Those ready to convert to slow living and spend their days wandering through old-world plazas, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the quaint countryside can now get paid to make the move. The remote Spanish region of Extremadura, bordering Portugal, is offering up to 200 digital nomads and remote workers a maximum of €15,000 (about $16,778) in grants to relocate there for at least two years. The grants are meant to be used for "available housing, arable land and everything necessary to speed up their arrival," the website states.
The offer is part of a repopulation program called "Live in Ambroz" – referring to the Ambroz Valley and its charming rural villages. The valley "is one of the areas that is suffering from a constant loss of population and services," according to a Sunday press release by the Extremadura government. Extremadura is a highly rural region of Spain with just over 1 million residents in 2023, according to CaixaBank Research – compare this to the bustling population of 3.
3 million in Madrid . Also, unlike Madrid, it's inexpensive to live in Extremadura. In Badajoz, a province in Extremadura with Moorish roots, rent for a one-bedroom in the city center is about €475 (about $531) a month .
In Madrid, a centrally located one-bedroom apartment costs approximately €1,366 (about $1,528) . Learn more: Best travel insurance The rustic region also struggles economically and is one of the smallest contributors to the country's GDP, contributing less than 2% t.