What Is a Digital Nomad?

A digital nomad is someone who works online and leverages the internet to be able to work for anywhere in the world that has a sufficient wifi connection. Digital nomads utilise this flexibility to enable them to work and travel when and where they want. Some digital nomads prefer to use a base for a few months before moving on. Others may travel at a quicker pace moving from destination to destination.

Typically digital nomads will either be:

• Entrepreneurs who run their own companies.
• Employees who work for companies with remote work practices.
• Consultants such as life coaches, accountants or business consultants.
• Freelancers such as designers, writers or coders.

Not all on this list can be done remotely but check out this list of travel jobs.

What Are the Benefits of Being a Digital Nomad?

There are so many incredible benefits to being a digital nomad:

• You can live and work wherever you choose.
• Flexible work space. If you don’t like it, just move!
• No time wasted on commuting.
• Immersion in different cultures gives you the opportunity to understand different mindsets.
• Work your own schedule, feel inspired and be more productive.
• Reduce your living costs.
• Vacations and time off when you choose and no need to travel in peak times.

Are the Number of Digital Nomads Growing?

The short answer is yes!

• 4.8 million Americans currently describe themselves as digital nomads with nearly a third of those surveyed saying they planned on it in the next 2-3 years.
• Nearly half of the millennial workforce in the U.S. are freelancers and over 50% of the total U.S. workforce will be freelance by 2027.
• In the UK, the number of people who work remotely has increased by a fifth over the last decade.

What Is the Cheapest Place To Live as a Digital Nomad?

According to Nomad List, some of the cheapest cities in the world to live as a digital nomad are:

• Kathmandu, Nepal – £502 ($647) per month
• Lviv, Ukraine – £646 ($832) per month
• Hanoi, Vietnam – £668 ($860) per month
• Kaohsiung, Taiwan – £744 ($958) per month
• Colombo, Sri Lanka – £775 ($999) per month

The cost of living for digital nomads for the top five on our popular destinations list are:

• Bali, Indonesia – £953 ($1225) per month
• London, United Kingdom – £3251 ($4176) per month
• Chiang Mai, Thailand – £812 ($1043) per month
• Lisbon, Portugal – £1646 ($2115) per month
• Barcelona, Spain – £2227 ($2861) per month

Bare in mind that these are averages based on “nomad” averages and there would be cheaper ways to live in all of these destinations if you lived more like a local, ate out less and worked from home rather than a co-working space for instance.