3 March 2020

35 Best Digital Nomad Cities & Destinations 2020

Digital nomad world is growing rapidly and some of the cities have become popular “hotspots” with amazing communities of remote workers and entrepreneurs.

Those are mostly places around Europe, Asia, and South America meeting basic “digital nomad standards”, such as affordable cost of living, lovely weather, and fast internet. Of course 🙂

If you’re a digital nomad, tired of traveling solo and working on your own, then you should head to some of these digital nomad destinations.

Nomad communities are already very well established, so you won’t have a problem to find your tribe!

We’ve put together this list based on our experience, research, and discussion with fellow digital nomads and travel bloggers. Enjoy reading & happy travels 🙂

SANTA MARTA – Colombia

When looking for a digital nomad city with lots of sea sand and sun, Santa Marta in Colombia could be the place you’ve been missing.

Located on the Caribbean coast you can be enjoying life on the coast within minutes from your workspace. From downtown Santa Marta you can get a speedy internet connection down at the Flamingo Co-working space and even get yourself a comfy room with a desk for the night.

With growing communities like CocoHub, the Digital nomad wave is growing in Santa Marta and an attractive place to be closer to nature.

By: Daniel James from Layer Culture is a cultural traveler from the United Kingdom. Daniel dedicates his time to learning Spanish whilst exploring and learning about life in Latin America.

TIP: for the soft landing, check out some of the Hostels in Santa Marta for the first few nights!

PUERTO VIEJO DE TALAMANCA – Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. It’s the perfect location for the adventurous digital nomads that are looking for something different. Whether you’re a nature lover or a surf addict, Puerto Viejo will charm you.

In the center of town, you’ll find Puerto&Co, a coworking space, and a vegan cafe. You can work while having a view of the jungle. And if you feel like going for a dip, the ocean is only 50 meters away.

Tip: You can ditch your alarm clock as you’ll be woken up at 5 am by howler monkeys. The perfect way to start the day.

Check the vibes of the Puerto&Co coworking and Puerto Viejo in this video:

Bio: Thomas Kanze decided to move to Costa Rica with his family in early 2018 to allow his kids to grow surrounded by nature and not concrete. He created Nomadific, a resource for Digital Nomads and is the co-owner of Puerto&Co.

TENERIFE – Spain

Tenerife is the island of eternal spring and it is well-known for its diversity – from the highest mountain of Spain and unbelievable trekking paths to one of the best scuba diving, rock climbing, cycling, and surfing spots- Tenerife has it all. Many digital nomads love the fact that on the same day they can be at the beach and the mountain surrounded by nature and spectacular views, and still have time to work!

At the same time, Tenerife offers all the great things a big city has such as high-speed internet, fabulous restaurants, and great shows but with a much higher quality of life and lower living costs. There is also a vibrant community of remote workers and plenty of activities are organized around the island.

Facebook groups:

Meetup group: Tenerife Digital Nomads

By: Elsa Rodriguez is an independent consultant with 10 years of varied international professional experience in the fields of sustainable tourism, access to finance for MSMEs and international development.

She is currently the lead advisor of Tenerife Work & Play, an initiative created to support remote workers, digital nomads and startups find an easy path to establish themselves on the island of Tenerife.

PLAYA DEL CARMEN – Mexico

One of the most favorite places for vacation in Mexico is Playa del Carmen and definitely one of the TOP digital nomad cities! Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, this coastal resort town is beautiful and fun.

With warm weather throughout the year, the Caribbean beach is always perfect. There is a nice walking path along the beach and through the town, with its many shops and restaurants. There is always something to do in Playa del Carmen.

The cost of living is low and you can find apartments or rooms in gated communities for added security. Good food is plentiful and cheap. The wifi is great and some say it’s the fastest they’ve experienced in Latin America!

There are many coffee shops that Digital Nomads work in, but for those who like to have a little more community, try a coworking space like Bunker. Make sure to join the Playa de Carmen “Mexpats” Facebook Group.

By: Whitney Kjeldsen, Designs for Travel. Whitney is a top travel blogger and has traveled to over 45 countries so far. Her goal is to help people experience the best of world travel by providing itineraries, tips, and packing guides.

ODESSA – Ukraine

You might have heard about Odessa as a summer destination somewhere in Eastern Europe. But what if we tell you that the Ukrainian port city is also a vibrant hub for those who’ve embraced a digital nomad lifestyle?

Odessa is a multi-cultural center where you’ll be able to network with ex-pats in numerous cafes dotted around the city. Get ready for very affordable rents ($5 USD/night or $300 USD/month), fresh local food and visually incredible architecture.

By: Ivana Greslikova travel blogger from Slovakia and the founder of ivanagreslikova.com blog.

