The world is full of amazing digital nomad destinations, and many just waiting to be discovered. Year by year as the laptop toting masses migrate, new destinations gain popularity while others drop off the radar.

This year we surveyed bloggers and asked them: What is the best digital nomad city of 2019?  Their answers were as diverse as the blogs they write. Each digital nomad chooses their destination based on the kind of life they want to live. Some of us desire quiet islands, others prefer the fast paced vibrations of the world’s metropoles. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but whether you’re a seasoned or aspiring nomad, this list of the best digital nomad cities in 2019 will blast your wanderlust into the new year.

Belgrade, Serbia

By Sofia Adventures

If you're looking for a great city in Europe to use as your base as a digital nomad, look no further than Belgrade! Located outside of Schengen zone, Serbia allows most tourists to stay for 90 days visa-free with no days counting against Schengen restricctions. This vibrant city has it all: an off the beaten path vibe, low prices, friendly locals, good public transport, excellent food, and a low cost of living. The nightlife in Belgrade is second-to-none, and the food scene in Belgrade is diverse and cosmopolitan. As a bonus, Belgrade has the best tacos in Europe - a hard feat to accomplish, according to a Californian who has tried many disappointing international restaurants around the world.

The cost of living in Belgrade is quite low, especially by European standards. I stayed in a central private apartment that I found on Airbnb for about $500 for 3 weeks, but of course, if you are able to rent directly from the owner, you can pay around half of this. I recommend looking for Facebook groups about housing (find the Serbian-language apartment listings rather than the foreigner/expat groups). Meals out cost about $2 for a quick street sandwich or $5-10 for a larger meal with drinks. Drinks are cheap as well, with most beers and wines ranging from $1-3 per pint or glass. If you are renting on Airbnb, I'd estimate you would want to budget $1500 for the month; if you rent directly or stay in hostels, you could lower that to around $1000 and still live in comfort.

One downside to Belgrade: smoking is still permitted in many bars and restaurants, which can make working from coffee shops a little frustrating at times. Do research into non-smoking cafés (I like RedBread) or better yet, take advantage of one of Belgrade's many excellent coworking spaces like Impact Hub Belgrade.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

By: Karolina Patryk

The charming city of Chiang Mai is more than just a gateway to attractions of northern Thailand. It is also the best place to live for digital nomads. With a large digital nomad community and an extensive array of cafes and co-working spaces, Chiang Mai is a small town hub that offers a lot of networking opportunities. It also has a long list of social network groups that allows new nomads to reach out to Chiang Mai residents.

Another compelling reason to move to Chiang Mai is the cost of living. Here, you can rent an apartment for as low as 100USD at Siriruk Apartment and spend less than 10USD a day on food. In a location where eating out is actually cheaper than cooking at home, digital nomads can get more work done or find more time for chilling rather than stressing over getting their chores done. Private transportation is also readily available in the form of a moped that can be rented for 60USD per month.

Although sharing the wifi connection with the other residents of an apartment block can slow down your productivity, getting your own is quite cheap, around 550 to 700 Baht per month. You also have a huge selection of co-working spaces to work from if you do not want the hassle of getting your own Internet connection.

Colombo, Sri Lanka

By: That's What She Had

Sri Lanka might be a bit more expensive than a lot of popular destinations in Southeast Asia like India and Thailand, but it is still an awesome affordable option for digital nomads. Those who come to Sri Lanka for a few months (or years) usually stay in little towns by the ocean like Unawatuna, Mirissa, and Weligama, but I personally always preferred Colombo, the capital.

First of all, I love the city vibe. With the recently built highway, a drive down south to the best beaches takes only an hour and a half which makes for a great weekend trip.

Second, Colombo has great social life in comparison with other smaller towns on the island and better developed infrastructure. More and more parks and green spaces are being built, movie theaters have plenty of movies in English, local farmers’ market is open every Saturday rain or shine, and, on occasion, the likes of Enrique Iglesias come to Colombo (and when girls throw their bras at him during the concert, the president himself condones this behavior publicly — lots of fun!). The expat community is quite big and active in Colombo and you can connect to people through Internations website.

