Looking for a highly-curated list of digital nomad hotspots?
We’ve got you!
Since 2018, we made the leap and became digital nomads – we haven’t looked back since! The pandemic has really taken the digital nomad movement to the next level! People are starting to realize what we also realized – that you don’t have to work from home anymore. You can take your online work with you and become location-independent.
But…if you’ve got the whole world to visit – where do you go?
Choosing the right hotspots could make or break the experience for you. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you research, plan and organize really well! With this list of digital nomad hotspots, you can rest in the fact that they are tried and true locations with a good community, fast wifi and offer a work/life balance!
In this blog post, we made a highly curated list of the trending digital nomad hotspots you should visit in 2023! All of the cities listed can handle the basic needs of digital nomads like fast wifi but also the need to be surrounded by like-minded people who are after the same lifestyle as you.
What’s A Digital Nomad Hotspot?
A digital nomad hotspot is a destination that has become popular because it can handle the needs and wants of the digital nomad lifestyle.
While freedom is one of the main reasons people become digital nomads, the ability to travel to new cities and explore the world is also a big factor! However…
…not every location in the world will suit digital nomads.
Things like internet speeds, cost of living and so much more can make or break a location for digital nomads. Here’s the thin
There are a lot of factors that make a location a digital nomad hotspot.
Here’s a quick overview of the 7 trending digital nomad hotspots:
- Koh Phangan, Thailand 🇹🇭
- Medellin, Colombia 🇨🇴
- Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺
- Playa del Carmen, Mexico 🇲🇽
- Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹
- Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸
- Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦
What Factors Make A Location Become A Digital Nomad Hotspot?
Not just any place will do for digital nomads.
To be able to successfully live this digital nomad lifestyle, you need to make sure you’ve got the basics down pat. To be honest, there are a lot of factors that make a place an actual digital nomad hotspot.
Here is what makes a location a digital nomad hotspot:
1. Fast Internet Speeds
If you can’t work online because of slow internet speeds well…you won’t be a digital nomad for much longer.
And that’s just the truth!
That’s why it’s so important to recommend places that have been tested, reviewed and approved by digital nomads. For example, we have heard Puerto Escondido is a great place to visit and offers a great lifestyle BUT apparently, the wifi is spotty, unreliable and just sucks! Having basic internet access is just not enough for digital nomads anymore. Therefore, it just can’t make it onto this list of digital nomad hotspots.
This would irritate anyone that does real work online or anyone that’s trying to start their own business like some digital nomads. A lot of the time digital nomads won’t travel to a certain city just because the wifi is not up to par!
You could probably get away with internet speeds of less than 10 Mbps (probably) but if it’s going to be a digital nomad – it’s got to have fast wifi.
2. Vibrant Digital Nomad Community
One of the main reasons digital nomad quit this lifestyle is because of…
…loneliness!
When you’re traveling full-time – it’s super important to socialize, make new friends and join all the kinds of digital nomad communities you can.
After Matt and I leave a place, we always say that the people make it so much more memorable for us than simply the destination. That’s why we also like to be flexible with our travel plans in case we make some great friends and decide to travel elsewhere together!
All of the cities on this list have vibrant and active digital nomad communities that you can easily slip onto and make friends right away!
Want a community wherever you go? Check out the 21x digital nomad communities you could join right now.
3. Coworking Space / Coliving Space
If co-working spaces are popping up in a city – that’s usually a good sign that there’s a digital nomad community that needs it.
We love working from coworking spaces because you get to meet new people, work productively and socialize (if they have events). A digital nomad hotspot always has a plethora of coworking spaces available for digital nomads to get work done!
Coliving spaces are a little different because you get to live in a space with fellow like-minded people. You get to do activities together, cowork together and do life together! Think of it as an instant community as soon as you arrive at your destination. Most digital nomad hotspots have coliving spaces to offer and they are also a great indication there’s a group of digital nomads around!
4. Affordable Cost of Living
As digital nomads, it’s hard not to care about value for money. When you can choose a digital nomad destination in the world – you want to visit places where you get more bang for your buck right?
