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Digital Nomad Index

This year has seen everyone’s working lives being turned upside down, with the vast majority now working from home for the foreseeable future. But who said working from home had to mean from your country of origin? The rise in the need to work from home has led to a number of countries introducing working holiday visas to encourage people to come to their country to experience the world while still being able to connect with their workplace.

With the ever-evolving advances in technology, working from home no longer necessarily means working from your back bedroom in your home that’s in the middle of a city. You could work from the comfort of a deckchair on a beach if it so takes your fancy. Which country is best suited to be your new digital working home? We’ve looked at a range of factors from the cost of internet speed and the Global Happiness Index to the monthly rent of a one-bedroom apartment and the number of searches for remote jobs among other factors to create the Digital Nomad Index.

The Top 3 Countries to be a Digital Nomad

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01 CANADA

Home to one of the largest tech hubs in the world, it’s almost no surprise Canada ranks at the top of our list for the best country to be a digital nomad. With world-renowned companies such as Google and Mastercard looking to open new offices and create amazing employment opportunities over the next 5 years, it would be incredibly easy to stay connected and make a living in one of the friendliest countries in the world.

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02 UNITED KINGDOM

Despite being known as one of the rainiest countries in the world, the UK could actually be one of the best places for you to relocate to if you want to change your lifestyle to that of a Digital Nomad. With the second-highest number of global searches for ‘remote jobs in UK’, people everywhere are looking at their next adventure amongst the British Isles.

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03 ROMANIA

Taking the third spot on our index is Romania which is one of the fastest-growing information technology markets in Central and Eastern Europe. This innovative country also has some of the cheapest average monthly costs of fixed-line broadband packages on our list at $8.15! If you’re looking for cheap, reliable internet access, Romania could be the perfect place for you.

The Digital Nomad Index Ranked

Check out the full Digital Nomad Index below to help you decide on your next digital working adventure.

