Before the global pandemic, living as a digital nomad wasn’t a popular lifestyle for many people as they were bound to offices. During the pandemic, many things changed in our professional lives and now the vast majority of employees don’t want to return to the office for good.
That’s why, many companies allow their employees to work solely in remote or hybrid arrangements and provide them the opportunity to work in any location around the world. But, while looking for a new country to start over and remote work, there are a few variables that each digital nomad should evaluate before deciding on the next destination.
Cybersecurity, socio-economic conditions, physical-digital comfort, and Covid-19 response are the variables that should be evaluated in detail to see which country is the best fit for digital nomads’ needs. In this regard, remote work statistics reveal that Germany, Denmark, the USA, and Spain are the best countries to live and work remotely. Let’s explain which benefits these countries offer to skilled digital nomads further.
1- Germany
Germany was ranked as the first country in the global remote work index. Additionally, Germany provides remote work visas for digital nomads, these freelancer resident permits have a one-year duration and when the duration ends, Germany allows digital nomads to reapply to extend residency for another year. Other than working visas, Germany has really good internet speed and many co-working spaces that are an essential part of the digital nomad lifestyle.
As for socio-economic conditions, Germany has affordable local prices. For instance, long-term rental apartments’ average cost is approximately 641$, and local prices of food won’t cost you more than 300$ per month. Additionally, Germany has administered 215.02 doses of COVID vaccine per 100 people in 2022. This means that almost 76% of the German citizens have been vaccinated, and Germany can be categorized as a covid safe country. In many aspects, Germany is one of the best countries to live as a digital nomad.
2- Denmark
Denmark was placed as the second-best country to live as a digital nomad. Although Denmark doesn’t provide remote work visas, it has one of the best internet speeds in the world. Additionally, Denmark has many co-working spaces that have fast internet speed, and adequate infrastructure to protect remote workers.
As for socio-economic conditions, Denmark is a politically stable country, and it has one of the lowest crime rates in Europe. But, if you have a limited monthly budget, Denmark might not be the best country as local prices are a little higher than the local prices in Germany, and Spain. For instance, the average cost of a long-term rental apartment is approximately 750$ per month, and local prices of food can cost more than 350$ per month.
As for Covid response, Denmark has administered 227.52 doses of COVID vaccine per 100 people in 2022, and it is placed as the fourth country in Europe regarding Covid-vaccine rates. So, Denmark has high scores in covid-response, and it is one of the best countries for digital nomads.
3- USA
The USA was placed as the third-best country to live as a digital nomad. But, unfortunately, the USA doesn’t provide remote work visas to digital nomads. If you want to work remotely while living in the USA, you either need to have a work visa or sponsorship from the company you work with. Work visas require you to be a full-time employee of a US-based company. So freelancers or contractors can’t get work visas.
The USA is a country that consists of fifty states, and internet speed, digital security, socio-economic conditions, and the covid response generally differentiate in each state. For instance, if you live in New York, California, or Washington, long-term rental apartments might cost you more than 3000$ per month, but in other states, prices might be lower. As for the covid response, almost 67% of the US population has been fully vaccinated, and the USA can be categorized as a covid-safe country.
4- Spain
Spain was ranked as the fourth-best country to live as a digital nomad, and it provides remote work visas. Spain has good internet speed and many coworking spaces. Local prices in Spain are affordable and cheap. For instance, long-term rental apartments’ average cost is 580$ monthly, and local food prices can cost you an average 230$ per month.
It is safe to say that the socio-economic conditions of Spain are great. As for Covid response, Spain has administered 203.02 doses of COVID vaccine per 100 people, and it’s a covid-safe country. Additionally, if you haven’t been vaccinated yet, you need to take the Covid test within 72 hours before traveling to Spain. So, there isn’t a quarantine obligation for people who haven’t been vaccinated yet.
Last Words
As of 2022, the digital nomad lifestyle is accessible to many of us. According to the global remote work index, Germany, Denmark, USA, and Spain are the best countries to live as a digital nomad as these countries have the highest scores in cybersecurity, socio-economic conditions, physical-digital comfort, and Covid-19 response variables.