⭐️ Total score |
2.95/5 (Rank #287)
|
👍 Quality of life score |
Okay |
👶 Family score |
Okay |
🎒 Community score |
Okay |
💵 Cost |
😙 Affordable: $1,195 / mo
|
📡 Internet |
🙂 Good: 13Mbps (avg)
|
😝 Fun |
Good |
⛅️ Temperature (now) |
🌞 Perfect: 29°C85°F (feels 35°C95°F)
|
💦 Humidity (now) |
🥵 Sweaty: 82%
|
💨 Air quality (now) |
😐 Moderate: 82 US AQI
|
👌 Safety |
Good
|
🤮 Food safety* |
Okay
|
👮♀️ Lack of crime* |
Good
|
🤝 Lack of racism* |
Bad |
🎓 Education level* |
High |
⚡️ Power grid |
Good
|
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change |
Good
|
💰 Income level* |
Very low:
$326 / mo
|
🙊 English speaking* |
Okay |
🚶 Walkability |
Bad |
✌️ Peace (no pol. conflict) |
Okay |
🚦 Traffic safety* |
Okay |
😄 Happiness* |
Bad |
🍸 Nightlife |
Good |
📶 Free WiFi in city |
Okay |
🖥 Places to work from |
Okay |
❄️ A/C or heating |
Okay |
😁 Friendly to foreigners |
Great |
🗯 Freedom of speech* |
Okay |
👩 Female friendly |
Bad |
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly |
Bad |
🎅 Startup Score |
Bad |
🌍 Continent | Asia |
🚩 Country | Sri Lanka |
⏱ Average trip length | 25 days |
📡 Internet speed (avg) | 13 Mbps |
⛅️ Weather (now) |
🌧 29°C 85°F + 🥵 Sweaty (82%) = feels 35°C 95°F
|
💨 Air quality (now) | 👎😷 82 US AQI = 🚬 / day |
🔌 Power | 230V 50Hz |
🚕 Best taxi app* |
|
🚑 Travel medical insurance |
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💸 1,000 LKR in USD | USD 3.04 |
🏧 Suggested ATM take out: | LKR 100,000 = USD 304 |
💳 Cashless | 💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners) |
☕️ Best coffee place | Bites |
🚰 Tap water | 🚫 No, not drinkable |
👨👩👧👦 Population | 810,000 people |
👨👩👧👦 GDP per capita* | $3,910 / year |
👫 Gender ratio (nomads) |
👨 79% 👱♀️ 21% |
⛪️ Religious government | Non-religious |
🏠 Apartment listings | Airbnb |
✈️ Best int'l air carrier | Sri Lankan Airlines |
💵 Cost of living for nomad | $1,195 / month |
💵 Cost of living for expat | $916 / month |
💵 Cost of living for family | $1,734 / month |
💵 Cost of living for local | $495 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $755 / month |
🏡 Airbnb (median price) | $1,523 / month |
🏠 1br studio rent in center | $413 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $35 / night |
🏠 Airbnb (median price) | $50 / night |
🏢 Coworking hot desk | $72 / month |
🍛 Dinner | $2 |
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $1 |
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L) | $3 |
☕️ Coffee in cafe | $0 |
✅ Affordable to live
✅ Pretty safe
✅ Fast internet
✅ Lots of fun stuff to do
✅ Warm now
✅ Warm all year round
✅ Good air quality usually
✅ Spacious and not crowded
✅ High quality of education
✅ Roads are pretty safe
✅ Democratic
✅ Not many people smoke tobacco
❌ Freedom of speech is weak
❌ Too hot in the summer
❌ Very sweaty and humid now
❌ Difficult to do business
❌ Hospitals are bad
❌ People don't speak English well
❌ Not safe for women
❌ Not family friendly
❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
Feels |
93
34° hot |
97
36° hot |
95
35° hot |
106
41° scorching |
108
42° scorching |
109
43° scorching |
108
42° scorching |
104
40° hot |
104
40° hot |
100
38° hot |
97
36° hot |
97
36° hot |
Real |
82
28°
very warm |
84
29°
very warm |
84
29°
very warm |
88
31°
hot |
88
31°
hot |
90
32°
hot |
90
32°
hot |
88
31°
hot |
88
31°
hot |
86
30°
very warm |
84
29°
very warm |
84
29°
very warm |
Humidity |
sweaty 93% |
sweaty 87% |
sweaty 85% |
sweaty 83% |
sweaty 84% |
sweaty 76% |
sweaty 74% |
sweaty 78% |
sweaty 79% |
sweaty 84% |
sweaty 89% |
sweaty 86% |
Most common | ||||||||||||
Rain |
rainy 287mm |
rainy 81mm |
rainy 109mm |
rainy 94mm |
rainy 119mm |
dry 45mm |
rainy 65mm |
rainy 79mm |
rainy 96mm |
rainy 150mm |
rainy 274mm |
rainy 155mm |
Cloud |
cloudy 86% |
cloudy 61% |
cloudy 72% |
cloudy 67% |
cloudy 86% |
cloudy 82% |
overcast 93% |
overcast 93% |
cloudy 89% |
cloudy 87% |
overcast 90% |
cloudy 63% |
Sun |
avoid sun 7 UVI |
avoid sun 9 UVI |
avoid sun 9 UVI |
avoid sun 9 UVI |
avoid sun 7 UVI |
avoid sun 7 UVI |
avoid sun 6 UVI |
avoid sun 6 UVI |
avoid sun 7 UVI |
avoid sun 7 UVI |
avoid sun 6 UVI |
avoid sun 8 UVI |
Remote workers | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 200 people | 200 people | 300 people | 400 people | 200 people | 300 people | 200 people | 0 people | 200 people |
|
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Based on Arugam Bay's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:
