Settling into a new country as digital nomads isn’t always easy…⁣
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…We spent our first full month in Medellin, Colombia going through a list of things to sort out for ourselves (per usual).⁣
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It might look like we just land in a country and have everything sorted by day 1 but that’s certainly not the case.⁣
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In each country as digital nomads, you have to:⁣
- Buy a local SIM card (or find an eSIM solution - @airalocom & @realnomadtravel are our faves)⁣
- Find your local grocery store⁣
- Get connected with the digital nomad community (constantly putting ourselves out there)⁣
- Figure out where to work (coworking vs cafes)⁣
- Plan the activities we want to do while visiting the country⁣
- And so much more!⁣
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We heard so much about Medellin for digital nomads, we just had to check out what all the buzz was about (especially as we run a blog for digital nomads).⁣
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This was also my (Ashley’s) birthday month and we went paragliding for the first time (2nd pic). We flew with @paraglidingmedellin 💯 I absolutely loved it - if you get the chance, it was a great experience!⁣
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#medellindigitalnomad #colombiadigitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #catchflightsnotfeelings #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #twoticketsanywhere
2022 didn’t start off as we expected…⁣
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…lying on the beach in Thailand, one of our favorite places in the world. 🌴⁣
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Instead, we were touring a couple more US cities: Phoenix, San Francisco and Miami! At this point, we didn’t know how our year would look but we just needed to nail down our next location as digital nomads.⁣
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How did we do that? Simply go on Google flights, enter Miami (where we currently were) and don’t add a destination! There was one place that popped up that was high on our digital nomad destination list - Medellin, Colombia! 🇨🇴⁣
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For $245.15 USD total, Matthew and I hopped on a 2 hour plane ride to a country (and continent) we’ve never stepped foot on before! 🥹⁣
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We were tired of flying and traveling (faster than usual) and we decided to make Medellin our base for a few months but that’s for the next couple of posts to come…⁣
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#travelawesome #digitalnomad #fulltimetravel #travelinglifestyle #travel #digitalnomadlifestyle #laptoplifestyle #exploretheworld #passportcollective #traveldestination #digitalnomaddiary
Well, that's the truth...🤷🏻‍♀️ ⠀ Dig Well, that's the truth...🤷🏻‍♀️
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Digital nomad life isn’t for everyone.

There are days you’ll feel excited to live in a new country every couple of months, ready to learn about other cultures & always inspired by fellow digital nomads you meet on the road. 

But there are days where you’ll feel lonely, stuck, miserable and exhausted from moving and/or always making new friends. 

This digital nomad lifestyle is no way perfect, as it may look. But…

We wouldn’t have it any other way 🤍
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#travelreels #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #catchflightsnotfeelings #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #traveladdict #travel #twoticketsanywhere #travelblogger #travelawesome #digitalnomadlifestyle #fulltimetravel #passportcollective #travelcouple #funnytravel
there's just something about this feeling ✈️⠀
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#travelreels #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #seetheworld #catchflightsnotfeelings #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #traveladdict #travel #twoticketsanywhere #travelblogger #travelawesome
sunsets in zadar, croatia 🫶⠀
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#hotsummernights #midjuly #digitalnomadcouple #zadar #croatia #europesummer #zadarcroatia #digitalnomadlife #workfromanywhere #remotework #travel #travelreels
Zagreb isn’t your likely destination when visiti Zagreb isn’t your likely destination when visiting Croatia 🇭🇷

In fact, lots of people never make it up this way. But digital nomads do!

Here’s the reasons we chose Zagreb as our digital nomad hub for the month of July:

💸 AFFORDABLE COST OF LIVING
Zagreb is less crowded during the summer time which means you get more deals on things like accommodation - its much cheaper than Split or Dubrovnik! Here’s some numbers (in USD) to give you a better picture:

🚊 Public transport = $0.80
☕️ Coffee + drinks = $2 - $4
🍽 Eating Out = $9 - $12
🛶 Activities = $5 - $50

👯‍♀️ GROWING DIGITAL NOMAD COMMUNITY
We’re surprised by how strong the community is in Zagreb! We made friends during our first coworking event & found an awesome group of digital nomads to hang out with ever since.

👩🏻‍💻 DECENT CAFE & COWORKING SCENE
We cowork at cafes with our friends at least 2-3 times a week. Coworking is kind of expensive here and imo not worth it because it’s too ‘corporate’ for our liking.

⛺️ GREAT BASE TO EXPLORE CROATIA
Plitvice Lakes is 2.5 hours away & popular coast towns like Pula, Zadar or Rovinj are only 3-4 hours drive away. You get the structure that comes from having a base but you get to travel/explore on the weekends - kinda perfect!

☺️ COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE
Public transport is a breeze in Zagreb - you can take a bus, tram or walk into the city fairly quick. It's super safe here!

We’ve lived in Zagreb as digital nomads for a couple weeks now and tbh - we didn’t love it at first. But after some time, we can now say we are seriously enjoying our lifestyle here. The community is amazing and we’re so glad we chose Zagreb! It’s just so peaceful and comfortable (which you don’t expect from a capital city)!

Would you consider being a digital nomad in Zagreb?

