Dream Remote Work Locations
14-07-2020 | Landlord NewsIf you could work abroad anywhere in the world, where would you go?
At the beginning of 2020, the idea of working abroad was just a pipe dream for many employees. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, working remotely has become the norm for billions across the globe – making it feasible for many office workers to relocate in the future.
In this study, CIA Landlord Insurance has revealed the top international locations to move to post-lockdown to save on expenses while still earning your current salary and living abroad in a similar time zone, either permanently or temporarily.
The study takes into account a variety of cost and popularity factors to highlight the best destinations that both save your pocket and allow for some escapism!
Top 25 Dream Remote Work Locations to Move to Post COVID-19
| Rank | City | Takeaway Cost | Pint Cost | Transport Cost | Bill + Wifi Cost | Rent Price | Time Zone (GMT) | Flight Price | Number of Annual Tourists | Number of Landmarks | Airbnb Cost Per Night |
| 1 | Madrid | £11 | £2.7 | £1.4 | £159 | £895 | +1 | £46 | 82,773,000 | 594 | £28 |
| 2 | Istanbul | £4 | £1.8 | £0.4 | £69 | £258 | +3 | £87 | 45,768,000 | 568 | £43 |
| 3 | Budapest | £5 | £1.4 | £0.9 | £144 | £417 | +1 | £46 | 17,552,000 | 339 | £22 |
| 4 | Tirane | £4 | £1.3 | £0.3 | £81 | £270 | +1 | £115 | 5,340,000 | 32 | £17 |
| 5 | Rome | £14 | £4.5 | £1.4 | £179 | £858 | +1 | £75 | 61,567,200 | 1,430 | £38 |
| 6 | Lisbon | £7 | £1.8 | £1.4 | £128 | £808 | 0 | £48 | 16,186,000 | 458 | £28 |
| 7 | Warsaw | £5 | £2.0 | £0.9 | £154 | £589 | +1 | £48 | 19,622,000 | 295 | £21 |
| 8 | Moscow | £7 | £2.3 | £0.6 | £107 | £722 | +3 | £192 | 24,551,000 | 1,772 | £25 |
| 9 | Prague | £5 | £1.4 | £0.8 | £172 | £698 | +1 | £38 | 10,611,000 | 567 | £26 |
| 10 | Sofia | £6 | £1.4 | £0.7 | £105 | £349 | +2 | £60 | 9,273,000 | 145 | £18 |
| 11 | Zagreb | £7 | £1.8 | £0.5 | £174 | £433 | +1 | £82 | 16,645,000 | 71 | £22 |
| 12 | Skopje | £4 | £1.5 | £0.5 | £107 | £228 | +1 | £199 | 707,000 | 42 | £27 |
| 13 | Sarajevo | £3 | £1.6 | £0.8 | £156 | £225 | +1 | £162 | 1,053,000 | 84 | £18 |
| 14 | Bucharest | £6 | £1.5 | £0.3 | £92 | £373 | +3 | £50 | 11,720,000 | 157 | £25 |
| 15 | Paris | £14 | £6.3 | £1.7 | £178 | £1,065 | +1 | £63 | 89,322,000 | 2,177 | £178 |
| 16 | Belgrade | £5 | £1.5 | £0.7 | £143 | £317 | +1 | £161 | 1,711,000 | 89 | £18 |
| 17 | Marrakech | £4 | £4.0 | £0.3 | £72 | £263 | +1 | £80 | 12,289,000 | 51 | £79 |
| 18 | Kiev | £5 | £0.9 | £0.2 | £87 | £492 | +3 | £153 | 14,104,000 | 342 | £28 |
| 19 | Chisinau | £5 | £1.0 | £0.1 | £109 | £235 | +2 | £145 | 160,000 | 43 | £19 |
| 20 | Bratislava | £5 | £1.8 | £0.8 | £186 | £559 | +1 | £92 | 2,256,000 | 167 | £28 |
| 21 | Belfast | £12 | £4.2 | £2.1 | £105 | £634 | 0 | £48 | 10,926,000 | 104 | £26 |
| 22 | Edinburgh | £15 | £4.0 | £1.7 | £178 | £801 | 0 | £60 | 36,316,000 | 259 | £32 |
| 23 | Vienna | £9 | £3.6 | £2.2 | £196 | £793 | +1 | £45 | 30,816,000 | 516 | £35 |
| 24 | Berlin | £8 | £3.2 | £2.6 | £238 | £822 | +1 | £55 | 38,881,000 | 502 | £31 |
| 25 | Split | £8 | £2.4 | £1.3 | £169 | £371 | +1 | £152 | 16,645,000 | 73 | £22 |
Madrid Revealed as the Best City to Relocate to for Remote Working, Followed by Istanbul and Budapest!