Really quite hectic and not a very nice city. I wouldn't spend more than a day or two here, not much to see, and there aren't many places to work/eat/see. You're better off heading down to the beaches for some sunshine and beach as well as much faster WIFI.
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⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun great 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌧 Feels 24° 75° 29° 83° AQI 33 ✈️16min $1,343 / mo 53 Mbps ×Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with great surf. But it is very expensive and the wifi is atrocious. It is not a digital nomad's destination. Was very surprised by the cost of food Western and Sri Lankan. There are MUCH cheaper & better options in Japan or Korea! Of course, they have just suffered from a financial melt down and so anything imported is very expensive. I am an Aussie and its is a very expensive place to live. The prices charged in Sri Lanka to eat out are equal (or more!) than t
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Stayed a whole month in Fort Kochi area, eventually going to Ernakulam (downtown area). It is unarguably very different than rest of India, much more cleaner and with friendlier people. Beaches aren`t nice for bathing but are a great choice to catch sunsets everyday. Cost of living is dirty cheap and public transport is good. They even have a subway crossing the city with reminds me the BTS in Bangkok. Actually, Kochi to me is like a small and boring version of Bangkok, which is good if you need
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Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with great surf. But it is very expensive and the wifi is atrocious. It is not a digital nomad's destination. Was very surprised by the cost of food Western and Sri Lankan. There are MUCH cheaper & better options in Japan or Korea! Of course, they have just suffered from a financial melt down and so anything imported is very expensive. I am an Aussie and its is a very expensive place to live. The prices charged in Sri Lanka to eat out are equal (or more!) than t
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⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌧 Feels 30° 86° 26° 79° 🥵 AQI 82 😷 ✈️12min $763 / mo 12 Mbps ×Lived in Prague for 8 years. It's a beautiful international European city. Never learned Czech, but was fine. Almost all cafes and restaurants have English menus. Superb food delivery apps (Wolt is the best). All the food you can imagine. Vietnamese food is world-class because of the huge Vietnamese population. If you want hipster bars and cafes, there's plenty of that. If you want old-world-charm there's plenty of that. If you want posh luxury there's some of Europes best restaurants and cockta
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun great 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌥 Feels -11° 12° -6° 20° AQI 53 😷 ✈️10h $3,191 / mo 77 Mbps ×Mauritius is indeed a great place to live in as a Digital Nomad ! They have recently released the Premium Visa for digital nomads that allows to live on the island for at least 1 year (renewable). Best places to live in are the North (very well developed with all facilities and business centres) and the West of the island (more for those who prefer to surf the waves and hike the mountains in between 2 video calls !). The Mauritians are very welcoming and smiling people. I am not the first one
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌧 Feels 28° 82° 26° 80° AQI 14 ✈️5h $1,982 / mo 35 Mbps ×Very nice city, but as everyone says, a bit boring after awhile. It's comfortable and feels like the suburbs, with conveniences that you don't always find in SE Asian countries. Luxury shopping malls, excellent hospitals, and infrastructure, are all things that are not as common in other SE Asian countries, (although Bangkok, TH, has good malls and hospitals). KLCC is safe, from a solo female traveler, if you're careful. I stayed in the KLCC area and was advised by other KL nomads, to stay ins
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun bad 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌧 Feels 31° 88° 27° 81° 🥵 AQI 48 ✈️3h $1,279 / mo 79 Mbps ×Super expensive city, with some nice tourist attractions. Wouldn't recommend staying here for a longer time as price levels are almost Parisienne. Also, you can easily see all the good spots within 3 days or so. Pros: - nice tourist attractions (quite a couple of them) - many food options - people are open & friendly Cons: - hella expensive - limited vegan food options - you should at least understand some Dutch or French to survive here
