So you want to become a digital nomad?
I don’t blame you. Traveling is hella’ fun!
It’s even more fun when you meet cool people throughout your journey.
While “living the laptop lifestyle” used to be a pipe dream, now it’s actually a reality. You don’t have to be a scam artist in order to live in an exotic location. There are tons of work at home jobs which will lead you to a life of total location independence.
If you want to go to the hub of tech startups, you go to Silicon Valley.
If you wanna become an actress or movie star, you go to Hollywood.
If you wanna become a digital nomad…. where should you go?
That’s what this article is designed to answer. I’ll give you the list in a no-nonsense fashion so that you can start your planning. It’s really exciting to venture out and travel the world, but just remember to take care of your physical and mental health while you do so.
Also, the cities that I find to be the best may differ from your preferences, so be sure to check out a website like Nomadlist, which allows you filter the top cities for nomads based on your cost preferences.
I would strongly recommend deciding on the region of the world you’d like to live in (as I point out here).
Let’s jump into the best digital nomad cities and the top digital nomad communities!
1. Chiang Mai, Thailand – Southeast Asia
I was just here a few months ago! It’s epic! Chiang Mai is nestled in the mountains of Thailand and is surrounded by nature, beautiful temples, and cute wild animals, like Elephants. It’s extremely safe, affordable, and you’ll meet lots of other Westerners (along with locals).
To me, what stood out in Chiang Mai was its strong digital nomad hub, with a myriad of coworking spaces, cafes, and offices with good Wifi. For the most part, you can decide to live in the Old City or the New City or Nimmanhaemin. I lived in both for a short period of time.
There are a lot of night markets, cheap food places, and there are some fun going out places in Old City where you might meet other young travelers. You won’t have trouble making friends, because there are also lots of great activities like yoga and meditation.
Chiang Mai itself does not have a beach, but you can easily go to some of the neighboring cities in Thailand to find one.
One of the great things about Chiang Mai is that because you’re in the center of South East Asia, you can travel all around to places like Cambodia, Vietnam, or across the water to the Philippines. There are also some great places within Thailand, like Phuket, Krabi, or Pattaya, but they are more tourist-centric.
You can stay in the city of Chiang Mai, or go on a weekend get away to a beach, for the cost of a plane ticket, which is about $50 – $100 depending on the timing. Not bad at all!
Resources for Chiang Mai:
- Best Coworking Spaces in Chiang Mai
- Best Night Markets in Chiang Mai
- Best Temples in Chiang mai
- $50 off Airbnb Booking
Videos on Chang Mai
- New Years Eve Lanterns in Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Hug Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Krabi
2. Medellin, Colombia – South America
I’ve said this once, and I’ll say it again. Medellin is the up and coming digital nomad hot spot.
It’s called the “land of eternal springtime” for a reason. The weather is beautiful. It’s very easy to get around using Uber or taxis, and there are lot of things to do like horseback riding, paragliding, hiking, and modern gym facilities.
The food is very affordable outside of the touristy areas and it’s cheap living if you want to get an Airbnb like the one below.
I stayed in El Poblado the first time that I was there in an Airbnb. In the central area, there are coworking spaces, co-living spaces, and a lot of other nomads. There are also many westerners just traveling for fun.
On the negative side, you do need to know basic Spanish to get around. While people do speak English, Spanish will certainly help you if you ever get lost or you want to ask someone a question.
Resources for Medellin:
- Medellin Guru (love this site)
- Best Medellin Coworking Spaces
- Overview to Living in Medellin
- Fun things to do!
Videos on Medellin:
- Paragliding in Medellin, Colombia
- Top Fun Things to Do in Medellin, Colombia
- Nightlife in Medellin, Colombia
3. Canggu, Bali – Indonesia/Lower SEA
It goes without saying that Bali has to be on the list, even though there are some very expensive areas of it. At this point, Bali is basically a brand name.
There are many regions of Bali, but Canggu is on the south coast of the Indonesian island. It has lots of pretty dope rice paddies and beaches. There are some sick waves for surfers, if you’re into that kinda thing.
There are a lot of younger people and it’s very safe. There are party areas and also areas that are more quiet. It’s up to you. Of course, there are lots of great co-working spaces. The food is relatively cheap.
Canggu isn’t the only area to stay in. There are quite a few in the south of Bali, like Ubud, Kuta, etc.
One thing that you may want to be aware of is the rainy season, as that may determine how long you spend in Bali. Most areas in Southeast Asia have an optimal time to visit.
Be aware that the costs to live in Bali are increasing.
“As long as you have money, finding a place to stay in Bali is easy. Airbnb has the most options for places to rent. You’ll struggle to find a nice place for under $800 a month. If your budget is $1,000+ for living in Bali, you’ll have plenty of choice.” – Hobo With a Laptop
Resources:
4. Lisbon, Portugal – Europe
Lisbon is becoming a more attractive location for digital nomads worldwide, particularly if you wanna set down your roots in Europe. It’s a lot more affordable than other places like Madrid.
