Nomad List
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| 🌍 Region | Middle East | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🚩 Country | United Arab Emirates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ⏱ Average trip duration | 6 days | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 📡 Internet speed | 8 Mbps | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ⛅️ Weather | ☀️ 37°C 99°F + 💦 Not humid (47%) + 💨 4km/h = Feels like 45°C113°F | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💨 Air quality (now) | 😷 157 µg/m3 equal to 🚬 🚬 🚬 🚬 🚬 🚬 🚬 / day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🔌 Power | 230V50Hz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🚕 Best taxi app | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 📱 Best wireless carrier | Etisalat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💸 10 AED in USD | USD 2.72 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🏧 Suggested ATM take out: AED 1,000 | USD 272 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💸 Tipping | No | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💳 Cashless society | 💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💻 Best coworking space | Impact Hub | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🚰 Safe tap water | 🚫 No, contaminated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♻️ Return rate | 12% of visitors returns | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 📸 Visitors per year | 16,010,000 visitors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 📸 Tourists now | 306,831 tourists | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 👨👩👧👦 Population | 2,100,000 people | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 😤 People density | 🧘♀️ empty: 2,650 ppl/km² 19x19m (361m²) space per person | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 👫 Gender ratio | 👨 78% 👱♀️ 22% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ⛪️ Religious government | Religious | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💻 Online electronics shop | Souq | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 🏠 Apartment listings | Property Finder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ✈️ Best short-haul air carrier | Fly Dubai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ✈️ Best int'l air carrier | Emirates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
🕌 It is now Ramadan in United Arab Emirates, which can make it less easy to travel, more info | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| beachnightlifeshoppingdesertsurfinglow taxgolfadult nightlifeairportwarm nowwarmhotdirty airbad air qualityslow internethigh cost of livinglow crimemany menfriendly people | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 💵 Nomad Cost™ | $3,386 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for expat | $2,961 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for family | $8,314 / month |
| 💵 Cost of living for local | $2,375 / month |
| 🏠 1br studio rent in center | $2,042 / month |
| 🏢 Coworking | $287 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel | $1,276 / month |
| 🏨 Hotel | $60 / night |
| 🏠 Airbnb (248 listings) | $2,464 / month |
| 🏠 Airbnb | $81 / night |
| 🍝 Dinner | $10 |
| 🍹 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $1 |
| 🍺 Beer (0.5L) | $10 |
| ☕️ Coffee | $4 |
Based on Dubai's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:
The figures in this review are wrong. The exchange rate to the USD is 3.67, not 272. Walkability is also terrible! Whoever wrote this must have done a lap of Downtown and not gone anywhere else.
I do not recommend London for nomads. It's very hard to find places to work in London. Cafes don't like people with laptops, there won't be any power outlets and you'll get funny stares from staff. That's because London is expensive, and it's a loss for cafes to have you. Flexible coworking is hard to come by and day passes are very expensive. That makes it practically impossible to work properly in London as a nomad.
Bangkok has some of the best private hospitals in the world. Which is interesting if you're in Asia a lot and you want medical care better than you can get in your home country. Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok is ranked #7 in the world. I did an executive health checkup there and it was great. Prices range from $250 to $750 depending on how many checks you want. You can get blood count, X Ray, ultrasound, hormone check, etc. They also have most other medical disciplines. I also got vaccinations renewed. The hospital is private so it's so much better than the overloaded public healthcare systems of Europe, Canada and UK where everyone tries to avoid helping you, is overworked and angry. In Bangkok they're super nice and helpful and you can make appointments straight with a specialist. Not blocked by a GP like in your home country.
People and food are just lovely in Greece. Would argue that Greeks are the most friendly and welcoming people in Europe. The city is a disaster. Overrun by migrants, run down by the government, empty buildings and gratifies everywhere. Not far from city center (10min by feet) it feels more like a third world country than Europe.
Getting a place to stay is a challenge, and renting an apartment might be a challenge unless you can show proof on stable income job. most leases are 6-12mths minium
As an expat in Geneva since 5years now, I'll recommend Lausanne or Zurich before Geneva. French Swiss are slow to make business with and have a lot of bureaucracy.
Really bad city to live and to visit unless you have money to live in BGC.
Love Cape Town as a DN. Been here 3 months - mountains, city, ocean, animals, hiking, super affordable, great foodie scene and safe (if you're smart). https://www.tech4trek.com/cape-town-digital-nomad
great city - perfect weather , great food, great tech scene
Great place. You can avoid the dropshipper, FBA and MLM webinar course people who have infested the coworkings here for years, by, well, just not visiting the coworking spaces here.
