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You can get paid $15,000 to move to this idyllic Italian island, but there's a catch

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Sardinia is paying people almost $15,000 to move to the Italian city.
Poike | Istock | Getty Images

If you've ever dreamed of living la dolce vita — the sweet life — in Italy, now's your chance to get paid for it...sort of.

The government of Sardinia, Italy, is prepared to pay people €15,000 each (about $14,767) to move to the Mediterranean island.

According to a translated press release, Sardinia is setting aside €45 million to subsidize 3,000 grants of up to $15,000 each.

"We have created the conditions for young people to decide to stay and [develop] the economic fabric of the most fragile territories," Christian Solinas, Sardinia's president, stated in the translated press release.

Here's what you need to know

Getting $15,000 to move to Italy sounds excellent, but this offer does have a catch.

To be eligible, you must:

  • Move to a Sardinian town with a population of fewer than 3,000 people
  • Put the $15,000 towards renovating a home
  • Live there full-time
  • Register Sardinia as your permanent residence within 18 months

Sardinia isn't the only Italian town offering money to lure new residents.

In the region of Calabria, new residents were promised $33,000 each, while in the village of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, people were offered up to $52,022 in grants to move and work there.

"The goal is to boost the local economy and breathe new life into small-scale communities," Gianluca Gallo, a regional councilor, told CNN in 2021.

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