Ranked: The 30 Most Popular Cities for Digital Nomads
Key Takeaways:
- Bangkok ranks first, accounting for 2.22% of trips, narrowly ahead of London at 2.19%.
- Thailand and the U.S. each place three cities in the top 30, representing 3.82% and 3.39% of all trips, respectively.
- Europe accounts for 12 of the 30 cities, including five of the top eight destinations.
Digital nomads work remotely while traveling or living away from a fixed home base, giving them greater flexibility in where they live and work.
This graphic, created by Iswardi Ishak, ranks the cities most visited by digital nomads using data from Nomads. The dataset covers 423,694 trips made by 16,117 surveyed respondents.
Bangkok Leads the Digital Nomad Hotspots
The following table shows the share of digital nomad trips made to each destination.
| Rank | Destination | % of Trips Made |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇹🇭 Bangkok | 2.22% |
| 2 | 🇬🇧 London | 2.19% |
| 3 | 🇪🇸 Barcelona | 1.48% |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 New York City | 1.46% |
| 5 | 🇫🇷 Paris | 1.46% |
| 6 | 🇵🇹 Lisbon | 1.44% |
| 7 | 🇩🇪 Berlin | 1.43% |
| 8 | 🇳🇱 Amsterdam | 1.18% |
| 9 | 🇺🇸 San Francisco | 1.13% |
| 10 | 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai | 1.07% |
| 11 | 🇲🇽 Mexico City | 0.98% |
| 12 | 🇯🇵 Tokyo | 0.92% |
| 13 | 🇮🇩 Canggu | 0.91% |
| 14 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 0.89% |
| 15 | 🇹🇷 Istanbul | 0.86% |
| 16 | 🇪🇸 Madrid | 0.83% |
| 17 | 🇲🇾 Kuala Lumpur | 0.81% |
| 18 | 🇺🇸 Los Angeles | 0.80% |
| 19 | 🇦🇪 Dubai | 0.79% |
| 20 | 🇭🇺 Budapest | 0.77% |
| 21 | 🇨🇿 Prague | 0.70% |
| 22 | 🇦🇷 Buenos Aires | 0.69% |
| 23 | 🇨🇴 Medellín | 0.62% |
| 24 | 🇮🇹 Rome | 0.60% |
| 25 | 🇷🇺 Moscow | 0.59% |
| 26 | 🇦🇹 Vienna | 0.57% |
| 27 | 🇰🇷 Seoul | 0.56% |
| 28 | 🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City | 0.55% |
| 29 | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | 0.54% |
| 30 | 🇹🇭 Phuket | 0.53% |
Bangkok narrowly takes the top spot, accounting for 2.22% of trips compared with London’s 2.19%. After the top two, there is a sizable drop to Barcelona at 1.48%, followed by New York City and Paris at 1.46% each.
Thailand also has two other cities in the top 30: Chiang Mai and Phuket.
Bangkok’s appeal reflects several features commonly sought by remote workers, including relatively affordable living costs, food and entertainment options, and infrastructure suited to working online. Thailand also introduced its Destination Thailand Visa, providing a longer-stay pathway for eligible remote workers.
Europe Remains a Major Draw
Europe accounts for 12 of the 30 cities in the ranking, more than any other region. Five European cities also appear in the top eight: London, Barcelona, Paris, Lisbon, and Berlin.
The continent’s strong showing reflects its broader appeal as a travel destination, also seen in rankings of Europe’s most visited countries.
Visa policy can reinforce this appeal. RemoFirst notes that dedicated digital nomad visas generally allow remote workers to legally stay longer than conventional tourist visas, although insurance and employment requirements vary by country.
Remote Work Reshapes Where People Live and Spend
The rise of remote work has made it possible for more workers to spend extended periods abroad without leaving their jobs. This comes with flexibility and travel as major benefits, alongside challenges such as varying living costs and working across time zones.
Popular U.S. destinations also include New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, all of which feature prominently in international travel more broadly.
For host economies, longer-staying remote workers can direct foreign earnings toward housing, restaurants, coworking spaces, and other local services. At the same time, increased demand can add pressure to housing and living costs in popular neighborhoods.
Learn More on the Voronoi App
To see how governments are competing for remote workers, explore Mexico and El Salvador Offer the Longest Visa for Digital Nomads on the Voronoi app.
This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.