With an extremely high amount of annual tourists, cheap flights and a low cost of living – Madrid comes out on top as the best location to move to for remote working based on a variety of cost and popularity reasons. On average, the country welcomes over 82 million tourists a year, and with over 594 attractions to visit – there will never be days short of new places to explore in the city. Despite its relatively high rent for a 1-bed (£895), flights to and from the city of London will cost you nothing short of a £46 return – allowing freedom when it comes to travelling cheaply.
Top 10 Cities to Relocate to for Remote Working
The top 10 locations in our study highlight how much cheaper you could be living on your current salary. With most of the locations in Europe, you’ll be a short flight away from travelling back home with ease. If saving on the cost of living is your most important factor, Tirane in Albania is the best option with rent for a 1-bed at £270, takeaway for £4 and just 30p for a ticket on public transport – it really doesn’t get much cheaper than this.
If you wish to prioritise your work and timezone, moving to Lisbon where there is no time difference would be the perfect relocation option – but it doesn’t come cheap at an average of £808 for renting a bed in the city!
| Rank | City | Takeaway Cost | Pint Cost | Transport Cost | Bill + Wifi Cost | Rent Price | Time Zone (GMT) | Flight Price | Number of Annual Tourists | Number of Landmarks | Airbnb Cost Per Night |
| 1 | Madrid | £11 | £2.7 | £1.4 | £159 | £895 | +1 | £46 | 82,773,000 | 594 | £28 |
| 2 | Istanbul | £4 | £1.8 | £0.4 | £69 | £258 | +3 | £87 | 45,768,000 | 568 | £43 |
| 3 | Budapest | £5 | £1.4 | £0.9 | £144 | £417 | +1 | £46 | 17,552,000 | 339 | £22 |
| 4 | Tirane | £4 | £1.3 | £0.3 | £81 | £270 | +1 | £115 | 5,340,000 | 32 | £17 |
| 5 | Rome | £14 | £4.5 | £1.4 | £179 | £858 | +1 | £75 | 61,567,200 | 1,430 | £38 |
| 6 | Lisbon | £7 | £1.8 | £1.4 | £128 | £808 | 0 | £48 | 16,186,000 | 458 | £28 |
| 7 | Warsaw | £5 | £2.0 | £0.9 | £154 | £589 | +1 | £48 | 19,622,000 | 295 | £21 |
| 8 | Moscow | £7 | £2.3 | £0.6 | £107 | £722 | +3 | £192 | 24,551,000 | 1,772 | £25 |
| 9 | Prague | £5 | £1.4 | £0.8 | £172 | £698 | +1 | £38 | 10,611,000 | 567 | £26 |
| 10 | Sofia | £6 | £1.4 | £0.7 | £105 | £349 | +2 | £60 | 9,273,000 | 145 | £18 |
Monaco, Geneva and Vaduz Are the Worst Cities to Relocate to for Remote Work
Despite its close time difference (GMT +1) and cheap transportation cost (£1.80), Monaco is officially the worst city to relocate to for remote working. With extortionate average rent costs of £3,499 and high average takeaway costs of £25, this city does not come cheap making it the worst option for digital employees.
Despite similar time differences (GMT +1) both Geneva and Vaduz have much higher costs of living than the likes of London with average 1-bed rent prices at over £1,500 – making it more feasible to be employed in the city allowing for a higher annual salary to support these extortionate costs.
