Calling all digital nomads: here’s where you’re heading next. Co-working was already rising in popularity pre-pandemic due to something called the internet, but post-pandemic – we’re all just citizens of the world. We rated cities on cost of living, ease of transportation, community, culture, activities and of course the ability to remote work (wifi, co-working spaces, internet cafés) and came up with these top cities that are making remote work a breeze. These are the best cities for remote working around the world:
18 Bridgetown, Barbados
Barbados recently launched a remote work visa program called the Barbados Welcome Stamp that gives remote workers 12 months to relocate to the Caribbean paradise. You could work anywhere on the island, but Bridgetown is where the coworking spaces and most entrepreneurs end up due to being the capital. Taking in rum cocktails on the beach as an end-of-day routine sounds pretty good to us. There are also a ton of festivals that you can get into the local way of life at any given time.
17 Canggu, Bali
Canggu (pronounced ‘changoo’) is the new hotspot in Bali thanks to its hipster vibe and is becoming the go-to place for digital nomads. With tons of new cafés and coworking spaces popping up, you’ll get the necessities, plus work breaks are for surfing and smoothie bowls. The rent is cheap (a 2-bedroom villa is under $1,000 a month) and the most popular coworking space is max $235 per month, which also happens to be a block from the beach (and has a cafe and pool).
16 Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon has always been the underdog gem of Europe, but it’s now been uncovered for the rest of the world and has become a hotspot for international tourists. For good or bad, that means more digital nomads and more conveniences for said nomads. Portugal is also one of the countries that just put in place the Digital Nomad Visa, making it easier to enjoy the San Francisco-esque city while you snack on pasteis de natas and hike the hills on your weekends.
15 Canary Islands, Spain
There are 3 islands that make up the Canary Islands – Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura, but Tenerife holds a special place in our hearts since our founder lived there. Besides being able to live and work on an island in Spain, Tenerife is also one of the most diverse islands in the world with everything different seasons from one end to the other (which is only a 4-hour drive around the whole island), mountains, forests, canyons, beaches, surfing, big cities and tiny villages, crazy parties and some of the best food in Spain. And, it’s cheap.
14 Berlin, Germany
If the beach isn’t your thing or you need to get some serious work time in, Berlin is a great option. It’s a very walkable city and public transportation is very extensive. While the summer’s are bumping and there are a ton of festivals and events, the winter is grey and depressing, which makes being focused a lot easier. The biggest draw to Berlin is that it’s a very open-minded city so no matter what your thing is, you’ll find your place there. Germany has also signed on to the Digital Nomad Visa.
13 Hanoi, Vietnam
If living extremely affordably (like a large $400-a-month apartment) and really cheap good food, Hanoi is the spot. The Tay Ho neighborhood is where you’ll find all of the expats and digital nomads with coconut coffee cafes and beer crawls and extremely friendly locals. Not only does it have a vibrant nightlife, it’s also has a beautiful backdrop of misty mountains and the waterfront.
12 Budapest, Hungary
Some people want to party in their off-time and some want to relax in thermal baths to wind down and get rid of the work stress. If you’re the latter, there are 100 hot springs baths to try out. The city has an ancient and rich culture with incredible architecture, medieval castles, a lively nightlife and it’s one of the more affordable cities in Europe.
11 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai has been established as THE digital nomad city in Thailand with tons of expats hunkering down in Thailand’s second city. It has tons of cafés and co-working spaces, an easy month-to-month rental system, it’s super cheap ($300 – $400 rent and $2 – $3 meals), there’s lots of nature and cool temples and it’s a very safe city. The downfalls are that the air pollution isn’t great, especially during the burning season (January – April) and getting around can be a hassle with the insane traffic.
10 Wellington, New Zealand
Living that island life down unda in New Zealand with the Kiwis, you know you can expect an adventure. Wellington is the capital city and has a very diverse population and backpackers and remote workers from all over the world. They pride themselves on their wi-fi bandwidth and amount of hotspots and coworking spaces, and of course plenty of activities, nightlife and exploring to do. And the biggest attraction – English.
