- Are you a remote worker?
- A full-time digital nomad?
- Or maybe you’re just getting into this movement?
You can be new to the whole lifestyle or you could be into the digital nomad for 3+ years like us and still want to find the cheapest places for digital nomads.
If you choose your next digital nomad destination wisely – you could reap the benefits financially.
A lot of people start their journey in the cheapest places for digital nomads. It makes sense especially when you are just starting to live in places where you can conserve money and get a feel for the lifestyle. In fact – we recommend going to the cheap digital nomad destinations if you’re just starting out! If you visit Paris as your first digital nomad destination – you might blow your budget out of the water and that wouldn’t make the next couple of months of travel very fun.
You can be in any part of your journey and want to find the cheapest places for digital nomads to travel to!
We love finding old and new digital nomad destinations where we know we can save a good chunk of money.
Are The Cheapest Places For Digital Nomads Worth A Visit?
You might think cheap = a bad travel destination.
And that isn’t always the case!
A destination doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun and enjoyable. Some of our best memories are from places that didn’t cost much at all.
Some of the cheapest places for digital nomads offer a low cost of living, affordable weekend activities and allow you to save some money too without sacrificing your lifestyle.
QUICK ANSWER: 13x Cheapest Places For Digital Nomads To Visit In 2022
Ready to find out the cheapest places for digital nomads under $1,350 USD for a solo traveler? Here’s a quick overview of the starting prices for each city:
- Antalya – Turkey
- Bogota – Colombia
- Buenos Aires – Argentina
- Cairo – Egypt
- Chiang Mai – Thailand
- Fes – Morocco
- Ho Chi Minh – Vietnam
- Lombok – Indonesia
- San Cristobal de las Casas – Mexico
- Skopje – North Macedonia
- Sofia – Bulgaria
- Tirana – Albania
- Tsibili – Georgia
Guidelines For The Cheapest Places For Digital Nomads
Before we get started, I just want to make sure we are on the same page for a couple of things.
Solo Traveler vs Couple Travelers
The $1,350 USD that we are talking about is for a solo traveler. This means the rent, groceries and everything in between is only for a solo traveler.
While the cheapest places for digital nomads on this list are all below that number – it won’t be the same if you travel as a couple. It’s always going to be slightly higher because things like groceries, eating out, and activities are going to be double the cost (other than rent, obviously).
And because we travel as a couple (and know lots do too), we will also include the cost of living for a couple in each city. Don’t worry, we got you 😉
Where Did We Get These Prices?
If we have been to a destination ourselves, it comes directly from our own budgets, costs and expenses.
If we haven’t been (yet) – we used either NomadList or Numbeo. They are great websites with tons of information about certain digital nomad destinations.
What Does The Cost Of Living Totals Include?
We do a cost of living guide for all of the digital nomad destinations we visit! We’ve written them for Playa del Carmen, Merida, San Cristobal de las Casas, Antigua and so much more.
It’s such an important aspect of the digital nomad lifestyle and often the first question most people have (us included). We want to know the general cost of living for each place to see if it’ll suit us, our budget and the kind of lifestyle we want to have.
Here’s the thing – some people can stretch their budget to match an expensive city like Amsterdam, for example. However, they might have to sacrifice their lifestyle by cutting back on activities or the number of times they eat out. That’s why it’s important to also consider the cheapest places for digital nomads then you can have whatever kind of lifestyle you’re after without blowing the budget!
It’s good to keep in mind these things when looking at the total cost for each place. The total cost of living for each place for digital nomads includes:
- Accommodation (1 bedroom in a decent location via Airbnb)
- Utilities (usually included in rent)
- Groceries
- Dining Out
- Drinking Water
- Transport
- Phone Plan
- Activities & Entertainment
- Gym Membership
You can definitely get better deals (sometimes 30%-50% off) for an apartment rental if you take a lease out and stay 3+ months…but as we’re assessing the cheapest places for digital nomads – a lot of people won’t bother with a lease and likely leave earlier than 3 months! That’s why I’ll include the average rental prices for an Airbnb apartment NOT for a normal lease.
13x Cheapest Places For Digital Nomads (Under $1250) To Live In 2022
As a digital nomad who can work online and travel anywhere…
…however would you choose where to go?
A lot of people base their travels on the average cost of living for a certain destination. If they can’t afford to live in that city – they will simply look elsewhere and that’s totally fine! But that’s what makes this list of the cheapest places for digital nomads even more important.