PORTO – Portugal

Although Lisbon has quickly become one of the world’s top destinations for digital nomads, Portugal’s second city, Porto, has been mistakenly overlooked.

With warm summers and lower rents than Lisbon, Porto is a great alternative to the increasingly overcrowded capital city. It has plenty of great coworking spaces like Porto i/o, countless comfortable cafes to work from, as well as a growing international scene – including a monthly meetup for digital nomads.

By: James Cave has been a digital nomad for more than 7 years, having spent time living all over Europe and traveling throughout Asia and North America.

He has written extensively about Portugal’s digital nomad scene, including a guide to the various coworking spaces in Porto.

SARANDA – Albania

Saranda is a small seaside city in the south of Albania which is perfect for digital nomads. The city receives over 320 days of sunshine a year and has some of the fastest internet speeds, better than what I have experienced in New Zealand!

Not only that but it’s extremely affordable. An apartment in Saranda can cost as little as €150 per month and an unlimited internet plan is around €16 per month. There’s so much to do in and around Saranda when you have a little time off the laptop too. All in all Saranda, Albania has a lot to offer the modern-day digital nomad.”

Bio: “I’m Anita and I’m a huge fan of the Balkans, so much so, that I moved to Saranda, Albania over 2 years ago now. The Balkans is such a fast-growing region and information is limited so I decided to start Travelling Balkans to help anyone planning a trip to this incredible region.

TAGHAZOUT – Morocco

Taghazout in Morocco is a great town for Digital Nomads. Many choose to come and stay in this lazy little surf town for a few months at a time as all year round the weather is great, the food is good, it’s cheap and it’s the perfect place to learn to surf. If surfing isn’t your thing then you can also join Berber Fit, fitness classes that are run on the beautiful beach.

The town even has a great co-working space “SunDesk” with a great community and fast wifi that anyone who works online needs. You can choose to stay and work there or just use the co-working space for the day. You can also join the Taghazout Nomads facebook page.

Bio: I am Clare, originally from the UK, I have been traveling the world for the past 7 years and now spending most of my time living in a little surf town called Huanchaco in Peru. I have been writing on ilive4travel for the past 3 years.

PLOVDIV – Bulgaria

Plovdiv is highly rated with digital nomads because Bulgaria’s internet is lighting fast (and super cheap). Bulgaria is also conveniently located outside of the Schengen Zone, so Americans can come for 90 days out of every 180 days, making it one of the easiest places for Americans to spend significant time in while hopping around Europe.

The cost of living here is quite low. Modern, furnished apartments can be found for as low as 500 Bulgarian leva (about 250 Euros). You’ll also find that it’s easy to stay connected to the rest of Europe with cheap flights headed directly into Plovdiv Airport via Wizzair.

Digital Nomads love exploring the city’s arts scene, with hipster cafes lining the Kapana neighborhood. There are tons of things to do in Plovdiv, and the city is serving as the European Capital of Culture for 2019.

By: Stephanie Craig is a Balkan travel expert, writing at Sofia Adventures. She also writes at The Africa Cookbook.

YEREVAN – Armenia

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is a great place to set up camp for digital nomads. Not only is the country highly connected when it comes to all things web, but it’s also a growing nation in terms of coding and programming. Although the winters are quite cold, the rest of the year, you can expect beautiful warm weather!

Another great reason to work from here is that living expenses are quite low. Depending on how long you stay, you can expect to pay between $250-500 for a big, centrally located apartment, including all amenities. The food in Armenia is delicious and inexpensive. A typical wrap goes for $2-5 depending on what you put in it. Groceries for two will set you back about $20-30 a week. Plus, there is a booming nightlife and wine scene, if you need to take a break from work.

Great resources for ex-pats would be the RepatArmenia website, Expats in Armenia and Armenian Repatriates Network Facebook groups or a 2-weeks Armenia travel guide!

By: Carine and Derek are a travel couple from Canada. They spend half the year traveling the world and the other half exploring their home province of Quebec. Their goal is to inspire everyone to chase their wildest dreams and to leave a positive impact on Earth.

BANSKO – Bulgaria

Bansko is a rural mountain resort in Bulgaria. In the winter it is one of the best ski resorts of the Balkans while in the summer it offers a relaxed lifestyle in a 1000 year historic village.

The growing community of 100+ digital nomads that are members year-round at Coworking Bansko ensures that there are always like-minded people around to have fun, start new projects and help each other to become the best version of themselves.

The 10% flat income tax combined with €150 apartment rentals and a low cost of living keeps attracting more and more nomads to make Bansko their base.

By: Matthias Zeitler is the founder of Coworking Bansko and is currently working on organizing the Bansko Nomad Fest, a week-long celebration of the nomad lifestyle in July 2020.