This Texas-Arkansas border city is offering cash, tuition deals, and city connections to lure remote workers

Remote Workers Get Cash and Perks

Texarkana sits right on the Texas-Arkansas border, and the city wants you to move there badly enough to pay for it.

The REDI Set Move program offers remote workers over $18,900 in combined incentives, including cash, tuition discounts, and access to city leaders.

The catch? You have to actually live there.

But when you can stand in two states at once just by walking downtown, that might not be such a bad deal.

$5,000 Cash Plus Tuition Discounts

The headline number is $5,000 in cash for relocation.

The program also includes a 25% tuition discount and a free class at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, which applies to you or your dependents.

Add in a one-year membership to The Assembly Line coworking and maker space, a Leadership Texarkana preferred membership, and other community perks, and the total package is valued at around $18,900.

Access to City Leaders

Here is something most relocation programs do not offer: face time with city leadership.

Accepted applicants get invited to breakfast with the mayors and city managers of both Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas.

These sessions give newcomers a chance to hear what the cities are planning and share what they need as new residents.

Who Qualifies for the Program

The requirements filter for serious candidates.

You need to work remotely full-time, earn at least $60,000 a year, and move from at least 75 miles away (if you live in Texas) or from out of state entirely.

You also have to commit to living in Texarkana for at least 1 year.

The program is looking for remote workers who will put down roots, join the community, and maybe stick around after the incentives run out.

Applications and Timeline

The process starts online through the MakeMyMove or AR-TX REDI website.

You submit proof of remote employment, income verification, and your current address. Once approved, you have six months to complete your move.

The cash payments start after you prove residency with a lease or mortgage and a utility bill.

Stand in Two States at Once

Texarkana’s defining feature is the state line running straight through downtown.

State Line Avenue splits Texas from Arkansas, and the city leans into it. The federal building and post office at 500 State Line Avenue straddle the border, the only federal building in the country sited in two states.

Photographers line up at the state line marker on the sidewalk.

The whole city operates as a partnership between two states with different laws, taxes, and governments.

Cost of Living Runs 8-23% Below Average

Your dollar stretches further in Texarkana than in most American cities.

The overall cost of living runs about 8-23% below the national average, depending on which estimate you use. Groceries, housing, utilities, and healthcare all cost less.

Remote workers keeping their big-city salaries while paying Texarkana prices find themselves with more breathing room at the end of each month.

Median Home Price Around $200,000

Housing is where the savings really show.

The median home price in Texarkana is roughly $189,000 to $245,000, compared to the national median of around $357,000 to $428,000.

You can find a three-bedroom house with a yard for well below what a studio apartment costs in Austin or Denver.

Two-bedroom apartment rentals average around $1,047-$1,199 a month.

For remote workers priced out of bigger markets, the numbers make relocation math simple.

Texas Side Has No State Income Tax

Here is where living on a state line gets strategic.

Texas has no state income tax. Arkansas does.

If you choose an address on the Texas side of Texarkana, you keep more of your paycheck.

The difference matters most for higher earners, but even at the program’s minimum qualifying income, you could save a meaningful amount each year just by picking the right side of State Line Avenue.

Coworking Space Included in Package

Working from home every day gets old.

The REDI Set Move program includes a one-year membership to The Assembly Line, a maker space and coworking facility where you can work, network, and access tools for creative projects.

The space also hosts events, which help newcomers build connections faster than they would sitting alone in a spare bedroom.

Texas A&M-Texarkana Education Benefits

The tuition discount is one of the more valuable parts of the package.

Texas A&M University-Texarkana offers a 25% tuition discount and a free first class for program participants and their dependents.

If you have been putting off a graduate degree or have teenagers approaching college age, this changes the calculation.

The university offers business, nursing, education, and engineering programs.

How Texarkana Compares to Other Programs

Texarkana is not the only city paying people to move.

Tulsa Remote offers $10,000. Northwest Arkansas provides up to $10,000 plus a bike.

But few programs match Texarkana’s combination of cash, tuition benefits, and direct access to city leaders.

The roughly $18,900 total value ranks among the highest in the country, and the low cost of living means your incentive money goes further than it would in trendier relocation destinations.

Visit Texarkana

Before you commit to moving, you can visit Texarkana and see the twin cities for yourself.

Start at the U.S. Post Office and Federal Building at 500 State Line Avenue, where you can snap the obligatory two-states photo at the state line marker out front. Downtown shops and restaurants line both sides of State Line Avenue. The city is about 2.5-3 hours from both Dallas and Little Rock, making it easy to reach for a scouting weekend.

AR-TX REDI can connect you with current program participants who will answer questions about what life there is really like.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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