  • £ Pounds
  • $ Dollars
  • € Euros
country
Country
Broadband Speed
Broadband Speed
Mobile Speed
Mobile Speed
Broadband Cost
Broadband Cost
Monthly Rent
Monthly Rent
Broadband Cost
Broadband Cost
Monthly Rent
Monthly Rent
Broadband Cost
Broadband Cost
Monthly Rent
Monthly Rent
Working Holidays Visa
Working Holidays Visa
Happiness Index
Happiness Index
Migrant Population
Migrant Population %
Remote Jobs Searches
Remote Jobs Searches
Digital Nomad Score
Digital Nomad Score
1 Canada 149.35 84.54 $34.86 $1021 €32.42 €950 £28.24 £827 Yes 7.23 21.3 83900 74.35
2 UK 76.49 41.72 $35.71 $997 €33.21 €927 £28.93 £808 Yes 7.17 14.1 68400 63.43
3 Romania 188.55 41.48 $8.15 $349 €7.58 €325 £6.6 £283 Yes 6.12 2.4 10980 62.28
4 Sweden 158.73 56.64 $39.6 $952 €36.83 €885 £32.08 £771 Yes 7.35 20 3490 61.54
5 Denmark 179.81 66.68 $48.23 $1139 €44.85 €1059 £39.07 £923 Yes 7.65 12.5 1080 61.49
6 France 177.93 50.45 $27.81 $815 €25.86 €758 £22.53 £660 Yes 6.66 12.8 5360 60.8
7 Netherlands 125.82 88.13 $42.43 $1304 €39.46 €1213 £34.37 £1056 Yes 7.45 13.4 3440 60.27
8 Australia 58.52 88.35 $48.35 $1231 €44.97 €1148 £39.16 £997 Yes 7.22 30 17600 60.16
9 Switzerland 186.4 73.85 $72.1 $1661 €67.05 €1545 £58.4 £1345 Yes 7.56 29.9 3840 60.15
10 Germany 120.13 49.67 $28.74 $886 €26.73 €824 £23.28 £718 Yes 7.08 15.7 12720 60
11 Norway 146.53 87.37 $70.97 $1171 €66 €1089 £57.49 £949 Yes 7.49 16.1 980 59.77
12 Hungary 169.52 43.6 $16.91 $414 €15.73 €385 £13.7 £335 Yes 6 5.3 900 59.12
13 Luxembourg 144 62.26 $48.16 $1770 €44.79 €1646 £39.01 £1434 Yes 7.24 47.4 460 59.06
14 New Zealand 139.82 61.27 $54 $1134 €50.22 €1055 £43.74 £919 Yes 7.3 22.3 1650 58.79
15 Singapore 229.42 64.06 $43.8 $2174 €40.73 €2022 £35.48 £1761 Yes 6.38 37.1 7890 58.76
16 Spain 160.41 41.98 $39.38 $795 €36.62 €739 £31.9 £644 Yes 6.4 13.1 13650 58.61
17 Lithuania 120.89 53.39 $11.14 $500 €10.36 €465 £9.02 £405 Yes 6.22 4.2 1000 58.17
18 Thailand 183.58 34.4 $23.82 $478 €22.15 €445 £19.29 £387 Yes 6 5.2 1680 58.13
19 Finland 108.84 53.89 $43.85 $898 €40.78 €835 £35.52 £727 Yes 7.81 6.9 810 58.08
20 Austria 74.21 55.19 $35.99 $867 €33.47 €806 £29.15 £702 Yes 7.29 19.9 500 57.31
21 Israel 113.48 23.98 $13.9 $1050 €18.51 €977 £16.12 £854 Yes 7.13 23 1490 56.63
22 Belgium 97.32 58.12 $44.39 $860 €41.28 €800 £35.96 £697 Yes 6.86 17.2 1450 56.57
23 Latvia 115.22 33.16 $16.55 $422 €15.39 €392 £13.41 £342 Yes 5.95 12.4 530 56.08
24 Malta 115.45 42.19 $40.33 $1016 €37.51 €945 £32.67 £823 Yes 6.77 19.3 2460 55.57
25 Czech Republic 68.72 46.57 $22.38 $614 €20.81 €571 £18.13 £497 Yes 6.91 4.8 620 55.55
26 Poland 111.81 37.76 $15.78 $568 €14.68 €528 £12.78 £460 Yes 6.19 1.7 1760 55.17
27 Slovenia 86.41 45.77 $31.16 $568 €28.98 €528 £25.24 £460 Yes 6.36 12.2 390 55.13
28 Chile 140.23 19.21 $33.99 $423 €31.61 €393 £27.53 £343 Yes 6.23 5 290 54.46
29 Estonia 74.73 48.82 $38.93 $538 €26.9 €500 £23.43 £436 Yes 6.02 14.4 690 54.45
30 Slovakia 90.65 39.78 $18.54 $572 €17.25 €532 £15.02 £436 Yes 6.28 3.4 470 54.39
31 UAE 117.84 129.61 $115.97 $1302 €107.85 €1211 £99.94 £1055 No 6.79 87.9 1050 53.88
32 Italy 75.42 40.65 $33.28 $723 €30.95 €672 £26.96 £586 Yes 6.39 10.4 5380 53.6
33 Japan 139.24 38.88 $40.33 $811 €37.51 €754 £32.67 £657 Yes 5.87 2 10200 53.58
34 Portugal 131.5 43.27 $49.42 $709 €45.96 €659 £40.03 £574 Yes 5.91 8.7 3750 53.54
35 Brazil 70.21 28.48 $28.24 $238 €26.26 €221 £22.87 £193 Yes 6.38 0.4 2780 53.49
36 Hong Kong 215.19 56.33 $47.35 $2254 €44.04 €2096 £38.35 £1826 Yes 5.51 39.6 1080 53.33
37 Ireland 93.34 30.51 $57.32 $1389 €53.31 €1292 £46.43 £1125 Yes 7.09 17.1 20770 53.15
38 Croatia 47.61 66.31 $33.69 $492 €31.33 €458 £27.29 £399 Yes 5.51 12.5 1180 52.86
39 Russia 78.07 22.82 $7.35 $309 €6.84 €287 £5.95 £250 Yes 5.55 8 160 52.72
