The best city for remote working (and travel hotspot) is only 2.5 hour flight from the UK

MADRID NAMED THE BEST CAPITAL CITY IN THE WORLD FOR DIGITAL-NOMADS

• Research reveals 56% of the best digital-nomad locations are in Europe

• London has the most co-working spaces in the world, with 47 spaces

• 32% of European capital cities appear in the top 25 locations for remote working

• Madrid takes the top spot as the best location and capital city in the world for digital-nomads

• 24% of the top 25 locations are across Asia

With 60% of the UK wanting to work remotely, opening up the opportunity to work abroad, working anywhere in the world is becoming more of a reality for many.

The digital-nomad index reveals the locations across the world that are best for remote working, looking at a variety of factors including broadband speed, cost of living, crime rates, number of co-working spaces, average cost of a hot desk per month, remote visas available to workers, the cost of a coffee and the cost of a meal. 

Over half of the locations that appear in the top 25 are in Europe, making Europe a great place to live and work as a digital-nomad. Madrid takes the crown for the best location overall, with other capitals such as Prague, Berlin and Lisbon featuring on the list too. 

Almost a quarter of the top locations are across Asia. Beijing appears 6th on the list, followed by Singapore, with the best broadband speed anywhere in the world and Jakarta with the cheapest average hot desking costs.

The best locations for digital-nomads in the world 

Madrid ranks top of the list with an overall score of 57.1 out of 100. Madrid boasts a fast broadband speed of 131.46 mbps, however the cost of living is higher than average with a score of 65.71 out of 100, which is only slightly cheaper than London (cost of living score of 66.78). It does however have a low crime score of 33.32 out of 100. There are 4 co-working spaces across the city and the cost of hot desking on average per month is $282 (~€249). The country of Spain offers remote working visas for digital nomads. The average price of a coffee is $2.24 (~€1.98) and the average cost of a meal is $13.54 (~€11.94).

Mexico City ranks second on the list with an overall score of 53.4 out of 10o, followed by Prague in third place with a score of 52.7 out of 100.

London has the most co-working spaces in the world, offering 47 co-working spaces across the city. The UK capital features 15th on the list, with an overall score of 35 out of 100.

Table 1: Top 25 Digital-Nomad locations in the world 

Note: Highlighted countries below have remote working visas available.

Commenting on the research, Angelica Harding, Director of International Development at ETIAS.com:

 “After two years’ worth of restrictions, and as a result the job market changing to offer more remote opportunities, many are looking into working abroad across the globe. 

“With the cost of a co-working space varying by a huge $515 a month and fixed broadband speed differing by up to 183mbps depending on where you are in the world, we know it’s important to make an informed decision when considering a new remote working location. The digital-nomad index offers insight into these great locations around the world and it is really exciting to see that there are more travel work opportunities becoming available.

“With half of these digital-nomad locations across Europe, with many of these locations offering exciting activities outside of work that aren’t available in the UK. It's no wonder many digital nomads are packing up their lives and moving abroad for an exciting new way of life!”