#digitalnomaddiaries #workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle #workanywhere #digitalnomadlifestyle #travelblog #digitalnomadlife #blogger #twoticketsanywhere #digitalnomadblogger #beCEOofyourlife #digitalnomadcouple
Travel solves life's problems, right? 😅⠀ ⠀ Travel solves life's problems, right? 😅⠀
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#traveltheworld #travelreels #digitalnomad #travelinglifestyle #travelfunny #traveladdict #wanderlust #travelreels #exploretheworld #catchflights #traveling #fulltimetravel #digitalnomadlifestyle #travelcouple
And we’re LIVE 🥳 Two Tickets Anywhere is a bl And we’re LIVE 🥳 Two Tickets Anywhere is a blog with everything you wish you knew about the digital nomad lifestyle.⁣
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When we first started out, there was barely any content on this lifestyle. We just had to jump in headfirst and figured it out from there. ⁣
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That’s why we created Two Tickets Anywhere where you can learn about things like:⁣
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👩‍💻 best places to work from (coworking/cafes)⁣
💸 honest cost of living guides⁣
✈️ discover new, upcoming DN cities ⁣
👯‍♀️ join a community of people that just get you⁣
🗺 complete digital nomad destination guides⁣
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After 4 years of full-time travel, we are excited to launch our digital nomad blog to help you work online and travel the world!⁣
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Check it out - twoticketsanywhere.com⁣
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If you want to support us, the best way is to obvs read our blog posts BUT also subscribe to our newsletter which drops on Sunday 🥳⁣
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#digitalnomadblog #twoticketsanywhere #traveltheworld #digitalnomadlifestyle #travelinglife #fulltimetravel #digitalnomadcouple #travelreels #travelcouple #golittlerockstar #createalifeyoulove #remotelife #workfromanywhere #workfromwifi #exploretheglobe
Novi Sad, this charming town is the best day trip Novi Sad, this charming town is the best day trip from Belgrade🇷🇸

Looking to escape the city life? It’s easy enough to catch the train, Novi Sad is a small town perfect for chilling, wandering around and drinking coffee at the cute cafes.

HOW TO GET THERE 🚊
Take the Coco high-speed trains that get you to Novi Sad in only 36 mins. Buy tickets via the app - Srbija voz and it’s only going to cost $3.40 USD for a one-way first class ticket.

COFFEE ☕️
Sit at a cafe and enjoy a cup of coffee - Zenit Books & Loft Downtown.

FOOD 🥘
Pls try Burek - the best place in Novi Sad is 100% Burek. Kombinat is a popular place to have lunch. But we recommend grabbing food from Maxi and having a picnic at Danube Park!

SEE, DO 🏰
Visit the Petrovaradin Fortress at sunset, chill on the ‘beach’ - The Strand, walk around Danube Park & stare at the beautiful Name of Mary Catholic Church.

You can spend a day in Novi Sad or it’s also great for a weekend getaway. Whichever you choose, just don’t miss Novi Sad on your digital nomad travels through Serbia 🇷🇸

#twoticketsanywhere #fulltimetravel #serbia #novisad #visitserbia #digitalnomadserbia #seetheworld#digitalnomaddiaries #workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #serbiatourism #novisadserbia
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Digital Nomad Couple

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Digital Nomad Statistics: How Big Is The Nomad Movement Now?

Category Digital Nomad Updated on March 2, 2023

digital nomad statistics
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The digital nomad movement is growing!

As remote work becomes a normal part of life, people crave new adventures in new locations. The digital nomad lifestyle looks attractive so the movement continues to explode.

Even governments are on board with tons of countries now offering digital nomad-friendly visas to try and attract an ever-growing remote workforce.

These digital nomad statistics tell the whole story of what the digital nomad lifestyle looks like in reality.

In this blog, we will look at digital nomad statistics on:

  • The total number of digital nomads in the world
  • Why people become digital nomads
  • The age and demographics of digital nomads
  • Most popular digital nomad jobs
  • How much money do they earn
  • Trending digital nomad hotspots
  • The biggest challenge facing digital nomads today

And so much more! Strap yourself in as we dive deep into the digital nomad life with these digital nomad statistics.

In This Article: hide
Key Digital Nomad Statistics
How Many Digital Nomads Are There?
Digital Nomad Statistics About Demographics & Relationships
Education And Training Statistics
Digital Nomad Jobs & Careers
How Much Do Digital Nomads Earn?
What Are The Top Digital Nomad Destinations
Where Do Digital Nomads Live And Work?
Digital Nomad Visas
Biggest Challenges For Digital Nomads
Digital Nomads vs Remote Workers
Wrapping It Up

 

Key Digital Nomad Statistics

The nomadic lifestyle is not one for the faint-hearted.

There are lots of challenges that digital nomads overcome every day, but the lifestyle payoff is well worth it.

Here are some quick digital nomad statistics you need to know:

  • There are an estimated 35 million digital nomads worldwide
  • Digital nomads contribute a global economic value of $787 billion per year
  • If the global digital nomad movement was a country it would rank 41st in the world in terms of population
  • Mexico is the most popular digital nomad destination in the world right now – Thailand is the second most popular
  • The average age of a digital nomad is 32 and most digital nomads start their nomad journey at the age of 29
  • The US accounts for more than 51% of digital nomads worldwide
  • 46% of digital nomads are self-employed and 35% are employed by a company

Check out the digital nomad statistics infographic below for a visual representation of some of these top stats.

digital nomad statistics infographic

 

Now let’s jump in!

How Many Digital Nomads Are There?

The growth in people becoming digital nomads over the last 4 years has been huge. The Covid pandemic only seems to have accelerated the movement even further.

