⭐️ Total score | 3.26/5 (Rank #60) |
❤️ Liked by members | 👍90% liked it 👎10% disliked it |
👍 Quality of life score | Good |
👶 Family score | Okay |
🎒 Community score | Good |
💵 Cost | 🙂 Okay: $2,934 / mo |
📡 Internet | 🏎 Fast: 20Mbps (avg) |
😝 Fun | Good |
⛅️ Temperature (now) | 🥶 Too cold: 0°C33°F (feels 0°C0°F) |
💦 Humidity (now) | 😊 Comfy: 35% |
💨 Air quality (now) | 🌱 Good: 74 US AQI |
💨 Air quality (annual) | 🌱 Good: 75 US AQI |
👌 Safety | Great |
👮♀️ Lack of crime* | Great |
🤝 Lack of racism* | Bad |
🎓 Education level* | High |
⚡️ Power grid | Great |
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change | Good |
💰 Income level* | High: $2,315 / mo |
🙊 English speaking* | Bad |
😤 People density | 😤 Dense: 17k ppl/km² (8x8m) |
🚶 Walkability | Bad |
✌️ Peace (no pol. conflict) | Okay |
🚦 Traffic safety* | Okay |
🏥 Hospitals | Great |
😄 Happiness* | Okay |
🍸 Nightlife | Great |
📶 Free WiFi in city | Great |
🖥 Places to work from | Great |
❄️ A/C or heating | Great |
😁 Friendly to foreigners | Good |
🗯 Freedom of speech* | Good |
👩 Female friendly | Great |
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly | Okay |
🎅 Startup Score | Okay |
🌍 Continent | Asia |
🚩 Country | South Korea |
⏱ Average trip length | 14 days |
📡 Internet speed (avg) | 20 Mbps |
⛅️ Weather (now) | 🌥 0°C 33°F + 😊 Comfy (35%) = feels 0°C 0°F |
💨 Air quality (now) | 👍 74 US AQI 🍃 OK |
💨 Air quality (annual avg) | 👎😷 75 US AQI = 🚬 / day |
🔌 Power | 230V60Hz |
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay | Sindang-dong |
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood | Sillim-dong |
🚕 Best taxi app* | |
🚑 Travel medical insurance | ![]() |
💸 10,000 KRW in USD | USD 8.01 |
🏧 Suggested ATM take out: | KRW 100,000 = USD 80 |
💸 Tipping | No |
💳 Cashless | 💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere |
💻 Best coworking space | Campus Seoul |
💻 Best alt. coworking space | Hive Arena |
☕️ Best coffee place | CowNDog |
☕️ Best alt. coffee place | Coffee Bean |
🏪 Best 24/7 coffee place | Tom N Toms @ Konkuk |
🚰 Tap water | 👌 Yes, safe to drink |
♻️ Return rate | 👍15% of visitors return |
📸 Visitors per year | 7,659,100 visitors |
📸 Tourists now | 146,786 tourists |
👨👩👧👦 Population | 9,800,000 people |
👨👩👧👦 GDP per capita* | $27,785 / year |
😤 Population density | 😤 crowded: 8x8m (64m²) per person |
👫 Gender ratio (population) | 👨 47% 👱♀️ 53% |
👫 Gender ratio (young adults) | 👨 56% 👱♀️ 44% |
👫 Gender ratio (nomads) | 👨 81% 👱♀️ 19% |
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed | Yes |
⛪️ Religious government | Non-religious |
💻 Online electronics shop | Gmarket |
🏠 Apartment listings | Craigslist Seoul |
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier | Jeju Air |
✈️ Best int'l air carrier | Korean Air |
🏥 Best hospital | Seoul National University Hospital |
💵 Cost of living for nomad | $2,934 / month |
💵 Cost of living for expat | $2,240 / month |
💵 Cost of living for family | $5,842 / month |
💵 Cost of living for local | $1,669 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $1,272 / month |
🏡 Airbnb (median price) | $1,481 / month |
🏠 1br studio rent in center | $1,429 / month |
🏨 Hotel (median price) | $60 / night |
🏠 Airbnb (median price) | $49 / night |
🏢 Coworking hot desk | $221 / month |
🍛 Dinner | $12 |
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L) | $3 |
🍺 Beer (0.5L) | $5 |
☕️ Coffee | $2 |
✅ Very safe
✅ Fast internet
✅ Lots of fun stuff to do
✅ Perfect humidity now
✅ Good air quality on average
✅ Nomad List members liked going here
✅ Many Nomad List members here all year round
✅ Very easy to do business
✅ High quality of education
✅ Great hospitals
✅ Roads are pretty safe
✅ Freedom of speech
✅ Democratic
✅ Very safe for women
✅ Family friendly
✅ LGBTQ+ friendly
❌ Expensive
❌ Cold now
❌ Gets very cold in the winter
❌ Feels crowded
❌ Very difficult to make friends
