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Best Places for Digital Nomads To Live in 2026 — Transcript

by Traveling with Kristin · 3,843 words · 472 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00What if you could pack up your laptop and move anywhere?
0:03Working remotely abroad is easier than ever with plenty
0:07of countries competing for digital nomad dollars.
0:10I'm Kristin from Traveling with Kristin, the author
0:13of Digital Nomads for Dummies.
0:14So in this video I'm gonna share
0:15with you the top 10 best places for digital nomads.
0:2210th on my list is Japan, which is one
0:24of my favorite countries in the world for so many reasons.
0:27You have some of the friendliest people on earth,
0:30beautiful nature and landscapes, amazing food
0:33and endless culture,
0:34and it's also a great place for digital nomads.
0:38Japan is super safe.
0:40It's one of those places that I personally feel comfortable
0:42walking around as a solo female traveler.
0:45And it's also a place that if you left your laptop in a cafe
0:48or a restaurant, it would probably be there when you get
0:51back, or it might even be in the lost and found.
0:53I once lost an umbrella on a Japanese metro
0:56and it was like the whole entire security team mobilized
0:59to help me find my umbrella.
1:00That's just the way things go there.
1:02But Japan also has a lot to offer if you're going
1:05to be working online.
1:07First of all, they launched a new digital nomad visa a
1:10couple years ago, which actually doubles the amount of time
1:13that you could stay there with your passport.
1:15It used to be 90 days,
1:16but if you get this visa, you can stay for up to 180 days.
1:20You could spend a lifetime in Japan
1:23and still find things to do from hiking
1:25and skiing in the northern island of Hokkaido
1:27to exploring the streets of Tokyo, lounging on the beaches
1:30of Okinawa, or finding your inner zen at one
1:33of the countries, more than 100,000 temples and shrines.
1:37I once spent three months in Japan
1:39during cherry blossom season, so I'll link to some
1:41of those videos in this description below.
1:43Now, although Japan is an amazing place,
1:46no country is perfect
1:47and every country has its pros and cons.
1:49Some of the downsides to living in Japan are first
1:52and foremost the location.
1:54If you're gonna be working in North American time zones
1:57or in Europe, you could be working all night long.
1:59I remember one of my friends at a co-living space in Tokyo,
2:03he worked California hours
2:04and he used to have to go upstairs
2:05to the co-working space at midnight, work the night shift.
2:09So make sure to keep
2:10that in mind if you're gonna be going there
2:12for three months or six months.
2:14Also, the language barrier can be tough.
2:17I think you can get around with speaking English,
2:19but um, it, it's not spoken very much there.
2:22So Japan can be a hard culture to adapt
2:24to long term if you don't speak the language.
2:27Also, the wifi there,
2:29although Tokyo has this very like futuristic tech savvy
2:32vibe, the wifi is not the fastest.
2:34So, uh, internet speeds in Japan are ranked about 64th out
2:38of 103 countries in the world according to speed test.net.
2:42So it can also be tough to find if you're going out
2:45to cafes, Starbucks, places like that.
2:47To find fast and free wifi, you often need to pay for it
2:50or you have to have an account
2:52and sign up to be able to use it.
2:54Uh, Japan is also not the cheapest place in the world
2:57and also not the cheapest place on this list.
2:59In this video today, I have a lot of places
3:01that are a lot easier on your pocketbook coming up,
3:04but currently the the price for nomads living in Japan is
3:08around 32 to $3,500 per month according to Nomad list.
3:12But if you are a high earner who wants
3:14to immerse yourself in culture, designed food
3:17and nature than Japan could be a place for you.
3:20If you go check out the Coli Fuka conference every October,
3:24which is made for anyone interested in exploring innovative
3:27ways of living and working while
3:28incorporating Japanese values.
3:38If a luxury lifestyle surrounded
3:40by shopping malls high rises
3:42and plenty of people speaking English appeals to you,
3:45consider the United Arab Emirates.
3:48The UA e's remote work visa is one of the easiest, quickest,
3:51fastest to get in the world.
3:53According to some redditers that I saw online,
3:55they got their visas in as little as 24 to 36 hours.
