Back when I was working at my day job, I used to go run around the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon almost every day on my lunch break.
Every time I’d pretend that I was running along the banks of a tropical beach, someplace faraway and exotic.
Once I left my job and moved to Thailand, that was one of the first memories I had – running down the beach in Ao Nang, Thailand living out that dream.
Soi of bamboo bars in Ao Nang, Krabi, Thailand
Since then I’ve worked from dozens of different places – and talked to hundreds of others that have as well.
That’s what’s so cool about this Location Rebel lifestyle thing – as long as you have wifi and a laptop you can pretty much go wherever you want.
But what are the best places to go?
If you’re looking to either make a permanent move, or perhaps take a month long “workcation” – how do you decide what the best decision is going to be for your goals.
After all, everyone has a different definition of paradise, right?
In today’s post we’re profiling 22 of the absolute best places in the world to go run your location independent business.
Unfortunately there’s no one size fits all dream spot – each is going to have it’s pros and cons, and the goal of this post is to help you make a decision on what’s right for you.
For some of you, you might stop at many of these places on an around-the-world adventure.
Others, of you may just be looking for a change of routine for a month or two.
And some of you might be looking for a new place to permanently settle down and enjoy your new entrepreneurial life.
Regardless of what you want, one of these destinations will probably have what you’re looking for.
I broke them down into three different categories:
- Beginner: Easy to get around, English speaking, good opportunities for work spaces.
- Intermediate: Mostly international, primarily not English speaking, easily accessible, relatively easy to get plugged into local entrepreneurial scene.
- Advanced: Doesn’t cater to western tourists as much, difficult language barriers, probably not the best choice for your very first time working on your own.
From there I broke each city down into 6 different sections, to help give you a sense of what to expect based on your priorities in a location.
- Overall Cost
- Co-Working Opportunities
- Food Scene
- Quality of Life
- Entrepreneurial Scene
- Expected Monthly Expenses (Housing, food/going out, misc. expenses)
Keep in mind this is based on my opinion, so what I think is a 5 star food city may only be 3 stars for you… 🙂
It’s also worth noting different countries have different visa requirements, so you may only be able to do some of these on a short term basis (or not at all) if you’re sticking with a tourist visa
Beginner:
Portland, Oregon
View from Vista Bridge
Portland is one of my favorite cities in the world, and that’s why I’ve chosen it as my home based when I’m not on the road. It’s easy to get around, has a phenomenal food scene that is affordable, and gives you easy access to just about any outdoor activity you could want.
- Overall Cost: 3/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 3/5
- Food Scene: 5/5
- Quality of Life: 5/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Basic Monthly Expenses: $2500
Read more: Portland, Oregon is a Hub for Entrepreneurship
Austin, Texas
Austin is similar to Portland, but with more cowboy boots.
The food and booze is cheaper, there’s even more music, and the weather is quite a bit warmer. There’s also quickly growing startup scene there, but unfortunately housing costs are risking in kind.
Just do yourself a favor and stay away from the $5 “liquor pitchers” at Shakespeares…
- Overall Cost: 3/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 3/5
- Food Scene: 4/5
- Quality of Life: 5/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $2000
Read more: Quick Guide to Austin’s Start Up Scene
San Diego, California
San Diego – Image Credit
San Diego has become a hotbed of internet entrepreneurs. It seems like every time I meet someone new, when I ask where they’re from, the unsurprising answer is “San Diego.”
And what’s not to like, sunshine, beaches, opportunities to meet likeminded people? Sounds pretty perfect.
- Overall Cost: 2/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 1/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 5/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 2/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $2000
Read more: An (Incomplete) San Diego Entrepreneur Resource Guide
Bend, Oregon
From the deck outside Bend, Oregon
Bend makes this list because it’s one of my favorite places on earth. You’ll be a little bit more secluded both in terms of ease of getting around and like-minded solopreneurs, but if you’re looking for a place to move where you can have unlimited outdoor activities, fantastic beer, and a slower pace of life – Bend is as good of an option as anything.
- Overall Cost: 3/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 2/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 5/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 2/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $2,000
Read more: Bigger in Bend – Building a Regional Start Up Cluster
Vancouver, CA
Coal Harbor, Vancouver, BC – Image Credit
I keep hearing about how Vancouver is an up and coming entrepreneurial city and also has the scenery, infrastructure and culinary scene to make it a great place to live.
