Where to work remotely: 10 Countries that are perfect for Digital Nomads
What if you could pack up your laptop and move anywhere? Working remotely abroad is easier than ever with plenty of countries competing for digital nomad dollars. I'm the author of Digital Nomads for Dummies. So, in this news, I'm going to share with you the top 10 best places for digital nomads.
10th on my list is Japan, which is one of my favorite countries in the world for so many reasons. You have some of the friendliest people on Earth, beautiful nature and landscapes, amazing food, and endless culture. And it's also a great place for digital nomads. Japan is super safe. It's one of those places that I personally feel comfortable walking around as a solo female traveler. And it's also a place that if you left your laptop in a cafe or a restaurant, it would probably be there when you get back. Or it might even be in the lost and found.
I once lost an umbrella on a Japanese metro and it was like the whole entire security team mobilized to help me find my umbrella. That's just the way things go there.
But Japan also has a lot to offer if you're going to be working online. First of all, they launched a new digital nomad visa a couple years ago, which actually doubles the amount of time that you could stay there with your passport. It used to be 90 days, but if you get this visa, you can stay for up to 180 days.
You could spend a lifetime in Japan and still find things to do. From hiking and skiing in the northern island of Hokkaido to exploring the streets of Tokyo, lounging on the beaches of Okinawa, or finding your inner zen at one of the country's more than 100,000 temples and shrines. I once spent 3 months in Japan during cherry blossom season.
Now, although Japan is an amazing place, no country is perfect, and every country has its pros and cons. Some of the downsides to living in Japan are first and foremost the location. If you're going to be working in North American time zones or in Europe, you could be working all night long.
I remember one of my friends at a co-l livingiving space in Tokyo. He worked California hours and he used to have to go upstairs to the co-working space at midnight, work the night shift. So, make sure to keep that in mind if you're going to be going there for 3 months or 6 months.
Also, the language barrier can be tough. I think you can get around with speaking English, but um it's not spoken very much there. So, Japan can be a hard culture to adapt to long term if you don't speak the language.
Also, the Wi-Fi there, although Tokyo has this very like futuristic techsavvy vibe, the Wi-Fi is not the fastest. So, internet speeds in Japan are ranked about 64th out of 103 countries in the world according to speedtest.net. So, it can also be tough to find if you're going out to cafes, Starbucks, places like that to find fast and free Wi-Fi. You often need to pay for it or you have to have an account and sign up to be able to use it.
Now, Japan is also not the cheapest place in the world and also not the cheapest place on this list in this news today. I have a lot of places that are a lot easier on your pocketbook coming up, but currently the the price for nomads living in Japan is around $32 to $3,500 per month according to Nomad List.
But if you're a high earnner who wants to immerse yourself in culture, design, food, and nature, then Japan could be a place for you. If you go, check out the co-live Fukuoka conference every October, which is made for anyone interested in exploring innovative ways of living and working while incorporating Japanese values.
If a luxury lifestyle surrounded by shopping malls, highrises, and plenty of people speaking English appeals to you, consider the United Arab Emirates. The UAE's remote work visa is one of the easiest, quickest, fastest to get in the world. According to some Redditors that I saw online, they got their visas in as little as 24 to 36 hours.
So, if you look on the website, it says 1 to 2 weeks, but in a day or so, you could be working in somewhere like Dubai or Abu Dhabi. So, this area of the world has a lot to offer as far as location, innovation, networking. There are a lot of foreign residents especially in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. So if you're looking to go somewhere for networking, if you want to be around other entrepreneurs and also a lot of Europeans who are going there for optimal tax purposes, then this country could be for you.
To qualify for the UAE's remote work visa, you need to earn at least 3500 per month through a company outside of the UAE. This country also ranks in the top four for fastest internet speeds in the world, just after Singapore, Hong Kong, and Chile. It also has warm to hot weather year round if you're looking to escape winter. And Dubai boasts the world's busiest airport with more than 2,000 flights daily.
While the UAE has a lot to offer for remote workers from around the world, it also has some downsides. The weather can get really hot, especially in the summer. So, you'll find that this is more of a seasonal place when it's winter in the northern hemisphere. And it also comes with a price. According to Nomad List, the current cost of living in the UAE is between 3,800 and 4,500 per month. But if you're looking for a lot of sun, networking, and a luxury lifestyle, the UAE could be for you.
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