4:00So if you look on the website it says one to two weeks,
4:02but in a day
4:04or so, you could be working in somewhere like
4:06Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
4:08So this area of the world has a lot to offer.
4:11As far as a location, innovation, networking,
4:14there are a lot of foreign residents,
4:17especially in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
4:19So if you're looking to go somewhere for networking,
4:22if you wanna be around other entrepreneurs
4:24and also a lot of Europeans who are going there for
4:28optimal tax purposes, then this country could be for you.
4:32To qualify for the UA e's remote work visa, you need
4:35to earn at least 3,500 per month through a company outside
4:39of the UAE.
4:40This country also ranks in the top four
4:42for fastest internet speeds in the world just
4:45after Singapore, Hong Kong and Chile.
4:47It also has warm to hot weather year round if you're looking
4:51to escape winter
4:52and Dubai boasts the world's busiest airport
4:55with more than 2000 flights daily.
4:57While the UAE has a lot to offer for remote workers from
5:01around the world, it also has some downsides.
5:03The weather can get really hot, especially in the summer.
5:06So you'll find that this is more
5:07of a seasonal place when it's winter in the northern
5:10hemisphere and it also comes with a price.
5:12According to nomad list, the current cost
5:15of living in the UAE is
5:16between
5:17thirty eight hundred and forty five hundred per month.
5:20But if you're looking for a lot of sun networking
5:22and a luxury lifestyle, the UAE could be for you.
5:34Over in South America, Columbia is a top place
5:37to consider if you're looking for spring-like weather
5:40and a low cost of living.
5:42One of my friends lives in Cali with his wife and baby
5:45and their costs are somewhere around $1,200 per month.
5:49So depending where you live in Columbia,
5:51you can get a pretty good deal on your cost of living.
5:55Meine takes the top spot when it comes, comes
5:57to nomads though with plenty of restaurants, bars, clubs,
6:00coworking spaces, and a strong nomad community.
6:04But if you're looking for cooler weather in a big city vibe,
6:07consider Bogota and also leave time to visit the beaches
6:10of carte Hana and Santa Marta.
6:13On the downsides, Columbia isn't the
6:15safest place in the world.
6:16I was just in Meine a couple of weeks ago
6:19and I was definitely looking over my shoulder,
6:22walking down the street, walking through parks.
6:24So make sure to keep your street smarts about you.
6:27It's also not the best place if you're looking for peace
6:30and quiet, unless you're living outside of one
6:32of the bigger cities in the center of meine,
6:34you can expect lots of traffic, uh, music construction.
6:38So if you're looking for a peaceful getaway,
6:40definitely try the outskirts of town or smaller villages,
6:44but you might not have as good of infrastructure there.
6:47Columbia is for you if you have a budget of
6:49around $1,500 per month
6:51and wanna stay in the America's time zone while enjoying
6:54good weather, food and fun.
6:56It's also a great place to learn Spanish, so you could go
6:58for the digital nomad visa here
7:00or a study permit to learn Spanish.
7:02And in both cases you can get about two years to be able
7:05to stay in Columbia.
7:14Portugal is the perfect digital nomad destination on paper.
7:19It really seems to have it all.
7:20It's one of the most affordable countries in western Europe
7:23and has one of the strongest digital nomad visas in Europe,
7:26which is also a path to residency.
7:29There are so many amazing places
7:31to choose from if you decide to live
7:33and work remotely in Portugal for a while.
7:35So I'll leave my video for the best places
7:38to live in Portugal below for startup and city vibes.
7:41Lisbon is an obvious choice,
7:43although Porto is a close second if you're a surfer,
7:47ER is a picturesque surf town with lots of coworking spaces.
7:51There's also a digital nomad village on the island
7:54of Madera, which has a very close knit community
7:57of both local Portuguese and international nomads.
8:01I actually made a video from Madera's Digital Nomad Village
8:04asking all of the digital nomads there, what they do
8:06for a living, how they make money online,
8:08and so I'll link to that below this video as well.
8:11A downside to Portugal is definitely the housing crisis
8:15and rising cost of living.
8:17The first time I went there, ooh,
8:18almost eight years ago now, 10 years ago,
8:21you could still find long-term rentals under a thousand
8:24euros per month furnished or semi furnished,
8:26but these days you'd be lucky to find something
8:29around 1500 euro, 1800, 2000, especially if it's short term.
