How to get paid to move to Europe in 2026

Incentive-based relocation schemes have popped up all over Europe in recent years.

Shrinking communities have taken note of the increasing interest in moving and working abroad and have used low-cost housing and grants to lure new residents.

Some of these initiatives have proved so popular that they have closed applications, but others are still open for 2026.

Here’s how you can find support for moving to Europe – and maybe even get paid.

A Tuscan town helping to pay your rent

A tiny village in the hills west of Siena is the latest Italian community looking to turn back the clock on depopulation.

Radicondoli, a medieval town about an hour south of Florence, is offering a package of incentives for both renters and buyers in the hope of drawing new long-term residents, although notably it is not a one-euro home scheme.

According to CNN Travel, local mayor Francesco Guarguaglini has set aside more than €400,000 this year to lure new residents, offering everything from grants for home purchases to subsidies for green energy users and students.

To widen its appeal, Radicondoli will also cover half of the first two years of rent for newcomers who apply by December 2025 and move in by early 2026. To be eligible, property buyers must commit to staying for at least 10 years. Renters must stay for at least four years.

Since introducing the incentives in 2023, the town has welcomed around 60 new residents – a boost for a town whose population has fallen from 3,000 to just 966 over the past century. About 100 of its roughly 450 houses currently sit empty.

But unlike towns offering crumbling one-euro homes, Radicondoli emphasises that its properties retain real market value. Many are already lived-in or maintained, so newcomers are not starting with major rebuilds, Guarguaglini told CNN.

Schemes assisting moves to a rural village in Spain

Several Spanish villages have offered incentive schemes for relocation in recent years, including Ponga in Asturias and those in the region of Extremadura.

But application processes through local councils can be hard to navigate.

Instead, there are now two projects aimed at assisting people interested in moving to rural Spain. Both work to connect prospective new residents with municipalities.

Holapueblo is starting its sixth relocation programme, currently open for applications. The scheme is particularly aimed at entrepreneurs looking to set up a business in a small community.

The organisation seeks out municipalities in search of new inhabitants and which are committed to offering incentives and support, like affordable housing and community services.

It then connects budding entrepreneurs to these towns, while offering support during the application process and setting up the business.

To be eligible, you need a strong business idea and the legal right to live and work in Spain.

Volver al Pueblo is a similar platform which compiles offers for housing, jobs, businesses and land in rural areas, and assists in relocation.

With the site’s ‘resource map’, those interested can find dozens of reasonably priced houses and employment opportunities.

Again, the organisation then guides applicants through the process.

Ireland is offering up to €70,000 to restore houses on its islands

In 2023, Ireland launched a scheme that pays generous cash incentives to people who choose to turn a vacant house or building into their permanent home or a rental property in one of the nation’s offshore communities.

The initiative is part of the country’s ‘Our Living Islands’ policy, through which the Irish government is aiming to boost the population of Ireland’s islands.

“The aim of this policy is to ensure that sustainable, vibrant communities can continue to live – and thrive – on the offshore islands for many years to come,” the government says.

The scheme aids communities on 30 islands not linked to the mainland by bridges and cut off by the tides.

As part of the project, Ireland’s government will pay up to €70,000 in cash grants for rescuing and restoring the growing number of abandoned and dilapidated properties on the islands.

There are a few caveats to receiving the free money.

Prospective residents need to purchase and own a property on one of the islands. The building must have been constructed before 2007 and been vacant for a minimum of two years.

There are also rules regarding the use of the cash once granted. The money can be used for building work such as installing insulation, structural improvements and redecoration.

A standard grant of up to €50,000 is available. If the refurbishment costs exceed this amount, a top-up grant amount of up to €20,000 is available if you can show that the property is derelict, e.g. structurally unsound or dangerous.

Sardinia offers incentives for buying houses and having children

In recent years, municipalities like Ollolai and Nulvi have sought to tempt Italians from the mainland and foreigners with offers of houses as cheap as an espresso.

Sardinian authorities have since launched island-wide anti-depopulation measures that grant individuals moving to a village of fewer than 3,000 residents up to €15,000 to purchase or renovate a home, provided they remain resident there for at least five years.

The anti-depopulation package is not just about reviving houses, but also boosting populations long-term and shoring up economies.

Part of the regional incentives include a monthly subsidy of €600 for a first child plus €400 for each subsequent child until they turn five.

As for the economy, individuals can receive up to €20,000 to start a business in a town of fewer than 3,000 inhabitants that generates local employment opportunities.

A Scottish island reserve is offering free accommodation

For those who don’t want to commit to buying property or changing their residency, there is also the occasional stand-out job offer for an extraordinary experience away from home.

Most recently, a Scottish island has put out a call for someone to move there for six months with myriad perks.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is advertising for a ranger to oversee the reserve on Handa, an islet off the Sutherland coast.

It’s just 10 minutes from the mainland but worlds away from urban life, a natural paradise whose only other residents are tens of thousands of seabirds.

The successful applicant will have free housing in a cosy bothy and a salary of around €5,000 a month.

The ranger’s responsibility is to monitor the local bird populations, recording breeding success and any signs of stress or disturbance.

The role comes with challenges: for all basic supplies, laundry services, and refilling gas cooking canisters, you must take a boat trip to the mainland – weather permitting.

But for many, that’s part of the appeal, alongside the fierce Atlantic light, deserted pale sand beaches and heather-crowded clifftops.