9 Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn is the medieval and vibrant seaside capital of Estonia and a very up-and-coming ‘cool’ asset to the EU. The last few years has seen Tallinn move into an avant-garde culinary destination and craft brewery hot spot, all the while still having an old gothic-esque grungy vibe. Estonia is also one of the world’s most innovative countries, investing a lot in creating infrastructure and opportunities for startups and small businesses. As part of the EU’s Digital Nomad Visa, you can not only stay for 12 months, but you can travel the whole EU Schengen zone, which includes Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Berlin that are all very close by.
8 London, United Kingdom
London is known for being one of the more expensive cities in the world, but the opportunities, diversity and attractions are second to none. As it’s also the international hub that connects the east and west, it’s very much set up for transients and is very easy to come across rooms to rent, coworking spaces and wi-fi almost covering the city. You’ll certainly never get tired of exploring new areas, shopping, clubbing, eating, drinking, music, art shows, rooftops, whatever you want, but there is also a lot of country-side and villages to see that are easily accessible by train.
7 Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver is becoming the tech hub of Canada after major tech companies from Silicon Valley and LA started moving up to the oceanside city. Another expensive-but-worth-it city that can have you hiking a mountain in the morning and chilling at the beach in the afternoon. The whole downtown area is walkable within 30 mins, everything you need is within walking distance of your small-but-cozy apartment and it is home to the best food in North America, no cap.
6 Melbourne, Australia
Australia’s Melbourne was listed the #1 remote working destination by on-demand housing platform Nestpick based on livability factors like safety, health care, culture, leisure activities and remote working infrastructure. It doesn’t rate so high on the cost of living scale, but you truly get what you pay for. Surfing 1-2 hours away, sunshine, high speed internet, endless activities and lots of other cultures to learn from.
5 Gdansk, Poland
A very overlooked city for remote working is the beautiful, Baltic Sea-side Gdansk. This prettiest city in Poland is full of culture, museums, architecture, art, shops and of course is next to the water where you can take a calm morning stroll. The winter isn’t great, but gives an excuse to just be focused. Accommodations and coworking spaces are very easy to come by and are very affordable. For food, there are milks bars, which are Polish cafeterias that during the Communist era, provided government-subsidized traditional Polish cuisine at low cost.
4 Seoul, South Korea
The futuristic-looking city of Seoul is like something out of a movie. It’s super safe, clean, punctual and has fast, reliable internet and a widespread cafe and internet culture that makes it easy to always have somewhere to work. Not to mention amazing Korean BBQ, karaoke rooms, virtual baseball and golf, efficient transportation and most places are open 24-hours so working via a different time zone isn’t a problem. The downsides are that eating out solo is frowned upon and not everyone speaks English, although the Korean alphabet is easy to learn.
3 Buenos Aires, Argentina
The latin culture is a warm one and Argentina is no different. Buenos Aires is the capital city and has a well-established co-working community of expats. The weather is hot for the few summer months (December – February) and then milder with lots of rain for the rest of the year. Free wifi is very easy to come by, as are cafés to work from. The cost of living is very affordable and their currency is weak, so you can practically live like royalty. Since this is the home of tango, you’ll see if everywhere in the parks and plazas and learning is a must.
2 Amsterdam, Holland
The Netherlands are known for having the highest standards of living. Amsterdam is otherwise knows as the bike capital of the world. There are few vehicles in the streets and everyone bikes everywhere (literally..even to the club) so there air quality is high and the culture is much more laid back. Fashion is not a thing (like at all), so going out in flannel and Birkenstocks is the norm. Amsterdam is also known for its culture, historic places (like Anne Frank’s House), street art, amazing food and of course, the photogenic canals and flat houses.
1 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Want to work in a desert? Dubai is arguably one of the most interesting and exotic cities in the world, where everything is new, modern, beautiful and full of some of the most wealth on the planet. While the cost of living is a bit high, the opportunities are endless and the lifestyle is lavish. There’s free wifi if you have a UAE SIM card, there are cafés and coworking spaces, the people and place are warm (very warm) and you can hang out at Nikki Beach, the Burj Khalifa or get out of the sun and into the snow at Ski Dubai.