8:33So I'll link to a website called flat io
8:36that you can find reasonably priced midterm
8:39rentals in Portugal.
8:46Before we get to our next country, let's talk about
8:48how you can actually run your online business
8:51as a digital nomad.
8:52As someone who's worked remotely for almost 20 years now,
8:56I know that one of the hardest parts about doing this is
8:58knowing where to start, how to get incorporated, how
9:02to do all of the finances
9:03and also build your business at the same time.
9:05So that's why I'm so excited to be partnering
9:07with Awesome on this video.
9:09Awesome combines expert accountants.
9:11Yes, real human beings with a super simple online platform
9:15so you can manage all of your finances in one place from
9:18invoicing to payroll and taxes.
9:21Even better, they make it easy
9:22to incorporate your business remotely in places like the uk,
9:26Hong Kong and Singapore.
9:27So you can start your business online
9:29from anywhere in the world.
9:31Over 15,000 small business owners already trust awesome
9:35to save them time and money.
9:37And now you can too use the link below this video
9:39to save 16% on awesome services right now.
9:43They handle all the setup, tax, filing
9:45and paperwork for you all remotely
9:47and they can even help you with a visa.
9:49If you wanna move to a highly developed low tax country like
9:53Singapore, use link below this video
9:54or scan this QR code right here to save 16% now with awesome
9:59and start building the life and business you want.
10:03Vietnam has emerged as one
10:05of the top digital nomad hotspots in Southeast Asia
10:09recently, especially in Ong for its beach vibes, cafe
10:12and coworking culture and strong international community.
10:15If Vietnam interests you
10:17but you're looking for more of a city vibe,
10:19you can check out Ho Chi Minh City
10:21or also Hanoi, which are are bigger and have more amenities
10:24and more going on.
10:25But I do hear a lot of people online
10:28and in person talking about
10:29how much they've really enjoyed staying in Ong,
10:32although there can be a lot of construction there
10:34and also it's pretty hot,
10:35but apparently the internet's pretty good.
10:37The food and rent are very affordable
10:39and there's lots of things to do, lots of places to eat.
10:42It's a very convenient place to stay.
10:44You're also really close to get
10:46to other places in Southeast Asia on budget airlines.
10:49So if you wanna pop over to Singapore or Thailand
10:52or Japan, that's on our list, that's an option for you.
10:55Also the Philippines
10:56and it's just like a really nice hub to be there.
10:58But unfortunately they don't have a digital nomad visa, so
11:02that's one of the countries on this list
11:03that doesn't have one right now.
11:05You can stay there with an E Visa for up to 90 days
11:08and a lot of digital nomads also go for some type
11:11of a business visa if you wanna stay longer.
11:14Vietnam is for you if you're looking
11:15for a low cost Southeast Asian destination
11:18with friendly locals and lots of expats and nomads around.
11:30Georgia is one
11:31of the most nomad friendly countries in the world
11:33where you can still live on a modest budget.
11:36It's also one of the few countries where citizens
11:38of many different nationalities can stay in Georgia for up
11:42to one year on a passport.
11:44So that's almost unheard
11:45of just a few countries in the world offer that,
11:47but they also do have a remotely from Georgia
11:50Visa in Georgia.
11:51The capital of Tbilisi is a top location
11:54with a strong arts cafe and coworking culture,
11:57but Batumi on the Black Sea is also growing in popularity
12:01as a summer hotspot.
12:02Entrepreneurs really love Georgia
12:05for its really simple business set up there.
12:07It also has a lot of tax friendly policies.
12:09I have a friend who's been living there very happily
12:12for years, bootstrapping his business while living on a
12:15budget and he really enjoys the people, the culture,
12:17and also the food and wine on the downside.
12:20You won't find much of a nomad community outside
12:23of those hubs
12:24and also the infrastructure can potentially not be
12:26as good if you're going off the beat and path.
12:29But overall, Georgia has pretty good internet skis
12:32and a lot of remote workers.
12:33Also a lot of uh, remote workers from Ukraine as well.
12:36Another downside, depending on
12:38how you see it, is the location.