❌ People don't speak English well
❌ People smoking tobacco a lot
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
Feels | 28-2° freezing | 436° cold | 5211° cool | 6317° cool | 6619° mild | 7725° warm | 9937° hot | 8831° hot | 7725° warm | 6317° cool | 5211° cool | 373° cold |
Real | 28-2° freezing | 436° very cold | 5211° cool | 6116° cool | 6418° cool | 7725° warm | 8630° very warm | 8228° very warm | 7725° warm | 6317° cool | 5211° cool | 394° very cold |
Humidity | nice 50% | nice 53% | nice 60% | nice 49% | nice 67% | nice 75% | sweaty 78% | sweaty 77% | nice 70% | nice 66% | nice 62% | nice 55% |
Rain | dry 19mm | dry 10mm | rainy 102mm | rainy 87mm | rainy 185mm | rainy 67mm | rainy 111mm | rainy 166mm | rainy 134mm | dry 48mm | rainy 60mm | dry 13mm |
Cloud | pockets 35% | pockets 40% | cloudy 50% | cloudy 60% | cloudy 62% | cloudy 67% | cloudy 65% | cloudy 77% | cloudy 58% | cloudy 54% | pockets 44% | pockets 27% |
Air quality | okay 90 US AQI | bad 100 US AQI | bad 115 US AQI | okay 87 US AQI | okay 93 US AQI | okay 86 US AQI | okay 65 US AQI | okay 56 US AQI | clean 44 US AQI | okay 59 US AQI | okay 82 US AQI | okay 90 US AQI |
Sun | safe 2 UVI | seek shade 3 UVI | seek shade 4 UVI | seek shade 5 UVI | seek shade 5 UVI | avoid sun 6 UVI | avoid sun 7 UVI | seek shade 5 UVI | avoid sun 6 UVI | seek shade 4 UVI | safe 2 UVI | safe 2 UVI |
Remote workers | 1,100 people | 1,250 people | 1,323 people | 1,200 people | 1,422 people | 1,286 people | 789 people | 1,360 people | 1,769 people | 1,547 people | 1,554 people | 1,400 people |
If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomad List's Climate Finder
Based on Seoul's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:
From visiting I see: No freedom of speech Very uncomfortable people Strict regulations Slow internet And it’s just plain scary
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 1° 34° 1° 33°AQI 78😷✈️15min$1,821 / mo2Mbps×Very good, Glorious leader Kim Jong-Un helped me see the true beauty of TRUE KOREA.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels -1° 30° -1° 30°AQI 61✈️16min$2,039 / mo×Great place if you like Korean cuisine and fresh fish in general. Haedong Yonggungsa seaside temple is the absolute highlight. Locals are helpful, too bad 8/10 won't speak english. Young people included! Remember: Uber, Grab, Google Maps won't work in Korea, in favour of Kakao app which is pure garbage and all in Korean. And by the way pornography is illegal.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🙂 Okay📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety greatTap to open🌥 Feels 5° 41° 6° 44°AQI 80😷✈️26min$2,631 / mo24Mbps×Tokyo has so much to offer and so much to do. It is easily overwhelming. Whereas I usually take my first week to explore a place Tokyo’s sights just kept on going. I remember ending up in a hidden cocktail bar, a mexican rooftop party with 1 meter margaritas, spending a whole day going only to French places(?), visiting a store that only imported 2nd hand hiphop apparel, and throughout it all the best michelin star ramen. It just seemed endless, completely unrelated and incredibly fun. Six wee
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety greatTap to open🌤 Feels 5° 41° 6° 43°AQI 7✈️2h$4,669 / mo27Mbps×Great place if you like Korean cuisine and fresh fish in general. Haedong Yonggungsa seaside temple is the absolute highlight. Locals are helpful, too bad 8/10 won't speak english. Young people included! Remember: Uber, Grab, Google Maps won't work in Korea, in favour of Kakao app which is pure garbage and all in Korean. And by the way pornography is illegal.