Digital Nomad Housing - How To Find Accommodation as You Travel

If you’re planning on becoming a digital nomad, figuring out where to stay will become a crucial part of your travels! After 7 years of being a digital nomad travelling through 27 countries – these are my top picks on how to find digital nomad housing around the world.

Working in the digital world allows people to remain flexible with where they live as they travel. But, planning around accommodation can quickly become complicated depending on your budget and work situation, so you’ll typically need to do a bit of planning for this.

You can look into many options and find some housing. You can find an ideal place to sleep, focusing on your work while seeing the world.

Things To Think About When You’re Looking For Digital Nomad Housing

If the idea of working as a digital nomad interests you, you need to remember some essential points. Doing so will help you remain safe and comfortable in new places. However, you should never overlook these points when you’re searching for digital nomad accommodation.

Remember Any Local Tax Laws

As you think about your digital nomad options, you must consider local and international laws. For example, you need to figure out where you plan to pay taxes while you visit other countries or states.

Depending on where you live, the tax laws will vary, so you need to do your research beforehand. United States citizens still need to file United States taxes even if they live out of the country for multiple years.

Some countries may have other laws requiring you to file taxes with them while you live there. Since you don’t want to face legal trouble or fines, you must consider local and international taxes before traveling abroad.

Consider Work Visas and Regulations

As a digital nomad, you must think about where you plan to go and how long you can stay for. Countries vary in their requirements for passports and visas. For example, some countries require you to have a passport six months from expiration, while others need three months.

On top of that, countries will only let you stay for a few weeks if you only bring your passport. That means if you want to stay in a country for longer, you’ll need to seek a work visa from whichever country you plan to visit.

Some countries offer a digital nomad visa that let you stay in the country while you work online. That way, the government makes money from you living there while giving you flexibility regarding where you want to live. These visas typically allow you to live between one and 5 years in a country – which takes the pressure off having to move all the time!

Make Sure There’s Wifi!

Since you plan to work as a digital nomad, you must consider technology whenever you go to a new country. If your work requires a fast internet connection, you must consider locations with good internet speeds and options. Determining if your nomad housing has fast, stable wifi will (unfortunately) become like a second job as you travel.

Pro tip: Always ask the owner or host of your rental accommodation to test the wifi and send a screencap of the upload and download speeds before you book anything.

You also need to seek out a physical connection to minimize potential lag. Make sure you bring an ethernet cable and find a place where you can use it. You also need to consider your phone and get an international plan if you need to make any calls.

Because of the need for technology as a digital nomad, you must remain conscious of where you plan to stay. That way, you can ensure you have all the technology necessary to do your job despite spending time in another country.

Establish a Budget Beforehand – And Stick To It!

Before you get started as a nomad, you need to create a budget. For example, most digital nomads will figure out a monthly housing budget while they look for places to stay. Doing so helps you to see where you can go while also considering your options.

Try out NerdWallet’s handy budget calculator to get started.

If you establish a budget of 2,000 dollars a month for housing, you can find some solid options worldwide. However, if you go with 1,000 dollars a month, you may need a roommate in certain areas. Popular tourist destinations can be more expensive than you think to live there – especially as remote work is rapidly on the rise, so you need to be realistic about what you can allocate towards your accommodation each week.

You can avoid confusion and stress if you create a budget beforehand. Your budget depends on how much money you make as a digital nomad, so work around your income. You can adjust your budget later, so play it on the safer side when you start.

The huge bonus about digital nomad housing is that your rent will mostly include power, water, and wifi – so you won’t need to worry about the hassle of setting this up, or paying extra.

How To Find Digital Nomad Accommodation

Once you know what to look for in digital nomad housing, you must consider where you should live. Consider your housing options and even digital nomad co-living to find affordable and comfortable places.

Contact Your Friends and Family

First, you should contact your friends to see who they know. If you plan to live in Europe, you can ask around and see if your friends know anyone who lives there. You can also talk with your family and see if they know people.

Once you find someone with a friend in Europe, you must see if they have enough space to house you. That way, you can contact that person through your mutual friend and see if they can let you stay with them for a while.