As for the lifeline of digital nomads — Internet — in the past few years more and more coffee shops in Colombo offer free unlimited wifi. One of my favorite is Plus Nine Four. It was built in a former house which means it’s a rather small and cozy place with a beautiful garden. They brew Ceylon-grown coffee and serve it with a milk toffee, a very Sri Lankan touch.

Da Nang, Vietnam

By Local Nomads

Da Nang, Vietnam is one of the fastest growing cities in Southeast Asia. The combination of affordability, beach access, fast internet, and rich local culture make Da Nang an ideal location for Digital Nomads looking for someplace different from the scenes in Chiang Mai and Bali.

One of the biggest advantages of living in Da Nang is the low cost of living. Brand new serviced apartments can be rented for under $450 USD/month. Studios and private rooms can be found for much much cheaper. Food costs can be kept very low by sticking to the local cuisine. A high quality bowl of Pho or Mi Quang should cost you less than $2 USD.

Da Nang’s charming An Thuong area has become a popular beachy neighborhood for expats and digital nomads. This once-quiet, residential area has completely transformed with new restaurants, hipstery cafes, and slurp-tastic noodle shops opening up each week. We’ve searched the world over and never found another neighborhood quite like An Thuong. If you don’t like living around a bunch of expats there are plenty of other neighborhoods to choose from too. For a more local, metropolitan-vibe check out the West side of the river, away from the beach.

Da Nang offers something for everyone. In 2018, Da Nang saw a huge increase of visitors thanks to the internet’s viral reaction to the newly constructed Golden Hands Bridge at Ba Na Hills. Additionally, you can spend your days exploring the Son Tra Peninsula by motorbike, sipping cocktails in a rooftop pool, or make a day trip to nearby ancient city and UNESCO site, Hoi An.

Istanbul, Turkey

By Becoming A Digital Nomad

Istanbul ticks a lot of boxes for digital nomads. It's easy to reach since it's a major international airport. It's literally used as the example border between Europe and Asia. It's surprisingly cheap, since the lira has weakened significantly. Public transportation is good (especially the subway), and there's plenty of history on display throughout the city.

Several co-working spaces throughout the city, and there are tons of traditional cafes around, along with the usual Starbucks. As a bonus to those that have explored Europe for awhile, many of your guilty pleasures that can't be found in Europe are here in Turkey — Popeye's, Arby's and so on. No, you shouldn't be coming here just for American fast food, but it's nice to have some comfort food once in a while.

Some downsides: being a Muslim-majority means ham and bacon will be harder to find. Alcohol is widely available but heavily taxed (a low-end 500ml can of beer will cost $2 at an Istanbul supermarket). Istanbul can also be a pedestrian's nightmare, and can get really crowded at times.

I've been really impressed with how entrepreneurial the city is, and virtually everyone under 35 speaks at least some English. If you enjoy board games, there's a very active Facebook group to join. Take the cheapest intercontinental cruise ever when you cross from the European side to the Asian side!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Best described as a fusion of its neighbors, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia is a prime digital nomad destination. Cheap food, great eclectic mix of cultures, strong internet and a laidback lifestyle are some of the key takeaways when you settle down in Malaysia.

Living in the tropics is unpredictable, you could be sweating buckets from the harsh humidity in one moment and running for shelter from the afternoon thunderstorms in the next. But the occasional downpour does not take away the effortless and carefree vibes of slipping in your flip-flops to run to your next Kopitiam (local cafes) to savour the best ‘Teh Tarik’ (pulled tea) and ‘Roti Canai’ (flat bread)

You can rent a room and get a nice furnished apartment for $1,500 a month or less. There are plenty of co-working spaces for you to get in your work done at approximately $150 to $100 per month such as Common Ground, Worq and Paper + Roast.

There’s plenty of meet-ups and communities that you can easily access through KL’s meet-up groups on Facebook and even via the Meet-up app.