The biggest plus is probably the weather. It’s very nice most of the year. There is reliable, fast wifi and the standard of living is a bit cheaper than other areas of Europe. It’s relatively safe too. One of the other pluses is the 90 day visa for Americans. Most other countries are around 30.
There are lots of cafes, coworking spaces, and many day trips that you can make from the city. Since you’re in Europe, a lot of other epic cities are only a plane ticket away. It makes traveling a lot easier if you wanna check some cities off the bucket list.
In terms of day trips, you can go to the beach, check out some castles, or visit wineries and vineyards.
Resources:
5. Budapest, Hungary – Central/Eastern Europe
This city is in Central/Eastern Europe and is another great spot for location independent workers who want to reside in this area of the world. As you can see below, it is bordered by Ukraine, Romania, Austria, Serbia, and more.
One of the things that I like to think about when choosing my digital nomad location is the surrounding travel areas. So, if you wanted to make a journey of going to different Eastern European countries to get a feel for them, then Hungary might be a great home base! They speak Hungarian, of course.
There are numerous coworking spaces in the city which you can choose from to work on your various projects. You can see a snapshot of them below.
One of the things that you should keep in mind if you’d like to live here is that the weather is a bit on the colder side in the winter months and hot in July. Basically, the seasons you might be used to if you live in the North East USA. There does seem to be a bit of a homelessness problem, but that is true of many major cities.
You don’t need a car to get around. The food is pretty cheap, and many people do speak English. There are many cafes, coworking spaces, and restaurants to enjoy. This seems like a great option if you don’t want to go somewhere too exotic, but also want beautiful architecture and fun things to do.
Resources:
6. Prague – Central Europe
Prague is a little bit north of Budapest. It’s bordered by Poland, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia. It’s the capital of the Czech Republic.
Digital nomads tend to find this location appealing for its relatively cheap living and decent english mastery. You can walk along the riverside, get drinks from boat bars, take in incredible views, and enjoy the various beer gardens.
There is also an active Expat scene in Prague, so you won’t have too much trouble meeting other people if you put yourself out there. There are meetups and groups designed for this. It’s pretty safe, especially for women.
No doubt, the architecture is beautiful. Like most European cities, you will be able to find coworking spaces to suit your needs. If you enjoy history, you’ll probably like what this city has to offer.
Resources:
7. Belgrade, Serbia – Central/Eastern Europe
Belgrade is a bit more south than Prague, which certainly influences its weather. You’ll find that it’s bordered by Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and a few others.
Now, in my opinion, this is a bit newer on the map when it comes to location independent workers. In fact, there is a new tax incentive created by the government, which says “Serbia plans 0% tax for digital nomads starting 2020 for up to 90 days.” – Source
Personally, I’m not sure how that really impacts things, because it’s pretty hard for Serbia to identify that you’re earning income in the country, if your bank accounts are in another country, you’re not working for a Serbian company, AND all your work is online.
Regardless, it’s a nice idea. Serbia is becoming more attractive due to the great cost of living. It’s one of the cheaper countries within Europe. If you’re into it, there is also a pretty good night life, I hear. Unfortunately, since it’s newer to the scene, there isn’t as much of a digital nomad community. You might be better off tapping into the expat community.
One of the things I like about this country is that you have up to 90 days with the visa. Also, there are some great day trips that you can do.
Resources
8. Tbilisi, Georgia – Eastern Europe
Not gonna lie, when I first heard about it, I wasn’t sure if Georgia was a part of Asia or in the middle east. It’s situated on the Black Sea and is right above Turkey.
One of the MAJOR wins about Georgia is that you can stay in the country for 365 days without a visa, if you’re a US citizen. That’s, like unheard of.
It’s a pretty good cost of living, like most of the cities on this list. There is affordable transportation, decent food, and oddly the culture is a mix of eastern european, middle eastern, and asian.
I think one of the other attractive parts of Georgia is that it’s situated pretty close to Russia, Turkey, and other Eastern European countries. There are also some very friendly business/tax laws.
Resources:
9. Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn is a quaint little town that’s located way up north by Finland and Sweden. You might not have considered this location, but it might be the next location for digital nomads.
It’s a very highly advanced online society. There are even rules for digital nomads. “Estonia has just announced the first official visa for digital nomads. The permit will entitle nomads to 365 days of working in Estonia, including 90 days’ travel in the Schengen area.” – Source.
It has the second fastest public wifi in the world. A lot of programmers and coders live here. It’s an affordable place to live at the time of writing. It’s a small, safe city. One of the downsides are the harsh winters. Oh boy, you can only imagine, considering it’s so north. There is a mix of estonian and russian speaking individuals.
Resources:
Where I Want to Go Next..
For my next trip, I want to go back to Medellin and Thailand, of course, but I also want to explore Eastern Europe a bit. The only problem is that I don’t really like the cold.
I want to check out Kiev, Ukraine, which I’ve heard is neat, and also go to Moscow at some point. However, I’m considering making Georgia or Serbia my home base and go from there. We’ll see.
Aside from that, I also wanted to mention a few digital nomad communities around the web that you can check our and learn more.