The saying goes that the grass is always greener on the other side. And it is true. And actually in more than just one way. Besides the obvious truth that many of us just like the other places more, the warmer/colder weather in the other place, the taller/lower buildings, and so on. That’s not anything new. But it’s also true with prices. For me living in country X the prices might be maybe too high, and I might look towards a cheaper place Y. At the same time, the person from country Z might be thinking of my country the same way as I think about country Y. And the person from country Y might not feel his or her country is cheap enough either, and could be thinking of country Q. By the end of the day, it’s all very subjective. What’s cheap for you is not cheap for me, and what’s cheap for me is not cheap for him.
But if you’re person who can work anywhere, but one without a huge income, what are the best places in terms of prices for a digital nomad?
Obviously, while the average price level remains the same, the real price level is again very, very subjective. Where do you want to live? Downtown or countryside? Do you want to eat outside a lot or cook at home? Do you like your beer as much as the next beer lover or do you like wine? Or maybe you don’t drink at all? Are you looking for cultural experiences? Are you looking for nightlife? Do you work online and require strong network security? And so on. And all of these questions are actually very important when we talk about the real price levels of different countries. As in some countries you might be able to get by for $200, but if you’re a heavy drinker and smoker on the side, and also like to visit different attractions, you might need to multiply it by 10.
But on average, here are the cheapest cities for digital nomads, according to Nomadlist:
1. Livingstone, Zambia
While people haven’t scored it as being too fun, the average cost of living there is just $110 per month.
2. Khartoum, Sudan
Again, not the most entertaining place, but the average cost of living for a nomad is $316 per month.
3. Dijubuti, Dijubuti
Not too fun, nor a nomad favorite, but the average cost is $320/month.
4. Sargodha, Pakistan
People have rated it as not to safe, nor too fun or nice place to live in, but again the average cost could be considered perfect for the nomads, standing at $349.
5. N’Djamena, Chad
While these are all cheap places for nomads to live in, you might want to consider buying a lottery ticket online and then look at some better but also slightly more expensive places.
1. Nha Trang, Vietnam
Other nomads have rated it quite highly, and with the average nomad living cost at just $540, it’s far from being expensive.
2. Ahmedabad, India
India can be great, and people have rated Ahmedabad pretty highly. Average cost of living for a nomad is $580.
3. Hanoi, Vietnam
The average monthly cost for a nomad is $859, and people have rated it rather highly in pretty much every category.
4. Sanur Bali, Indonasia
The same applies to this place, with average cost of $861.
5. Albufeira, Portugal
While this one is not in Nomadlist, from my personal experience Albufeira in Algarve is rather great place to stay in. I couldn’t give you the exact cost, but I would think around $1200 should be enough.