Seeking destination recommendations for a newbie digital nomad.

[mSamy]

So I was planning to apply for a digital nomad visa by the end of this year, but I'm a bit torn between options 😅 I am currently leaning towards Brazil, considering the relatively easy requirements and the affordable cost of living. I'm also excited to get to know a different culture, and learn a different language. Do you have other recommendations for me?

[Chloe · Accepted solution]

Hey there, feel free to check out this post "34 Countries that Offer Remote Work Visas" from the Deel blog! 🙂 I hope one of those 34 countries inspire you!

[mSamy]

Thanks, Chloe! I'll take a look at your article.

[vipingarg]

Thanks Chloe

[CassyL]

@mSamy I love this post, and I'm looking forward to seeing where you decide to go! Living the digital nomad life and getting to immerse yourself in a different culture is such a neat experience – I'm so excited for you! Which other countries are you considering other than Brazil?

A friend of mine who was a marketing consultant bounced around a few different countries, but said her time in Portugal and Croatia was the best. 

[mSamy]

Thanks @CassyL! I am excited for me too 😂 I'm just itching to do that now to be honest, but I'll have to wait for about 10 months, unfortunately. I've always wanted to do this since I was little, but now that circumstances allow me, I'll finally be able to 😁 I was thinking of Georgia initially, but I doubt my Mediterranean bottom will handle that much cold 🤣

The more I read about Brazil, the more appeal it had for me. Other options like Spain, Portugal and Italy are awesome, but I'd like to start slowly because I think they would be much more expensive. I'd like to start with a relatively affordable country before trying out other more expensive countries.

Currently, my best options are South American countries, or maybe South Asian countries!

[StefanaZ]

Can I also recommend this article? I polled our own team to get some recommendations 🙂 
https://www.deel.com/blog/best-cities-for-remote-workers

Personally, I enjoyed working from Thessaloniki (Greece) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain).

[mSamy]

The list looks awesome! I'll definitely consider the cities you've mentioned as well. Thanks for the recommendation 😊

[Gabriele]

Cost of living in Italy varies dramatically from big cities to small towns and from region to region. If you plan things well, it can be very affordable. 

And mobile internet is among the cheapest in the world, so you can easily rely on your mobile data connection, as long as you have decent connectivity (you might not want to be in the mountains in this case).

[mSamy]

Italy sounds great! The mobile internet price is also very appealing. It also looks like it has a relatively low requirements threshold for obtaining a digital nomad's VISA.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to do some research, but I'll definitely consider it! If you don't mind, could you share a bit more about your experience with Italy? especially the affordable cities and the average cost of living. I know some websites like Numeo offer statistics regarding that, but I guess real-life experience is the best when it comes to stuff like that.

[Gabriele]

Sure thing! I'm an Italian living abroad, and go back fairly regularly, so while mine is not a full "digital nomad" view of Italy, I hope I have some insights that will help you.

As I mentioned, Italy changes a lot from one place to another. The two main differences I think can be experienced between North and South, and between bigger cities and smaller towns. These differences are compunded by regional, cultural and geographical differences, so my suggestion, should you come to Italy, would actually be to move around and explore, because no place is the same as another. 

Generally speaking, bigger cities, or ones that heavily rely on tourism will be the most expensive, but also the ones with easily accessible co-working spaces, functional infrastructure, English speakers, and other typical amenities. These would be places like Roma, Milano, Firenze, Venezia, and so on. 

Then you have mid-sized cities, or ones that are not massive tourist destinations. These offer a great balance between city life comfort and accessible cost of living. Often times they are University cities, so it will be easier to find international communities, and services for non long-term residents. Good examples of cities like this could be Trieste, Genova, Perugia, Bari, and many others.

Then you have smaller cities and towns that still offer all the services you need.

Last, but not least, you could opt for a small town or village. These can be some of the most beautiful and authentic places, but English speakers might not be too common, and infrastructure might not be ideal.

Speaking of infrastructure, quality of roads and public transportation can vary a lot from location to location, so it will be a good idea to look for up to date info once you choose where to go. This will not be a major issue if you plan to stay in one place for your stay, as most places are generally accessible, but if you plan to move a lot, you might want to plan things well. Generally speaking, big cities are all pretty well connected, and there is a very good high-speed rail network connecting major cities from north to south. Where things can get dodgy is with regional and local connections. 

Internet connectivity is good and widespread. More so in bigger cities, and there are definitely areas that are still poorly connected, so keep that in mind. Same goes for mobile connection. Coverage is generally good, but Italy is a very mountainous country, so if you choose to stay in a cabin at the end of a deep valley, it will most likely not be great. 

Cost of living depends a lot on where you choose to go. Bigger cities will cost more, and the North will be more expensive than the South, in general. However, food is good and relatively cheap, and so is eating in restaurants, having a coffee, or an aperitivo, so your quality of life and entertainment will probably be good. As for rent prices, bigger cities and university hubs can be expensive and crowded (nothing like London or Amsterdam, though), so don't expect to land and find a place to rent right away in these locations.