If you are trying to be smart with your money or you’re just on a tight budget – you can be confident these 7 cheapest places for digital nomads are all under 1,250 USD per person per month. As I said, I’ll include the couple cost (which is never double the solo price).
Note: All prices are in USD for a month-long stay for a single person.
Let’s get started!
1. Antalya, Turkey 🇹🇷 – $1,102
Turkey is a beautiful country connecting Europe and the Middle East. The food is absolutely divine(think – hummus, kebab, falafel, etc) with plenty of choices for all kinds of picky eaters. There’s a lot to love about Turkey for digital nomads and it’s becoming a top digital nomad destination.
As the popularity has grown, Istanbul didn’t make it onto this list because Airbnb prices have gone up significantly. That’s why we added the gorgeous coastal town of Antalya, Turkey. You can enjoy swimming in the beach, working from cafes and making new friends with the growing digital nomad community.
The cost of living is only $1,102 USD for a solo digital nomad. You can expect to use a good chunk of that on your Airbnb rental – otherwise, everything else like eating out, gym and more are very cheap. If you want to live close to the beach – Antalya is one of the cheapest places for digital nomads!
🇹🇷 Antalya Quick Price Facts:
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,700 USD
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $600 USD per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $3.50-15+ USD
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.71
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.85
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷 – $950
Buenos Aires (BA as locals like to call it) is the capital city of Argentina. With such a huge European influence while walking the streets – you often forget you’re in South America. The architecture is stunning, it’s pretty safe and there are over 50+ co-working spaces spread across the town!
The best part of Buenos Aires…is the low cost of living! It’s so much cheaper than the popular digital nomad hotspot – Medellin, Colombia. We think it’s a hidden gem and not many digital nomads have made their way across to truly experience the lifestyle here. If you love steak, Italian food or simply enjoy a good cup of coffee – you’re going to live being a Buenos Aires digital nomad!
The Airbnb costs are much lower here but the best thing we noticed is that you get great value for money. You get to be in the best part of town (Palermo) with a beautifully designed and furnished apartment for as low as $600 USD. If you’re after value for money but still want to be in the cheapest places for digital nomads – Buenos Aires is one of the best options!
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires Quick Price Facts:
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1400 USD
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $550 USD per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $5-20+ USD
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.83
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.84
3. Bogota, Colombia 🇨🇴 – $1,070
Whenever you hear about Colombia, the first city that pops up in Medellin and we totally get why! We have been Medellin digital nomads for 4 months and loved it! However, it’s becoming more and more expensive. The Airbnb prices have skyrocketed and it’s around $1,100 USD just for a decent 1 bedroom apartment in either Laureles or Poblado.
That’s why Bogota is now one of the cheapest places for digital nomads in Colombia. As the capital city of Colombia, you can rest assured you have the modern comforts of any big city – the ability to pay by card anywhere, transport options, stable wifi connection!
It’s still a pretty low cost of living in Bogota and you’ll get more bang for your buck here. However…there’s far less of a digital nomad community in Bogota which means it can be hard to make friends! If you’re super tight on your budget, Bogota could be the right place for you otherwise living in Medellin is pretty sweet!
🇨🇴 Bogota Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,650
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $650 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $5-20+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.00
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.27
4. Cairo, Egypt 🇪🇬 – $850
If you want the hustle and bustle of a city – there’s no other place like Cairo, Egypt. This capital city is set on the Nile River with plenty of history and culture to discover all around.
Cairo is one of the cheapest places for digital nomads and it’s definitely the lowest cost of living on this list. You can’t really beat being able to live on only $850 USD for a solo digital nomad. The Airbnb prices are fairly low for a decent 1 bedroom in a good location. Eating out is very cheap and one of the best things to do while in Cairo!
There are lots of things to do in and around Cairo like going to see the pyramids of Giza. There are also famous beach towns like Dahab (although the cost of living is slightly higher there). If you’re seriously tight on your budget – you might want to consider living in Cairo for a month!
🇪🇬 Cairo Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,300 USD
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $400 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $4-16+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.60
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.80
5. Chiang Mai, Thailand 🇹🇭 – $900
Chiang Mai…the OG of all digital nomad destinations.
This city became a big place for digital nomads because of the cheap cost of living, decent co-working spaces and a huge digital nomad community. We have some of our favorite memories as digital nomads in Chiang Mai and we often talk about our times there!
