15 best Cities For digital Nomads in 2022
This short article lists the best cities for digital nomads from around the globe. all of these destinations offer great amenities, a neighborhood of like-minded people, fun things to see as well as do, fast wifi speeds, co-working spaces, great apartments as well as more!
I’ve been working remotely as a digital nomad because 2013. during that time, I’ve really figured out what I want as well as need when it concerns choosing a city to live in.
Even though I’ve been living the laptop lifestyle for quite a while, I haven’t lived in numerous of the typical digital nomad cities.
I’ve personally lived in four of the places below for much more than two months in each destination.
For the rest of the best cities for digital nomads that I’m noting in this article, I’ve reached out to experts who have lived there themselves — for an extended period of time.
Here are the top 15 best digital nomad cities this year.
Click the city name to jump-to:
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Medellin, Colombia
Merida, Mexico
Oaxaca, Mexico
Lisbon, Portugal
Budapest, Hungary
Tbilisi, Georgia
Bansko, Bulgaria
Barbados
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Canggu, Indonesia
Penang, Malaysia
Taipei, Taiwan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bonus! Bangkok, Thailand
Best digital Nomad Cities in Latin America
Best European Cities For digital Nomads
Best places for digital Nomads in the Caribbean
Best Cities for digital Nomads in Asia
One of my preferred offices – blogging in Lagos, Portugal at our apartment
What to look For in a digital Nomad City
Internet – you’ll be working online, so having a reliable (and fast) wifi connection is a must. Not only that, however you’ll want to pick somewhere that has a good data plan offered for when you’re working away from home, or outside of a co-working space.
Community – many digital nomads either work for themselves, or they work remotely for a company. While some people are in a relationship, others are working abroad solo. Regardless, having a neighborhood around you is a must. Whether it’s just someone to go as well as get a drink with, or people you can collaborate on a project with — don’t underestimate community.
Nature – when working inside as well as staring at a computer screen, there’s no much better way to take a break than by getting out in mother Nature. A lot of the best European cities for digital nomads, as well as the ones in Mexico offer mountains as well as hiking trails nearby, or sandy stretches of sand. find somewhere with a place to walk, swim as well as breathe fresh air.
Things To Do – obviously, you don’t want to live somewhere boring. It’s best to select a destination that provides history, culture, arts, nightlife, events, as well as activities you can partake in.
Co-Working – while I personally select to work at home from the comfort of my Airbnb apartment, numerous people opt to get on their laptops at co-working spaces. There’s a monthly fee, however usually, the wifi is very fast as well as reliable, as well as there are ergonomic working spaces.
Fitness Options – unless you’re working out online, or are running, walking or hiking, many digital nomads try to find a destination that provides gyms, yoga studios, pilates, or Crossfit.
Costs – finally, the cost of living. This will vary from person to person as how much you want to spend really depends on how much you’re earning. just since a destination is affordable doesn’t imply that the amenities are up to par. Similarily, if a destination is expensive, it doesn’t imply it’s great value for money.
Best Cities for digital Nomads in Latin America
Including Mexico, central America as well as South America, these are some of the top cities for digital nomads in Latin America.
1. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
WiFi up to 100 Mbps
Average 1 bedroom apartments from $400/month
6 month stay for many nationalities
Written by Dariece Swift
The seaside town of Playa del Carmen is a bit of an anomaly in Mexico. You won’t find much Mexican culture here, as well as only a handful of people who are actually from here.
In general, this is a popular holiday destination for snowbirds from Canada as well as the USA, as well as domestic travellers (mostly from Mexico City). Plus, there’s a growing population of South Americans.
With the Caribbean Sea at your doorstep, a younger crowd, as well as numerous day trips just a quick drive away, there are numerous things to see as well as do in Playa. It’s popular, for good reason.
Nick as well as I have been living here for 8 months. as well as while I was apprehensive to come to Playa due to it being a popular travelerdestination, I’m very pleased with our decision to relocation here — it’s certainly one of the best cities for digital nomads in Mexico
Why is Playa del Carmen one of the best Cities for digital Nomads?
Playa is one of the best cities for digital nomads due to the fact that it provides all the comforts of home, in a lovely destination, without the high price tag.
As I said in the beginning, while Playa doesn’t have the charm or tradition of many Mexican cities, it makes up for it with the amenities on offer.
The activities here are unlimited — kayaking, kite surfing, scuba diving, SUP’ing, or swimming. outside of watersports, there are various gyms, yoga studios, CrossFit, pilates, dance classes as well as more. Not to mention, it’s a great place for day trips around the Yucatan Peninsula.
You’ll find lots of other remote workers as well as digital nomads here as well as well as can immerse yourself in the neighborhood by volunteering, or joining meet-ups as well as other events.
Playa del Carmen has outstanding beaches – a great place to exercise or relax
How to find Apartments in Playa del Carmen
You’re spoiled for option when it concerns finding a place to stay in Playa del Carmen. I always recommend booking a place on Airbnb first. stay for a few days as well as get a feel for the different neighbourhoods before choosing your long-term apartment.
You can find places to stay on Airbnb or on Facebook groups.
For digital nomads, the best neighbourhoods in Playa del Carmen are Tohoku, Zazil-Ha, the northern end of Gonzalo Guerro or the southern end of Colosio. These areas are essentially from Calle 24 Nte. to Calle 70 Nte., between Avenida 30 as well as the beach.
Unless you’re wanting to be best in the action, I don’t recommend Centro area as it’s way too touristed as well as loud.
WiFi speed in Playa del Carmen
At 91 Mbps download speed as well as 29 Mbps submit speed, the wifi in Playa del Carmen is some of the fastest we’ve ever had at an apartment.