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun mediocre 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌥 Feels -2° 28° 2° 35° AQI 76 😷 ✈️11h $3,867 / mo 36 Mbps ×People aren't friendly at all, way too expensive and, overall, not a great place to live. Visiting is fine, but don't expect great things.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌥 Feels -6° 21° -3° 27° AQI 56 😷 ✈️11h $3,446 / mo 30 Mbps ×Really quite hectic and not a very nice city. I wouldn't spend more than a day or two here, not much to see, and there aren't many places to work/eat/see. You're better off heading down to the beaches for some sunshine and beach as well as much faster WIFI.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😝 Cheap 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌧 Feels 30° 86° 26° 79° 🥵 AQI 82 😷 ✈️12min $763 / mo 🌇 Also went here6 people ×Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with great surf. But it is very expensive and the wifi is atrocious. It is not a digital nomad's destination. Was very surprised by the cost of food Western and Sri Lankan. There are MUCH cheaper & better options in Japan or Korea! Of course, they have just suffered from a financial melt down and so anything imported is very expensive. I am an Aussie and its is a very expensive place to live. The prices charged in Sri Lanka to eat out are equal (or more!) than t
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌧 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82° 🥵 AQI 33 ✈️17min $1,165 / mo 🌇 Also went here6 people ×I've been in Phuket for about a month now. Most of that time I've spent in Ka Ron and Kata beach area, but also have been to Chalong, Pa Tong, Rawai, and Kathu. Karon and Kata beaches are my favorite. Beaches are beautiful, especially Karon. Overall most everything is reasonably priced, but not the bargain I was told it is. I eventually found a hotel I like, where I pay 12-13 euro per night (below 500 baht atm) and that is by far the lowest I found for the quality I expect. Considering the loc
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌧 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82° AQI 28 ✈️2h $1,872 / mo 🌇 Also went here6 people ×Really enjoyed my time here. Stunningly beautiful island. Like the previous reviewer, I would also take my scooter and just bounce around the island, just to enjoy the landscape. Getting around by scooter is an absolute necessity on Ko Pha Ngan - it’s just not viable to walk or take taxis everywhere. I would really recommend having some practice on a scooter before arriving here. Some of the mountain grades are quite steep and you need to know proper braking to not have an accident IMO. Also,
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun great 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌧 Feels 31° 88° 27° 81° 🥵 AQI 28 ✈️3h $2,017 / mo 🌇 Also went here5 people ×Great for tourism, bad for living. The City has a fascinating contrast of old and new. You will never get bored, it’s easy to meet people and have fun. Infrastructure and food are great. Thai people are friendly and welcoming, even when it not always feels genuine. With that said, it’s not a good city for long term living. It’s too hot and humid. Felt air temperature is between 37°C-45°C almost year round during the day. It’s makes all outdoor activity unpleasant. Getting your daily d
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌥 Feels 26° 79° 30° 86° 🥵 AQI 73 😷 ✈️3h $1,422 / mo 🌇 Also went here7 people ×Very nice city, but as everyone says, a bit boring after awhile. It's comfortable and feels like the suburbs, with conveniences that you don't always find in SE Asian countries. Luxury shopping malls, excellent hospitals, and infrastructure, are all things that are not as common in other SE Asian countries, (although Bangkok, TH, has good malls and hospitals). KLCC is safe, from a solo female traveler, if you're careful. I stayed in the KLCC area and was advised by other KL nomads, to stay ins
