The digital nomad scene has exploded around the world since remote work became mandatory for many during the pandemic. If you’re looking for the best digital nomad cities in Europe, you’re in the right spot.
Quick Answer:
The Best Digital Nomad Cities in Europe:
Today we have countries offering digital nomad visas, coworking spaces popping up like gas stations, annual events geared towards remote workers, and cities chomping at the bit to be the next big digital nomad hot spot.
We’ve lived in Europe on and off for a few years now, and over that time we’ve lived in dozens of digital nomad cities around the continent.
But I didn’t want this to be based on just one or two people’s opinions, so we called on the expertise of our team here at Goats On The Road to build this list. There are over 15 nomadic writers here at Goats On The Road who have lived and traveled around Europe as digital nomads for many lifetimes when combined.
So, I’ve used Dariece and my own experiences, plus those of our team, to narrow down the 7 best cities in Europe for Digital Nomads.
How We Chose The Cities
We’ve narrowed down this list from hundreds of potential cities that we and our team have lived in around Europe. We used pretty strict criteria.
For the city to have made the list, it has to have great internet, a decent digital nomad scene (coworking spaces, conferences, an overall entrepreneurial vibe), have an easy long stay or digital nomad visa program, be well connected with flights (us nomads like to travel), have good weather, a solid mixture of nature and amenities, and good accommodation options.
You’ll note that I didn’t mention that it has to be cheap.
While there are some great affordable cities on this list, I don’t like the idea that digital nomads are always looking for the cheapest possible places; many of us enjoy some comfort and amenities, and don’t mind paying a bit extra for it.
Not all digital nomads are poor.
So, this list isn’t all about the cheapest places to live! If you want that, there’s a link to a blog post about cheap cities in the description below and we’ll have a video for it as well.
7 Best Cities in Europe For Digital Nomads
Let’s get into the list. After much deliberation, here’s our list of the top 7 best digital nomad cities in Europe:
1. Lisbon, Portugal
- Population: 550,000
- Internet Speed: 100mbps⬇/74mbps⬆
- 1 Bedroom Apartment: €1,200/mo
- Entry: Schengen 90/180 days
- Digital Nomad Visa: Yes
Lisbon is one of our favorite cities on the continent and there’s a reason it appears on pretty much every list of the best digital nomad cities in Europe.
Lisbon is fun, vibrant, cultured, exciting, and absolutely breathtaking. We lived in Lisbon as digital nomads for 7 months and loved it for many reasons.
Like the San Fransico of Europe, with trollies climbing its steep hills and colorful tiled buildings lining its narrow cobbled streets, this is easily one of the most aesthetically appealing cities in Europe.
This is no longer a cheap destination for digital nomads, but there are still some decent 1 bedroom apartments for rent for under €1,200 per month, and there are plenty of digital nomad cafes, co-working spaces, and events going on here every year.
The internet is super fast as well. While the average speed test in the country is 100mbps down and 73 up, there are providers in the city that have WiFi at over 2000 Mbps.
Pair this with excellent restaurants, great accessibility to the rest of Europe and internationally, and a pretty solid digital nomad visa program and you have what is probably the best digital nomad city in Europe overall.
2. Bansko, Bulgaria
- Population: 12,774
- Internet Speed: 100mbps⬇/36mbps⬆
- 1 Bedroom Apartment: €300/mo
- Entry: 90/180 days
- Digital Nomad Visa: Yes (D-Visa to Extended Residency)
As current residents of this eastern European country, we can honestly say that this is a great destination for Digital Nomads who want the historic charm of Europe without the crowds and high costs.
Bansko is definitely the country’s digital nomad hot spot. It holds many annual events for digital nomads, has more coworking spaces per capita than any other city in the country, and super cheap accommodation starting at less than €300 per month for a decent 1 bedroom apartment.
Bulgaria offers a 90-day stay in any 180-day period, it’s outside of the Schengen Zone, and there are also some attractive visa and residency programs for digital nomads here.
People flock to this small mountain village for the ski slopes, but Bansko has a lot to offer year-round.
We often go here in the summer to meet up with our digital nomad friends during conferences and events, and while we’re there we head up to the mountains for excellent hiking and often finish the days off at one of the town’s many great restaurants, which include international food and local “Mahanas” or taverns.
3. Barcelona, Spain
- Population: 1.6 Million
- Internet Speed: 200mbps⬇/165mbps⬆
- 1 Bedroom Apartment: €750/mo
- Entry: 90/180 days
- Digital Nomad Visa: Yes
Ah… Barcelona. That place your friends start pronouncing differently immediately after they visit. It’s Bar-the-lona by the way 😂.
There are few cities in Europe that we want to return to as often as Barcelona. Edgy, cool, trendy, affordable, and fun are just a few adjectives I’d use to describe Barcelona.
A stunning old town, a long beach, plenty of areas for walking, and nearby mountains for hiking and outdoors… Barcelona is hard to beat when it comes to the best places to live in Europe.
Internet here can be super fast with 5G almost everywhere in the city and an average WiFi speed of around 200 Mbps down and 165 up.
There are plenty of great accommodation options with 1 bedroom apartments close to the center starting at around €750 per month, and there are more wine bars and restaurants here than you could visit in a lifetime.
