I was paid $10,000 to move to a gorgeous city... and met my fiancé! Here are all the hidden American gems offering you CASH to relocate

When Jasmine Ball learned that she could pocket $10,000 if she was willing to move away from Los Angeles, it was a no-brainer.   

It meant that not only would she be free of LA's gridlocked traffic and air pollution, she could trade renting a room in an apartment she shared with three roommates for a three-bedroom house with a yard, while slashing her living costs at the same time.

'Buying in LA wasn't realistic for another decade or more - if ever,' she told the Daily Mail.  

Ball, co-founder of a financial planning company, is one of 3,500 people believed to have benefited from a relocation scheme - luring people to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Nationwide, she among hundreds of thousands who have cashed in, or are planning to, on a host of relocation incentive program now available as smaller towns across the country compete for high earners and entrepreneurs. 

Many small and mid-size towns struggled to retain their populations in the 2010s and so started offering these programs in 2018 to attract new homeowners and prevent talent from fleeing to major metro areas. The timing was ideal.

In 2020, as pandemic lockdowns forced companies to embrace remote work, employees began rethinking where they lived.

At the same time, housing costs soared nationwide. The national median home price neared $500,000 and mortgage interest rates climbed above 6 percent. It made homeownership unattainable for millions of Americans, especially in high-cost cities. 

Housing inflation contributed to significant shifts in the real estate market, transforming affordable mid-sized communities across America into hot residential markets. 

Jasmine's road to Tulsa 

Ball took advantage of the Tulsa Remote program in 2020, which allowed her to cut her monthly expenses as well as pocketing $10,000.

She is not alone. A survey of more than 1,200 people who joined relocation programs before 2024 found they saved an average of $25,000 on annual housing costs compared to those who decided not to move after being offered cash incentives.

'What I paid just to rent a room [in LA] was actually higher than my costs for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home here,' she said. 

'Now, I have a yard, a garage, and the benefits of homeownership, plus a strong sense of community and neighborhood connection that I really value.'

In Ball's case, she now pays a similar amount for her Tulsa home, but her living standards are vastly improved.

Her LA bedroom cost $1,100 per month in an apartment shared with three other people, bringing the total rent to $3,800 monthly. Now, her mortgage is just $1,185. 

But the savings extend beyond housing. Ball's energy bills that once reached $500 to $600 a month now cost just $150. She pays half the price to fill up her car's gas tank. 

She spends about the same amount on groceries. However, restaurant prices in Tulsa are far cheaper than LA.

And there were other perks... 

'While LA obviously has more variety, Tulsa's amenities are far more accessible,' she said, referencing the city's ample room for parking and fewer crowds competing for space. 

'You can actually enjoy more of what the city has to offer.' 

She mentions Pearl Beach Brew Pub, a local eatery with community sand volleyball courts.

'I’ve never seen anything quite like it,' she said. 'Fun fact: I even met my fiancé there!'

How do I apply for a relocation package? 

Ball described the application process for Tulsa Remote’s $10,000 grant as 'seamless and smooth'.

Applicants start by filling out a brief online questionnaire covering basic details like their job title, salary, and motivation for relocating to Oklahoma.

Those who make it past the initial screening are invited to meet with program organizers, with many interviews conducted over Zoom.

Tulsa Remote’s popularity has surged in recent years, making it 'more competitive and robust,' Ball said.

The program now has just a 3 percent acceptance rate, lower than that of Harvard University.

But applicants on Reddit said it is worth giving the application a shot in the dark.

'It wasn't hard,' one Redditor said. '[There is] less paperwork and effort than renting an apartment and a similar background check.'

Watch out: Hidden costs of relocations 

Despite the financial benefits, relocation programs come with challenges that prospective movers should carefully consider. 

Many participants face unexpected difficulties in their new cities, including fewer amenities, cultural adjustments, and sometimes political differences.

These programs may also contribute to housing inflation in their target communities. 

Dustin Thames, a Tulsa-based real estate agent who has helped several Tulsa Remote recipients, told the Daily Mail that the average home buyer in Tulsa typically shops for homes in the $200,000 to $350,000 range. 

Tulsa Remote recipients often look for properties in the $350,000 to $550,000 bracket. 

The programs tend to attract people from major metropolitan areas, particularly in Texas and California. These transplants may struggle with cultural adjustments and changes in lifestyle. 

'Moving is always more expensive than you think,' Ball said about her move to Tulsa. 'One small challenge was that coming from a bigger city, furniture-buying options were a bit more limited.'

She specifically noted the difficulty of furnishing a home without access to an IKEA store. 

Additionally, these programs can create tension with existing residents. 

'[Sometimes locals] may feel overlooked in favor of new arrivals receiving incentives,' Kyle Samuels, CEO of Creative Talent Endeavors, a search firm, told CNN.  

Despite these challenges, Ball remains satisfied with her decision to move, and Thames added that the newcomers have contributed positively to Tulsa's culture. 

'Tulsa is a place that cares about its residents,' Thames said. '[Our community is] transgenerational and puts a real emphasis on volunteering.' 

How relocation schemes are transforming America 

The 'Tulsa Remote' program, funded by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, largely pioneered the relocation incentive model in the US. 

Applicants must meet specific requirements: they must be able to relocate to Tulsa within 12 months, they need to live in another state, have full-time remote employment, and be at least 18 years old. 

Recipients must commit to staying in the city for a full year. 

Launched in 2018, the program intended to help address a significant challenge for the city. From 2014 through 2019, Tulsa lost between 1,000 and 2,000 college-educated individuals annually.

Officials report helping more than 3,400 people move to Tulsa and generating over $560 million in direct employment income, according to the program's self-reported analysis. 

'While we do not claim Tulsa Remote is the cause of the reversal of brain drain, there is some correlation between this trend and the launch of the program in 2019,' Tulsa Remote said in a statement. 

Program analysts also claim substantial benefits for taxpayers, reporting more than $2.5 million in new sales tax revenue for Tulsa County and $3.1 million for Oklahoma state coffers during the program's first four years. 

The program also boasts strong retention rates. According to Tulsa Remote, 96 percent of recipients remain through the program's one-year duration, and 70 percent stay in the city after completing the program. 

Hundreds of other communities across the US have launched similar programs after Tulsa's success. 

New approaches include offering thousands in student loan relief, huge tax breaks, property improvement credits, and low-interest building loans. 

MakeMyMove, an organization that helps disperse these funds for dozens of cities across the US, lists nearly 200 relocation applications on its website.  

All of Tulsa Remote's numbers are self-reported. Still, Thames, the real estate agent, said the program's forward thinking has helped drive interest in his community. 

'Tulsa Remote helped put us on the map,' he said. 'It definitely increased our visibility.'