And finally, after you’re done with your work in the city, rent a scooter or car to venture out to the lake gardens and spend the next few days visiting the quaint country-side in Janda Baik, in the jungles of Bentong, or even Hulu Langat, Batu 18, about 40 minutes away from Kuala Lumpur. There’s some sweet long stretches of asphalt worthy of a great road trip, and stopping by at Bahulu Clasiq for local delights like Nasi Lemak with some strong condensed milk tea.

Lima, Peru

By: Digital Nomads Peru

If you like to be close to the ocean and love good food, Lima is a perfect place for digital nomads. Miraflores is the neighbourhood where most tourists choose to stay. It can get pretty crowded but is great for shopping and eating out. Don't miss Buena Vista Café with its spectacular ocean view. For those who prefer to live in a more quiet surrounding, Barranco with its Bohemian atmosphere is a great option. In summer, the lane from Puente de Suspiros to the beaches is full of people making and selling jewellery. If you're interested in more exclusive pieces of art, the Dédalo shops are a must. Apart from that, the one in Barranco has an awesome and quiet patio with a café and great food and coffee.

Both Miraflores and Barranco have several co-working spaces, eg Urban Coffice and Comunal. In general, the quality and speed of the internet in Lima has improved significantly. Most cafés and restaurants offer free wi-fi with an average download speed of 10 - 15mbps. Many people complain that Peruvians don't have much of a service mentality. Well, I agree but for digital nomads, it has the huge advantage that you can spend hours at a café sipping a coffee and nobody will bother you.

Although more and more nomads choose to spend some time in Lima, it's not yet a digital nomad hot spot. However, if you want to connect with other nomads before your arrival, join the Digital Nomads Peru facebook group.

Insider tip: Avoid Lima in July and August. It doesn't become really cold here but in those months, you'll hardly ever see the sun and it's often very misty. Although it hardly ever rains in Lima, the air is often very humid in winter and as a result, 15°C (60°F) feel much colder.

Lisbon, Portugal

by Portugalist

Community is what makes a place a nomad hotspot, and Lisbon has a great digital nomad community. Every week, at the weekly digital nomads meetup, there are usually between 50 and 100 other nomads there. The meetup is extremely friendly, and it’s very easy to get to know people and make friends. There’s also a growing community of young expats, and there are normally plenty of other expat-focused meetups that nomads can get involved with as well.

Accommodation isn’t as cheap as it once was, unfortunately. It can be difficult to find reasonably priced apartments for rent but, thankfully, renting a room is a lot easier. There are several main websites that list available rooms, although increasingly more and more people are advertising on Facebook.

Food is still very affordable, particularly at lunchtime where lunch menus can cost as little as €5. Wine, beer, and coffee are all also very affordable: wine and beer cost as little as €1 per glass, while a bica (espresso) will often set you back as little as 50 cents.

There’s no shortage of co-working spaces in Lisbon, either. You’ll find a co-working space in most city centre neighborhoods, and there are also plenty of cafes and libraries that you can work from as well.

All in all, Lisbon everything a digital nomad needs – especially a great community.

Medellin, Colombia

By: Layer Culture

As a digital nomad who has travelled around most of Latin America, I have found Medellin in Colombia to be a great city for digital nomads. Let me explain why.

The main reason is the cost of living, compared to other big cities in South America, Medellin is relatively cheap. You'll also find that once you arrive there’s already a solid digital nomad community which you can easily plug into through various meet-up groups.

The nice thing about Medellin is that you can be in Miami in less than 3 hours if you ever need to get over to the USA. However, there’s no need to leave because you can pick up most of your digital nomad gear whilst in the city. There are endless Airbnb options and you can find rented apartments in abundance to suit many different budgets.

From my experience, many digital nomads based in Medellin tend to steer away from the most popular area of the city called El Poblado. This is a progression for most to be able to get away from the touristy scene and to avoid the mountainous terrain. So, if you are thinking of checking out Medellin as a digital nomad and for an extended period of time, I definitely recommend you check out a neighbourhood called Laureles as your base of operations.

