permanent residents. You'll need to be Greek Orthodox and willing to work in one of the few available jobs.
5. Sardinia, Italy: €15,000
The regional government of Sardinia offers grants of up to €15,000 to people willing to move to towns with fewer than 3,000 inhabitants. You need to start a business or take a job there, and the money can be used for renovating a house or business premises. Over 100 towns participate in the program.
6. Saskatchewan, Canada: Various Incentives
Multiple towns across Saskatchewan offer relocation packages. Moosomin offers free land if you build within a certain timeframe. Rouleau provides lots for just $1. The province is trying to grow its population after years of young people leaving for Toronto and Vancouver.
7. Chile's Startup Visa: $40,000
Start-Up Chile offers equity-free funding of $40,000, plus a one-year work visa, to entrepreneurs from around the world. Over 2,000 startups have gone through the program since 2010. Santiago has a growing tech scene and serves as a base for exploring the region.
8. Southern Patagonia, Chile: Direct Payments
Towns in Chile's Aysén region offer various incentives to combat depopulation. Villa O'Higgins, one of the country's southernmost towns, has provided housing subsidies and business grants to newcomers. The region is staggeringly beautiful, with glaciers, mountains, and turquoise lakes.
O'car Johann Campos on Unsplash
9. Rubia, Spain: Free Housing
This Galician village offers rent-free housing for up to three years to families with children willing to move there. Rubia's population has dwindled to around 100, and the local council is desperate to keep the school open. Northwestern Spain gets more rain than you'd expect, with green landscapes that feel more Irish than Mediterranean.
10. Molise, Italy: €700 Monthly
This often-overlooked region in central Italy offers €700 per month for three years to anyone willing to move to a town with fewer than 2,000 residents and start a business or work locally. About 100 villages participate.
11. Mauritius: Premium Travel Visa
While not a cash payment, Mauritius offers a one-year Premium Travel Visa to remote workers earning at least $40,000 annually. You can bring your family, and the island nation provides a tropical setting with excellent infrastructure, political stability, and English as an official language.
12. Madeira, Portugal: Digital Nomad Village
Ponta do Sol in Madeira offers free coworking space and a built-in community for digital nomads through its Digital Nomad Village program. While there's no direct cash payment, Portugal's D7 visa for remote workers is relatively accessible, and Madeira has year-round mild weather and stunning volcanic landscapes.
13. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: Job Offers and Support
Cape Breton Partnership's immigration program helps match skilled workers with local employers and provides settlement support. While there's no upfront cash payment, some employers offer relocation assistance. The island is beautiful, with Celtic culture still strong and some of the friendliest people you'll meet.
14. Presicce, Italy: €30,000
This town in Puglia offers up to €30,000 to people willing to buy and renovate properties in the historic center. Presicce recently merged with a neighboring town to boost population, and the program aims to reverse decades of abandonment. You need to complete renovations within three years.
15. Ireland's Rural Areas: Various Local Programs
Several Irish towns offer incentives through the Our Living Islands policy. Inis Meáin and Arranmore Island have programs providing remote workers with accommodation and coworking space. Ireland's natural beauty is unmatched, but the weather is famously miserable.
16. Legrad, Croatia: Houses for 1 Kuna
This town near the Hungarian border offers houses for just 1 kuna (about 13 cents). You must be under 40, commit to living there for at least 15 years, and renovate the property. The area is agricultural, quiet, and affordable.
17. South Korea's Regional Villages: Various Programs
Multiple rural areas in South Korea offer housing subsidies and monthly stipends to young people willing to relocate from major cities. You'll typically need Korean citizenship or long-term residency, and language skills are essential. The countryside is beautiful, with mountains and traditional architecture, though job opportunities are limited.
Robson Hatsukami Morgan on Unsplash
18. Estonia's E-Residency: Digital Infrastructure
While not a cash payment or even physical residency, Estonia's e-Residency program lets you establish an EU-based business and bank account digitally. Combined with the country's digital nomad visa, it makes Estonia attractive for remote entrepreneurs.
19. Japan's Countryside: Up to ¥1,000,000
Various Japanese rural municipalities offer relocation subsidies ranging from ¥500,000 to ¥1,000,000 (roughly $3,400 to $6,800) to families moving from Tokyo and other major cities. You typically need Japanese residency and language skills.
20. Wales, UK: Remote Working Support
While not offering direct cash, Wales has invested heavily in rural digital infrastructure and coworking hubs to attract remote workers. Programs like Arfor provide business support and Welsh language training for those relocating to Welsh-speaking regions.
