With internet speeds and penetration increasing worldwide, many people have decided they don’t want to be tied to an office. And with remote work increasing, opportunities to live in—and travel to—different countries have also risen.
Before moving to or traveling somewhere new, doing your research beforehand is a good idea. Nomad List is one of the most comprehensive guides for living and working in different cities worldwide. What exactly is Nomad List, though? What can you do with it, and do you need to pay for the service? Keep reading; we’ll reveal everything you need to know in this article.
What Is Nomad List?
Nomad List is a tool that aims to help remote workers find the information they need when traveling to and living in other countries. The service was founded by Pieter Levels, a digital entrepreneur, in 2014.
Besides offering information about specific destinations, Nomad List also offers information on how to get residence and work permits in various countries. On top of that, you can use the tool to determine whether you’re a tax resident in numerous parts of the world. Nomad List also offers a service for finding friends, along with various other features.
Is Nomad List Free?
You need to purchase a membership to access the bulk of Nomad List’s features. The fee to join Nomad List is $99—but unlike many services, you do not need to pay a monthly cost. Once you’ve paid the upfront fee, you can access Nomad List for life.
What Can You Do With Nomad List?
Now that we’ve spoken a bit about what Nomad List is, and how much it costs, let’s look at what you can do with the tool. Below are some of Nomad List’s best features.
1. See Scores in Different Aspects
Perhaps the most useful Nomad List feature is that you can see scores for different cities broken down into various categories. For this example, we’ll look at Berlin.
As you can see from the image we’ve provided, Nomad List tells you whether you’ll find a lot of activities to do in the city. Of course, this will largely depend on your hobbies—so you’ll need to take it with a pinch of salt.
When you look at cities on Nomad List, you’ll also get an insight into how good the locals are at speaking English. On top of that, you can find out whether the internet speed will meet your standards. Besides multiple other things, you can also get a quick overview of the following:
- Perceived friendliness toward foreigners.
- How safe a destination is if you’re a female traveler.
- How walkable a city is.
2. View the Pros and Cons of Different Destinations
In addition to the scores for each destination, you can also get a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of visiting each place. You’ll find out whether Nomad List members enjoy visiting, and you can also discover whether you’ll find community members there throughout the year.
The pros and cons section will also tell you how easy or difficult most people find it to make friends, though again, this is subjective. Having the pros and cons list will make it much easier if you’re thinking about going somewhere for an extended period—but you can also find some use for it for short trips.
3. View a Digital Nomad Guide
Nomad List’s Digital Nomad Guide is especially handy if you’re thinking about setting up shop for longer. On this tab, you will find out whether the tap water is safe to drink—along with whether you’re allowed to own land in that destination as a foreigner.
The Digital Nomad Guide also identifies popular short-haul and long-haul airlines, and you will also discover the gender split for wherever you’re going.
Another handy feature in the Digital Nomad Guide is whether you need to take out cash while visiting, or if you can use your bank card. You’ll also find out about the city’s population, plus what the best taxi app is, and more.
4. Gain an Overview of the Cost of Living in Each Destination
If you’re traveling to or living in a new city, understanding the cost of living is a good idea. This is especially true if you work remotely, as you’ll want to ensure that you can enjoy being somewhere and support yourself financially.
Naturally, the cost of living will differ for locals and expats. While you might not spend a huge amount as a local, you probably will do more paid activities—such as eating at restaurants—if you’re an expat or nomad.
In the Cost of Living section, you’ll find out how much you can expect to pay for coworking, Airbnb rentals, and hotels. You will also see an overview of how high you can expect your monthly living costs to be.
The Cost of Living section on Nomad List also tells you how much you’ll likely pay in tax for certain income brackets.
5. Check Out Remote Jobs
If you’re considering becoming a digital nomad, you’ve got a couple of options to support yourself financially. You can, if you want, choose to become a freelancer. And if you’ve got a particularly cool idea, you might want to start your own business as an entrepreneur.
However, you can also find remote jobs if you’d still like to work for someone else. And with Nomad List, you’ll find a selection of openings that will allow you to work from wherever you want.
6. Join Meet-Ups
Whether you’re planning to live somewhere for three months or permanently, you’ll want to build some kind of community. Meeting other nomads is a great way to make new friends, and Nomad List aims to help you out in this respect.
Nomad List has several meet-ups that you can join as a member. These are held in numerous cities across the globe, including New York City and Chiang Mai. If you choose to join Nomad List, you might want to consider going to one of these events.
7. Connect With Others
Besides joining real-life events, Nomad List also makes it easy for you to connect with other members virtually. Once you join, you will gain access to Slack.
When you’ve become a part of the Slack community on Nomad List, you can contact other members based on location. On top of that, you can join different channels for topics that you’ll find important—such as accommodation.
Nomad List: Useful if You’re Thinking of Working Remotely
Nomad List is a handy tool for those who are thinking of working remotely. And if you want to gain an overview of places you wish to visit or live in, you will similarly find a use in the service.
For those wishing to connect with like-minded people, Nomad List offers the chance to meet individuals you otherwise might not have crossed paths with.