Not all places are created equal, however, so it’s essential to speak with your landlord before renting. I even recommend doing a speed test yourself. Finally, if the wifi isn’t up to par, you can always ask the landlord to upgrade it for you (for a fee).
Data is readily offered as well, so if your wifi drops out you can tether to your phone. packages are around 200 pesos ($10) for 4 GBS, valid for 30 days.
Co-working spaces in Playa del Carmen
There are quite a few co-working spaces in Playa del Carmen. find one that suits your vibe, as well as is in your area. A couple of great options are The Nest ($13/day or $180/month), as well as Bunker (from $5/day or $165/month).
If working from home or from a coworking space isn’t your thing, try Inti restaurant on the beach which has a great area at the back for working, or one of the cafes (Choux Choux is a good option).
Cost of Living in Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is great value for money. It’s not as affordable as other parts of Mexico, however it does have a lot of accommodation options, international fare, great beach clubs, as well as bars as well as restaurants. even if some things are a bit pricey, the quality is high.
Apartment costs vary here. You can find a 1 bedroom house for around $400/month, all the way up to $5,000+. A good typical would be around $1,000 – $1,500/month for a 2-bedroom place with a shared pool.
If you eat tacos as well as local food, expect to spend just a couple of dollars per meal. If you’d rather go out for sushi, steak or pasta, your meal will be better to $10-$15 per plate. Groceries are very economical with Walmart, Mega as well as Chedraui on offer.
Taxis are 50 pesos ($2.50) pretty much all over around Playa, or you can walk or rent a shared bike.
We live quite conveniently here in a top-floor, 2-bedroom apartment, as well as spend around $4,000 per month, including day trips, nights out, etc. Although, it’s certainly possible to spend much less.
Pros of Living in Playa del Carmen
Location best on the Caribbean Sea
It’s flat, so walking is easy
Delivery services are offered (Rappi, Uber Eats, Amazon, etc.)
Comforts of home as well as western amenities (Walmart, Costco, etc.)
Great weather, except for the hurricane season
Large digital nomad population as well as like-minded expats
Cons of Living in Playa del Carmen
A lack of Mexican culture
The seaweed (sargassum) that shows up on the beach, which happens often
Lots of construction
It’s very touristed
Tourist pricing – if you don’t speak Spanish (or, even if you do), you’ll typically pay much more if you’re not Mexican
What’s the Visa situation in Playa del Carmen?
Citizens of 69 countries (including all of the EU, Canada as well as the USA) are able to stay 6 months in Mexico, visa-free, making Playa del Carmen a great digital nomad city.
☞ READ MORE: digital Nomad guide to Living in Playa del Carmen
2. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
WiFi around 70 Mbps
1 bedroom apartments from $500/month
6 month stay for many nationalities
Written by Sasha Savinov
Puerto Vallarta is a coastal city in Mexico’s Banderas Bay. My wife as well as I moved here in February 2017 when we started teaching English online as well as we’ve spent 6-7 months out of each year here because then.
It’s a lovely place with the Pacific ocean on one side as well as the Sierra Madre mountains on the other. While there are plenty of luxury condos as well as shopping malls being built, you can still very easily find the conventional side of PV by walking the cobblestone streets, eating at the taco trucks, as well as perusing the local markets.
Why is Puerto Vallarta a great City for digital Nomads?
There are plenty of reasons why much more as well as much more nomads are choosing to call PV home. The neighborhood has been growing consistently over the past few years.
The Puerto Vallarta digital Nomads Facebook group currently has over 800 people, for example. There are huge meet-ups once a month as well as co-working days as well as other smaller events from time to time.
It’s possible to get fiber optic Internet at home here now, as well as there are a few outstanding co-working spaces if you choose that.
We find that Puerto Vallarta gives you all the comforts of a huge city as well as the excitement of a popular traveler destination. At the same time, it retains much of its charm as well as tradition — something we find lacking in places like Cancun as well as Playa del Carmen.
When you’re not working here, you can go surfing, SUPing, hiking, scuba diving… the list of activities in Puerto Vallarta goes on as well as on. There’s a dynamic culture here as well as an exciting nightlife scene. best of all, living here is quite affordable!
Puerto Vallarta is a lovely city on Mexico’s Pacific coast
How to find Apartments in Puerto Vallarta
These days, your best option for finding accommodation in Puerto Vallarta is through various Facebook groups. people are posting places for rent every day, so you can start to browse listings well before you even land.
A good idea is to rent an Airbnb for a week or much more so you can do a proper house hunt.
Most digital nomads look to the romantic zone (heart of the nightlife), Centro (home to the church, main plaza, shopping), 5 de Diciembre (local neighborhood with great restaurants as well as cafes), or Versalles (up as well as coming residential area with a flourishing culinary scene) neighborhoods.
I recommend checking all of them out to figure out which one you like the best, then posting in a FB group with your requirements. You’ll have dozens of provides before you know it as well as can then go look at places in person to find what’s best for you.
Most places will want at least a 6-month commitment, though. If you’re only staying for a few months, you can just stick with Airbnb or VRBO.
WiFi speed in Puerto Vallarta
There’s fiber optic Internet offered in many of the central areas of PV these days, which is great. Our home Internet connection just gave results of 65 mbps down as well as 20 up when I ran a speed test.
We work at home as well as rarely have any type of issues. It drops out for a few minutes from time to time, so we make sure to have data on our phones to use as a hot spot when that does happen.
Co-working spaces in Puerto Vallarta
Vallarta Co-Work is a great option as it’s located in Centro best near the romantic Zone. They have a variety of options, from hot desks to private office space. It costs 1,160 pesos ($58) for a week or 2,900 ($145) for a month for a hot desk. The price is 3,100 ($155) if you want your own dedicated desk.