Another consideration you might want to make is what your interests are and what cultural background you would like to be surrounded by. Overall you will find the most beautiful sea and warmer weather in the south, or on the islands of Sicilia and Sardegna, but if you're into climbing or breathtaking mountains, the Alps in the north should do the trick. Border areas are influenced by neighbouring cultures, so you might find French, Swiss, Austrian, and Slovenian influences depending on where you choose to go. 

You can find a lot of data, way more accurate than what I could give, here. This is the yearly survey on quality of life per city, compiled by the main financial newspaper in Italy. It looks at all kinds of metrics that you might be interested in.

I hope this is helpful, but I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have!

[mSamy]

Thanks for the detailed information! I really appreciate it 😁 You got me more interested in Italy to be honest. I actually studied some Italian back in high school, so learning Italian wouldn't be much of a problem. I remember Italian to be quite an easy language to learn as well. I'll have to do more research, but Italy is definitely on my mind right now! Thanks again!

[Gabriele]

I just realized the link I thought I posted with insighths and data on quality of live wasn't added to my reply. 

Here it is:

https://lab24.ilsole24ore.com/qualita-della-vita/

Enjoy!

[mSamy]

Thanks, Gabriele! I'll take a look at it.

[Max]

Hey Samy!

I am Max, I am a digital nomad for over 3 years and by coincidence I am from Brazil (currently in Mexico tho), being a Digital Nomad is amazing, having the privilege to travel while working and learning more about other cultures is something truly enriching for our lives.

Based on my experience, and your idea of looking for a cheap country, I would recommend you to go to Argentina or Colombia for you to start. Brazil is not that cheap at the end of all costs, moving inside the country is very expensive, for you to go from the south of Brazil to the north of Brazil, for example, can easily cost you more than go to Europe from São Paulo. Argentina is definitely the cheapest option in Latin America at the moment, and it is a beautiful country! You will be amazed by the landscapes of Bariloche and also super in love with the beauty of Buenos Aires. Chile is right at the side and is another wonderful country for you to visit, note that Chile is super expensive, so consider a round trip from Argentina and come back!

the flights from Santiago and Buenos Aires to São Paulo are cheap, so once you are in any of these countries you can easily make your way to Brazil. But for a longer time, I would recommend being based in Buenos Aires or Bariloche.

Colombia is very cheap too, but if you are more into mountains, Argentina is the place, consider Colombia first if you are more a beach person.

I hope this helps ☀️ Good luck with your plans and travel safe!

[CassyL]

Thank you @Max for sharing about your own travel experiences, and for all of these incredible tips! So cool that you've been a digital nomad for the last 3 years – we're looking forward to learning more best practices from you!  

[mSamy]

Thanks for the advice, max! I'll definitely look into Argentina and Colombia.

[Mel]

Considering you live in Brazil this may not be super exciting for you (because of similarities) but i recently spent some time in Buenos Aires and it was incredible. 
It's a great hub where there is both a nomad community but also locals are mixed into the community so you don't feel like a tourist for long. 

Cost of living in relatively affordable and so many fun things to do outside of work hours. 

[ahmedmousa]

@mSamy I'm glad to hear that you're planning to apply for a digital nomad visa! Brazil does sound like a solid choice, and I can see why you're considering it, especially if you're a coffee lover. However, I completely understand that you're torn between options. There are many great countries to choose from! The good news is that the cost of living is relatively low in several of these countries, and the visa requirements are generally easy. So why settle for just one?

[mSamy]

@ahmedmousaYou're right actually 😀 I was wondering which one to start with, but I shouldn't limit myself to just one country as you've mentioned. That's the cool part of being able to work anywhere 😁

[CassyL]

Hi @mSamy, 

Hope you're well, and excited to hear of your digital nomad plans if you have any updates!

If you haven't made your decision yet, I wanted to share that Deel now offers digital nomad visa services for Spain, Portugal and the UAE! If any of those countries are options you're interested in, you can schedule a call to chat with our immigration experts to learn more. In terms of the services, Deel would help with the application process, answering questions specific to your personal situation, and managing expectations and communications with you from start to finish.

• Explore digital nomad visas in Portugal 
• Explore digital nomad visas in Spain 
• Explore digital nomad visas in UAE

Cheers, 
-Cassy

[mSamy]

Hey @CassyL,

That's exciting NEWS! I won't be able to move till around next December for internal issues in my country with military obligation, so I haven't been able to make concrete plans yet. However, these countries sound great, so I'll be weighing my options probably in the next two months, and I'll definitely use that call if I decided on one of these wonderful countries. Hopefully the immigration experts will still be around 😀 Thanks for much for the update!

Best,

Mo