Study ranks top 10 cities for digital nomads across three continents

A research firm called SOVENTURE set out to answer a question that's become increasingly practical: where should someone actually go if they want to work remotely from another country? The firm examined more than 40 nations that have created digital nomad visa programs—legal pathways designed specifically for people whose jobs exist entirely online—and ranked ten cities across three continents based on measurable factors: internet speed, affordability, safety, and overall quality of life.

The list spans geography in a way that reflects where remote work has become genuinely viable. Brasília tops the rankings, followed by Budapest, Montevideo, Lisbon, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Nicosia, Buenos Aires, Podgorica, and San José. Europe dominates the upper half. Asia and the Americas each claim representation. What ties them together isn't climate or culture but infrastructure—reliable connectivity, reasonable monthly expenses, and the legal permission to stay and work.

The appeal is straightforward enough: a digital nomad is someone whose income doesn't depend on physical location. They can be anywhere with a laptop and an internet connection. For some, it's a permanent lifestyle. For others, it's a chapter. Either way, the mechanics of actually doing it require more than wanderlust. Before anyone books a flight, the thinking goes, they need to get clear on what they actually want. Are they chasing constant movement, or do they want to settle in one place for months? Do they have time zone constraints that rule out certain regions? What's their monthly budget? What activities matter to them? These aren't romantic questions, but they're the ones that determine whether a move works or falls apart.

Then comes the professional layer. A remote job isn't automatically portable. Someone needs to confirm with their employer—or their clients, if they're self-employed—that the arrangement can survive relocation. IT departments need to sign off on access from abroad. If someone is running their own business, they need systems robust enough to function across time zones and continents. Career growth doesn't pause just because you've moved; it requires intention. That might mean scheduling online training, setting calendar reminders to stay connected to colleagues you're no longer seeing daily, or planning periodic trips back to the main office to maintain relationships that matter.

There's also the calendar question: when does this start, and when does it end? A digital nomad journey isn't indefinite unless someone chooses it to be. All-company meetings, family obligations, visa expiration dates—these are the practical anchors that turn a vague idea into an actual plan with a shape.

What's interesting is that the research suggests the exercise itself has value even for people who never leave. The act of thinking through where you'd go, what you'd prioritize, and how you'd make it work forces a kind of clarity that most people don't naturally arrive at. You start asking yourself what actually matters: location, money, community, adventure, stability. You look at how other people have restructured their lives and it shifts what feels possible. You might not move to Lisbon, but you might decide to spend your free time differently, or negotiate more flexibility with your current employer, or take a vacation somewhere you'd never considered. The planning itself becomes the point—a way of taking control of choices that otherwise happen by default.