The average digital nomad is working her remote job with a laptop on her bare knees and her toes in the sea. She is equally at home working from an airport waiting lounge or in a hammock. She has a nose for Wi-Fi, a DSLR slung around her neck, a coffee cup in one hand, and a daiquiri in the other – all ludicrously affordable in the local currency of wherever she happens to be.
That’s the dream, anyway. Sadly, the digital nomad has had their wings clipped by the coronavirus lockdown. But when the borders open, a whole new flock of online freelancers will find the world is its oyster. Freelancing in the United States rose 12% between the start of the pandemic and July 2020 alone. Where might these new nomads roam when they get their first taste of freelancing in a post-Covid world?
Resume.io analyzed nearly 90,000 Instagram posts tagged #digitalnomad to see where today’s itinerant freelancers recommend. We found:
- Vancouver in Canada is the digital nomad capital of the world, with 57,401 Instagram pics tagged here.
- London, England, is the top digital nomad destination in Europe, with 47,244 posts.
- We found 299 destinations with 1,000+ Instagram posts tagged #digitalnomad.
- The most popular beach city for digital nomads is Dubai, UAE, with 27,007 posts.
Vancouver the Top Destination for Digital Nomads of Instagram
One of the great appeals of the digital nomad life is the comfort of spending a big city wage in a place with a relatively cheap economy. So it’s surprising that two of the top three destinations are among the world’s twenty most expensive places to live. And Vancouver, Instagram’s top freelancer destination, is no bargain either. But Vancouver offers something money can’t buy: neighborhood. Wherever you crash, you’ll find cafés, bars, and parks within walking distance, and a level of friendliness that quickly offsets the loneliness that sometimes blights the itinerant lifestyle.
New York City is on most people’s bucket lists, so it’s no wonder digital nomads make the most of their freedom to taste NYC’s fruits. Like London, it’s a thrilling place to live, but transport and weather combine to make having an Actual Job a bit of a grind. Freelancing is the perfect alternative. Work from one of the city’s famous cafés or the comfort of your loft by day; do New York culture by night, all night.
Like NYC, London boasts some of the best art, film, clubbing, and sports on the continent, and lots of it. The city is founded on an astonishing history and is a cosmopolitan meeting point for hot business and creative talent driving us into the future. And there are pretty good transport links to the rest of the UK and Europe to make the most of your time on the continent.
The cost of living in the world’s most expensive cities is inflated by the number of digital nomads and other migrants who relish the appeal of these marvelous places. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the most popular digital nomad destinations are the priciest ones, after all.
What Are the Top Digital Nomad Cities Near You?
These galleries contain essential information on the top five cities in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Flick through to find the most popular destinations near where you want to be.
Top 5 Destinations for Digital Nomads in Europe
Bucket list capitals and major cities dominate Europe, with Berlin, Istanbul, and Prague just outside the top five. But the top five are very diverse for a group of major cities. Alongside the art scene and business bustle of pricey London and Paris are the affordable Latin licks of Lisbon and Barcelona, both super-charming cities packed with unique culture and architecture. Fifth-placed Amsterdam is a model city of the future, packing progressive attitudes and innovations alongside the rich art and history you expect of a European capital.
Top 5 Destinations for Digital Nomads in the Middle East & Central Asia
Asian attractions include the affordable paradise of Bali and Thailand and the more expensive, business-oriented cities of Dubai and Singapore. Chiang Mai in Thailand is a less obvious spot than top-rated Bangkok and offers “affordability, warm weather year-round, delicious and varied food, friendly locals and a great community” to its flourishing expat population.
Top 5 Destinations for Digital Nomads in North America
Vancouver and NYC tower over the Americas, each with double the amount of Instagram tags as third-placed Playa del Carmen in Mexico. However, Tulum, Mexico City, and Cancún are also close behind if you have Mexico on your mind.
Top 5 Destinations for Digital Nomads in South America
The most popular destination in South America is Medellin in Colombia, due to its abundance of co-working spaces combined with cheap living costs. Fellow Columbian city Cartagena also offers a great location for a nomad to visit for similar reasons, but be aware that download speeds are on the lower end of the spectrum.
Top 5 Destinations for Digital Nomads in the Rest of Asia & Oceania
Melbourne and Sydney are neck-and-neck (7,771 posts each) for Oceania’s most popular #digitalnomad spot. However, the continent has relatively few Instagram posts compared to Europe and the Americas. The top destination outside of Australia and New Zealand is Moorea-Maiao on the Windward Islands in French Polynesia, with 192 tags.
Top 5 Destinations for Digital Nomads in Africa
And Cape Town is way out ahead as the most popular station for digital nomads in Africa. The city is well-furnished with cafés and co-working spaces with fast Wi-Fi – and you’re always a short trek away from a natural adventure like no other.
Where Will Work Take You Next?
The world of work is changing fast – and the literal world is opening up for you to work where you like. A recent Harvard Business School report revealed that nine out of ten business leaders reckon using freelancer platforms will give them a competitive advantage in the future, and a majority foresee a reduction in the size of their permanent staff.
The pandemic has shown us that if you want to work from home – or from the beach – it is perfectly doable. Where will your digital nomad adventure begin?
METHODOLOGY & SOURCES
To find out the top destinations for digital nomads, we extracted location data for 85,519 Instagram posts tagged with the #digitalnomad hashtag. We then extrapolated the location counts according to the total number of posts tagged with that hashtag.
To find extra data on the top cities in each category, we used Numbeo to find the cost of living index and grocery index of each city. We found the happiness index on worldhappiness.report, and using Tripadvisors 2021 Travellers Choice Awards we noted down any rankings for the cities. Then, using nomadlist we accumulated data such as favorite co-working spaces and internet speeds.