Life is very simple in Chiang Mai but yet we had the most fun! You can have the most delicious Thai food like a red curry for less than $2, fresh juice for $1 and a pad thai for $1.50. We were out for every single meal and it never blew our budget!
An Airbnb in the popular Nimman area is still very affordable and you’ll get a modern 1 bedroom apartment with a kitchen. The value for money in Chiang Mai is just unbeatable! It’s one of the cheapest places for digital nomads and you won’t have to sacrifice much of your creature comforts here if you’re on a tight budget.
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai Quick Price Facts:
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1400 USD
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $400 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $1-15+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.78
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.72
6. Fes, Morocco 🇲🇦 – $1,100
Fes (aka Fez) is often referred to as Morocco’s cultural capital. It’s a city located in northeastern Morocco filled with history, culture and unique architecture.
While Marrakesh or Casablanca is the more popular travel destination – it also means the cost of living is much higher. Fes is a great alternative if you want to travel to Morocco on a smaller budget!
You can still find a decent Airbnb for around $500 USD and everything else like your groceries, eating out and activities will still be very cheap. Overall, it’s one of the cheapest places for digital nomads in Africa! The wifi can be slow at times but we have seen many digital nomads travel here and get away with it. Again if your main goal is to reduce your cost of living – Fes is a great option!
🇲🇦 Fes Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,550
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $600 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $3-10+
- 🍺 Local beer: $2.18
- ☕️ Coffee: $0.80
7. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 🇻🇳 – $990
Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon) is located on the south side of Vietnam. The country has some of the necessities for digital nomads – fast wifi, good transport options and a low cost of living.
The lifestyle in Ho Chi Minh is more fast-paced than say Koh Phangan island in Thailand. But if you want to have city life for a couple of months while keeping your costs low – Ho Chi Minh is one of the cheapest places for digital nomads in Asia. There are other digital nomad hotspots in Vietnam like Da Nang or Hanoi which can also cost less than $1,250 – however, Ho Chi Minh is the cheapest city in Vietnam by far!
It’s easy to eat street food like pho or a banh mi without breaking the bank. The Airbnb market is also still very low and you’ll get a nice, modern serviced apartment. There are plenty of coworking spaces at reasonable prices so you can continue to earn the money to travel full-time with ease!
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,400
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $600 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $2-20+
- 🍺 Local beer: $0.80
- ☕️ Coffee: $2.06
8. Lombok, Indonesia 🇮🇩 – $970
You’ve definitely heard of Bali (maybe a little too much) but have you ever heard of Lombok?
Lombok, Indonesia is only a couple of hours boat ride away (or a 30-minute flight from Bali). You will immediately be transported a calm, laid-back, beach lifestyle here. There are 2 main parts of the island – Mataram and Senggigi. Both towns offer a low cost of living – less than $1,000 USD.
It’s much more secluded in Lombok with a digital nomad community that’s (slowly) growing. The wifi can be quite spotty in Lombok which is another thing to consider. While it doesn’t have all that Bali has to offer, it’s cheaper now to live in Lombok than it is in Bali. If you want to be a Bali digital nomad but don’t have the funds to support the lifestyle there – Lombok is one of the cheapest places for digital nomads in Indonesia.
🇮🇩 Lombok Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,500
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $500 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $1-15+
- 🍺 Local beer: $2.44
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.39
9. San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico 🇲🇽 – $1,200
Mexico’s Airbnb prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic – nearly 20-50% more than what it used to be! We became Playa del Carmen digital nomads in 2020 and thankfully, we got an insanely good deal on our Airbnb in PDC. So where do you go if you can’t afford the Airbnb prices in PDC and other Mexico destinations?
San Cristobal de las Casas would be the answer! We were trying to figure out where to go next and a lot of friends recommended this small, colonial town in the mountains of Chiapas. We were living in San Cristobal de las Casas for 2 months and it was a breath of fresh air from the Playa del Carmen prices!
Our cost of living in San Cristobal de las Casas was roughly $1700 USD as a couple. We were able to get a huge apartment with a kitchen, garden and fireplace for only $650 USD. We splurged while we were here and eat out at 28 restaurants in San Cris! The food is amazing and you just wouldn’t expect to find so many different kinds of cuisines here. As San Cristobal de las Casas digital nomads, we took a monthly membership at a coworking space – Centralita Coworking and it was only $80 USD per month/unlimited. We think San Cristobal de las Casas is a hidden gem and it’s one of the cheapest places for digital nomads in Mexico!