Downsides? It’s expensive
- Overall Cost: 1/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 5/5
- Food Scene: 5/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $3,000
Read more: A Creative City Guide to Living and Working in Vancouver
Liverpool, England
Liverpool, England – Image Credit
Though London might be the first place to come to mind when you think of England, Liverpool is a lot more than just the home of the Beatles.
Not only is the north of England far more affordable, but Liverpool has a growing entrepreneurial scene, plenty of cafes to work in, zero language barriers, and is just a quick flight away from virtually anywhere in Europe when the weather gets bad.
- Overall Cost: 3/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 4/5
- Food Scene: 4/5
- Quality of Life: 5/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $2500
Read more: Entrepreneurs Start Lining Up to Create Merseyside “Super Businesses”
Intermediate:
Berlin, Germany
Berlin, Germany – Image Credit
Berlin has become a spot that has many lifestyle entrepreneurs flocking, especially during the summer months. With lower costs than many other cities on the continent, and plenty of English speaking locals and ex-pats around.
What many love about Berlin is it’s become an exciting start up community, especially in creative fields like art, design, and fashion, that’s growing along with the popularity of the city.
- Overall Cost: 3/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 5/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $2000
Read more: Berlin: The Start Up City that’s Still Starting Up
Bangkok, Thailand
One of the best bars in the world: Cheap Charlie’s in BKK.
This might be the first place most budding online entrepreneurs decide to head, and it’s pretty easy to see why. Bangkok can give you a full city lifestyle, great food, and tons of expats doing pretty amazing stuff, for a fraction of the cost.
It’s no surprise this is one of the prime starting spots for those who want to grow their business on the cheap.
It doesn’t hurt it’s one of my favorite cities on Earth. If you go though, go for at least a week, otherwise, you’ll probably dismiss it as “just another big city.”
- Overall Cost: 4/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 5/5
- Food Scene: 5/5
- Quality of Life: 3/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1200
Read more: What’s it Like Being an Entrepreneur in Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mail, Thailand – Image Credit
One of the other big hubs of entrepreneur and ex-pat lifestyle in Asia has to be Chiang Mai. Pop into any of the bars, restaurants, or co-working spaces in the city and you’ll sure to be find someone with their laptop open hard at work.
This is one of the best destinations to head to when you’re bootstrapping and growing your business.
- Overall Cost: 5/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 5/5
- Food Scene: 4/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 5/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $850
Read more: 5 Damn Good Reasons to Start Up in Chiang Mai
Bali, Indonesia
Sunset on Seminyak Beach
Bali is one of my favorite recommendations for people looking for an “exotic, yet accessible” Location Rebel destination.
I like to tell people it has everything Thailand has, but it’s all located on one relatively small island. Cost of living can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. It’s just as easy to find a fantastic $3 lunch as it is a $13 cocktail at a 5 star hotel.
Low key lifestyle, lots of travelers and entrepreneurs flowing through, and strong focus on a healthy lifestyle – especially up in Ubud.
- Overall Cost: 4/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 2/5
- Food Scene: 2/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1500
Read more:
- Work Life Haven: Why Entrepreneurial and Digital Nomads are Settling in Bali
- The Real Cost of Living in Bali
New York, New York
The view from the Gansevoort on my first trip to NYC.
There’s a reason why New York is one of the best cities in the world. It has everything. A thriving network of entrepreneurs, tons of places to work from, some of the best food from all over the world, and different activities every single day of the week.
It’s not called the city that doesn’t sleep for a reason! The downside, it’s not cheap, but more and more people are expanding out to Queens and New Jersey to get the perks of the city, only a short subway ride away.
- Overall Cost: 1/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 5/5
- Food Scene: 5/5
- Quality of Life: 3/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 5/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $3750
Read more: Why New York City is a Great Place to be an Entrepreneur
Manila, Philippines
Manila is an interesting place. It’s kind of a dirtier version of Los Angeles in my mind. The food is well, horrendous, but the people are extremely friendly – and most speak English, which can help make this a great spot for new Rebels looking to get some work done.