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🙂 Okay📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety greatTap to open🌥 Feels 5° 41° 6° 44°AQI 80😷✈️26min$2,631 / mo24Mbps×Hong Kong is a great city with dense urban areas but also nature and hiking routes only 15 minutes away. There are restaurants for every taste and budget, from the best US fast casual chains to high end Michelin star restaurants. It's also extremely safe, despite recent political instability.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌧 Feels 19° 66° 19° 66°AQI 70✈️3h$3,910 / mo87Mbps×Bangkok is a really nice city. I lived 2 weeks in Bangkok and it was a good trip ! People are very nice, smiling and the cost is affordable. Some beautifuls temple, gardens, market etc. Chinatown is a place to visit, and Bangkok is globally clean !
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 36° 97° 30° 87°🥵AQI 119😷✈️5h$2,153 / mo27Mbps×Jeju now has more coworking spaces across the island due to the remote worker trend going on in Korea. You would have to locate many via google maps though. 1 month stays are trending on the island as well for Korean remote workers. The free coworking space in Jeju city still exists. New hotels are popping up as well. Pandemic travel to the island has given it more life from mainland Koreans. It's good to see the new growth and tech efforts. Jeju still has a lot more potential for the future.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety greatTap to open🌥 Feels 3° 37° 5° 40°AQI 29✈️36min$2,320 / mo24Mbps×Definitely check out The Key (on near Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station) if living here for more than a month. Cafe + Gym + Bar all in one, monthly membership about $50 USD. English-friendly, no contracts. Made my 3 month stay here immensely better with fast wifi in the cafe and it's a great feeling to be able to work out immediately after working.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open🌦 Feels 18° 64° 18° 64°AQI 46✈️2h$3,044 / mo24Mbps×Pros: Friendly people, safe, stable government, efficient and fast public transportation, established foreigner (gaijin) population due many English teachers, many great food options, many festivals (cherry blossom fest), onsens! Cons: Expensive, work til you die at your desk mentality, drunken businessman culture, groping on packed public transit, lack of mental health services so be cautious around the destitute, over sexualization of underage females, high risk if caught with illegal substan
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open🌤 Feels 7° 45° 7° 44°AQI 42✈️1h$5,060 / mo24Mbps×I really liked Chiang Mai but I can't put my finger on why. I'll try to remain unbiased so here goes. Chiang Mai is a dirty place with horrible pollution levels. English speaking is okay. I did really enjoy a balance of simple, risk-free living at low cost and acceptable quality of living. Many places only accept cash but plenty accept card. There's lots to do and it's fun exploring on a moped/motorbike. It feels as easy as Canggu with more modern appointments to get by as a westerner a bit easi
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open☀️ Feels 32° 90° 30° 85°🥵AQI 157😷✈️5h$1,340 / mo27Mbps×Not gonna lie, I was pretty curious and kinda hyped before I came to Singapore. However, within 24 hours all of my curiosity turned into disappointment. Yes, Singapore is clean by any standards but especially by Asian standards. And yes, you have shopping malls, fancy skyscrapers and free toilets everywhere. But beside from that Singapore is boring and has no soul. It just seems like Singapore tries to copy interesting parts of other countries and their nature. Take Cloud Forest for example wh
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety greatTap to open🌧 Feels 36° 97° 29° 84°🥵AQI 46✈️6h$5,395 / mo102Mbps×How did SF get scored #98 on Nomad score? I agree with most of the reviews posted here. I generally work from home, but we recently rented a small conference room for a meeting. It was $250 per hour.. (yes Per Hour... no typos here).