🇲🇽 San Cristobal de las Casas Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,700
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $650 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $3.50-20+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.50
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.75
10. Skopje, North Macedonia 🇲🇰 – $1,150
Welcome to the one of cheapest places for digital nomads in Eastern Europe! Skopje is the capital and largest city in North Macedonia. This city is filled with tons of history, culture and it’s known as the city of statues!
We felt like we had found a hidden gem when we were checking out Skopje because the Airbnb prices are very low for what you get – a nice, modern apartment. We think it’s an underrated digital nomad destination and can see it growing in popularity as the movement continues to grow.
Note: North Macedonia isn’t part of the Schengen Visa which means you can come here if your 90/180 day period is over.
As Skopje is located in Eastern Europe, this means all other living costs like groceries and eating out are much cheaper than what you’d expect in Western Europe. While there aren’t any pristine beaches in Skopje or much to do, you will be able to save a good chunk of money living here.
🇲🇰 Skopje Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,650
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $650 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $6-20+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.84
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.51
11. Sofia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬 – $1,210
You’ve probably heard of the popular ski town Bansko in Bulgaria. This small, mountain town has made its mark in the digital nomad world thank to the Bansko Coworking and Nomad Fest conferences. The price has gone up in recent years to live in Bansko but there’s another alternative in Bulgaria…
…Sofia, it’s the capital city of Bulgaria and offers some of the cheapest places for digital nomads to live in Eastern Europe. There are plenty of restaurants, things to do and most importantly, low living costs.
While most of the digital nomad community can be found in Bansko, you can see that it’s starting to also spill over to Sofia. The value for money you get here is pretty good and you’ll still live quite a high standard of life.
Note: Bulgaria also isn’t part of the Schengen Visa which means you can come here if your 90/180 day period is over.
🇧🇬 Sofia Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,700
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $650 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $8-30+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.66
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.65
12. Tirana, Albania 🇦🇱 – $1,170
Albania is starting to become a digital nomad hub in Eastern Europe. There are 2 locations for digital nomads in Albania – Tirana and Sarande. Tirana is more of a metropolis city while Sarande is a coastal, beach town. I probably would have put Sarande on this list 2 years ago but again after the pandemic – the Airbnbs prices have gone up significantly (especially in the summer).
That’s why Tirana has made it onto this list of the cheapest places for digital nomads. You can still get Airbnb apartments here for less than $600 USD and your living costs would also be very low. Eating out at restaurants, coworking and groceries are relatively cheap too!
Tirana is the capital city of Albania which means it’s the economic epicenter. The pace of life is pretty fast as with any real city and this is something you’ll have to consider. If you’re just trying to save some money – Tirana is still a great option!
🇦🇱 Tirana Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,650
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $700 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $5-30+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.78
- ☕️ Coffee: $1.34
13. Tbilisi, Georgia 🇬🇪 – $1,230
Tbilisi is a staple digital nomad destination because of its cheap cost of living, coworking spaces and high standard of living. If you time it correctly, you won’t have to endure the cold winters in Georgia.
It’s one of the top countries to offer digital nomad visas and continues to be the pioneer of the movement. The other thing that attracts digital nomads from all over is that (some passports) get a 1-year visa on arrival. If you really want to converse some cash – Tbilisi is one of the cheapest places for digital nomads offering a long visa duration.
The Airbnb costs are very affordable for what you get – a spacious, modern apartment. If you want to eat out, enjoy some wine or do weekend activities, it’s also very affordable all-around Tbilisi. We think it’s one of the cheapest places for digital nomads that offer a high standard of living – and that can be hard to find!
🇬🇪 Tbilisi Quick Price Facts (USD):
- 👩❤️👨 Cost of Living For A Couple: $1,700
- 🏠 1 Bedroom Apartment in a Nice Area: starting from $650 per month
- 🍽 Restaurant Meals: $8-25+
- 🍺 Local beer: $1.63
- ☕️ Coffee: $2.10
The 13x Cheapest Places For Digital Nomads (Under $1,250) In 2022
There you have it – the 13x cheapest places for digital nomads around the world.
We hope that money doesn’t become the reason you stop this laptop lifestyle. Living in some of the cheapest countries for digital nomads is one of the best ways to save and conserve your cash without having to give up this way of life!
Did we miss any of the cheapest places for digital nomads? Comment below and let us know – we always want to learn about new digital nomad cities!