Top 10 Worst Cities to Relocate to for Remote Working
| Rank | City | Takeaway Cost | Pint Cost | Transport Cost | Bill + Wifi Cost | Rent Price | Time Zone (GMT) | Flight Price | Number of Annual Tourists | Number of Landmarks | Airbnb Cost Per Night |
| 1 | Monaco | £25 | £5.9 | £1.8 | £227 | £3,499 | +1 | £62 | 347,000 | 28 | £120 |
| 2 | Geneva | £21 | £6.8 | £2.6 | £236 | £1,712 | +1 | £50 | 10,362,000 | 51 | £49 |
| 3 | Vaduz | £21 | £5.5 | £4.5 | £211 | £1,238 | +1 | £61 | 85,300 | 21 | £42 |
| 4 | Antananarivo | £1 | £0.6 | £0.1 | £102 | £231 | +3 | £607 | 291,000 | 17 | £66 |
| 5 | Luxembourg | £15 | £4.5 | £1.6 | £252 | £1,410 | +1 | £53 | 1,018,000 | 92 | £58 |
| 6 | Oslo | £15 | £7.5 | £3.0 | £160 | £1,094 | +1 | £55 | 5,688,000 | 164 | £35 |
| 7 | Copenhagen | £15 | £6.1 | £2.9 | £212 | £1,209 | +1 | £40 | 12,749,000 | 184 | £50 |
| 8 | Amsterdam | £14 | £4.5 | £2.9 | £195 | £1,453 | +1 | £61 | 18,780,000 | 515 | £83 |
| 9 | Helsinki | £11 | £5.6 | £2.5 | £95 | £907 | +2 | £167 | 3,224,000 | 148 | £44 |
| 10 | Reykjavik | £15 | £7.0 | £2.7 | £123 | £1,149 | 0 | £67 | 2,343,800 | 62 | £49 |
What the top 10 worst cities highlight about working remotely is that no matter how much you might love going on holiday in a city, living there remotely takes into account a lot more costs factors you might have not considered before. With popular cities including Amsterdam and Copenhagen making the list despite having high annual tourist numbers of over 8 million and 12 million respectively, high rent prices and living costs make it inconceivable to relocate to for remote work no matter how many attractions or cheap flights there may be.
Best Cities to Relocate to for Cheap Takeaway Food and Pints
If you’re looking to broaden your food horizons and save on food and drink whilst working remotely abroad, Antananarivo in Madagascar has the best savings on takeaway and pints near the UK at £1.35 and 62p respectively.
Istanbul also features in the top 10 ranking, as well as ranking overall 2nd in the best cities to remote work from.
Here are the cheapest cities for takeaway food and pints in our ranking:
| Rank | Country | City | Takeaway Cost | Pint Cost |
| 1 | Madagascar | Antananarivo | £1.35 | £0.62 |
| 2 | Armenia | Yerevan | £4.18 | £1.00 |
| 3 | Ukraine | Kiev | £4.55 | £0.91 |
| 4 | Azerbaijan | Baku | £4.73 | £0.95 |
| 5 | Moldova | Chisinau | £4.66 | £1.02 |
| 6 | Albania | Tirane | £3.63 | £1.34 |
| 7 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | £3.23 | £1.61 |
| 8 | South Africa | Cape Town | £6.11 | £0.80 |
| 9 | Macedonia | Skopje | £4.39 | £1.46 |
| 10 | Turkey | Istanbul | £3.54 | £1.77 |
Best Cities to Relocate to for Cheap Bills, Rent and Wifi Cost
If cost of living and saving is the most important factor when it comes to considering moving abroad and working remotely – Minsk is an ideal choice with rent for as little as £318 and wifi + bills at just £53 a month. However it’s worth noting that an average return flight will cost you £152 as well as factoring in the 3 hour time difference – but if you prefer the lie in for your 9am call then Minsk could be the perfect place for you!
