These States, Countries, And Cities Will Pay You To Move There
On average, it costs around $4,300 to make a long-distance move, according to the American Moving and Storage Association. And that's not counting the cost of a new home. But some areas want new residents so badly that they will pay you to move there. Some cities will give you free land; businesses in Detroit will pay part of your rent; Maine will help with student loans. Here are places around the world that will pay you to move there.
Tulsa, Oklahoma Will Pay Remote Workers To Move
Tulsa, Oklahoma, is offering incentives for remote workers to move there. In 2018, the city launched the Tulsa Remote program which pays remote workers to move there full-time. Employees can earn up to $10,000 and a $1,000 housing stipend.
The Tulsa Remote Program is still active in 2021. To qualify, people need to have full-time remote or self-employment. Despite being a bustling community, Tulsa has low housing prices. You can purchase a home there for a median cost of $157,000. If you go to the Tulsa Remote website, it even lists homes for sale.
Alaska Is Spending Oil Money On New Residents
Although Alaska is the largest U.S. state, it is also one of the least populated. In 2018, Alaska Housing offered several tax incentives and grant programs. Qualified new residents received up to $1,600 to move there. That's on top of tax breaks granted from the Alaska Department of Revenue.
How can Alaska afford this? Well, the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend is taking a portion of oil wealth and spending it on new residents. This program still exists, and there are 23 loan programs that you can qualify for on the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation website.
If You're In The Tech Field, Consider Chattanooga, Tennessee
Tech workers, programmers, and entrepreneurs might want to consider moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The city is offering money to anyone who will boost their tech fields. Depending on your job and home purchase, you could receive up to $10,000 by moving here.
This rewards system is called Geekmove. It lends computer developers and programmers up to $1,250 in moving expenses. Business-owners who run or hire tech workers can also receive compensation by working in Chattanooga. If you pass the application and Skype interview, you might receive money before you even buy a house there.
How To Live Next To Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, the city known for its enormous waterfalls, is offering to help with graduates' student loans. The city has lost many manufacturing jobs over the years and is searching for new employees. If a graduate moves to one of the "targeted neighborhoods," they will receive up to $3,492 per year ($6,984 after two years) towards their student loans.
Applicants must sign up for the Downtown Housing Incentive Program. To qualify, they need to reside in a target neighborhood for at least two years. These neighbors are within walking distance of Niagara Falls State Park.
Score Free Land In Lincoln, Kansas
As of 2019, the city of Lincoln, Kansas only has 1,266 residents. To boost those numbers, Lincoln is offering free land to new home builders. The City Council aims to create a new subdivision near a baseball field, city park, high school, and more.
This is not the first time Lincoln has done this; in 2004, the City Council gave free land to 21 applicants. If you are qualified, you can receive lots between 14,000 and 35,000 sq. ft. The catch? You have to buy your own home.
Businesses In Detroit, Michigan Will Help You Live There
In Detroit, Michigan, businesses such as Quicken Loans and Blue Cross Shield want new employees to live downtown. In 2008, the Challenge Detroit initiative started a campaign to encourage recent graduates to enter these fields. Depending on your job and housing, you could receive between $1,000 and $25,000 every year toward rent.
New renters get $3,500 over two years, and then after that, you get $1,000 to renew. If you buy a house in downtown Michigan, you will receive up to $20,000 to help pay it off. Every year, 30 people who work with qualified businesses and nonprofits get these rewards.
Win A Lottery, Move To Baltimore
The city of Baltimore, Maryland, encourages people to relocate there twice a year--lottery style. The program, called Buying into Baltimore, gives $5,000 to prospective homeowners every spring/summer and winter/autumn.
To apply, homeowners must attend a Trolley Tour event in the city. Within ten days after this tour, 20 lottery winners will receive $5,000 toward their new home. The house mortgage cannot exceed $517,000, and winners must get a house within 60 days after the lottery. If you enter, you'll get a Baltimore tour and money towards a rented or purchased home!
Shrink Student Loans By Living Anywhere In Maine
In 2019, the state of Maine offered a deal to entice young adults to move there. The Department of Administrative and Financial Services offers a tax break and a reduction on student loans. According to CNBC, it is called the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit.
This tax credit first applied to in-state college graduates in 2016, and it has now expanded to out-of-state graduates. However, there are some caveats. The credit depends on when you graduated and what degree you received. If you're lucky, you could get up to $377 off per month.
Get $10,000 Over Two Years In Vermont
The state of Vermont is trying to entice younger workers to balance out an aging labor force. In 2019, Vermont's Department of Economic Development launched the Remote Worker Grant Program. It pays people up to $10,000 over two years if they move to Vermont.
When the program used all of its funds, Vermont launched the New Worker Relocation Grant Program. To qualify, you need to become a full-time resident there, work at a Vermont business, and make at least minimum wage, along with other rules. Anyone can apply online.
Tech Start-Ups Get Benefits In Chile
The entire county of Chile aims to bolster its tech market. The Start-Up Chile government program will give people between $25,000 and $100,000 and a one-year visa to move there. Applicants must start a tech business while in the country.