12:39It can be a little bit isolated there between the Black Sea
12:42and the Caspian C.
12:43So it's a bit farther to travel if you wanna go to Europe,
12:46if you wanna go to Africa,
12:48but it is closer to Asia, if you're looking for a nice place
12:51to live, a modest lifestyle
12:53around a thousand dollars per month without sacrificing good
12:56food, wine and fun, then Georgia could be for you.
13:08Croatia was one of the first EU countries
13:11to launch a digital nomad visa back in 2021
13:14and it's still going strong.
13:15You can use it to stay in Croatia now for up to two years.
13:19So it's one of the longer visa terms out there.
13:21If you've never been to Croatia
13:23before, it is absolutely stunning.
13:25The blue water with the stones
13:27and the historic buildings, it's just beautiful.
13:30You've got a lot of things
13:31to do from sailing down the Adriatic coast
13:34to all of the nightlife.
13:35There's lots of history, hiking
13:37and nature, especially if you go inland from the coast.
13:40And it also has great food and wine.
13:42It's a perfect spot as well if you'd like
13:44to take a road trip through Italy, Slovenia
13:47or the Balkans as well.
13:49Croatia also has a strong nomad community
13:52through the Digital Nomads, Croatia Facebook group
13:54and also the Digital Nomad Association in Croatia.
13:58On the downside, it is part of the Shein zone now.
14:01So if you're not on the digital nomad visa,
14:04it will count towards your days in the Sheen in Europe.
14:07And you know, it's, it's no longer so much of a hidden gem.
14:10People are well aware of the benefits of traveling
14:13to Croatia and so
14:14that has put some upward pressure on prices.
14:16There's a lot of tourism there.
14:18It can get really hot in the summer,
14:20especially in places like Split and Hava.
14:23So in those times you might wanna go a little bit inland,
14:26maybe check out the capital of Zagreb, kind
14:28of get away from the summer tourist crowds.
14:38Mexico continues to dominate as one
14:40of the top choices in the Americas for digital nomads due
14:44to its close proximity to the US and Canada.
14:47Affordable cost of living
14:48and array of places to live and explore.
14:51Now Mexico doesn't have a digital nomad visa,
14:54but they do have a temporary residence permit
14:56that is quite accessible as long
14:58as you have enough money in the bank
15:00and that can also lead to permanent residency.
15:02So in Mexico you just have
15:04so many different options for places to live.
15:06You have the digital nomad hubs
15:08and capitals over on the Riviera Maya,
15:11I'm talking about Tulum
15:13and play Ital Carmen,
15:14which have just completely exploded in recent years,
15:16especially since the pandemic.
15:18But there can be some security concerns there.
15:20It's also where you'll find some of the highest cost
15:23of living in the country as far as food and rent prices.
15:26So keep that in mind.
15:27Uh, Baja California is also an interesting option,
15:31although it's more, uh, for people who like to commute
15:33to California, long-term residents, expats there,
15:36and also a lot of tourists,
15:37especially in places like Cabo San Lucas.
15:40But a lot of digital nomads tend to congregate around
15:43Vallarta, which is very nomad friendly, also Oaxaca area,
15:48Porto Escondido.
15:49But um, you've got thousands of different towns
15:51and villages throughout Mexico to choose from Mexico City,
15:55of course being a very popular option,
15:57although lately it hasn't been as safe as in recent years.
16:00Another bonus of Mexico, whether you're looking to uh,
16:03live there part-time as a digital nomad
16:05or also retire there, is
16:07that depending on which area you choose,
16:09you can also find a pretty strong international community.
16:12So it's a nice blend of locals
16:14and foreigners depending on where you go.
16:23No list for digital nomads can be complete without Indonesia
16:28on it because Bali has ranked towards the top of nomad list
16:32for as long as I can remember, maybe since the beginning of
16:35that website's ranking system.
16:37I've been traveling to Bali for 20 years and
16:39although it's changed a lot during that time,
16:42it's gotten more expensive, more crowded, much more tourism.
16:45It's also become more developed as far
16:48as having like better infrastructure, better internet,
16:50more places to stay, more restaurants, more things to do.
16:54So we've definitely got some trade-offs there,
16:56but it's not as quiet
16:58and peaceful in certain areas
17:00as it would've been 20 years ago.