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 13° 55° 13° 55°AQI 59✈️12h$6,903 / mo70Mbps×Hanoi feels more like a "large village" than a proper city. It's also what I call "unapologetically Vietnamese" given the way most places and shops are occupied and used by locals. English penetration isn't bad, but maybe because I speak Vietnamese I never had much of a problem in Hanoi. Prices for coffee, juice, smoothies, and food are insanely affordable. I wouldn't say the locals are "friendly to a fault" and mostly have left me alone. Yes, the old town city center is dirty, garbage on the
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌦 Feels 21° 70° 21° 69°AQI 124😷✈️4h$1,146 / mo5Mbps×How did you guys classified Penge as rich? It is one of the worst neighbourhood I have ever been in London, the ammount of people I know that have been robbed there is appalling.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52°AQI 53✈️12h$5,206 / mo16Mbps×Tokyo has so much to offer and so much to do. It is easily overwhelming. Whereas I usually take my first week to explore a place Tokyo’s sights just kept on going. I remember ending up in a hidden cocktail bar, a mexican rooftop party with 1 meter margaritas, spending a whole day going only to French places(?), visiting a store that only imported 2nd hand hiphop apparel, and throughout it all the best michelin star ramen. It just seemed endless, completely unrelated and incredibly fun. Six wee
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety greatTap to open🌤 Feels 5° 41° 6° 43°AQI 7✈️2h$4,669 / mo🌇 Also went here623 people×Definitely check out The Key (on near Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station) if living here for more than a month. Cafe + Gym + Bar all in one, monthly membership about $50 USD. English-friendly, no contracts. Made my 3 month stay here immensely better with fast wifi in the cafe and it's a great feeling to be able to work out immediately after working.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open🌦 Feels 18° 64° 18° 64°AQI 46✈️2h$3,044 / mo🌇 Also went here394 people×Hong Kong is a great city with dense urban areas but also nature and hiking routes only 15 minutes away. There are restaurants for every taste and budget, from the best US fast casual chains to high end Michelin star restaurants. It's also extremely safe, despite recent political instability.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌧 Feels 19° 66° 19° 66°AQI 70✈️3h$3,910 / mo🌇 Also went here407 people×I really liked Chiang Mai but I can't put my finger on why. I'll try to remain unbiased so here goes. Chiang Mai is a dirty place with horrible pollution levels. English speaking is okay. I did really enjoy a balance of simple, risk-free living at low cost and acceptable quality of living. Many places only accept cash but plenty accept card. There's lots to do and it's fun exploring on a moped/motorbike. It feels as easy as Canggu with more modern appointments to get by as a westerner a bit easi
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun mediocre👮 Safety goodTap to open☀️ Feels 32° 90° 30° 85°🥵AQI 157😷✈️5h$1,340 / mo🌇 Also went here403 people×Bangkok is a really nice city. I lived 2 weeks in Bangkok and it was a good trip ! People are very nice, smiling and the cost is affordable. Some beautifuls temple, gardens, market etc. Chinatown is a place to visit, and Bangkok is globally clean !
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 36° 97° 30° 87°🥵AQI 119😷✈️5h$2,153 / mo🌇 Also went here583 people×Just arrived in KL, we are 30/35yrs+, a married couple and digital nomads, and wow.. What a city! This is the New York City of Asia. These appartments are epic. Grand views, very affordable, luxurious! You would pay 10-fold for the same deal in NYC or Tokyo or Dubai. And the food is fantastic. Indian, Malay, Indo, Chinese, American, European. The world is here!