For example, you could live in Chiang Mai for less than $1,500 USD (as a couple) but live like you’re spending $3,000 USD. You could get a very luxurious apartment in the center of Nimman and eat out every single meal without spending as much as you did back home (ie. Australia, etc).
We typically try to have a cost of living of less than $2,000 USD per month as a couple and this varies depending on the digital nomad destinations we visit. We’re currently planning a month in Portugal and the rental prices alone are ridiculously more than we’re used to but apparently, everything else is much cheaper! Most digital nomad hotspots on this list have a very low cost of living and others can be a little bit higher – there’s a mix!
Want a list of places under $1,350 USD? Check out the 13 cheapest places for digital nomads to live and travel.
5. High Quality of Life
Digital nomads are chasing a high quality of life. We want to be able to live and work well. There’s got to be plenty of things to do, a good group of friends, a space where you can grow professionally and so much more!
These digital nomad hotspots offer a high standard of living for anyone looking to live there for 1-3 months.
6. Weather
A lot of our digital nomad friends try to have a year-long summer (us included). We typically try to avoid cold destinations and travel based on the kind of climate we are after.
For example, we have been doing European summers and Asian winters. We love heading to Europe when the sun is shining and don’t need the extra coats in our digital nomad luggage. Once winter begins to hit – we travel over to Asia for the warm, humid weather again!
Some of these factors are just basic necessities (ie. wifi) while others depend on the kind of digital nomad lifestyle you want (ie. weather). But a lot of these combined are the perfect recipe to make Those are just some of the factors that make a location a true digital nomad hotspot!
Here are the 7 trending digital nomad hotspots you should travel to in 2023:
7x Trending Digital Nomad Hotspots You Should Check Out
Looking for your next digital nomad destination?
We hope this list of trending digital nomad hotspots will help you choose the right place or even just narrow down the list!
Note: I wanted to mix up the list so you won’t see the staple digital nomad cities like Bali or Chiang Mai.
1. Koh Phangan, Thailand 🇹🇭
Thailand is one of the best countries for digital nomads.
You’ve got beautiful landscape, natural beauty, amazing food, fast wifi and a great community. What’s not to love about Thailand?!
You might know some of the popular digital nomad hotspots already like Chiang Mai, Bangkok or Phuket…but have you heard of Koh Phangan?
This place is currently trending #1 on NomadList and for good reason! We visited Koh Phangan for a weekend and we wish we could have stayed longer but the pandemic had other plans. With just a few days, we could already see why digital nomads rave about this place.
You feel like you’re on a remote island that’s full of natural beauty but yet you get wifi speeds of 200+ Mbps. We had to ask ourselves “did we just find the digital nomad paradise of all paradise?”. We have yet to discover a place that rivals Koh Phangan because it offers everything a digital nomad could want: fast wifi, digital nomad community, low cost of living, high quality life and so much more!
We think Koh Phangan is the #1 trending digital nomad hotspot in 2023 (and beyond)!
Quick Digital Nomad Facts About Koh Phangan, Thailand:
- 💸 Average Cost of Living: $1,090 USD
- 🏡 Average Airbnb Prices: $700 USD
- 👩🏻💻 Wifi Speed: 100+ Mbps
- ✅ Highlights: beach life, good value for money, growing digital nomad community
- ❌ Downsides: wifi can drop in and out, small island vibes
- 🗺 TTA Rating: 9/10
2. Medellin, Colombia 🇨🇴
We’re here right now (March ’22) and the city is buzzing with digital nomads!
Medellin, Colombia is the definition of an urban jungle. You’re in this big city with tons of skyscrapers but yet there is so much greenery and forestry all around. It’s such a unique city with lots of things to do, history, and culture. While living in Medellin, we have met some pretty cool people, attended a couple of events and simply enjoyed the digital nomad life there.