There’s a thriving entrepreneurial scene and access to cheap, high-quality workers. You’re also just a quick flight over to exotic hot spots like Boracay 🙂
- Overall Cost: 4/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 4/5
- Food Scene: 1/5
- Quality of Life: 2/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1200
Medellin, Colombia
If you’re looking to try out the South American lifestyle, you’ll find quite a few people (including many Location Rebel members) telling you that Medellin is where it’s at.
With a thriving community of location independent types, a growing entrepreneurial spirit, great foot, and plenty of co-working spots, it’s easy to see why it’s growing in popularity.
- Overall Cost: 5/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 4/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 3/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1000
Read more: Medellin Marvels with a Magnificent Entrepreneurial Culture
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona, Spain – Image Credit
Many of the traveling lifestyle entrepreneurial crowd heads to Barcelona during the “smog” seasons that you’ll generally find in Southeast Asia.
With a vibrant community, lots of younger people, nice beaches, and not to mention amazing culture, Barcelona is attracting more and more people who are looking to grow their businesses online each year.
- Overall Cost: 3/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 4/5
- Food Scene: 4/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $2000
Read more: Why Entrepreneurs are Flocking to Spain this Summer
Hong Kong
View of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak
Hong Kong has it all, a vibrant city, tons to do, fascinating culture, you name it. So, it’s no wonder it’s been at the very top of the lists of international cities for a long time.
A place like Hong Kong attracts the biggest and best players in the game, but that comes at a price, an expensive one at that. If you want to really up your skills and network with big time entrepreneurs, this is the place to do it.
It’s also a fantastic hub with easy access to other major Asian cities.
- Overall Cost: 1/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 3/5
- Food Scene: 4/5
- Quality of Life: 3/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 5/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $4000
Read more: Hong Kong is Calling Entrepreneurs
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague, Czech Republic – Image Credit
For the last few years, Prague has been seen as the hub for nomads and online entrepreneurs in Eastern Europe. With a heavy cafe culture, and plenty of English speaking locals and ex-pats, you’ll be able to jump right in.
One thing to keep in mind is if you are looking for a place with a party atmosphere, Prague is on the quieter end of the spectrum, which is great for getting work done.
- Overall Cost: 4/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 5/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1500
Read more: Prague Start Up City Guide
Las Palmas, Spain
Las Palmas – Image Credit
This little island off the coast of Morocco has found a new resurgence with a thriving entrepreneurial community who sees it as way more than a great surfing destination (though that’s a great feature too).
Not only is it becoming a hot spot for conferences, but there are a number of co-living spaces popping up all over the island that cater directly to bootstrappers who are looking fora home base in Europe (plus the weather is pretty sweet too).
- Overall Cost: 4/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 4/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 5/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1500
Read more: 10 Reasons Why Digital Nomads Should Visit Gran Canaria
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Advanced:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
You want a party? Beautiful beaches? The place that inspired me to start this blog in the first place?
Look no further than Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The cost of living is reasonable outside of the heavy tourist times (New Years, Carnival, Olympics), you’ve got plenty of outdoor activities and beaches to enjoy, plus there’s a growing community of digital nomads and expats always coming in and out of the city.
Downside is the city is riddled with crime, and as a gringo – you might as well be walking around with a bullseye on your chest.
- Overall Cost: 3/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 3/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1750
Read more:
Saigon, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as the locals still call it, has one of the biggest lifestyle entreprenurship scenes in the world.
I was there earlier this year, and was reminded why Asia is such a good place to build a business.
If you’re staying near the touristy Bui Vien area – then this probably falls into the “intermediate” level, but if you get into other areas of town you could find yourself having a tough time getting around.
Not my favorite city to visit as a tourist, but a fantastic spot to live if you want to be around other expats doing cool stuff. Oh, and it’s remarkably inexpensive still.
- Overall Cost: 5/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 4/5
- Food Scene: 4/5
- Quality of Life: 2/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1200
Read more:
- The World’s Best Start Up Hubs: Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon)
- 10 Reasons You should Move to Asia to Start Your Lifestyle Business
Guangzhou, China
Sunset in Guangzhou, China
Man, why would anyone want to live in Guangzhou, China of all places? For one? Because most other westerners don’t. What does this mean for you? Incredible opportunity, if you’re in the right business.
Looking to get into a product based business? With the Canton Fair and many of the biggest production factories in the world at your disposal, there’s arguably no better place to be.