But that's not all. Start-Up Chile will also supply entrepreneurs with mentors, investors, and training. They will also network start-ups with other tech companies that already work in Chile. Since this program began in 2010, Start-Up Chile has improved Chile's economy, according to Overseas Exile.
Hamilton, Ohio Gives Graduates A Moving Scholarship
Only 20 miles north of Cincinnati, Hamilton is an Ohio city that pays college graduates to move there. If you are going to graduate soon, you can apply for the Talent Attraction Program Scholarship. It grants people $5,000 to relocate to Hamilton.
But that's not all. The Talent Attraction Program calls itself "a reverse scholarship" because it will also help students pay off their student loan debt. The Hamilton Community Foundation has been helping recent graduates move since 2018, and according to The Entrepreneur, it has been working.
North Platte, Nebraska Wants More Employees
In 2019, the city of North Platte, Nebraska, launched the program WorkNP. The goal was to open new work positions in the city and encourage people to move there. WorkNP offered local businesses up to $5,000 to open a position, and new workers could get up to $10,000 as a signing bonus.
Not all Nebraska businesses qualify for WorkNP. Positions must offer at least $20 an hour within three years. Although the program expired in March 2020, the website is still live, suggesting that it might return in 2021.
Yale's Hometown Wants More College Graduates
New Haven, Connecticut, which you might recognize as the city that hosts Yale University, is paying recent graduates to move there. First-time homebuyers can receive up to $10,000 in interest-free loans. Those who purchase a historic home can get up to $30,000.
New Haven also offers free in-state college tuition to anyone who graduates from high school there. This is likely done to encourage young families to move. Teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other city employees will also receive a $2,500 bonus on top of everything else.
Newton, Iowa
Since 2014, the city of Newton, Iowa, has incentivized people to move there. The Newton Housing Initiative gives all new homeowners a "welcome package" of $3,000. They also give home builders, real estate developers, property owners, and homebuyers different incentives depending on the price of the home.
If you get a house valued between $100,000 and $179,999.99, you are eligible to receive $5,000 cash. Those whose house costs $180,000 or more receive $10,000. People will only receive these rewards if they move to Newton full-time and if their property construction is completed.
Remote Workers Get Paid To Live In Topeka, Kansas
If you're a remote worker, you might make money moving to the capital city of Kansas. The Choose Topeka Relocation Initiative is giving people up to $10,000 for purchasing a home in Topeka and $5,000 for investing in a one-year lease.
Topeka employees believe that attracting remote workers will bring the "best and brightest" to the city. Applicants must have proof of residency, proof of salary, and be willing to wait around three months for approval. Also, only residents outside of Shawnee County are eligible.
Albinen, Switzerland Will Pay For Every Person Who Moves
In 2017, residents of the Swiss village Albinen voted to pay people to move there. The town, which is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, will pay people under the age of 45 to live there for at least ten years.
Eligible residents will receive CHF25,000 ($27,575) per adult and CHF10,000 ($11,030) per child. Albinen's residents want to increase their dwindling population, which was only 240 as of 2018. That same year, the first family (four members) moved there in April. If you want an isolated, mountainous town, that could be you.
Want To Live On A Greek Island? Here Is Your Chance
Only 20 people live on Antikythera, Greece, which sits between Crete and the mainland. To increase their population, Antikythera is willing to pay people a monthly stipend to move there. Each month, new residents would get 500 euros ($565), which adds up to $20,000 over four years.
Antikythera is looking for young families. According to the Greek news source Iefimerida, over 300 people lived there 40 years ago, but numbers have dwindled. There is no gas station, grocery store, or taxi service, but there are quick boat rides to the mainland.
New Richland, Minnesota Is Offering Free Rich Land
The city of New Richland, Minnesota, is offering free land to anyone willing to build a house there. If a new resident constructs a house on that plot within one year, they will receive the land with no charge.
Also, homeowners will have to put down around $25,000 for construction. Minnesota's Tax Increment Financing can cut that cost as low as $14,000. Only families of two or three can qualify. Each lot is 86 feet by 133 feet, or a quarter of an acre. There are only 27 in total, so hurry if you want it!
Canadian University Students Get A Deal In Saskatchewan
The city of Saskatchewan, Canada, is offering tax returns to any recent graduate to move there. To apply, you have to have graduated from a Canadian university and receive Canadian taxes. Those who do can get up to $20,000 CAD (around $15,000) in tax returns.
These returns are paid out over seven years and might vary depending on how much tuition cost. Although the program is no longer active, it has helped people move for a few years after 2012, so it might pop back up again.
Build A Home In Harmony, Minnesota, And Get Reimbursed
Harmony is called "The Biggest Little Town in Southern Minnesota," and it wants to get bigger. If someone builds a home in this town, then the Harmony Economic Development Authority will reimburse them up to $12,000.
The town began this program in 2014 to boost the population, which is only around 976 as of 2019. Officials claim that younger residents do not want to buy old houses and prefer to build new ones. According to Christopher Skaalen, the head of the Harmony Economic Development Authority, building a house there might cost $60,000 with $50,000 of work.