These are the current stats about the digital nomad population.

Total Number Of Digital Nomads Worldwide

There are currently over 35 million digital nomads worldwide as of 2022.

there are 35 million digital nomads worldwide

This is expected to grow significantly over the next few years as people switch to remote work more and more.

In the United States alone, there are 15.5 million digital nomads meaning that US digital nomads make up the vast majority of the nomad population. This is a huge result, considering in 2019 only 7.3 million Americans identified as digital nomads.

Year Number Of US Digital Nomads
2018 4.8 Million
2019 7.3 Million
2020 10.9 Million
2021 15.5 Million

Between 2019 and 2020, the digital nomad movement grew by a huge 49% with 10.9 million nomads from the US.

Why is the growth so fast?

More working flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere in the world! The Covid-19 pandemic also fuelled remote working and travel as lots of US citizens went to countries with more relaxed laws and less threat of lockdowns.

Top Reasons To Become Digital Nomads

The top 5 reasons most people become a digital nomad are:

  • 73% said they wanted a better work-life balance
  • 68% said they love the freedom of the lifestyle
  • 55% said they just love to travel
  • 43% said they wanted to avoid office politics
  • 37% said they had a desire to explore other cultures

There are clearly lots of reasons that push people to make the switch to the digital nomad lifestyle.

But most interestingly, the top 2 are to do with freedom and work-life balance. The flexibility to choose what you want is something that most digital nomads seem to value.

Sources: Flex Jobs, A Brother Abroad

Digital Nomad Statistics About Demographics & Relationships

As you can imagine, relationships can be a bit of a challenge for digital nomads.

Although lots of digital nomads travel as a couple, many nomads are looking for love as they move from place to place. The following demographic and relationship digital nomad statistics paint a very good picture of who digital nomads are.

Average Digital Nomad Age

There is no doubt that digital nomad life is more popular among younger adults.

The average age of a digital nomad is 32 years old.

the average digital nomad is 32 years old

Most people start their digital nomad journey at 29. Ironically, the average age of burnout is 32 years old with most people starting to feel the negative effects of corporate work-life balance at the age of 29.

This could be a driver of digital nomads starting during this age range.

Here’s a full breakdown of digital nomads’ age range:

Age Range Percentage of Digital Nomads
20 to 29 14%
30 to 39 47%
40 to 49 16%
50 to 59 19%
60 to 69 3%
70 and above 1%

You can see that almost half (47%) of all digital nomads are aged 30 to 39.

Interestingly there are more digital nomads in their 50s than there are in their 40s. There is also a significant drop-off after the age of 60 years old. It makes sense as being “nomadic” is significantly harder the older you get.

Digital Nomads Come From These Countries

Where do most digital nomads come from?

Here are the top 15 countries that digital nomads come from:

Country Percentage (%)
United States 51%
United Kingdom 8%
Russia 5%
Canada 5%
Germany 3%
France 3%
Australia 2%
Brazil 2%
Netherlands 2%
Spain 1%
Ukraine 1%
India 1%
Poland Less than 1%
Italy Less than 1%
Switzerland Less than 1%

As you can see, the US accounts for 51% of total digital nomads.

This is followed by the United Kingdom with 8% and Russia making up 5% of the digital nomad population. The next two nationalities are Canada at 5% and Germany at %3.

top 5 countries that digital nomads come from

If you break it down by regions, it gets more interesting:

Region Percentage (%)
North America 56%
Europe 27%
Rest of World 17%

North America makes up 56% of digital nomads worldwide, with Europe coming in second with 27%. Just 17% of digital nomads come from other regions of the world.

Single vs In A Relationship

The majority of digital nomads are single.

66% of digital nomads said that they were single.

66% of digital nomads are single

34% said that they were currently in a relationship. Of those people that are in a relationship, 66% of them are married and 34% are unmarried. This is interesting contrast – different to what most people might have thought!

What’s more?

Only 31% of married digital nomads travel with their partners full-time.

31% of married digital nomads travel with their partners full time

38% travel with them part-time and a significant 32% of married digital nomads don’t travel with their partners at all.

Digital Nomads With Families

Only 26% of digital nomads in a relationship have children under the age of 18.

Clearly, the digital nomad lifestyle is more suited to people who are single or in a relationship but don’t yet have families. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.

There is a growing trend for digital nomad families to pack up and hit the road with their children. Nomad parents want to give their children more opportunities to learn about new cultures and see the world from a different perspective. Personally, I love this idea!

My parents took my brother and I out of school for a year in 2004 (I was 10 years old) and we did a world trip. This was my first time out of Australia and it had a significant, positive impact on my life.

But this idea hasn’t taken hold in every parent. Only 41% of children travel with their digital nomad parents full-time. That means 59% of children travel part-time with their parents or not at all.

This is likely due to education.

It’s difficult for parents to home-school their children, so it’s often easier to enrol them in a traditional school while the parents travel.

Dating & Relationships

Digital nomad dating has certainly grown in popularity over the last few years.

There have even been new dating apps popping up specifically for digital nomads.

Here are the latest digital nomad statistics about what nomads are actually looking for:

Looking For Percentage (%)
Friends 35%
Travel Buddies 32%
Casual Dating 16%
Relationships 13%
Poly Dating 5%

Most digital nomads are looking for friends and travel buddies. 35% of digital nomads said they were looking for more friends and 32% said they were looking for travel buddies.