This is China. Straight up. Better get cracking on your Mandarin. Life can be very cheap here, but if you want to be in one of the nicer areas of town, expect to pay higher prices.
Just make sure you trip doesn’t start out like this:
- Overall Cost: 2/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 2/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 2/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 5/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1,5oo
Read more: Is Guangzhou China’s Next Start Up Hub?
Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile – Image Credit
Santiago has been a growing up for entrepreneurs and has a pretty exciting culture for start ups in South America. Because of that, more and more people who are looking to get into tech are heading south.
That being said, while the start up scene is great, if you are looking to do more freelancing or lifestyle type entrepreneurship, it might not be the best fit for a long term stay.
- Overall Cost: 4/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 2/5
- Food Scene: 3/5
- Quality of Life: 3/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1200
Read more: The Entrepreneurs Guide to Living and Traveling in Santiago
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal – Image Credit
It seems like Portugal has been long overshadowed by it’s other European cousins, but right now it’s one of the hottest spots for start up and entrepreneurial culture around. There has been a huge growth of incubators, accelerators, and start ups hitting Lisbon.
Couple that with a beautiful city, friendly locals, and lots to eat and drink, on a budget price for Europe, this place is poised to explode in the coming years.
- Overall Cost: 4/5
- Co-Working Opportunities: 3/5
- Food Scene: 4/5
- Quality of Life: 4/5
- Entrepreneurial Scene: 3/5
- Expected Monthly Expenses: $1500
Read more: Portugal Discovers it’s Spirit of Entrepreneurial Adventure
So any of these destinations click with you? Ready to hop on a plane?
Let us know in the comments where you want to go on your next big trip. Is it one of these? Or did we leave someplace out?
Additonal Image Credit: map
Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.
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Thank you for this list. Most cities that you mentioned are the ones that I have had great experiences with or are on my want to go list. I have just been a tourist though not still a location rebel or a traveler.
I want to know your opinion on the following places :
1. Las Vegas, NV (i live here currently)
2. Any city in India? (am from India so I like to see it on people’s lists or wonder why it is not on the list)
I think Goa, India (currently where I am) is a great place for a digital nomad.. especially cause of the low costs and the laid back environment
Awesome breakdown of essentials on home bases for digital nomads! Love the rating scale and how food is one of the key qualities!
These cities will all be ticked off my bucket list soon…. Great list you compiled bro.
Nice list and excellent breakdown Sean but i’ve noticed that a lot of lifestyle entrepreneurs dont have african cities on their radar . Lagos, Accra, Port Louis , Jo’burg,Kampala,Cairo .So many cities. Seem you might have just inspired me to write a post on the hidden destinations.
@chi odogwu, you just x-rayed my thoughts, are you a location rebel too?
Hi Stanley,
Yes I am. I’ve moved base after many years in the USA to Lagos. From Lagos I’ll be going to Mauritius and a few other East African countries. Just working on finishing the muse/ lifestyle business. And yourself? Oh Btw I’ve got a good friend who’s an Onwuchekwa. Chimaobi.
Wow!, Chi Odogwu!, I looked up your facebook profile, we have 4 mutual friends. and you are friends with my elder brother Kingsley Onwuchekwa , he is a Kings College old boy too.Sadly I don’t know, Chimaobi, not yet!.
I’m a freelance web developer on Elance/upwork, and I have always looked forward to location independence after reading tim ferris’s “four hour work week”.I’m still toying with a few ideas that I hope can work entirely online
It’s really Ironical knowing how much I want to move out to the states, yet you have been there for a long time and back already!, I believe your story will be inspiring!…How can I reach you?
Stanley onwuchekwa
Anytime Stanley. i’m happy to chat with you about anything and everything .:) i’m a podcaster afterall. please email me so we can trade digits. However , i can only talk this weeknd though, off to nysc camp next week 🙁
Thank you Chi for finding time to reply me, here are my phone nos. 08187261197 and 08037974310
You’ll enjoy the NYSC experience, alot..lot
I look forward to hearing from you
Stan
Chi Odogwu, I have told everyone of the young African people I’ve met here in NYC to save every penny they could so they could get back home. I believe Africa is the as yet untold story of entrepreneurial ? I’m looking for the right word to describe what I believe is happening and will happen on your continent. I’d love to see the hidden destination list. I’m really interested in Jo’burg.