If you find someone who can offer some space, make sure you offer them money. Never assume you can stay somewhere for free!

Take Advantage of Social Media

You can find some great digital nomad housing options online. Some people look up ads, and others go to rental websites, but you can easily find rental information and furnished apartments using social media.

You can search hashtags on social media to find the information you want, or search for expat groups or digital nomad groups on Facebook using specific cities. E.g. “Mexico City Digital Nomads”.

Make sure you search for the locations you wish to visit while mentioning digital nomads. As you do so, you’ll come across people who make regular online posts about where to stay and how much you should expect to pay. This will help you plan accommodation in advance, and get a sense for how much it will cost.

In these groups you will also find people advertising local houses and apartments to rent. Make sure you do your due diligence before handing any money over though – there are always scammers out there waiting to take advantage of travelers!

Find Roommates

Paying for a place on your own can quickly increase the price, so seeking a roommate will help you out. If you get a roommate, you can cut the rental cost in half, so you both save money. You can even stay with more people if you want to save money during your stay.

If possible, pick someone you know, so you can trust that person and make yourself comfortable while you live in a new place. Doing so will let you help each other and make you feel safe with your friend.

If you find a roommate who spent years in the area, you can get help from them. Ask them about the place, look into transportation options, and see what else you’ll need to make the most of your trip.

Look Into Digital Nomad Rentals

Since digital nomads continue to grow in popularity, home owners are offering up their furnished homes and apartments for short term rentals. This means you can search for rentals online and find a place to stay while you’re in your current location.

Digital nomad accommodation works well since you can usually get a shorter lease while you stay there. For example, you can get one for a few weeks or months, instead of a year. Doing so means you don’t have to commit to one location.

However, digital nomad rentals usually cost a bit more money since they don’t have as large of commitments. This is especially true when you look at the skyrocketing prices on Airbnb lately!

In addition, you may need to pay a downpayment if you rent something that isn’t through Airbnb, so review the options and see which rental options work best for you.

Popular online rental sites for digital nomads include:

Consider Hotels or Hostels for Short Visits

Most digital nomads avoid hotels whenever they visit an area since they cost more money. However, a hotel works if you only plan to spend a week in the area since you don’t need to commit to the location.

It comes down to what works best for your situation. Economically, finding a rental will always cost less than a hotel, but rentals involve extended contracts. You must commit to a rental for multiple months or even a year.

If you plan to travel from one country to another, you can spend a few days in the first country while staying in a hotel. If you plan to take this approach, make sure you find a hotel with reliable internet, so you can keep working.

I recommend Booking.com for hotel stays, but always make sure you read all the reviews before booking anything! Becoming a Booking.com member also means you’ll get progressively better deals the more you use their platform – like free breakfasts and room upgrades.

Hostels are also a fantastic low cost option. You can book either shared rooms with bunks, or private rooms – depending on your preference (and how much sleep you need!) I recommend Hostel World for booking hostel stays as you travel.

Coliving and Coworking Accommodation

If you’ve got a healthy accommodation budget, and you thrive on meeting people and being social while you travel – coliving is a great option for digital nomads.

This is where you rent a room in a house or apartment complex, and there are shared living spaces such as lounges, kitchens, terraces, cafes, and coworking spaces. Although you typically pay a bit more for the privilege, it can be a fantastic way to make new friends.

Companies like Selina and Outsite have coliving houses all over the world, and they tend to be in popular tourist spots – so these are always worth checking out. You can also google “coliving” then the city you’re planning to head to, to bring up local coliving spaces there.

Popular coliving websites to look at are:

Final Thoughts – Digital Nomad Housing

Working as a digital nomad gives you many opportunities and flexibility, so consider your accommodations. Doing so will help you find a place to stay as you travel worldwide and visit areas.

Whether you plan to go to another state or visit another country, the tips above can help you. Make sure you review the options and prepare ahead of time so you can enjoy your adventures!

Digital Nomad Housing – How To Find Accommodation as You Travel