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😙 Affordable📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 34° 93° 27° 80°🥵AQI 10✈️6h$1,816 / mo🌇 Also went here412 people×Not gonna lie, I was pretty curious and kinda hyped before I came to Singapore. However, within 24 hours all of my curiosity turned into disappointment. Yes, Singapore is clean by any standards but especially by Asian standards. And yes, you have shopping malls, fancy skyscrapers and free toilets everywhere. But beside from that Singapore is boring and has no soul. It just seems like Singapore tries to copy interesting parts of other countries and their nature. Take Cloud Forest for example wh
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety greatTap to open🌧 Feels 36° 97° 29° 84°🥵AQI 46✈️6h$5,395 / mo🌇 Also went here486 people×I've been hanging out in Berlin on and off for 30 years. It is very safe for women. It is much friendlier than it used to be. There are loads of vegan restaurants now. The nightlife and specially jazz clubs are amazing! I have an excellent apartment to rent out in Wedding - which used to have a boring reputation but now is very cool.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌧 Feels 4° 39° 6° 43°AQI 26✈️11h$3,882 / mo🌇 Also went here440 people×A top city. Everything works, beautiful greenery (hehe), cycling everywhere, happy people, great nightlife... Lots to love about. For nomads? Not a chance. Price of housing is outrageous, and the city is expensive af. They charge you 4.5-5 eur for a capuccino, completely shameless. An hour of public transport is 3 euros. I could go on and on. I'd love to live there, but it's not worth it.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety goodTap to open🌤 Feels 7° 45° 9° 48°AQI 16✈️11h$6,509 / mo🌇 Also went here449 people×How did you guys classified Penge as rich? It is one of the worst neighbourhood I have ever been in London, the ammount of people I know that have been robbed there is appalling.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open🌥 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52°AQI 53✈️12h$5,206 / mo🌇 Also went here490 people×Lived there last September and October and am coming back later this year. Yes, it is expensive, but after a while I learned about affordable places to eat and realized I could choose neighborhoods farther from city center, and it would still be nice. City feels super safe, even at nigh! Internet is crazy fast (I got 500mb on my airbnb) there are tons to do and see and I did not encounter the super rude Parisians people talk so much about, mostly everyone spoke English and were very polite. Rent
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun good👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌥 Feels 11° 52° 11° 53°AQI 16✈️12h$5,402 / mo🌇 Also went here463 people×How did SF get scored #98 on Nomad score? I agree with most of the reviews posted here. I generally work from home, but we recently rented a small conference room for a meeting. It was $250 per hour.. (yes Per Hour... no typos here).
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun bad👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌧 Feels 13° 55° 13° 55°AQI 59✈️12h$6,903 / mo🌇 Also went here396 people×Nomading here is tough because there are no reasonable Airbnbs and finding a short-term apt is difficult. You have to ask yourself, is it worth coming to Barcelona? It's probably the dirtiest city in Spain, and a bit sketchy. There's more beautiful and cleaner cities like Seville where you can find a reasonably priced Airbnb.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open☀️ Feels 14° 57° 14° 56°AQI 59✈️13h$5,383 / mo🌇 Also went here424 people×I'm currently in Lisbon and I must say that this city has been very overhyped in terms of cost, food and overall fun. There are a lot of issues where foreigners like myself are driving up the rent and we are solely blamed for this. The larger issue here is the Portuguese government is not using these tourism dollars towards their people. I'm staying in Alfama and there is 'fuck tourists' spray painted in a few places but in order to come and stay here we are being asked to provide our informatio
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety goodTap to open☀️ Feels 15° 59° 15° 58°AQI 32✈️14h$3,421 / mo🌇 Also went here373 people×I've lived in New York City - Brooklyn - for over 20 years. For visiting tourists, the best neighborhood to stay in is NOT Bushwick. Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Ft. Green or Brooklyn Heights is preferable. Plenty of good transportation in those areas - subway, buses or Uber. Easy access to beaches in Long Island and New Jersey. There's plenty to do in NYC. Great restaurants, Broadway plays (!), and in the summer you frequently can catch a free concert.
⭐️ OverallAll 💵 Cost 😳 Way too expensive📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast😀 Fun great👮 Safety mediocreTap to open🌦 Feels 1° 34° 3° 38°AQI 53✈️15h$6,457 / mo🌇 Also went here484 people×