That means 2/3 of digital nomads aren’t looking for dating relationships at all!

2-out-of-3-digital nomads aren't looking for dating relationships

16% of digital nomads are looking for casual relationships at the moment. 13% are looking for more long-term relationships.

There is no doubt that dating is difficult as a digital nomad.

Most digital nomads spend only shorter periods in each location. This makes it hard to not only meet someone but also spend enough time to get to know each other.

But what about relationship status specifically?

Relationship Status Percentage Of Digital Nomads
Single 35%
In a Relationship 65%

65% of digital nomads are currently single and 35% of digital nomads in a relationship. That means the vast majority of digital nomads are actually single.

Sources: Statista, Flexjobs, MBO Partners

Education And Training Statistics

A huge 90% of digital nomads have some form of formal education.

90% of digital nomads have some form of college education

In fact, most digital nomads complete their degrees and then do a few years in the corporate world before becoming digital nomads.

Here is the kind of formal education that digital nomads have:

Education Percentage Of Digital Nomads (%)
High School 10%
Bachelor’s 54%
Master’s 33%
PhD 3%

Bachelor’s degree is the most popular form of formal education with at least 54% of all digital nomads possessing one. Even a Master’s is not uncommon, with 33% of all nomads obtaining their Master’s.

PhDs are far less common, with just 3% of all nomads spending the time to get one.

What about high school?

Just 10% of digital nomads completed their high-school diploma and did not pursue any other form of education.

The bottom line – The vast majority of digital nomads are college-educated.

Sources: Statista, Flexjobs, Nomad List

Digital Nomad Jobs & Careers

The amount of jobs you can now do remotely is amazing.

And digital nomads are the best at finding ways to take their work remote. These are the latest digital nomad statistics on jobs and careers.

Employed vs Self Employed

Most people think that digital nomads are employed.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Here’s what it looks like:

Work Percentage
Employed 35%
Self-Employed 46%
Other 19%

Just over 1 out of 3 digital nomads are full-time employed. 46% of digital nomads are self-employed.

46% of digital nomads are self employed

19% of digital nomads described themselves as “other” when it came to working.

The truth is that lots of nomads join the digital nomad lifestyle to have the freedom to work on what they want. Nomads tend to be people who are passionate about what they do and put their hearts and souls into their work.

Self-employed digital nomads aren’t all “business owners” either.

61% of self-employed digital nomads are freelancers. 39% consider themselves business owners.

61% of self employed digital nomads are freelancers

Becoming a freelancer is a popular option because you get the flexibility of working for yourself without the stricter policies of being a full-time employee at a company.

Top Digital Nomad Industries

What kinds of digital nomad jobs do people do?

There is quite a big difference between men and women when it comes to industries. Here are the top 10 industries for both:

Top Industries For Women Percentage Of Women
Creative 18%
Marketing 17%
Startup Founder 14%
Blogger 11%
Software Dev 10%
UI/UX Design 10%
Community 9%
Education 9%
Web Dev 9%
Coach 7%

What’s interesting about these digital nomad statistics is that women’s top 10 career fields are pretty even. There are no single industry standouts in which most female digital nomads work.

Although creative and marketing tend to be the biggest industries right now, you can see that there is a wide range of industries you can work in while being location independent. Creative also includes work like being a content writer.

What about men?

Top Industries For Men Percentage Of Men
Software Dev 33%
Web Dev 29%
Startup Founder 29%
Marketing 16%
Creative 13%
SaaS 13%
UI/UX Design 13%
Product Manager 12%
Crypto 12%
Mobile Dev 11%

Development is undoubtedly the primary industry for men.

Marketing and creative are also popular industries for men to be involved in.

When combing the data for men and women, we see that Marketing and Creative are the most popular industries as a whole.

A combined 33% of nomads work in the marketing industry and 31% in the creative industry.

33% of digital nomads work in the marketing industry

Sources: Statista, Flexjobs, Nomad List

How Much Do Digital Nomads Earn?

It’s common to think that digital nomads earn less when they join the lifestyle.

But that’s not the case. The median salary of a digital nomad is $85,000 per year and the average salary is $120,512 per year.

$85000 is the median salary of a digital nomad

The truth is that digital nomads can earn more than they did in a corporate job.

These are the latest digital nomad statistics on salary:

Annual Income Range Percentage (%) Of Digital Nomads
Less Than $25k 7%
$25k – $50k 17%
$50k – $100k 34%
$100k – $250k 33%
$250k – $1M 7%
Over 1+ Million 2%

69% of digital nomads’ annual income is between 50k to 250k. The average monthly income of a digital nomad is about $10,042, although the median income works out far less at $7,083 per month.

The average income in the United States is $51,480.

This means that most digital nomads make more than the average US worker.

But not everything is sunshine and rainbows. 32% of digital nomads said they have received financial support from outside sources like friends or family to help make ends meet.

46% of digital nomads said they earn less than when they used to work in corporate.

46% of digital nomads earn less than when they worked in corporate

31% said they make similar amounts of money. 38% of digital nomads said they don’t feel as stressed about money anymore and 34% said there has been a change. I guess it’s more or less based on the kind of person you are.

Average Cost Of Living

Here’s the truth:

Traveling full-time as digital nomads isn’t cheap. But it also doesn’t have to be expensive either.

37% of nomads said they became digital nomads because they wanted to avoid the high cost of living in their home country.

There are so many locations that digital nomads visit throughout the year that the cost of living differs a lot. This makes it hard to nail down an average because each place changes.