Been living in 3 different centrally located airbnb in Berlin (2018), each between 800 and 900€ per month for 40-45 sqm (we're two, so 400-450€ each). Each time a full flat and not a shared airbnb, legal now since some months (though it was always possible to get a full flat before as well). Internet was always between 15 and 50 mbps. I spend 100€ per week on food, including restaurants (pretty cheap here), check for Turkish market on Maybachufer and Turkish stores in Neukölln (I spend less on food here than in Chiang Mai!). Berlin is such an awesome place to live, very multicultural, very tolerant, many different neighborhoods, quite relaxed feeling, many parks, lakes all around. No need to speak German at all. Come over here, probably one one of the best place on earth ;) (written in Sept 2018)
Bangkok has some of the best private hospitals in the world. Which is interesting if you're in Asia a lot and you want medical care better than you can get in your home country. Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok is ranked #7 in the world. I did an executive health checkup there and it was great. Prices range from $250 to $750 depending on how many checks you want. You can get blood count, X Ray, ultrasound, hormone check, etc. They also have most other medical disciplines. I also got vaccinations renewed. The hospital is private so it's so much better than the overloaded public healthcare systems of Europe, Canada and UK where everyone tries to avoid helping you, is overworked and angry. In Bangkok they're super nice and helpful and you can make appointments straight with a specialist. Not blocked by a GP like in your home country.
Getting a place to stay is a challenge, and renting an apartment might be a challenge unless you can show proof on stable income job. most leases are 6-12mths minium
great city - perfect weather , great food, great tech scene
Not a very "freelance/artist" friendly city. The look of someone working inside a coffeeshop is still unusual and unappreciated. Extremely not accessible and not disable friendly (Metro, bus, building, coffeeshops and restaurants...)
I do not recommend London for nomads. It's very hard to find places to work in London. Cafes don't like people with laptops, there won't be any power outlets and you'll get funny stares from staff. That's because London is expensive, and it's a loss for cafes to have you. Flexible coworking is hard to come by and day passes are very expensive. That makes it practically impossible to work properly in London as a nomad.
Mostly great weather year round and some of the best food in the world at cheap prices. Probably the best standard of living for the cost in an international city. Good but not excellent public transport. Some questionable reviews being left here by people who possibly never visited,
Nomad-ed here for a month. A totally ok place if you have the budget for it. Coworking spaces are good, 4g everywhere, transportation is effective. Lots of things to do. I was able to find friends. Lots of international people, very few digital nomads. If you're there, consider not renting in the center (as it gets expensive fast) and being creative with places to eat to find cheap options. Be prepared to use cash unless you live in a luxury.
It's possible to live in Hong Kong on the cheap. You've got to live far out in the New Territories, or on an outlying island. I spent a summer living happily on Lamma Island for ~$500USD/month in rent for one bedroom in a shared flat. Rent is really the only tricky part--everything else is relatively cheap.
Culture, weather, sea, people, co-working spaces. Haven't found a better combination anywhere else.
I like it here better than Canggu. It's more walkable, more cheap warungs, more convenient. You could find all kinds of shop catering to different type of visitor, from cheap to luxurious. Not a party place if you're looking for it, which made it even more perfect. More female than male, great for dating.
One of the most well known cities, few will be surprised by what they see and experience. Very high cost of living can make it tough for many nomads. A lot of things to see and do but most of that costs money. Can feel overwhelming and oppressively business oriented (ie, full of very serious yuppies and places catering to them), especially in Manhattan south of Harlem. Ton of single people, which is good on paper but means everyone you date will get distracted by another person, or multiple, unless you are extremely exceptional, before you have a chance to meet again, never ends. Weather sucks hard from July to August and January to March/April. It's an okay city if you're a biker and varies a lot. Some areas are quite protected, others have no bike lanes. In general, it can be dangerous if you want to commute by bike, it's not Amsterdam. Friendliness of the people varies a lot. I think income/wealth, where they grew up, where they live within NYC, their job, etc. can often give you an idea of what to expect. Service at stores is usually pretty unhelpful and unfriendly but, again, it varies, even within the same store. Internet is fast for the most part. Great selection of food, just a bit pricey besides some of the cheaper pizza slices. Transportation system is good, no need for a car. However, the subway lines are notorious for having issues during rush hour and are usually jam packed. Also, the stations look decrepit and are way out of date. It's pretty safe. Street scams are more prevalent in tourist areas, pick-pocketing and random phone snatching isn't really anything most people worry about. Can be very noisy depending on where you live. You may wake up to extremely loud construction every morning.
A mixture of piss, weed, unwashed nerdy men, overpriced reality estate, passive-aggressiveness, homeless people and freaks
Nothing does a better job of explaining LA’s beautiful diversity and different neighborhoods than the documentary about the late Jonathan Gold, our city’s greatest amabassador and the only food critic to ever win a Pulitzer Prize. It is called, “City of Gold” and if you want to know LA, just watch this film. Trailer link: https://youtu.be/DmKTRDfz1zM
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by levelsio
