Getting paid $5,000 to move to a small US town
Brianna Beyrouti moved from Portland to Muncie, Indiana, using a $5,000 relocation grant, allowing her to buy her first home and save $600 a month.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Brianna Beyrouti relocated from Portland to Muncie, Indiana
- Received a $5,000 relocation grant via the MakeMyMove program
- Enabled her to buy her first home and save $600 monthly
- Reflects a growing US trend of moving from big cities to small towns
Reflecting on her previous life in Portland, Oregon, a metropolitan area with 2.5 million residents, Brianna Beyrouti recalled feeling financially overwhelmed. Paying 1,290 dollars a month for a city apartment, she ultimately decided to make a life-changing move last year to Muncie, Indiana, a small city she had never heard of before.
Muncie is home to 65,000 residents, features a local university, and offers plenty of open spaces. To boost population growth, the local council offers remote workers moving from outside the state 5,000 dollars in cash to cover relocation expenses through a platform called MakeMyMove, which lists similar incentive programs across the United States.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The relocation has completely transformed her financial situation. Working remotely for the same bank, her annual salary of 107,000 dollars remained unchanged, but she successfully purchased a detached home for the first time. Her combined mortgage, home insurance, and property tax in Muncie total 1,100 dollars, which is lower than her former rent. Combined with lower state income taxes and reduced utility bills, Brianna saves 600 dollars more each month.
Brianna is not alone. Scientist Elena Chrysostomou also utilized a relocation scheme to move from San Diego, California, to Jacksonville, Illinois, a town of 17,700 people. Backed by the local economic development corporation, she received 5,000 dollars in cash alongside a quality-of-life package worth 4,000 dollars, including gym memberships and golf passes. This allowed her to transition from a 3,000-dollar apartment to owning a three-bedroom home, alongside a 22 percent salary increase.
The emergence of relocation incentive programs by small American towns highlights how soaring living costs in major metropolitan areas are reshaping demographics. Combined with the normalization of remote work following the COVID-19 pandemic, these smaller communities are successfully attracting new residents to revitalize local populations after decades of decline.
Despite the financial successes, both movers acknowledge certain trade-offs, including a narrower selection of restaurants and activities, separation from friends and family, school transition challenges for children, and an increased reliance on driving cars instead of walking.
Source: BBC Business
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