These next digital nomad statistics about the cost of living are based on our average monthly cost of living over the last 4+ years.

Note: This is for us as a digital nomad couple:

Category COST ($USD)
Accommodation $821
Groceries $336
Dining Out $285
Transport $71
Phone Plan $26
Activities & Entertainment $89
Gym Memberships $96

The average monthly cost of living as digital nomads is $1,724 USD.

$1724 is the average cost of living as a digital nomad

Remember: This is average and for a couple. Single nomads will have a cheaper cost of living – usually by about 30%.

Some places are more expensive while others are cheaper. This also doesn’t include the cost of flights throughout the year.

We spend about $2,142 USD each (total $4,284) on flights per year. This works out to be about $179 USD each per month that we need to budget for flights. Despite what you have been told…

International travel is expensive and travel expenses do add up quickly.

2 other important categories for us are-

  • Coworking
  • Travel Insurance / Health insurance

We take Coworking in most places we stay in the world and the average coworking space costs about $120 USD per month.

For digital nomad travel insurance, we use SafetyWing and Genki. SafetyWing starts at just $45.08 USD per month (which makes them a fairly cheap travel insurance option) and offers great coverage for that price.

Most nomads are big on value for money.

Check out our full review of the best travel insurance for digital nomads and complete digital nomad health insurance guide. You can also check out our full SafetyWing review and Genki insurance review learn more about why they are so popular for digital nomads.

Not sure if travel insurance or health insurance is right for you? Read through our health insurance vs travel insurance guide to learn more about both.

Do Digital Nomad’s Budget?

We ran a survey on a couple of popular Facebook groups to find out how many digital nomads budget.

Here’s what we found:

Budget Percentage (%)
Yes 46%
No 54%

The majority of digital nomads don’t use a budget at all.

54% of digital nomads said they don’t use a budget to manage their money.

54% of digital nomads don't use a budget

27% of respondents said they use a custom Excel spreadsheet or Google sheet to track their spending. 19% of digital nomads use an application to track all of their costs. We use a digital nomad app to budget called Trail Wallet.

Sources: Statista, Nomad List, Two Tickets Anywhere

What Are The Top Digital Nomad Destinations

There are tons of great digital nomad destinations around the world.

Here are the digital nomad stats on the top countries and cities for digital nomads.

Popular Digital Nomad Countries

The top 10 most popular countries for digital nomads are:

  1. Mexico
  2. Thailand
  3. Indonesia
  4. Colombia
  5. Vietnam
  6. Portugal
  7. Turkey
  8. Costa Rica
  9. Brazil
  10. Philippines

top 10 most popular digital nomad countries

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Mexico exploded as a popular digital nomad country. There are tons of great cities such as Playa del Carmen and hidden digital nomad gems like San Cristobal de las Casas.

The truth is the whole of Latin America has become very popular for digital nomads – including Medellin and Antigua Guatemala.

Portugal has also become a popular digital nomad country post-pandemic. Lisbon is the most popular city due to the lower cost of living (for Europe) and beautiful aesthetic.

Interestingly 9 out of 10 (90%) digital nomads said they prefer to live in the coastal countries of the world.

Popular Digital Nomad Cities

What’s interesting is that the most popular cities don’t necessarily line up with the top countries.

The top 10 most popular digital nomad cities are:

  1. Chiang Mai, Thailand
  2. Bali, Indonesia
  3. Mexico City, Mexico
  4. Lisbon, Portugal
  5. Medellin, Colombia
  6. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
  7. Istanbul, Turkey
  8. Phuket, Thailand
  9. Buenos Aires, Argentina
  10. Tbilisi, Georgia

top 10 most popular digital nomad cities

Chiang Mai and Bali are basically the OGs of digital nomad cities. Mexico City and Istanbul have also become trendy digital nomad hotspots recently.

Medellin in Colombia has also become a nomad hub. This is due to the lower cost of living and how modern the city is.

We had a great time as Medellin digital nomads.

How Long Do Digital Nomads Stay In One Place?

Originally digital nomads used to fast travel through countries to visit as many countries as possible.

For some people, the lifestyle was almost like a checklist of trophies to post on Instagram. But as the digital nomad movement has grown, it has evolved (thankfully).

Today most digital nomads prefer to slow travel, staying in locations for 1+ months and really experiencing the place for what it is.

This is how long most digital nomads spend in a single destination:

Duration In One Place Percentage Of Nomads
Less Than 7 Days 22%
7 – 14 Days 27%
15 – 30 Days 11%
31 – 60 Days 12%
61 – 90 Days 11%
More Than 90+ Days 17%

There has undoubtedly been a significant shift to slower travel.

It’s become much more balanced than it used to be, with 51% of digital nomads spending more than 2 weeks in a location and 49% spending less than 2 weeks.

51% of digital nomads spend more than 2 weeks in a location

Interestingly there is a growing movement of long-term stay nomads, with 17% of digital nomads spending more than 90+ days in a digital nomad destination. These kinds of digital nomads are called slow-mads.

More than 1/3 of digital nomads stay over 1+ month in a single destination. Fast travel as a digital nomad isn’t sustainable for most people.

At some you have to do work, right?

But just because nomads visit lots of locations throughout the year doesn’t mean they actually change country all that often.

So how many countries do digital nomads visit each year?

