This Quaint Island in Greece Will Pay You Over $20,000 to Move There

If you’ve ever fantasized about quitting your day job, uprooting your life, and moving to another country, you’re not alone. While it’s an exciting idea in theory, it’s harder to actually make it happen. But now, a tiny island in Greece wants to help you make that dream of moving somewhere new a reality.

As the Los Angeles Times reports, the Greek island of Antikythera is seeking new residents to live on its small but beautiful land. And to incentivize people to move there, a local diocese of the Greek Orthodox Church is offering free housing, free land, an allowance of €500 (which is about $560) a month for three years. That’s €18,000 total (or about $20,160). They’re currently sponsoring four families with young children who made the move from Athens, and they’re searching for more.

Antikythera, like many small islands in Greece, is suffering from population decline; its official population count is just 20 people, and most of them are aging. It doesn’t have any grocery stores, gas stations, or taxis, so it’s not a popular tourist destination like many other neighboring islands. Additionally, the Los Angeles Times notes that the Greek unemployment rate is 18.5%, which is the highest in Europe. This program hopes to bring families to the island who will help open more businesses and re-stimulate the local economy.

While Antikythera is not exactly the vibrant destination you picture when you think of Greece, it’s still an important island in its own right. It has its own source of water, an autonomous power station, and a new facility for geoscientists to study climate change. If you’re up to the task, this is your chance to help make a significant impact on a local economy.

The selection process could take the church and the government years to complete, so while you probably shouldn’t start packing your bags yet, just knowing that starting over on a remote Greek island a possibility is a nice thought.