For most people wanting to pursue the off-grid lifestyle, the biggest problem is finding the land to use. The land and its associated cost will often depend on the type of off-grid living you want to do. The costs will differ if you need space to grow food or if you prefer to be nomadic.
You can find cheap or free off-grid land opportunities by searching online sources such as Facebook groups that specialize in off-grid land. Offering services in exchange for rent-free land, using government land or land programs, or finding land via friends and family are good resources.
I have an off-grid house in Thailand (free land in exchange for some labor) and one I am building in a Nova Scotia campground ($1,500 USD per year) for off-grid tiny homes, garages, trailers, yurts, treehouses, etc. I am working on the bunkie house (guest house) that is five feet in the air attached to two trees on one end and seven stilts over a creek.
I have put some research into finding cheap or free land where you can pursue an off-grid lifestyle to give you some ideas about where you can start your own research to find land where you can live how you want to.
How To Find Cheap Or Free Land For Off-Grid Living
If you are interested in off-grid living but have a limited budget for buying land, you may wonder if it will ever be possible to realize your dream to find a spot of land where you can have a peaceful, self-sufficient life.
Don’t give up on your dream just yet; we have some ideas for you to show you how you can find land on a tiny budget or, in some cases, how you can access free land.
Before we get to sourcing the land, you need to evaluate your off-grid land needs and expectations. In most cases, cheap and free land will be in remote areas or at least a significant distance away from metropolitan areas.
The closer you get to urban and suburban settlements, the more difficult it is to find vacant land, and the higher the price for the land becomes. Your need for land will be determined by the type of off-gridding you want to do.
Do You Want To Put Down Off-Grid Roots?
If your ideal for an off-grid lifestyle is to grow your own food and raise livestock for food and income, you will have very specific land needs.
To grow food and raise livestock, you will need a larger piece of ground to make your food gardens and have space for your animals. You will need land to purchase or rent at a low price, where you can pursue farming-type activities.
This will generally exclude urban and suburban land as a possibility due to the expense and the land usage rules in these areas.
In this off-grid lifestyle, you would generally not have a full-time corporate job that requires a commute into a city or town, but you would rather be living off the land and what it can provide for your needs.
If you found cheap, or free, land but it is on a hill you can read my article here to see the construction options.
Do You Prefer A Nomadic Off-Grid Lifestyle?
Some people prefer to have no ties in their off-grid lifestyle, not even to a piece of land. This presents the opportunity to move from place to place and not settle in one area for the long term.
If the nomadic off-grid lifestyle appeals to you, you could have a traditional job and commute to work from your home, or you make money online, which allows you to make a living from anywhere in the country.
In the nomadic lifestyle, your land needs would be less restrictive, and your home would be mobile, either an RV, camper van, or a mobile tiny-home.
If this is your preferred off-grid lifestyle, you only need a small space to park your home, and your residence would not be permanent. This makes it easier to find cheap or even free land for your off-grid life!
How To Source Cheap Or Free Land For Off-Gridding
Now that you have evaluated your land use needs, it is time to find your perfect spot to enjoy your lifestyle.
There are numerous sources you can investigate to give you options to find land on a tight budget. We have detailed some of these resources here, but there are many others you can discover with a little investigation.
Facebook Groups For Off-Grid Land
Facebook is not only a social media platform to place your latest off-grid adventure pictures, but it can be a useful online resource for finding land.
Performing a Facebook search for “Free land” or “Cheap land” will present Facebook groups, generally run by fellow off-gridders, where cheap or free land is advertised.
Here are some sample Facebook groups for land in the USA to get you started.
- Cheap Land. This group is open to worldwide members but has a large volume of offers for cheap land in the USA and North America in general.
- Land Wanted And Offered For Off-Grid Homes. This group aims to put landowners or sellers in touch with people looking for land for off-grid living.
- Free Camping, Boondocking, and Public Lands. This Facebook group details locations where you can camp for free or for a small fee. This is ideal for the nomadic off-gridder who does not mind moving on to a new place every few weeks as these places do not allow permanent residence.
Exchange Work For Land Rent
Exchanging work or services instead of paying rent is another way of occupying a piece of land essentially for free. You may have to put in some work to earn your keep or share produce from the land with the landowner, but this is maybe a small price to pay for your lifestyle.
Another exchange program can be with the commercially owned property. Check with commercial space tenants with large yards. You could offer services such as part-time security in exchange for some space to park your tiny home or camper van.
Free Land Offered By The Government
Many states and cities in the US with dwindling populations offer land for free so long as you live on the land.
This boosts their population and brings resources and funding into the area for these cities and states, boosting the local economy.
Here is a list of towns with programs that offer land for free or at a low price.
- Buffalo, New York urban homestead program
- Plainville, Kansas free homesites program
- Lincoln, Kansas free home site program
These places were found with simple online searches for counties, towns, and states offering free land. Some locations don’t offer the land for free but will offer it at a very low price. Paying a small price for the land ensures you are committed and will use the land by taking up residence on it.
How To Make Use Of Government Land
All countries have state-owned and managed land, much of which is available for use by the public or citizens of the country.
In the USA, government-owned land is called BLM, or Bureau of Land Management land. The rules for land use of government-managed land vary from state to state, so you would have to inquire about land use in your area.
Generally, you are allowed to camp on BLM land, but only for a period of 14 days, after which you need to vacate the property and move on.
In Canada, this land is known as Crown Land and can be used by Canadians for camping. However, you are limited to a stay of 21 days, after which time you need to move on. Staying over this time or developing the land for your own use is considered to be squatting and illegal.
Government land use would generally only be useful to people interested in the nomadic off-grid life since putting down roots and planting crops is not permitted on government land.
Friend And Family Land for Off-Grid Living
Using your personal network can pay off big time in your search for land. Let your friends and family know what you are looking for, and you may be surprised to find people in your circle who know of someone with land you can use.
You could offer to be a land manager in exchange for the use of the land, with no rent payable, or offer the landowner a share in anything you grow or livestock raised on the property.
Conclusion
The essence is that if you are committed to the off-grid lifestyle and money is tight, there are ways of achieving your goal and living how you want.
You may need to be a little flexible and compromise here and there on your dream, but the off-grid life is not only achievable but it can be done cheaply if you are willing and motivated to put in the effort and search for an opportunity!
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