40 Argentina 46.39 27.93 $13.69 $229 €12.73 €213 £11.09 £185 Yes 5.98 4.9 740 52.53
41 Costa Rica 42.44 26.42 $43.22 $487 €40.19 €453 £35.01 £394 Yes 7.12 8.3 1360 52.48
42 Cyprus 47.88 58.66 $49.39 $675 €45.93 €628 £40.01 £547 Yes 6.16 16 1020 52.34
43 Mexico 42.49 31.88 $33.15 $362 €30.83 €337 £26.85 £293 Yes 6.47 0.8 5670 52.08
44 Malaysia 90.81 24.63 $31.75 $358 €29.53 €333 £25.72 £290 Yes 5.38 10.7 3380 51.58
45 Uruguay 54.87 33.42 $40.1 $430 €37.29 €400 £32.48 £348 Yes 6.44 2.4 120 51.31
46 Turkey 28.74 36.79 $13.61 $203 €12.66 €189 £11.02 £164 Yes 5.13 7 3230 50.66
47 Vietnam 59.8 32.41 $11.23 $420 €10.44 €391 £9.1 £340 Yes 5.35 0.1 2640 50.55
48 Colombia 40.13 19.09 $25.05 $310 €23.3 €288 £20.29 £251 Yes 6.16 2.3 1440 50.36
49 Kuwait 110.33 58.95 $48.89 $890 €45.47 €828 £39.6 £721 No 6.1 72.1 50 50.03
50 Greece 31.89 41.16 $40.56 $402 €37.72 €374 £32.85 £326 Yes 5.52 11.6 4340 49.92
51 Ukraine 61.78 25.15 $6.64 $304 €6.18 €283 £5.38 £246 Yes 4.56 11.3 770 49.68
52 USA 165.88 53.44 $50 $1350 €46.5 €1256 £40.5 £1094 No 6.94 15.4 31400 49.27
53 China 140.74 124.39 $31.41 $513 €29.21 €477 £25.44 £416 No 5.12 0.1 580 49.1
54 Peru 42.27 22.51 $26.17 $416 €24.34 €387 £21.2 £337 Yes 5.8 2.4 410 48.89
55 Philippines 27.07 17.83 $39.29 $352 €36.54 €327 £31.82 £285 Yes 6.01 0.2 6410 48.12
56 Georgia 26.8 32.89 $13.86 $311 €12.89 €289 £11.23 £252 Yes 4.67 2 6290 47.95
57 Saudi Arabia 75.42 84.64 $82.85 $380 €77.05 €353 £67.11 £308 No 6.41 38.3 430 47.37
58 South Africa 37.24 38.73 $44.74 $472 €41.64 €524392 £36.26 £382 Yes 4.81 7.2 10120 47.29
59 Ecuador 27.44 21.97 $43.87 $390 €40.8 €363 £35.53 £316 Yes 5.93 2.2 220 47.15
60 Indonesia 23.04 16.16 $30.02 $295 €27.92 €274 £24.32 £239 Yes 5.29 0.1 6260 46.57
61 Serbia 68.9 48.44 $17.02 $309 €15.83 €287 £13.79 £250 No 5.78 9.4 3020 43.97
62 Bulgaria 67.44 77.3 $15.93 $314 €14.81 €292 £12.9 £254 No 5.1 2.4 2000 43.62
63 Trinidad and Tobago 68.53 41.81 $56.73 $519 €52.76 €483 £45.95 £420 No 6.19 4.2 120 39.21
64 Albania 41.52 56.44 $20.55 $304 €19.11 €283 £16.65 £246 No 4.88 1.7 70 38.97
65 Panama 99.9 17.22 $47.45 $736 €44.16 €684 £38.43 £596 No 6.31 4.4 680 38.46
66 Pakistan 10.93 18.8 $17.55 $133 €16.32 €124 £14.22 £108 No 5.69 1.5 3550 37.9
67 Dominican Republic 26.83 28.04 $26.52 $354 €24.66 €329 £21.48 £287 No 5.69 5.3 960 37.81
68 Jamaica 36.05 37.62 $47.57 $426 €44.24 €396 £38.53 £345 No 5.89 0.8 310 37.07
69 Guatemala 16.1 27.65 $38.13 $535 €35.46 €498 £30.89 £433 No 6.4 0.5 440 36.84
70 El Salvador 17.17 19.91 $41.96 $363 €39.02 €338 £33.99 £294 No 6.35 0.7 240 36.6
71 Mauritius 21.62 30.38 $50.3 $363 €46.78 €338 £40.74 £294 No 6.1 2.3 230 36.6
72 Morocco 21.51 37.03 $33.81 $337 €31.44 €313 £27.39 £273 No 5.1 0.3 1290 35.49
73 Nicaragua 18.38 19.36 $56.5 $248 €52.55 €231 £45.77 £201 No 6.14 0.6 160 35.36
74 Bahrain 49.77 50.5 $145.89 $930 €135.68 €865 £118.17 £753 No 6.23 45.2 180 35.09
75 Lebanon 10.98 41.03 $40.14 $834 €37.33 €776 £32.51 £676 No 4.77 27.2 880 34.6
76 Honduras 18.26 22.4 $60 $315 €55.8 €293 £48.6 £255 No 5.95 0.4 590 34.48
77 Tunisia 9.37 28.46 $14.28 $184 €13.28 €171 £11.57 £149 No 4.39 0.5 130 34.15
78 Egypt 34.72 19.99 $13.82 $200 €12.85 €189 £11.19 £162 No 4.15 0.5 300 33.84
79 Algeria 4.97 12.68 $25.93 $182 €24.11 €169 £21 £147 No 5.01 0.6 90 33.38
80 Cambodia 25.82 18.42 $32.63 $392 €30.34 €365 £26.43 £318 No 4.85 0.5 40 32.82
81 Sri Lanka 27.57 17.04 $27.4 $299 €25.48 €278 £22.19 £242 No 4.33 0.2 230 32.08
82 Kenya 17.66 22.47 $56.11 $282 €52.18 €262 £45.45 £228 No 4.58 2 3060 31.27
83 Ghana 47.46 15.04 $69.54 $636 €64.67 €591 £56.33 £515 No 5.15 1.5 80 30.36
84 Myanmar 19.13 22.83 $36.82 $715 €34.24 €665 £29.82 £579 No 4.31 0.1 150 29.16
85 Nigeria 13.23 16.93 $78.21 $720 €72.74 €670 £63.35 £583 No 4.72 0.6 530 26.32