17:02And I remember the last time I was there, I was talking
17:05to a guy who owned a yoga retreat
17:07and he said that he kept moving around Bali
17:10and that eventually if it got too crowded,
17:13he was gonna move on to a boat.
17:14So I can kind of give you a little bit of insight into,
17:16uh, the situation there.
17:18There'd been a lot of protests there,
17:19antit tourism protests,
17:21there's really bad traffic in certain areas of the island,
17:23but if you wanna move to a different part of the island or,
17:26or even different islands throughout Indonesia,
17:29of which you have plenty to choose from,
17:31then you have more options there.
17:32But Bali is definitely the center for nomads in Indonesia
17:37and if you stray to other islands,
17:39then sometimes the internet
17:40and the infrastructure might not be as good
17:42or there might not be as strong of a community
17:44as you'll find in the most popular places
17:47to live within Bali.
17:48So these are places like Chang Gu, which is, you know, known
17:52for having lots of coworking spaces
17:54and it, it's kind of cliche,
17:55but it really is like the co-working, co-living hub of Bali.
17:59Then you've got the Bke Peninsula,
18:01which is really popular for surfers.
18:03And then you also have Ubud, which also has a lot
18:05of coworking options, more kind of uh, inland jungle vibes,
18:10you know, yoga studios, retreats, places like that.
18:13But you can also explore around the coast
18:15to find more affordable housing and more peace
18:18and quiet for your online work.
18:20Bali is for you if you're looking for a high quality
18:22of life on a budget in a safe environment
18:25with a large international community.
18:27Indonesia offers a second home visa aimed at retirees,
18:32but many nomads opt for one of the business visas instead.
18:43So the internet has spoken nomad list, Reddit,
18:47many top nomad lists
18:48and Thailand is still the top place for nomads this year
18:53and for good reason.
18:54First you have Bangkok, which is always ranked at the top.
18:57It's got a low cost of living so much to do, you know,
19:00very dynamic city, lots of energy, so many people very hot,
19:05but you've got the markets, you've got all like the hotel
19:08shops, temples, and you also have very fast internet.
19:12Even 10 years ago I had like fiber
19:16optic internet in Bangkok.
19:17So it's a really great place to live cheap
19:19and work remotely from,
19:21and also has a really diverse international community.
19:24You've got nomads passing through,
19:25you also have long-term residents from all different
19:29countries around the world and it's just a really fun place
19:31to be with amazing food of course, and very friendly people.
19:35Then in the north you have Chang Mai, which has been one
19:37of the digital nomad capitals of the world
19:39for a really long time now,
19:41and a very walkable lot smaller city, a lot more close knit.
19:45You can, you know, go to coworking spaces, malls, shops,
19:49cafes, everything is really right there.
19:50And there's also a lot of nice
19:52and affordable houses outside
19:54of the city center if you wanna kind
19:56of get away from the hustle and bustle
19:58and then commute within five or 10 minutes to go there.
20:01Thailand's also been developing a lot
20:03of different visa options for foreigners in recent years
20:06and they do have their digital nomad visa, which is valid
20:10for five years and gives you up to 180 days
20:12to stay in the country each time.
20:14But if you meet the qualifications, you can even stay for up
20:19to a year On the downside, Thailand is one
20:21of the most visited countries in the world,
20:24so it can get very touristy.
20:26You've also got the time zone challenges.
20:27It's also quite hot, uh, so you've gotta like that hot
20:31and humid weather, but it really has like an unparalleled
20:34infrastructure and also community for digital nomads
20:37and beyond Chang Mai
20:38and Bangkok, you also have a lot of the beach areas.
20:41You have Quet, you have Koi Ang,
20:45and so lots of really nice places to stay where you are.
20:49Never gonna be too far from meeting other digital nomads.
20:57Let me know which of the places in this video
20:59that you'd like to live and work remotely from.
21:02Or if I missed any countries, then comment below.
21:05And if you are interested in becoming a digital nomad,
21:08then you can pick up my book, digital Nomads for Dummies.
21:10I'll also link to some more videos here about
21:12how digital nomads make money online
21:15and the top ways to become a digital nomad.

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