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun bad 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌧 Feels 31° 88° 27° 81° 🥵 AQI 48 ✈️3h $1,279 / mo 🌇 Also went here8 people ×So… amazing food. Great public transportation. Very clean. But very conformist. Self expression limited. The irony of seeing an exhibit on graffiti, yet no actual graffiti in the streets. And the causal racism especially if you’re brown. You could be British born but still expect to be sat far away from everyone else at cocktail bars, experience comments and have weird assumptions made.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety great Tap to open 🌧 Feels 31° 88° 28° 82° AQI 38 ✈️3h $4,049 / mo 🌇 Also went here6 people ×Stayed here for a month. It reminds me of a less-developed Bangkok. Although there are a lot of high-rise buildings being built at the moment. Very cheap place compared to lots of places in Asia however it's one of the most expensive places in Vietnam. I wouldn't stay here long term, good for a month but was ready to move on. Pros: - Cheap city - Has lots of bars and restaurants - Has some good day trips and activities - Safe - Very cheap Ubers Cons: - Can be extremely hot during the day which
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun good 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌧 Feels 34° 93° 29° 85° AQI 4 ✈️4h $1,060 / mo 🌇 Also went here6 people ×Lived here for over a year, but I only recommend short visits. Contrary to what you hear, there is plenty of crime in parts of Dubai. Talking about that crime is considered taboo and, in many cases, is illegal. Sexual assault and gang violence against expats took place just outside my building, to people who lived in my building. I went to the police station a few times, but the issue was never handled and no arrests were ever made. I have videos of (unspecified) crimes taking place here, but
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun mediocre 👮 Safety good Tap to open ☀️ Feels 27° 81° 26° 79° AQI 69 😷 ✈️5h $4,096 / mo 🌇 Also went here5 people ×We used to live in Canggu back in 2017, it felt back then like the perfect balance between western development and local culture. You used to have enough cafés and restaurants and stays were mainly affordable villas. Coming back in 2023 I have to say this place is unrecognizable. Only now I realize how much damage influencers did to Canggu, telling everyone to come here and invest and overdevelop with little to no regard to the local culture. Also the pandemic played its part, you used to nee
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun great 👮 Safety good Tap to open ☀️ Feels 30° 86° 27° 81° AQI 62 😷 ✈️5h $1,978 / mo 🌇 Also went here9 people ×Can’t recommend Ubud. It’s just the same overdeveloped and overpriced mentally isolated tourist trap that is Canggu, just a bit worse. If you have never been anywhere else, it might be okay for 2 weeks, but to any seasoned traveller it’s a the type of place you dread.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun great 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌧 Feels 32° 90° 28° 82° AQI 62 😷 ✈️5h $1,992 / mo 🌇 Also went here7 people ×I absolutely love Istanbul! My biggest recommendation would be to stay in Cihangir or Nişantaşı and avoid the main centre. Cihangir has so many beautiful cafes to work from and there are a lot of people working remotely so it's a really nice vibe. I agree with the comments about taxis, we just caught ubers but mostly walked everywhere which I would recommend. If you stay in Cihangir you can easily walk to Taxim square and through Galata. The food scene here is great once you know where to go
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun mediocre 👮 Safety mediocre Tap to open 🌥 Feels 17° 63° 17° 62° AQI 26 ✈️9h $1,634 / mo 🌇 Also went here7 people ×Once you figure out housing (not an easy thing but doable, especially once you stop looking in the touristic areas), Lisbon is a very charming, safe (even though I'll admit this is getting worse in certain areas), and fun city to live in. In most neighbourhoods you have the feeling of living in a small town instead of an urban area. There's aways something to do or see so it's hard to be bored living here. I still find Lisbon (and Portugal in general), to be one of the most attractive places in
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey 📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast 😀 Fun great 👮 Safety good Tap to open 🌥 Feels 18° 64° 17° 62° AQI 3 ✈️13h $3,301 / mo 🌇 Also went here6 people ×