The best countries for cheap and reliable internet connections

When you’re working from home, the most important thing you need is a fast and reliable internet connection. Our research has found that some of the world's best average speeds for fixed broadband and mobile internet speeds don’t need to cost a fortune either!

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01 SINGAPORE

In terms of fixed broadband speed, Singapore had the fastest internet speed of 229.42 Mbps download speed, with Hong Kong not too far behind with 215.19 Mbps. Each country charges over $40 each for the average fixed broadband package, whereas Romania takes a respectable third position for the fastest internet speeds and the average monthly cost of said internet at 188.55 Mbps and $8.15 respectively.

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02 UAE

On the other hand, if you’re constantly on the go and use your mobile for most of your remote working, you may want to consider the UAE, China or Australia for their average mobile internet speeds which range from 129.62 Mbps to 898.35 Mbps respectively.

What is the most searched for country for "remote jobs"?

When you’re working from home, the most important thing you need is a fast and reliable internet connection. Our research has found that some of the world's best average speeds for fixed broadband and mobile internet speeds don’t need to cost a fortune either!

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01 CANADA

Canada takes the top spot on our list for the country with the most searched for ‘remote jobs in Canada’ with a whopping 83,900 annual searches. Known for being one of the friendly countries in the world, Canada is among the top 10 happiest countries of the world and 21.3% of its population is made up of migrants meaning there will be a welcoming community to help you settle into your new place to work from home.

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02 UNITED KINGDOM

If your job would be better suited based in Europe, the UK is the second most searched for destination of choice. In the top 20 for the happiest countries in the world and the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment, the UK is a great place to relocate to if you’re looking to work remotely full time.

Methodology

Factors to determine the best country to be a digital nomad were taken from a variety of sources. The average speed for fixed broadband internet speed and mobile internet speed was taken from SpeedTest.net while the average price of internet was sourced from Cable.co.uk. We also took into consideration countries that allow working holiday visas, their acceptance of migrants, average rental cost for a one-bedroom apartment and their World Happiness Index score. Finally, Google’s Keyword Planner was used to discover the average annual searches for the phrase ‘remote jobs in X’ where X refers to each countries name. We ranked each country on the following factors, giving each a normalized score out of 100 before taking an average score across all factors.

At CircleLoop we’re here to help you stay connected, whether you’re a digital nomad or a startup. Our cloud-based phone system offers seamless integrations with a number of other apps and platforms too and provides virtual numbers when you’re looking to call from a particular location while you’re on the go.