Digital Nomad Cost of Living

These are typical monthly costs for one person in the main nomad cities, including rent on a one-bedroom apartment on a monthly lease, food, coworking, transport, a phone plan, health insurance and some social life. Couples typically spend 1.5 times as much, not twice.

Rent is usually 40% to 50% of the total. Choosing a slightly less central neighbourhood, or a studio instead of a one-bedroom, is the single biggest saving.

A comfortable month for one person, in a modern studio near a BTS station on Sukhumvit:

The Bangkok guide has a full cost table with budget, mid-range and comfortable figures.

Expect to spend $3,000 to $5,000 before your first working day abroad:

• Flights: $500 to $1,500 for the first long-haul flight.
• Gear: a reliable laptop if yours is old, a good backpack, a laptop stand, keyboard and mouse, and a travel router or power bank. $300 to $2,000 depending on what you have.
• Health checks and vaccinations: $100 to $500.
• Insurance: the first month or year up front.
• Visa fees and documents: $50 to $2,000 depending on the visa, plus background checks, apostilles and translations.
• First month’s rent and deposit: many monthly rentals ask for one or two months’ deposit.

• The first month. You don’t yet know the local prices, so you overpay for the first apartment, take taxis everywhere and eat in tourist areas. Budget 20% to 30% more for it.
• Moving between bases. Every move means a flight, an airport transfer, a first night in a hotel, and a new round of setup costs. Moving monthly can add $300 to $600 a month.
• Visa runs. On a visa-free stay you may have to leave every 30 to 90 days. A cheap regional flight and two nights abroad cost $200 to $400.
• Healthcare and emergencies. Clinic visits, a dental problem, or an urgent flight home for a family emergency.
• Gear that breaks or is stolen. Replacing a laptop abroad at tourist-area prices hurts.
• Bank and exchange fees. Bad exchange rates and ATM fees can quietly take 3% to 5% of everything you spend if your banking isn’t set up properly.
• Tax. If you become tax resident somewhere new, or owe tax at home, set money aside every month.

1. Stay longer. Monthly rentals are 30% to 60% cheaper per night than short stays, and you skip moving costs.
2. Rent like a local. Local Facebook groups, agents and walk-ins usually beat Airbnb for anything over a month.
3. Live one stop out. One or two train stops from the trendiest area can cut rent by a quarter.
4. Work from home a few days a week if your apartment has a good desk, and buy a coworking day pass for the rest.
5. Eat where locals eat. Street food and local lunch spots in Asia and Latin America cost a third of Western-style cafes.
6. Use the transit pass. Monthly passes in Lisbon, Seoul, Tokyo and Bangkok pay for themselves quickly.
7. Fix your banking. A multi-currency account and a fee-free card save more than most people expect. See the banking guide.
8. Travel in shoulder season, when flights and rentals are cheaper.

A useful rule: spend no more than about 60% of your take-home pay on living costs, leaving 40% for savings, tax, emergencies and moving between bases. On that basis, a comfortable life in Southeast Asia needs about $2,500 a month after tax; in Southern Europe, nearer $4,500 to $5,000. Many nomad visas set their own minimum: see the visa directory.

• Numbeo: crowd-sourced prices for rent, groceries, transport and restaurants by city.
• Expatistan: another crowd-sourced comparison, handy as a second opinion.
• Nomads.com: monthly cost estimates for nomads in each city, from its members.
• Wise currency converter: the mid-market rate, to see what a bank or card is really charging you.