Number Of Countries Per Year Percentage (%)
1 to 2 73%
3 to 4 19%
More Than 5+ 8%

A huge 73% of digital nomads visit just 1-2 countries per year outside of their home country.

73% of digital nomads visit only 1 to 2 countries per year

19% visit 3-4 countries and a small 8% visit more than 5+ countries. We personally fit into the 5+ country category and wouldn’t change it for the world.

What parts of the world are most digital nomads traveling?

Region Percentage (%)
America 53%
Europe 18%
Asia 13%
All Over The World 12%

Digital nomads in Latin America enjoyed fewer restrictions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, making it a huge hotspot. Latin America is also a more accessible place to travel for US and European residents who make up the majority of digital nomads.

Latin American countries also tend to offer longer-term visas for many passports. For example:

  • Mexico offers up to a 180-day tourist visa on arrival
  • Colombia offers 90 days with the ability to extend for another 90 days
  • Guatemala also has the 90 days tourist visa with the opportunity to extend

This means that digital nomads can spend a longer time within these countries without worrying about their visas.

Where Do Digital Nomads Live And Work?

Depending on the speed at which digital nomads travel will often determine the accommodation they use.

Sources: Statista, Flexjobs, Club Med

Accommodation For Digital Nomads

The most popular accommodations for digital nomads are:

  • Airbnb
  • Hostels
  • Coliving Spaces
  • Hotels

Airbnb recently reported that they were seeing more long-term stays on the platform. 20% of all Airbnb’s booked were for a month or longer.

The search for “laptop-friendly workspaces” also increased by a huge 73% amongst longer stays.

We conducted our own poll to find out where digital nomads like to stay. These are the results:

Accommodation Type Percentage Of Digital Nomads
Airbnb 44%
Hostel 37%
Coliving 16%
Hotel% 2%
Other 1%

Airbnb is clearly the most popular accommodation type with 44% of digital nomads using Airbnb.

44% of digital nomads use airbnbs

Hostels are also a very popular type of accommodation with 33% of digital nomads regularly using them. Coliving spaces are also growing with 16% of digital nomads taking advantage of coliving. The biggest benefit to coliving spaces is that you usually get community combined with a work space and decent apartments/living spaces.

That’s why coliving is growing amongst nomads.

Places For Digital Nomads To Work

When it comes to working digital nomads have 3 primary options:

  • Apartment/Hostel
  • Cafes
  • Coworking spaces

The numbers a different from what you might think:

Place To Work Percentage (%)
Apartment/Hostel 46%
Cafes 45%
Airbnb 27%
Coworking Spaces 19%

The majority of digital nomads choose to work from their accommodation (Airbnbs, apartments, hostels).

This makes sense to some degree. Most hostels have common spaces with tables and chairs where you can get work done. And as we already saw, Airbnb has seen a 73% increase for apartments with laptop-friendly workspaces amongst long stays.

45% of digital nomads also said they like regularly working from cafes.

45% of digital nomads regularly work from a cafe

The cafe work culture has become a trend on its own. But what about coworking spaces?

Coworking spaces have been around for a long time and ranked lowest for digital nomads. Only 19% of digital nomads said they regularly choose to work in a coworking space.

We fit into this category but totally understand it’s not everyone’s slice of toast. It also depends hugely on the quality of the coworking space and what’s included in the deal.

Still, approximately 1.93 million people around the world use coworking spaces today. That number has increased steadily over the last few years – especially amongst digital nomads.

The biggest reason to join a coworking space was to find a digital nomad community.

Sources: Two Tickets Anywhere

Digital Nomad Visas

Digital nomad visas are a controversial topic.

Why?

Because most digital nomad visas are long-term often 1-2 years. When you stay in a country for more than a year are you really a digital nomad or an expat?

I’ll let you decide.

But there is no doubt that digital nomad visas are a trend. There are now 21 countries that offer digital nomad visas (in some form) worldwide.

These are the latest digital nomad statistics on visas.

What Countries Offer Digital Nomad Visas?

These are all the countries that offer digital nomad visas at the moment:

Country Length Of Visa
1. Antigua and Barbuda 2 years
2. Barbados 12 months
3. Bermuda 12 months
4. Cayman Islands 2 years
5. Costa Rica 2 years
6. Croatia 12 months
7. Czech Republic 12 months
8. UAE (Dubai) 12 months
9. Estonia 12 months
10. Georgia 12 months
11. Germany 3 years
12. Iceland 6 months
13. Mauritius 12 months
14. Mexico 12 months, renewable to 3 years
15. Norway 2 years
16. Portugal 12 months, renewable to 5 years
17. Spain 12 months, renewable
18. Anguilla 12 months
19. Argentina 12 Months
20. Montserrat 12 months
21. Aruba 12 Months

About 50% of the countries that offer digital nomad visas are in Europe. 6 of them are part of the Schengen program.

This is attractive to those who want longer to travel around the Schengen countries longer than 90 days.

But most of these visas come with some travel restrictions on how long you must spend in the country. You also have monthly or yearly income requirements for most digital nomad visas.

This makes sense because they don’t want backpackers trying to do it cheaply.

The goal is to get you to spend money.

Why Do Countries Want To Attract Digital Nomads?

Short answer – Money.

Digital nomads contribute about $787 billion dollars a year to the global economy.

digital nomads contribute $787 billion to the global economy

Which country wouldn’t want a slice of that?

Think about it…

Most digital nomads earn money from their home countries. They then take that money and spend it in a foreign country.

