The country life is to be preferred, for there we see the works of God, but in cities, little else but the works of men. And the one makes a better subject for contemplation than the other. William Penn
I grew up in the countryside on green lands, far from the city’s hustle and bustle. It’s worth mentioning that many Americans moved to the countryside amid the pandemic.
I am fortunate to enjoy both sides of the coin: village and big cities. Both have pros and cons, but I would prefer to live in the countryside after spending a decade+ in big cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Lahore, Islamabad, Rotterdam, Dubai, etc.
Fact: In 2020, a picturesque hilltop village, Santo Stefano di Sessanio, offered more than $47000 as a relocation incentive in Italy.
Countries
USA
Australia
Ireland
Portugal
Italy
COVID and the advanced technology expedite the process of living in remote areas while working full time. I am living on a hill station, close to mountains, the mighty ocean, and beautiful trails.
The countryside needs you, and I can share my experience that your body will say thanks to you if you’re moving from a big city like New York to a small village. #peaceofmind
Rural life desire rises in 2020
Here is the graph by gallop survey that helps us to understand what happened in 2018 and 2020.
Let’s dive into details.
USA
Vermont sats is offering $7500 to cover relocation expenses for moving there on a first-come, first-serve basis. A worker doesn’t need to repay the money. You can work remotely for an employer as long as you live in the state.
Australia
Australis is also offering an AUS$6000 relocation incentive as long as you are willing to move to a rural area. Here is the link for details.
Ireland
Ireland’s government disclosed a new Rural Future Policy to attract more workers to rural towns. The policy included grants and tax incentives. The Irish government will be building new buildings, theaters, and communities to attract more people.
Portugal
Emprego Interior MAIS (Ireland Employment PLUS) scheme was launched in 2020 to relocate workers with incentives.
The workers are eligible to apply for EUR4827 funds that will be enough to live in a small village per annum. However, the successful applicant needs to stay in the community for at least a year.
Italy
As I mentioned above, a small village with merely 115 residents is attracting workers through government grants of EUR 8000 per year on three bases since 2020.
The offer is pretty lucrative because it will include a house and a non-repayable EUR 20000 funds for entrepreneurial adventures.
The Italian government wants to fight the declining population; at the moment, they have merely 115 residents, 41 over 65 and only 13 under 20 years old.
There are many countries offering cash incentives, but I did not do any research on them — for example, Croatia (recently launched digital visa), Switzerland, Spain, and Greece.
If you want peace and tranquility, I highly recommend moving to the countryside.
Thank you for reading; follow me and clap a couple of times.
