Digital nomads: modern labor force’s experience in Europe

Visits: 14

Working remotely becomes a fashion for a lot of people. Below is the list of the best destinations for online/distant workers with a good quality of life – often even better then at home – with a lower level of expenses and affordable living costs. This information is for those looking for a destination where working remotely will feel like a holiday. 

     These remotely working people are often called “digital nomads”, as persons moving within and outside the EU providing online digital services to making a living. They represent already a constantly growing “digital-nomadic” population, which – as a rule – offer specialized digital-type services as, for example, external consultants and/or digital specialists.
Among the European states, the United Kingdom is one of the most expensive countries – both in Europe and the world) with an average cost of living of £1,461 (€1,652) per month; it is no surprise that 1 in 10 British people move abroad to look for a better quality of life. They make up 8 per cent of the world’s digital nomad population.
In fact, among the European’s remote workers these are mostly those that follow the requirements for digital specialists; the need for them is obvious in numerous countries, e.g. in France and Germany, Switzerland, in Scandinavian and the Baltic States….

In the Baltic States
= The cost of living in Latvia is around €787 a month – the lowest in Europe (however, national statistics put it at €1.1 thousand). And this significant drop in expenses comes with only a very minor drop in quality of life with an index of 153, versus, e.g. that of 166 in the UK.
Winters are a colder here than in Nordic states; but looking for something a bit different from big cities and closer to see and sand-beaches could be a feasible option for Latvia.

    = Estonia offers a good balance between high quality of life (ranked 174) and a low cost of living for digital nomads. With an average of €936 a month to stay here one can enjoy a pretty nice living. Welcoming environment for remote workers also includes national e-Residency program (for citizens from outside the EU), which allows entrepreneurs to start and manage an EU-based company remotely.
Specific for country is sauna culture which dates back to the 13th century: those interested will definitely enjoy it…

Southern states
= Croatia, a new EU member state, offers a €822 on average monthly living costs for digital nomads. With the quality of life index about 163, roughly the same as the UK meaning that digital workers can have the best “economy class” living among European states. Visitors come from all over the world to see Croatia’s thousands of kilometers of coastline, incredible ancient cities and around 2,700 hours of sun a year and in summer temperatures about 20C.

     = However, the old EU members also represent an attractive option: thus, Portugal’s warm weather, good beaches and high quality of life have made it a top destination for digital nomads with high-speed internet, good technology infrastructure and efficient public transport. The cost of living in the country is around €897 per month and a quality index of 164 makes it a perfect place to work for digital nomads both in the busy city of Lisbon and over to beautiful beaches of the Silver Coast.

     = The cost of living would be around €1,120 a month on average in Italy; it has a quality of life index of 141 – just below the UK’s 166 – but with more sun and warm weather.

= Spain has a high quality of life index (almost equal to that of the UK); but it is around €566 a month less when it comes to the cost of living: so with an average of €1,045 a month digital nomads can enjoy incredible climate, beautiful beaches and vibrant culture. Looking for a destination where working remotely will feel like a holiday, then Spain could be the right choice…

In the central Europe
= Czech Republic’s capital city Prague is already popular for the digital workers due to several reasons: e.g. the country has low living costs and well-maintained infrastructure. With an average cost of €924 a month it is possible to live in the Czech Republic; although it is obviously varying depending on the place to live as living in big cities will come with a higher price tag. It is still cheaper than in London, however and Czech Republic’s quality of life index score is 164 – roughly the same as in the UK.

     Source and reference to: https://www.euronews.com/travel/2023/04/14/low-cost-of-living-and-high-quality-of-life-the-best-european-digital-nomad-destinations-f?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=EN

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