That means that the foreign country receives the economic benefits of a digital nomad without having any obligation to them.

While digital nomad visas won’t be for everyone, there is a win-win situation created. Digital nomads can travel to the countries they want for longer and the countries reap the economic benefit.

These digital nomad statistics show that nomad visas will likely become a trend and get huge in the next 5 years!

Sources: Harvard Business Review, A Brother Abroad

Biggest Challenges For Digital Nomads

While the digital nomad lifestyle may look glamorous on the outside, not everything is perfect.

Digital nomads face a unique set of challenges that come with the lifestyle. The truth is that digital nomadism isn’t for everyone.

The biggest challenges for digital nomads are:

Challenge Percentage (%)
Finding reliable wifi 52%
Finding a good place to work 42%
Networking 35%
Time zones 29%
Workplace communication 20%

If you know anything about digital nomads, you’ll know that wifi comes up as a topic a lot. It’s the same as people always talking about the weather.

52% of digital nomads said finding a reliable internet connection was their biggest challenge.

52% of digital nomads said finding wifi is the biggest challenge

Finding a solid place to get some work done was also a big challenge with 42%.

Time zones can also be restrictive for long-term digital nomads – especially if you are employed. 29% said that time zones work as their biggest challenge, with workplace communications below at 20%.

What’s more?

The number #1 reason digital nomads return home is that they miss their families and friends. Loneliness is a killer and if you travel as a nomad by yourself, it can become a drain on your life.

the number 1 reason digital nomads return home is because they miss their friends and family

Even if you find a solid digital nomad community, sometimes you just need to return home to recharge. And that’s perfectly fine!

Sources: Flexjobs

Digital Nomads vs Remote Workers

The remote work trend is in full swing.

Many people have realized they can work remotely from another country while still maintaining their job.

But don’t be fooled…

Remote workers are not the same as digital nomads. We always get this question, so I wanted to explain it. What’s the difference between digital nomads and remote workers?

The digital nomad lifestyle is just that – a lifestyle.

Digital nomads will move more frequently to experience life in many different cities and countries. Being a digital nomad means that you are location independent and your lifestyle is to travel constantly (being nomadic).

Remote workers are simply people that don’t work from a traditional office. You can work from your home office and still be a remote worker!

You could say that digital nomads are a specific type of remote worker. But remote working is not a lifestyle in and of itself. It just describes your work life.

I hope that makes more sense now.

Wrapping It Up

That was a lot of digital nomad statistics to take in.

The truth is that the digital nomad trend is no longer just a trend…

It’s a movement that’s already big and looks like it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. Even countries are looking for ways to attract digital nomads because of the economic benefit they bring.

Now I want to hear from you:

What was your favorite digital nomad statistic?

Let us know in the comments!

In: Digital Nomad

Sunday Suitcase Newsletter

A newsletter for digital nomads! Each Sunday you'll receive an email with the latest nomad news, digital nomad lifestyle tips, new destination guides and work online tips to ease you into your week.

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Comments

  1. Alex says

    September 15, 2022 at 3:09 am

    Hi Matt and Ashley,

    Amazing analysis! Thank you for sharing.

    Could I ask where you sourced all of the data?

    Thanks,
    Alex

    • Matthew Metcalfe says

      September 16, 2022 at 5:38 am

      Awesome, glad you liked it Alex! All the sources are listed under each main section.

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10x Disadvantages of Coworking Spaces You Wish You Knew

Welcome!

We’re Matt and Ashley, the American-Aussie couple behind this blog. In 2018, we realized we could take our work with us…anywhere in the world. We packed our bags, sold our stuff and bought two tickets to Bali. Today, we slow travel full-time, run our business from our laptops and embrace life one adventure at a time. We’ve completely fallen in love with the freedom that comes with this lifestyle and we hope to inspire you to join us on the digital nomad journey!

Recent Posts

  • 5x Best Coffee In Lisbon Worth Trying For Real Coffee Lovers March 22, 2023
  • Airhub eSIM Review: The Most Underrated eSIM Provider March 21, 2023
  • SIM Card Portugal 2023: Which Is The Best One To Buy? March 16, 2023
  • The Complete Digital Nomad Athens Guide For Remote Workers March 15, 2023
  • 6x Best Digital Nomad Health Insurance [2023 Review] March 2, 2023

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Settling into a new country as digital nomads isn’t always easy…⁣
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…We spent our first full month in Medellin, Colombia going through a list of things to sort out for ourselves (per usual).⁣
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It might look like we just land in a country and have everything sorted by day 1 but that’s certainly not the case.⁣
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In each country as digital nomads, you have to:⁣
- Buy a local SIM card (or find an eSIM solution - @airalocom & @realnomadtravel are our faves)⁣
- Find your local grocery store⁣
- Get connected with the digital nomad community (constantly putting ourselves out there)⁣
- Figure out where to work (coworking vs cafes)⁣
- Plan the activities we want to do while visiting the country⁣
- And so much more!⁣
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We heard so much about Medellin for digital nomads, we just had to check out what all the buzz was about (especially as we run a blog for digital nomads).⁣
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This was also my (Ashley’s) birthday month and we went paragliding for the first time (2nd pic). We flew with @paraglidingmedellin 💯 I absolutely loved it - if you get the chance, it was a great experience!⁣
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2022 didn’t start off as we expected…⁣
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…lying on the beach in Thailand, one of our favorite places in the world. 🌴⁣
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Instead, we were touring a couple more US cities: Phoenix, San Francisco and Miami! At this point, we didn’t know how our year would look but we just needed to nail down our next location as digital nomads.⁣
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How did we do that? Simply go on Google flights, enter Miami (where we currently were) and don’t add a destination! There was one place that popped up that was high on our digital nomad destination list - Medellin, Colombia! 🇨🇴⁣
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For $245.15 USD total, Matthew and I hopped on a 2 hour plane ride to a country (and continent) we’ve never stepped foot on before! 🥹⁣
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We were tired of flying and traveling (faster than usual) and we decided to make Medellin our base for a few months but that’s for the next couple of posts to come…⁣
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Well, that's the truth...🤷🏻‍♀️ ⠀ Dig Well, that's the truth...🤷🏻‍♀️
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Digital nomad life isn’t for everyone.

