Which Italian town pays you to move there?

No town simply pays you to arrive. What exists is narrower: regional grants towards buying or renovating a house in small towns — Sardinia's is up to €15,000 — one-euro house schemes, and the 7% flat tax on foreign pensions. Several headline schemes the press still repeats, in Molise and Calabria, have closed.

Can I move to Italy for free?

Not quite. A one-euro house still costs the notary, taxes and a renovation, and a non-EU citizen still needs a visa with its own income requirement. What Italy offers is cheap houses and lower tax, not a free move.

Is the Italian relocation grant real?

Some are. Sardinia's first-home grant is funded through 2028. Others that made headlines — Molise's residency income, Calabria's active residency — have closed, which is why every scheme on this page carries its status and a link to the official source.

Can foreigners get the grants for moving to Italy?

Usually, if they become resident in the town — some schemes even score arrivals from abroad more highly. Each grant is run through a specific notice with its own conditions, so read the official source before counting on it.

Move to Italy and get paid

The Italian towns paying people to move there

Every few months a headline says an Italian town will pay you to move there. Some of those offers are real. Many closed long ago and are still being shared. Here is what actually exists, checked against the official notices.

Updated September 2026 · figures from ISTAT

Open now: grants and incentives to move to Italy

Case a 1 Euro

Open

The comune sells an abandoned property for a nominal €1 against a binding commitment to renovate. Every comune writes its own bando — the deadlines and guarantees below are Mussomeli's, the flagship scheme, and vary elsewhere.

Official source

7% flat tax for foreign pensioners

Open

Foreign pension and foreign-source income taxed at a flat 7% for NINE tax years for new residents of southern comuni up to 30,000 inhabitants — the threshold was raised from 20,000 in April 2026, which tripled the eligible towns.

Official source

Sardinia first-home grant

Open · up to €15,000

Non-repayable regional contribution of up to €15,000 — capped at 50% of the spend — towards buying or renovating a first home in a Sardinian comune of up to 5,000 inhabitants. Funded at €15m a year through 2028.

Official source

Renovation tax deduction (bonus ristrutturazioni)

Open

50% of qualifying renovation spend on a main home (36% on other properties) deducted from Italian income tax, on up to €96,000 per unit, spread over ten equal annual instalments. From 2027 the rates step down to 36%/30% — work started in 2026 keeps the higher rate on 2026 spend.

Official source

Plus 7 one-euro house schemes reported open, and the 7% pension tax in 2,344 southern towns.

Closed: the offers still doing the rounds

These made headlines and are no longer taking applications. If you read about them as current, the article is out of date.

Molise residency income — CLOSED

The famous '€700 a month to move to Molise' was a single call in autumn 2019 for comuni under 2,000 residents, worth about €24,000 over three years. Applications closed on 30 November 2019 and it has never been repeated — despite the press still writing it up as live.

Calabria active residency — CLOSED

The '€28,000 to move to Calabria' scheme was a 2021 pilot for under-40s in comuni under 2,000 residents, never repeated. Its successor, Abita Borghi Montani Calabria, admitted 89 mountain comuni but its application window closed in autumn 2025.

Historic village enterprise grants — currently none open here

Santo Stefano di Sessanio's celebrated scheme — residency income plus up to ~€20,000 business start-up, worth ~€40,000+ combined — was a single call in late 2020 that drew ~20,000 applicants. Nothing is live on the comune's site today, but it is the template other borghi copy, so new calls appear.

The biggest payment is the tax

For anyone with a foreign pension, the most valuable thing Italy offers is not a grant but the 7% flat tax: nine years of 7% on all foreign income, in any of 2,344 small southern comuni. Over nine years that is worth far more than any relocation bonus. How it works →

Getting paid to move to Italy: questions people ask

Which Italian town pays you to move there?: No town simply pays you to arrive. What exists is narrower: regional grants towards buying or renovating a house in small towns — Sardinia's is up to €15,000 — one-euro house schemes, and the 7% flat tax on foreign pensions. Several headline schemes the press still repeats, in Molise and Calabria, have closed.
Can I move to Italy for free?: Not quite. A one-euro house still costs the notary, taxes and a renovation, and a non-EU citizen still needs a visa with its own income requirement. What Italy offers is cheap houses and lower tax, not a free move.
Is the Italian relocation grant real?: Some are. Sardinia's first-home grant is funded through 2028. Others that made headlines — Molise's residency income, Calabria's active residency — have closed, which is why every scheme on this page carries its status and a link to the official source.
Can foreigners get the grants for moving to Italy?: Usually, if they become resident in the town — some schemes even score arrivals from abroad more highly. Each grant is run through a specific notice with its own conditions, so read the official source before counting on it.

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