Hi Elena,
Thanks for your comments. I’d be delighted to chat with you about it. Do hit me up. I recently moved from NYC back to Lagos after over a dozen years in the States. So now podcasting , and doing some other internet related business till i can get nomadic full time. Sean’s post has inspired me so i’m reaching out to my contacts across the continent in order to put up a list similar to this one. How’s life treating you?
Don’t forget Cape Town.
Amazing post Sean! LOVE that Las Palmas is included – my husband Alex and I are going there on our first trip in 3 weeks to escape the cold winter in the UK. I’m so happy I joined Location Rebel back in January this year 🙂
Great list! A slight improvement suggestion – the list would be even better with at least a hint about how difficult is it for foreigners to get a (working) visa and how long are they allowed to stay. I’d prefer not to get jailed (especially in Colombia) or deported for illegal stay or work.
Great post Sean – got it bookmarked for future reference.
Having lived in Barcelona for 8 years I can attest to it being a fantastic place to live short or long term. Currently in London I’m contemplating Lisbon for a short stay in the first half of next year with thoughts / plans of trying Colombia – perhaps Medellín – towards the end of next year. Just gotta convince my better half to quit her day job.
Awesome! One of the best digital nomad & startup city breakdowns I’ve seen.
I’d recommend Glasgow, Scotland. It’s got beautiful, distinctive architecture, is inexpensive and friendly and has a great coworking scene (+ music scene, art scene, theatre scene…). It’s also an easy day trip up to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs. Glasgow has a ton of local character and really is different from other big cities in the US and UK. Be warned, though, it does rain a lot. I lived there for four years and have now moved down to Nottingham.
I’m guessing Glasgow would rank like this:
Overall Cost: 3/5
Co-Working Opportunities: 4/5 (Collabor8te, Whisky Bond, etc.)
Food Scene: 3/5
Quality of Life: 4/5
Entrepreneurial Scene: 5/5 (E-Spark, Entrepreneurial Exchange, Enterprise Scotland, meetups, etc.)
Expected Monthly Expenses: $2000 or less. (Rent is very affordable. Try Govanhill or Dennistoun if you want a good, cheap, slightly dodgy neighbourhood that’s walking distance from the centre. If you don’t need super-cheap, go for Strathbungo, the Shawlands, or the Merchant City. If you’re well off or like being around students and don’t mind living in a studenty rental, go for the West End.)
This is such a great list! So useful! I moved to Orlando, FL 2 years ago to start my writing business. Haven’t really traveled as much as I would like because of my husband’s health issues. He recently got a kidney transplant so I am hoping that we can start planning for month-long workcations starting next summer. Great work on this list though!
Nice post, Sean! I recently spent a few weeks in Barcelona and was impressed with the variety of their co-working spaces. Seems like a pretty affordable city for everything it offers too. Definitely keeping BCN on my list for the future.
If you are in the U.S., Mexico and Central America have great destinations too. Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato have a great expat scene, with low cost of living (except maybe lodging in San Miguel), delicious food, fast internet and cheap flights to the U.S., plus you’re on the same time zone. Mexico give you a six months visa, making it easy to go back home twice a year.
In Guatemala where I live, the cost of living is even cheaper, although now that the Mexican peso is so cheap maybe it would be similar, around $1,000 a month, and Antigua has a few working hubs for location independent workers. You get a 90 days visa that you can renew once, so 180 days. Many people speak Enligsh and the town is full of Spanish schools to get you up to speed.
I see why you put Chiang Mai in the intermediate category. Yet, considering how insanely affordable it is, one might even argue Chiang Mai as a solid place for beginners. Not to mention it’s been really easy to adjust here.
Today marks 1 week I’ve been freelancing in Chiang Mai, and officially making it my 1 month location rebellion anniversary (monthiversary). With the amount of places here with Wifi, healthy organic places to eat, Expats to meet and hang out with, and again, most importantly, how wildly inexpensive it is, I have a hard time imagining a better place to get my business off the ground. I could be losing money on my venture for months and I’d still be able to live a great lifestyle off savings. My point is, your dollar goes far here.
The only thing I’m missing are some good Portland microbrewed IPA’s. Make sure to pack a few when you head this way for a visit 😀
haha dude. It took me 6 months of being in Asia before I finally found an IPA – it was at some random bar in Manila.
