It pays to live in Candela, Italy.
The once-bustling town in Puglia has dropped from more than 8,000 residents in the 1990s to just 2,700 today, so the mayor is offering up to 2,000 euros (about $2,350) to lure people back to the picturesque Medieval village of winding streets and restored palazzos surrounded by hills and forests.
“I work each day with passion and commitment to bring Candela back to its ancient splendor,” Mayor Nicola Gatta told CNN Travel. “Up until the 1960s, travelers called it ‘Nap’licchie’ (Little Naples,) for its streets full of wayfarers, tourists, merchants and screaming vendors.”
Interested newcomers must live inside Candela, rent a house and have a job paying a salary of at least 7,500 euros ($8,800) per year to be approved for the generous offer. Singles will receive 800 ($940) euros from the town coffers, couples will get 1,200 euros ($1,400), three-member families will get 1,500 to 1,800 euros ($1,760-$2,100) and families of four to five people will get more than 2,000 euros ($2,350.) Candela may also give tax credits on city waste disposal, bills and nurseries in the future.
CNN reports that six families from northern Italy have already taken advantage of the offer to settle down in Candela and five others have applied to move in. The town has yet to respond to Moneyish’s requests for comment.
But you don’t have to cross an ocean to find a city willing to pay you a premium to live there, for a change. These US and Canadian cities – and even the entire state of Alaska – are pulling out the stops to pay you to stay.
New Haven, Connecticut
The New England city’s Re:New Haven initiative offers up to $10,000 interest-free to use as a down payment on a new home, or to cover your closing costs on a house. City employees, teachers, firefighters, police officers and military members get an extra $2,500 on top of that. The city is also offering forgivable loans of up to $30,000 to make energy-saving upgrades. And once you’re settled in, the city also guarantees free in-state college tuition to students graduating from New Haven public schools. Your income can’t exceed 120 percent of the city’s median family income, but they’ve got a calculator to figure out where you stand.
Baltimore, Maryland
Buying into Baltimore gives 30 potential residents $5,000 toward buying a new house in the city through a lottery twice a year at its spring/summer and fall/winter events. The mortgage can’t be greater than $517,000, however and you’ve got to close on that house within 60 days of being selected in the drawing. Or its Vacants to Value program offers $10,000 to purchase a distressed, vacant property and redevelop it, which helps to combat neighborhood blight.
Alaska
Our northernmost state has been sharing the wealth from its oil money since 1976, when the Permanent Fund Dividend was established to divide 25 percent of its oil revenues each year among its permanent residents. You must live in Alaska for at least a year, be present in the state for at least 190 days in a calendar year and not be a convicted felon in order to get your cut, which averages around $1,200 a head, but has been as high as $3,269 in 2008.
Kansas and Nebraska
If you’re prepared to build a house from scratch on the Great Plains, a few Kansas and Nebraska towns are offering free tracts of land. Lincoln, Kansas’s Free Lot Plan includes lot sizes of between 12,000 to 36,000 square feet within walking distance of the community’s business district of medical, educational and recreational facilities. Plots are available on a first-come, first-served basis once your application and building plans get approved. Curtis, Nebraska also offers free lots to be built on (pending application and permit approval) in a community that already has paved roads and utilities ready. And Harmony, Nebraska offers cash rebates of $5,000 to $12,000 for those building new homes in the city.
And if you are game to leave the States:
Saskatchewan, Canada
The Graduate Retention Program doles out up to $20,000 CAD (about $15,956 USD) to graduates living in Saskatchewan to cover their tuition fees, which comes in the form of tax credit paid out over seven years – if you file your taxes in Saskatchewan. You also have to have graduated from an approved post-secondary school in Canada.
Chile
Start-up Chile wants to turn the nation into South America’s business center, so it will pay about $45,000 and give you a one-year working visa to launch your business there. It’s also sharing local mentors and business contacts to help get you started, as well as $100,000 in perks, including $500 off United flights, or a $10,000 Amazon Web Services credit.