Here are the top 10 affordable cities if you’re looking to relocate and work remotely abroad:
| Rank | Country | City | Bill Cost | Wifi Cost | Rent Price |
| 1 | Belarus | Minsk | £42 | £11 | £318 |
| 2 | Azerbaijan | Baku | £39 | £15 | £271 |
| 3 | Turkey | Istanbul | £57 | £12 | £258 |
| 4 | Armenia | Yerevan | £61 | £14 | £294 |
| 5 | Ukraine | Kiev | £82 | £4 | £492 |
| 6 | Albania | Tirane | £63 | £17 | £270 |
| 7 | Romania | Bucharest | £84 | £8 | £373 |
| 8 | Morocco | Marrakech | £46 | £25 | £263 |
| 9 | Moldova | Chisinau | £100 | £8 | £235 |
| 10 | Bulgaria | Sofia | £96 | £10 | £349 |
Best Cities to Relocate to for Cheap AirBNB Rentals
If you fancy a getaway without having to commit to the burden of rent and bills – renting out a home on Airbnb could be the perfect option for your remote working adventure.
Minsk ranks first for cheapest AirBNB costs at an average of £16.20 a night, followed by Tirane, Sofia and Belgrade which all offer homes at an average of £18/night!
Split and Budapest also make the ranking at just over £21 per night – the equivalent of £630 over a month if you were looking to stay a few weeks instead of permanently relocating for remote work.
Here are the top 10 cities to relocate to for affordable Airbnb rentals from the UK:
| Rank | Country | City | AirBNB Cost per Night |
| 1 | Belarus | Minsk | £16.20 |
| 2 | Albania | Tirane | £17.40 |
| 3 | Bulgaria | Sofia | £18.00 |
| 4 | Serbia | Belgrade | £18.00 |
| 5 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | £18.00 |
| 6 | Moldova | Chisinau | £18.80 |
| 7 | Poland | Warsaw | £21.00 |
| 8 | Armenia | Yerevan | £21.00 |
| 9 | Croatia | Split | £21.60 |
| 10 | Hungary | Budapest | £21.80 |
Considering Moving Abroad to Work Remotely Once Travel Restrictions Ease? Here Are Our Top Tips:
For the first time in our lives, thousands of Brits have not only the urge but the ability to work remotely once travel restrictions ease. Now that more and more companies are adopting remote working policies, Brits, and Londoners in particular, have many wondering why they’re cooped up and paying an extortionate price on rent and food when they could be saving and living somewhere with more space and freedom.
Firstly before you dive into considering your options to move abroad, it’s important to take into account the following tips:
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Ensure you do your research into visas that are available post-lockdown
If you’re lucky enough to have a company that will let you work abroad permanently – before you consider moving anywhere, it’s important to do your research on the visas and taxes that may be applicable to you when you’re in another country. For example, Barbados has recently announced that it’s giving out 12-month visas allowing anyone to come to remote work from its islands.
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Choose a city that caters to your most important needs
Cost of living is a huge factor to consider if you’re looking to save on the prices of living in the UK – however, it’s important to ensure that you’re also researching other factors such as things to do or places to visit when you get there. The worst thing you’d want to do is relocate for the sake of saving money!
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Consider lifestyle factors like climate, ease of returning ‘home’ and even insurance
Other factors that may not be as obvious such as the weather, landlord insurance or how far you are away from a flight home are just as important to consider as the cost of living. It’s important to note that while you may be saving money, you may not be happy with the location as a whole so make sure you put a lot of thought into the locations you’re considering!
Sources and Methodology
In order to calculate the best cities to move to for remote working we analysed 12 cost and popularity factors weighing them differently to account for factors that were deemed more crucial than others including the cost of a takeaway, flight cost, rent price, cost of an Airbnb, time difference, number of tourists (2018) and number of landmarks.
We used the timeframe February 1st to February 28th 2021 to calculate the prices for flights and Airbnb costs. The airbnb costs were taken from averaging the first 5 costs per location.
Notes to Editors
If you’re interested in covering our study, we only ask you to please refer back to this study with a link to this post.
PR contact: sarah.fleming@kaizen.co.uk
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