There’s also an entrepreneurial vibe and a thriving digital nomad scene with plenty of coworking spaces, annual digital nomad events, and a great community of remote workers.
4. Budapest, Hungary
- Population: 1.7 Million
- Internet Speed: 200mbps⬇/40mbps⬆
- 1 Bedroom Apartment: €400/mo
- Entry: 90/180 days
- Digital Nomad Visa: Yes (White Visa For Remote Workers)
Another major digital nomad hot spot in Europe, Budapest has everything a digital nomad could want.
Fast WiFi averaging at 200 down and 40 up, excellent restaurants, affordable accommodation with 1 bedroom apartments starting at around €400 per month (a little outside of the center), a highly engaged expat community, and a decent visa program for remote workers, as well as the typical 90-day in 180 Schengen Visa entrance allowance.
Budapest is well connected to the rest of Europe and internationally, making travel a breeze.
But aside from all of this, it’s just one of those cities that people fall in love with.
The quality of life is great here, the infrastructure is in that Goldilocks period where it’s not too developed and not too busy, and you can live and work here as a digital nomad and be active in the thriving expat community.
5. Tiblisi, Georgia
- Population: 1.2 Million
- Internet Speed: 100mbps⬇/50mbps⬆
- 1 Bedroom Apartment: €250/mo
- Entry: 1 Year Visa-Free
- Digital Nomad Visa: Yes
We first visited Tiblisi over 10 years ago and even then, we knew that this mid-sized eastern European city had something special. Since then, the city has grown to be one of the best digital nomad cities in Europe with people flocking from all around the world to live and work in Tbilisi.
Aside from a thriving and ever-growing digital nomad community, Tbilisi benefits from a very lax tourist visa program where citizens of over 90 countries don’t need a visa to stay for a full year.
On top of that, Georgia has a very beneficial tax system for digital nomads and relatively easy digital nomad visa options as well.
Affordable would be an understatement when describing Tbilisi. Despite being a pretty established city with a beautiful old town and plenty of amenities, a 1 bedroom in Tiblisi will cost as little as $250 per month if you’re outside of the old town.
6. Split, Croatia
- Population: 178,000
- Internet Speed: 50mbps⬇/20mbps⬆
- 1 Bedroom Apartment: €700/mo
- Entry: 90/180 days
- Digital Nomad Visa: Yes
Finally, a Mediterranean beach makes it to our list. Dariece and I lived in Split for a little while as Digital nomads and I think that this is one of the most underrated digital nomad cities in all of Europe.
Beautiful beaches, nearby islands, the stunning Diocletian’s Palace in the center, plenty of great restaurants and wine bars, great pedestrian-only walking areas, and nearby hiking routes are all reasons why Split is a top choice for sure.
There are loads of accommodation options and they are significantly cheaper if you look outside of the main center and old town, but even then there are some one bedrooms available for under €700 per month.
The average WiFi speed is a little bit lower here with 50 down and 20 up, but there’s 5G data signal in much of the city.
As Croatia recently joined the Schengen Zone, you’ll have 90 days out of 180 period to stay in Croatia as a tourist, but Croatia also has a decent digital nomad visa program, as long as you can prove that you work for a company that’s outside of Croatia and your salary is higher than €2,300 per month.
7. Sarandë, Albania
- Population: 30,000
- Internet Speed: 50mbps⬇/20mbps⬆
- 1 Bedroom Apartment: €700/mo
- Entry: 30-90 days (1 Year for Americans)
- Digital Nomad Visa: Yes (D-Visa)
Another stunning Mediterranean destination, and one that’s only recently begun gaining traction in the digital nomad community, Albania exploded as a remote work hot spot during COVID and continues to grow.
One major draw of Albania is that Americans get an entire year here visa-free.
They also have livable internet at around 50 megabytes down and 20 up, super cheap accommodation options with one-bedrooms starting at €400 per month, and plenty of beach restaurants, cafes, bars, and coworking spaces to work from.
To Summarize
Not every digital nomad is the same and many of us have different ideas when it comes to what makes the perfect digital nomad city.
Below, I’ve broken our list of the best digital nomad cities in Europe down by some of the main criteria that digital nomads look for in a good base.
Cheap Digital Nomad Cities in Europe
If you’re looking for cheap places to live in Europe as a digital nomad, then Saranda, Tbilisi, and Bansko are your best options.
Best Beachside Cities in Europe For Digital Nomads
For beach lovers, it’s Lisbon, Barcelona, Split, and Saranda.
Best for Nature & Outdoors
For nature and outdoors you should consider Bansko, Barcelona, Split, and Tiblisi.
Best Amenities
If you’re just looking for the best restaurants, bars, and activities then Lisbon, Budapest, and Barcelona should top your list.
Best Digital Nomad Communities in Europe
If you want the best digital nomad communities with frequent events and conferences, then you should go for Bansko, Lisbon, Sarande, or Tbilisi.
The Verdict
For digital nomads who are looking for more than just the cheapest places to live, Europe has plenty of great cities.
If you want safety, comfort, great amenities, and decent global flight connections, then Europe is hard to beat when it comes to places to live for remote workers.