When you’re a Medellin digital nomad, you can enjoy having:
- tons of coworking spaces to choose from
- coliving spaces to have community
- some of the best cafes to work from
- lots of friends that are also digital nomads
- tons of things to do (day trips, paragliding, history walks, etc)
- events every week to attend and meet people
There’s no denying the fact that Medellin has been one of the top digital nomad destinations for a while now but for whatever reason – it has exploded with popularity in the last year or so. Medellin is going to continue to be a trending digital nomad hotspot for the foreseeable future in our opinion!
With this much popularity comes a price hike in Airbnb prices and coliving spaces being fully booked 3 months in advance! Make sure to plan a little earlier for your trip to Medellin as it can become (unnecessarily) expensive for accommodation. Keep in mind – everything else in Medellin is very cheap and affordable!
Quick Digital Nomad Facts About Medellin, Colombia:
- 💸 Average Cost of Living: $1570 USD
- 🏡 Average Airbnb Prices: $850 USD
- 👩🏻💻 Wifi Speed: 60+ Mbps
- ✅ Highlights: city life, lots of things to do, cheap living costs (other than rent)
- ❌ Downsides: rising Airbnb costs (low value for money)
- 🗺 TTA Rating: 8/10
3. Budapest, Hungary 🇭🇺
If you love history, architecture and a young vibe – Budapest might be one of the best digital nomad hotspots for you on this list!
We have been twice now and love it more each time we visit! Over the years, it has become a popular city in Europe for digital nomads to live, work and play.
Budapest, Hungary is located in Eastern Europe and it’s part of the Schengen Visa. There’s a lot of history in this city and it’s got the famous Danube running through the middle of the city. It’s a very safe city where we felt safe walking alone every single time even at night. Budapest also has one of the easiest and most convenient public transport systems which is a cheap option to get around the city.
The Airbnb prices have gone up as Budapest has gained more popularity but to be honest, everything else is pretty affordable for a European city. That’s why we think it’s one of the best digital nomad hotspots in Europe without all those hefty prices!
Quick Digital Nomad Facts About Budapest, Hungary:
- 💸 Average Cost of Living: $1,600 USD
- 🏡 Average Airbnb Prices: $850 USD
- 👩🏻💻 Wifi Speed: 100+ Mbps
- ✅ Highlights: beautiful city, good value for money, growing digital nomad community
- ❌ Downsides: Airbnb prices are going up, cold winters
- 🗺 TTA Rating: 9/10
4. Playa del Carmen, Mexico 🇲🇽
As the years go by, this place becomes more and more controversial…
Here’s why:
A lot of people think it’s overrated now.
As Playa del Carmen digital nomads, we absolutely loved our time there – it’s hard not to when you’re only a 10-minute walk to the beach and have easy access to really good Mexican food. If it wasn’t as expensive as it is now, we would jump at the opportunity to go back again!
There are plenty of coworking spaces, a huge and active digital nomad community, tons of things to do around town and some of the best tacos we’ve tasted! While living in Playa del Carmen, you’ll enjoy how easy it is to walk everywhere (or bike) and the lifestyle here is just unbeatable if you love the chill beach vibes.
The cost of living in Playa del Carmen is not the cheapest as it once was – expect to pay over $1,000 USD for a decent Airbnb now. We got our Airbnb in PDC for only $700 which we learned was a rare deal because that same place is now $1,700 USD. Everything else will be pretty cheap – tacos are only $1 USD even for the best tacos spots in Playa del Carmen!
Playa del Carmen is definitely one of the top trending digital nomad hotspots on this list and it will only continue to grow in the future.
Quick Digital Nomad Facts About Playa del Carmen, Mexico:
- 💸 Average Cost of Living: $1500 USD
- 🏡 Average Airbnb Prices: $900 USD
- 👩🏻💻 Wifi Speed: 50+ Mbps
- ✅ Highlights: close to the beach, Mexican food, big digital nomad community
- ❌ Downsides: tourists crowd the town, high Airbnb prices
- 🗺 TTA Rating: 8/10
5. Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹
Digital nomads have a thing for Lisbon – that’s just a fact!