Mui Ne, Vietnam

By Extreme Nomads

Vietnam’s digital nomad scene has gradually been moving up the ranks over the past couple of years, with burgeoning communities in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi setting the pace. It’s way less often you hear about DN types settling down in Vietnam’s rural areas- so it might come as a surprise to hear that the little town of Mui Ne has a small digital nomad scene of its very own.

For those of you that aren’t familiar, Mui Ne is a coastal village in Vietnam’s south central countryside. Its main claim to fame amongst tourists is its stunning white sand dunes, but adventure-seeking travelers have long been gravitating to Mui Ne to take advantage of its reliable windy season- which is why kitesurfing is now one of the most popular things to do in Mui Ne. These days, many of Mui Ne’s digital nomads are there primarily to make the most of the town’s fortuitous weather and water-sports conditions.

From the dirt cheap cost of living to the year round tropical weather, there are plenty of reasons that digital nomads would dig Mui Ne. Month by month housing options could cost you as little as $100 for a fully furnished, wifi equipped house with a kitchen; push your budget up a bit further and you can blag yourself a sea-view and a garden. Many places in Mui Ne are already kitted out with fiber optics too, and 30 Mbps comes as standard (YASSS!).

With a strong international community running helpful Facebook groups like Mui Ne info and events it’s easier than ever to find out specific details that you might want to know before deciding to make the move there- whether that means scoping out the housing availability, sussing where to buy the best craft beer (it’s a thing there), or reaching out to the existing digital nomad community.

Oaxaca, Mexico

By: Claire's Footsteps

It’s not commonly known as a digital nomad destination, but Oaxaca City is well worth spending some time in. It’s still relatively un-touristy, but it has some great co-working spaces. Most popular is Convivio, which has a cool artsy atmosphere where everyone becomes a family.

As well as the fun space, there are plenty of reasons to live in Oaxaca. There are so many things to do in the city, from exploring its colourful streets, to shopping at its many markets, to hiking in the mountains above. The weather is pleasant all year round – due to its altitude it is a lot fresher in summer than most of Mexico, but the winter never gets too cold.

Plus, it’s super cheap – a room for a month costs around $150, beers clock in at $1.50 and a great meal out can be had for $2-$4. While the city doesn’t quite have the nightlife of Mexico City or Cancun, there are still plenty of places to have a drink (and try some famous Oaxacan cuisine!) at the end of the day with new digital nomad friends.

It’s also a fantastic place to meet locals, especially if you’re down to learn Spanish – Oaxacans love to hear foreigners speaking their lingo and are very friendly! Because of its small size, you’ll get to know lots of different people, and there’s a real sense of community throughout the whole city.

Try to be there for Day of the Dead in November, Night of the Radishes (the world’s largest radish carving festival!) in December and Guelaguetza in August.

Palermo, Italy

By: Barbaralicious

I admit that I’m a bit biased about this: I’m half Italian and always loved my second hometown Palermo. But the truth is that it’s perfect for digital nomads! Here is why:

#1 Coworking: Palermo has many coworking spaces. It’s perfect to connect with locals and to get work done in a laptop-friendly environment.

#2 Other places for your mobile workplace There are also other places for your mobile workplace. Panoramic view of the city? No problem? Sea view at work? Sure! You can get it all in Palermo.

#3 Culture Sicily has been occupied by numerous peoples over the centuries - I would almost say millennia. As an island cut off from the mainland, it has developed its own language, its own traditions and its own food, which are different from the rest of Italy.

#4 Landscape The largest island of the Mediterranean - not for nothing also called Queen of the Mediterranean - has everything you could wish for. The sea, a volcano, olive groves and a breathtaking mixture of mountains and valleys dominate the landscape. Here you can swim in the sea in the morning and ski in the mountains in the afternoon. I have done this myself!

#5 Work-Life-Balance Hiking, mountain biking, surfing, and kiting are popular outdoor and water sports that you can all practice in and around Palermo. And where should you have a better work-life balance than in the land of the dolce far niente?

#6 Value for money Europe is an expensive place! But not so Palermo... At least not if you know where you have to go. Whether accommodation, transport or leisure activities: In Palermo you can manage with relatively little money and still enjoy a high standard of living.

