As employers around the world embrace remote working, the number of digital nomads is on the rise. Travelling the world and clocking in to work wherever there’s WiFi, digital nomads are sampling the lifestyles of the most fascinating cities on the globe.
But moving abroad can be expensive. In some cities, the cost of living is eye-wateringly high with rent a particularly big concern. So where are the cheapest places for working travellers to live?
A new research conducted by Solopress has analysed 30 cities across a variety of metrics such as the average monthly cost of living and the average Airbnb price per month, to reveal the cheapest locations for digital nomads to thrive. The study also includes the average hourly rate for freelancers, the cost of hotdesking per month and even Wifi speeds.
Istanbul has topped the list, chiefly thanks to its low cost of living the city offers. Istanbul (Turkey) also offers the lowest cost to hot desk for a month at just £64.
Bangkok (Thailand) follows shortly behind in second place, offering the lowest cost of a one-month rental stay in an Airbnb at just £1176 and the 4th lowest cost to hot desk for a month (£159).
Las Vegas also placed in the top five with one of the highest hourly rates charged for creative roles (£49).
The research uncovered the best cities for digital nomads pursuing popular creative careers, including writers, graphic designers, illustrators, web editors and video editors.
For creative workers in writing, graphic design and illustration, Istanbul, Bangkok and Vegas remain in positions one, two and three in terms of our index. Low living costs and cheap accommodation continue to drive high scores for Istanbul and Bangkok.
For website designers, once again Istanbul and Bangkok refuse to be toppled from the top spots. However, thanks to having the second lowest cost of renting an Airbnb for a month (£1728), Budapest comes in right behind the top two for this sector.
Hong Kong claims the top spot for those working in the video editing industry due to the cities, average WiFi speeds of 87Mb/s, coupled with affordable-hot desking (£190) and living costs (£884).
For digital nomads looking to earn a pretty penny, US cities offer the best hourly rates for digital nomads pursuing careers in writing (£55), illustration (£46), web design £45) and graphic design (£52). However, Hong Kong offers the best hourly rates for digital nomads pursuing a career in video editing at £49 an hour.
Career coach and experienced digital nomad Sophia Husbands said of the trend, “For individuals who have yet to travel widely, working as a digital nomad provides the perfect opportunity to experience the best the world has to offer.”
The digital nomad movement has huge advantages, especially for young creative who can earn while they travel. With this new research, they can make informed decisions about remote working anywhere in the world.