It could be because of the awesome standard of living, the beautiful beaches, the history, the architecture, the Portuguese people or the stable internet connection. In fact – it might be all of those things!
As a Lisbon digital nomad, you won’t have a shortage of coworking or cafes to work from, coliving spaces to have a community, cool restaurants to eat from and things to do around the city.
While the cost of living in Lisbon has increased because the Airbnb monthly prices have skyrocketed – it’s still one of the most affordable Western Europe cities for digital nomads to travel to!
Quick Digital Nomad Facts About Lisbon, Portugal:
- 💸 Average Cost of Living: $1,800 USD
- 🏡 Average Airbnb Prices: $1,100 USD
- 👩🏻💻 Wifi Speed: 100+ Mbps
- ✅ Highlights: great lifestyle, warm weather, big digital nomad community
- ❌ Downsides: Airbnb prices are going up, can get cold in winter
- 🗺 TTA Rating: 9/10
6. Valencia, Spain 🇪🇸
Valencia is a beautiful city in the South of Spain with modern architecture and awesome weather.
Valencia has a great balance between city and beach life. The Mediterranean Sea is only a 20-minute drive away and you can even do weekend trips to Barcelona or Madrid!
We understand that this might not be on everyone’s radar but we think it’s definitely one of the top trending digital nomad hotspots. Why?
There’s actually a huge digital nomad community in Valencia. There’s an Instagram page called Valencia Nomads which makes it really easy to find some like-minded people. They’ve also got a Telegram chat that keeps everyone up to date with events, workshops and more. As with the other digital nomad hotspots, there are coworking spaces, coliving spaces and tons of things to do to keep you busy in Valencia.
The cost of living in Valencia is pretty high, probably the highest on this list. The Airbnb prices are very expensive and to be honest – eating out and activities will also be pretty high. If you really want to be in Spain though, Valencia is the place for digital nomads!
Quick Digital Nomad Facts About Valencia, Spain:
- 💸 Average Cost of Living: $2,100 USD
- 🏡 Average Airbnb Prices: $1,350 USD
- 👩🏻💻 Wifi Speed: 100+ Mbps
- ✅ Highlights: safe, beautiful city, big digital nomad community
- ❌ Downsides: (very) high cost of living
- 🗺 TTA Rating: 7.5/10
7. Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦
South Africa is a great country to dip your toes into the continent of Africa!
Cape Town is the city where the mountains meet the ocean. Wherever you walk, you will be stunned by the beautiful views of the city. Cape Town offers a great lifestyle – you can easily work from coworking spaces in the day and go to the Farmer’s market on Sundays. The digital nomad community growing day by day and you will easily be able to find some friends when you arrive.
There’s a coliving/coworking retreat called WorkWanderers which we have wanted to join ever since Andrae first messaged us to join back in Bali. We are still planning to attend for a month at some point because it’s so much better to have an instant community and a local guide to take you around Cape Town.
While it can be a bit dangerous like Medellin, just be sure to use your common sense and have general safety precautions. It certainly shouldn’t stop you from visiting this digital nomad hotspot.
We see Cape Town becoming one of the top digital nomad hotspots in the future and there are plenty of reasons why you should start planning your trip there!
Quick Digital Nomad Facts About Cape Town, South Africa:
- 💸 Average Cost of Living: $1,500 USD
- 🏡 Average Airbnb Prices: $900 USD
- 👩🏻💻 Wifi Speed: 50+ Mbps
- ✅ Highlights: beach life, great lifestyle, growing digital nomad community
- ❌ Downsides: expensive Airbnbs
- 🗺 TTA Rating: 8/10
Which Is The Best Hotspot For Digital Nomads?
From this list of the 7 trending digital nomad hotspots, I’d have to say that Cape Town is definitely a dream for us! We can’t wait for the day we get to be digital nomads there and think it offers the kind of lifestyle we are after!
Which one is your favorite of the 7 digital nomads hotspots? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!
