Imagine you could get paid just for choosing to live in a certain town or village. This is the case in some areas of Spain, due to the fact that some towns and cities have suffered an exodus of residents, meaning they have become almost deserted and giving rise to a number of ghost towns in the country. The lack of inhabitants also means a lack in resources and for this reason, many local governments and municipalities are taking drastic measures to curb depopulation in these areas.
Following the trend in other countries where you can get paid to live, in Spain, several programmes and initiatives with attractive offers to attract new residents have been launched in recent years. Depending on each individual village, among the offers to encourage new residents can be offered a guaranteed job, a house, and even up to thousands of euros in cash.
Let’s have a look at the Spanish villages where you could get paid to live:
Ponga, Asturias
One village striving to make up its lack of inhabitants is Ponga located in Asturias in Northern Spain. In recent years, the population has been declining and in order to help solve this problem, the local authorities have proposed to offer a grant of 3,000 euros to all couples who want to settle in the village permanently.
And that’s not all: in addition to this, residents will be offered an additional 3,000 euros for each baby born. So not only do you get paid to have kids, but you can also enjoy a peaceful life in this charming Spanish village.
Olmeda de la Cuesta, Cuenca
Said to be one of the oldest villages in Spain, Olmeda de la Cuesta in the region of Cuenca is also suffering a severe decline in its population numbers. In an attempt to try and improve this situation, the local mayor decided to put plots of land up for auction so that people can buy them at a very low price in order to build their homes there.
Prices in the auction ranged from 200-3000 euros, depending on the size of each plot and resulted in over 40 plots being sold, on which houses must be built within 3 years.
A Xesta, Pontevedra
Moving back to the north of Spain, the region of Galicia is also home to some underpopulated villages. A Xesta, in the area of Pontevedra, is offering people who decide to move to the area properties with rental prices as low as 100 euros a month.
Nowadays with high rental prices throughout Spain, especially in cities, moving to a small village like this one can have many advantages and living a little further away from everything can be a positive thing.
Rubiá, Orense
Staying in Galicia, the village of Rubiá in Orense has also decided to take measures to help with the population decline. The initiative in this area involves offering people 100 and 150 euros per month to live in the village, especially aimed at families in order to keep numbers up in the local schools.
Although the money offered won’t cover all living expenses, you’ll certainly make great savings compared to life in busier areas, and you can also enjoy the tranquility of village life with a low price tag.
Miravete de la Sierra, Teruel
Miravete de la Sierra, in the province of Teruel, has come up with a plan to encourage more people to live there and so far, they have seen very positive results. The focus of their campaign was to highlight to possible residents the peace and tranquility of the village.
The idea of living a stress-free life seemed to please many people who were tired of the hustle and bustle of the big cities. As a result, more than 700 people wanted to live there. In this case, there is no money involved, no low rent or guaranteed work, but the peace and tranquil lifestyle alone are sure to be a great health benefit.
More information
These are just a few villages amongst several more in Spain where measures have been taken to boost the population. In many other provinces of Spain you can find more of these towns or cities where you're guaranteed a quiet place to live and, in many cases, great benefits. For example, the town of Arganza in León has been offering free houses for families with two or more children to avoid the closure of the local school, Elijate in Almería has done something similar by offringfree houses to families with children and in Retortillo in Soria in the Region of Castile and León, work was given to the unemployed.
More information and yet more villages with similar opportunities can be found on the “Volver al pueblo” (return to the village) website if you fancy playing your part in boosting the population in some of Spain’s most rural villages.
Information found at: Ciudades y pueblos de España donde te pagan por vivir