I’ve gotta assume that by now they’re at least a little bit easier to come by!
Maybe Chang will come out with an IPA version of their beer and take Asia by storm 😆
I love your list and the prioritization of it. However, for me you have left out the Caribbean, specifically the Dominican Republic where I work half a year (Winter) and so long as I have internet and phone I’m in business. My Magic Jack phone number has a NY area code (where I lived until I recently moved to Virginia) so unless someone asks (or hears roosters) they think I’m in NY. It’s a wonderful life! Regards
Where in the DR? I lived there quite a bit and the internet was good, but intermittent (same with electricity if you didn’t have an inverter).
That said – it’s a great place for beachy, cheap location on US time zones.
Great list! I’d rather include some Russian cities that are deep into Russia. After getting around some places in Koh Samui, Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam and China and Kazakhstan, I dropped my anchor for some time in Barnaul, Russia, which is in the very heart of Asia.
Cost of living: $ 400-600 per month
Full of IT people
By the way it is very easy to spend 1-2 hours a day teaching English in local English-training classes and get good money for that.
I know, it gets a bit cold in winter)) but you might spend winters freelancing in Thailand and come back to Russia for summer time.
How in the heck do you even begin to go about choosing one of these cities? Do I need to get a dartboard and a blindfold? Haha.
Hey Sean,
Amazing stuff going on here!
I have read through a few of your posts and admire your last day post. It’s funny because I am also on a similar journey.
I quit my job and am living off of Adsense and affiliate earnings… creating my own product. 😉 I’d love to connect with you man. Its hard to find other IMers that are traveling the world and living this amazing lifestyle.
Maybe we can meet up and do a trip somewhere! I’ll be in Bali in April. 🙂
Talk soon man!
Have fun!
Ryan
Great post! Love PDX, BKK, and Chiangmai.
Have you considered Cambodia as well? I saw that you have visited before so you probably know there are small beach towns and islands there that have friendly locals, are cheap, and have great food.
Guangzhou/Shenzhen is definitely a hotbed for entrepreneurship for a lot of westerners but keep in mind the Great Firewall so it’s harder (though not impossible) to manage online businesses in China. VPNs are spotty at best nowadays.
Good luck!
Gary
Yeah I know a few people who have based themselves in Cambodia. I was in Siem Reap and Pnomh Penh and neither were my favorite places, but admittedly I spent very little time there. I’ve heard some of the beach areas are great.
The best beaches in Cambodia are the secluded ones on the islands off of Sihanoukville. PM me if interested.
By the way, I’ve been living in Shanghai, China since 2008 and here’s my take as an entrepreneur living here:
The energy of the city is amazing. Nowhere else in the world do you find such a drive to succeed in business both on the personal level with entrepreneurs everywhere and a rampant startup scene as well as on the macro level with the government pushing to make Shanghai a global financial center by 2020.
Historically the city is very cosmopolitan and open to foreigners. You can find food from all over the world but you will pay a price. Inflation has been rampant and this is not the cheap China most people would believe. $10 beers and $20 cocktails are not uncommon at high end places. You can go local as well but the problem is food safety. Many unscrupulous vendors will use recycled cooking oil, substitute mystery meat, and many other practices. Air pollution is another problem.
Transportation by subway is quick and efficient. However watch out for rush hour in this 23million + city. Taxis are cheap however and Uber can be used as of now.
Domestic help is relatively affordable so you don’t have to worry about doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, etc.
Massages are still an affordable luxury after a long day in front of the computer.
Gyms are expensive for quality.
Biggest downside to entrepreneurship is the Great China Firewall – Anything google related (gmail, analytics, translate, etc) is unreliable, FB, Twitter, Youtube, WSJ and other sites are blocked. VPNs are a must and they are not reliable.
Overall Cost: 3/5
Food Scene: 4/5
Quality of Life: 3/5
Entrepreneurial Scene: 4/5
Expected Monthly Expenses: $2000 to $3000
Great to see Medellin and Barcelona on this list. They are on my list of places to live as a digital nomad next year.
Yeah I seem to know a lot of people going to both lately!
Hi,
I’m Brazilian and I love Rio de Janeiro, however, is becoming very violent and insecure in recent times.
A pity, because the place is incredibly beautiful and full of cool activities to practice.
Congratulations for the post!
See you soon.