There are days you’ll feel excited to live in a new country every couple of months, ready to learn about other cultures & always inspired by fellow digital nomads you meet on the road. 

But there are days where you’ll feel lonely, stuck, miserable and exhausted from moving and/or always making new friends. 

This digital nomad lifestyle is no way perfect, as it may look. But…

We wouldn’t have it any other way 🤍
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sunsets in zadar, croatia 🫶⠀
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Zagreb isn’t your likely destination when visiti Zagreb isn’t your likely destination when visiting Croatia 🇭🇷

In fact, lots of people never make it up this way. But digital nomads do!

Here’s the reasons we chose Zagreb as our digital nomad hub for the month of July:

💸 AFFORDABLE COST OF LIVING
Zagreb is less crowded during the summer time which means you get more deals on things like accommodation - its much cheaper than Split or Dubrovnik! Here’s some numbers (in USD) to give you a better picture:

🚊 Public transport = $0.80
☕️ Coffee + drinks = $2 - $4
🍽 Eating Out = $9 - $12
🛶 Activities = $5 - $50

👯‍♀️ GROWING DIGITAL NOMAD COMMUNITY
We’re surprised by how strong the community is in Zagreb! We made friends during our first coworking event & found an awesome group of digital nomads to hang out with ever since.

👩🏻‍💻 DECENT CAFE & COWORKING SCENE
We cowork at cafes with our friends at least 2-3 times a week. Coworking is kind of expensive here and imo not worth it because it’s too ‘corporate’ for our liking.

⛺️ GREAT BASE TO EXPLORE CROATIA
Plitvice Lakes is 2.5 hours away & popular coast towns like Pula, Zadar or Rovinj are only 3-4 hours drive away. You get the structure that comes from having a base but you get to travel/explore on the weekends - kinda perfect!

☺️ COMFORTABLE LIFESTYLE
Public transport is a breeze in Zagreb - you can take a bus, tram or walk into the city fairly quick. It's super safe here!

We’ve lived in Zagreb as digital nomads for a couple weeks now and tbh - we didn’t love it at first. But after some time, we can now say we are seriously enjoying our lifestyle here. The community is amazing and we’re so glad we chose Zagreb! It’s just so peaceful and comfortable (which you don’t expect from a capital city)!

Would you consider being a digital nomad in Zagreb?

#digitalnomaddiaries #workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #digitalnomad #laptoplifestyle #workanywhere #digitalnomadlifestyle #travelblog #digitalnomadlife #blogger #twoticketsanywhere #digitalnomadblogger #beCEOofyourlife #digitalnomadcouple
Travel solves life's problems, right? 😅⠀ ⠀ Travel solves life's problems, right? 😅⠀
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And we’re LIVE 🥳 Two Tickets Anywhere is a bl And we’re LIVE 🥳 Two Tickets Anywhere is a blog with everything you wish you knew about the digital nomad lifestyle.⁣
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When we first started out, there was barely any content on this lifestyle. We just had to jump in headfirst and figured it out from there. ⁣
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That’s why we created Two Tickets Anywhere where you can learn about things like:⁣
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👩‍💻 best places to work from (coworking/cafes)⁣
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Novi Sad, this charming town is the best day trip Novi Sad, this charming town is the best day trip from Belgrade🇷🇸

Looking to escape the city life? It’s easy enough to catch the train, Novi Sad is a small town perfect for chilling, wandering around and drinking coffee at the cute cafes.

HOW TO GET THERE 🚊
Take the Coco high-speed trains that get you to Novi Sad in only 36 mins. Buy tickets via the app - Srbija voz and it’s only going to cost $3.40 USD for a one-way first class ticket.

COFFEE ☕️
Sit at a cafe and enjoy a cup of coffee - Zenit Books & Loft Downtown.

FOOD 🥘
Pls try Burek - the best place in Novi Sad is 100% Burek. Kombinat is a popular place to have lunch. But we recommend grabbing food from Maxi and having a picnic at Danube Park!

SEE, DO 🏰
Visit the Petrovaradin Fortress at sunset, chill on the ‘beach’ - The Strand, walk around Danube Park & stare at the beautiful Name of Mary Catholic Church.

You can spend a day in Novi Sad or it’s also great for a weekend getaway. Whichever you choose, just don’t miss Novi Sad on your digital nomad travels through Serbia 🇷🇸

#twoticketsanywhere #fulltimetravel #serbia #novisad #visitserbia #digitalnomadserbia #seetheworld#digitalnomaddiaries #workfromwifi #fulltimetravel #workandtravel #serbiatourism #novisadserbia
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