Nomad Life Destination: Prague
Digital Nomad Life: Prague

Nomad Life: Where to Live When You Have Mobility

A new type of worker has surfaced in recent years who lives the nomad life. Light years away from babyboomers’ idea of a career, and armed with an attitude that shocks the 9-to-5 worker, these self-employed, and half-entrepreneur half-employees, they are ready to accept working longer hours and making less money. They call themselves digital nomads. Why do they accept more precarious conditions?

Mobility.

Digital nomads – a combination of the words digital technology and nomad – are the next generation of independent workers who have the freedom to work from anywhere on the planet, provided they have a laptop and an internet connection.

They, for the most part, work in the world of computer programming, translation or design. And most also have one thing in common: they love to travel!

The digital nomad community is so mobile, in fact, that its members can live where they want.

As a digital nomad, where is it most interesting to live? The planet is their playground! Here are our favorite destinations.

Note: the figures for this article are those of nomadlist.com

1. Nomad Life Destination: Thailand

Thailand is probably the number one destination for digital nomads. Whether in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Lanta or Koh Phangan, dozens and dozens of Western youth decide to grab some Thailand travel tips and settle in the country. Why? Good internet and telecom infrastructures, a warm and welcoming people, a vibrant local culture, beautiful beaches and, of course, a cost of living well below average!

According to Nomadlist.com, a nomad who lives at the hotel, eats three times a day at the restaurant, and travels by taxi will have to budget $1100 per month if s/he stays in Chiang Mai, $1285 a month if based in Phuket, $1620 in Ko Phangan, $1650 in Ko Lanta, and $ 1700 a month in Bangkok. Impressive!

Note: Are you dreaming to become a digital nomad, but have kids? Check out this post: How to become a digital nomad with kids

2. Nomad Life Destination: Vietnam

The communist country of Uncle Ho (Chi Minh, former president and prime minister) is very different from its neighbour, Thailand. Freedom of the press is non-existent and the country is a little less safe for foreigners.

Note: Wanna know more about the cost of living in Vietnam? Check out this blog post on movetovietnam.com!

However, the cost of living is even lower than in Thailand. Living in Saigon would cost about $960, while staying in Hanoi for part-time living would be about $825 a month.

3.  Nomad Life Destination:  Taiwan

In order to complete this small tour of Southeast Asia, the country of Taiwan is one of the most appreciated. This country is a happy combination of several elements that appeal to nomads: beautiful beaches (around Kaohsiung), a welcoming population, a language that is practical to learn (Mandarin), modern transportation infrastructure, a buzzing metropolis (Taipei), a very low cost of living, and affordable and delicious street food, among others.

But what makes Taiwan even more attractive is its internet infrastructure! In Taiwan, the internet is hyper-fast and very inexpensive.

Note: Are you looking for info on travel insurance? Check out this post by ALaJode.com!

Note: Did you know that travel insurance isn’t the same as expat insurance? Read this post about TRAVEL insurance from untoldmorsels.com – and then, if you want to live the nomad life, READ the fineprint!

4.  Nomad Life Destination: India

Here’s another destination where the cost of living is minimal and where the local culture is very strong. In fact, India can represent an important dilemma for digital nomads.

It is an immense country and the inhabitants of each of its regions belong to very different cultures.

On the one hand, several elements are attractive. For example, some travellers enjoy vegetarian food, Indian spirituality, yoga, and cheap beer and rum.

However, some prefer to avoid the imposing crowds, lack of cleanliness, pollution, and attitude toward women that some Indians display.

Goa is probably the most popular nomadic province. The beautiful beaches, the regular festivals and its laid back, non-urban pace of life are the strengths of the province. Renting an apartment is also very inexpensive in Goa.

5.  Nomad Life Destination:  Latin America

Latin America, too, offers several strengths for nomads – ideal weather, low cost of living, investment opportunities for the most reckless, and a local language that’s relatively easy to learn.

NOTE: Planning to explore Latin America? Check out Layer Culture’s article on backpacking through South America.

On the other hand, some of Latin America’s most popular cities face serious security problems.

Medellin, Colombia; Cordoba, Argentina; and Quito, Ecuador; are some of the most popular cities in this corner of the world.

6. Nomad Life Destination: Central and Eastern Europe

Those who have a little bit more resources and who want to combine the advantages of the European Union with those of an affordable cost of living usually opt for the most beautiful cities in Central Europe. As such, Prague is probably the capital of nomads in Europe, while Krakow and Budapest offer excellent reasons to settle down.

In fact, nomads who are in a couple will choose Prague or Budapest for the education that is offered, with teaching English online becoming increasingly popular. The costs are not in the same register as Thailand or India, but the standards of living there are very high and comparable to any modern city in the world at a much lower cost.

Nomads who wish to live in these cities must have a monthly budget associated with them. For Krakow, the budget is about $2350 a month, for Prague we are talking about $ 2700, and in Budapest, a tiny budget of $1650 dollars is enough according to NomadList.com!

One more note about Eastern Europe: Estonia offers many incentives to nomads and is one of the most groundbreaking and advanced countries for self-employed people. They even offer an eResidency… but the subject is too complicated to cover in this post!

7. And in Canada?

Is Canada a good place for nomads?

It is a well-known fact that Montreal is a destination for several expatriates, which includes a few digital nomads. However, according to NomadList, it would take a monthly budget of $2670 to live well as a nomad in Montreal.

In Canada, the champion is…Windsor. A meager $1745 a month would suffice. The only criterion that is not fulfilled satisfactorily by this Ontarian city is… entertainment!