Penang, Malaysia

By Penang Insider

Penang, a tropical island in Malaysia’s northwest, is a very popular digital nomad hub. Once nothing much more than a convenient place for a visa run from Thailand,since 2012 George Town — Penang’s main city — has developed into Southeast Asia’s most prominent arts and cultural hub. The atmospheric streets are full of graffiti and cozy cafes housed in refurbished Chinese shop houses; there are arts and cultural festivals all year round, like the George Town Festival; the food is among Asia’s best, and it’s as cheap as renting a room or apartment. What else a digital nomad may need?

You can certainly see the best Georgetown has to offer in 48 hours, but Penang, as an island, offers much more. Vibrant mixed ethnic culture, festivals, beaches, hiking trails, a modern airport connected to many cities across Asia. In a nutshell, Penang is just a perfect place to settle for a while and do digital work.

Besides many cafes equipped with wi-fi, George Town has seen a surge in co-working spaces, and finding a quiet, air conditioned office with fast connection is very easy. George Town also has a strong Couchsurfing and expat community (just do a Facebook search for these terms, and you’ll find groups to join and ask all the questions you need answered). There are several areas to choose to live on the island, from seaside clusters of condos, to atmospheric parts of George Town, and villages in the south of the island, Balik Pulau, which see very few foreigners and offer a more authentic take on life on this multi-ethnic and multi-cultural island.

INSIDER TIP: As of late, border hopping between Malaysia and Thailand has become less straight forward on both side. It is highly recommended that you don’t attempt a back to back visa run. Malaysia gives 90 days free visas on arrival to most nationalities, and you better plan on staying only for a maximum of 3 months to avoid immigration headaches.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

By: Janine In The World

RV Life- USA

By Let's Travel Family

Finding a great digital nomad destination is something that our full-time RV living family {https://www.letstravelfamily.com/full-time-rv-living-tips} looks for every week. You see, our family of 6 lives in our motorhome and travels the US full-time. We don’t have a specific city that we stay in, but a way of life in a country that allows us to work as digital nomads and move our ‘home-on-wheels’ from state to state.

There are more and more families, singles, and couples buying RVs and traveling the United States while working remotely. If it’s community you are looking for, it’s not hard to find on the road in the US. We meet on average one new family every week and connect in person at rallies and online in Facebook groups.

With access to several cell phone carriers across most of the nation, you can travel just about anywhere and work remotely. Just be aware that if you decide to visit the dessert or mountains, you may not have cell signal to work. So spend your days off exploring the remote areas and your workdays staying near major cities in campgrounds.

The cost of living in the US can be a bit high compared to many other countries. Yet, if you live in an RV and are willing to dry-camp in the many free campsites out West, you can keep your costs down and see some pretty amazing destinations.

Vilnius, Lithuania

By Nomad Joseph

Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania is a great place for digital nomads during the summer... Winters in Lithuania is another thing, they are super cold and it just might be too harsh for you! Although, it is pretty beautiful with snow everywhere.

Most of people say that Lithuania is the cheapest country from all the Baltic states. You can rent an apartment near the city center in Vilnius for €400-500 a month and it will be a great place to live there. If you are looking for more budget options renting a shared room could be €150-200/month.

There are many coworking spaces in Vilnius and they start at around €75/month and goes up to €300/month for a high-end place with all the luxuries. Most of them are around the city center.

Lithuania is famous for its internet! It has one of the fastest Wi-fi connections in the world. By the way, it is also cheap – for unlimited wi-fi plan you might pay up to €10/month. Most of the cafes have free, high speed connections and you can work there. Mobile data is also working very well in most of the places in Lithuania.

There are many things to do after working day in Vilnius. The city is the only capital in Europe which allows hot air balloons above the Old Town. Summer is great for kayaking in Vilnius as there are 2 rivers in the city and both of them are available for paddling. You can also find couple of lakes near Vilnius which are totally clean and available to swim. What could be better than a dip in a lake after a hard day of freelancing?

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