9 Best Cities for Digital Nomads in Eastern Europe

Intro

In this article, we will go over the 10 best cities for digital nomads in Eastern Europe. Whether you’re an established digital nomad or a newbie, these are the most affordable, enjoyable, and pleasant cities to live in, at least for a few months.

Best Months To Travel To Eastern Europe

Europe is very enjoyable and pleasant to travel to. However, during the winter months the weather in Europe can be pretty bad and you might want to fly to more tropical destinations instead.

So, what are the best months to travel to Eastern Europe?

The best time to travel to Eastern Europe is from May until October. The weather is usually sunny and the pleasant landscape of Eastern European countries adds to the overall experience. These months also coincide with the summer! While you’re there, you will also have the chance to take a short vacation to Western Europe during your days off work, and that’s certainly great news.

On the other hand, if you like negative temperatures or simply want to experience the freezing European winter and the stunning snow, make sure to visit between November and March.

To conclude, if you don’t like cold weather, make sure to come to Eastern Europe between May and October. If you’re an adventurer and fancy a bit of snow and going skiing, November to March is the right time for you.

What Do Digital Nomads Need?

Digital nomads are employees or freelancers who have the possibility to work online and take that advantage to constantly move from one place to another in the world.

In fact, working from anywhere is a crucial part of the digital nomad lifestyle. From coworking spaces to public libraries to hotels and airports, nothing can stop digital nomads from working as long as they have a stable internet connection.

Due to the high mobility, they must have all the necessary items to do the work. Some of the tools that they need include:

Stable Internet Connection

Digital nomads require not only a reliable but also a secure Internet connection for them to work efficiently. At times, workplaces might be having a poor connection and that is a big inconvenience depending on the digital nomad job.

Ideally, you will want to be connected to the Internet all the time, whether on a WiFi network or a cellular one.

Needless to say, a reliable internet will help to communicate with the clients quickly and respond to any message or emergency..

A great option to ensure that you’re always connected to the internet is to carry an internet backup at all times, such as a MiFi. This way, you’ll be able to share the internet connection with all your devices whenever you need.

Smooth Visa Procedure

A visa is a document that allows you to visit other countries. Just like other types of travelers, digital nomads need visas to enter the countries they want to visit.

According to a case study by Katherine Conaway for Medium, 42% of digital nomads are Americans, followed by Western Europeans (24%) and British citizens (10%).

If you have a European passport, you’ll be able to travel through Eastern Europe with no need for a visa. However, if you have another passport, for instance, American or Canadian, you will need to apply for a visa before entering the Eastern European countries. Platforms like VisaFly can simplify the visa application process, making international travel more accessible.

Purchasing travel insurance for nomads is also a helpful lifehack. In fact, at least 61% of Americans traveling opt to do so and some countries require insurance to issue a visa.

Cheap Cost Of Living

The affordability of the places is a significant factor that digital nomads always consider, and for good reasons.

There are many cheap places that you can find. Unfortunately, the cheapest areas might not have the right infrastructure and the factors you may need to work online comfortably.

However, in Eastern Europe, you’ll rarely end up in this situation. In fact, all the travel destinations listed below have affordable and fast internet, cheap and efficient public transportation, good hospitals, and more.

According to the report by And.com, 61% of digital nomad men and 64% of women earn $49,000 or less. This salary is enough to live comfortably in most Eastern European cities.

One of the biggest advantages of living in Eastern Europe is the value for money, as it is an affordable part of the world to live in.

Safety cities

Safety is a crucial concern when choosing the best place to live. The place should have minimal risk of crimes and thefts, enabling digital nomads to work effectively.

Nomad List reports that Zagreb, Croatia is the safest place in Eastern Europe to live as a digital nomad. As far as we are concerned, there are 5 Eastern European cities that we consider to be among the best digital nomad destinations. We have included these on our best digital nomad destinations list that we have mentioned above!

Best Eastern European Cities For Digital Nomads

Now that you have an idea about what a remote worker needs, let’s discover the best Eastern European cities for digital nomads you should know about.

Budapest, Hungary

Hungary is a very affordable country to live in for any digital nomad. It's one of the best places for digital nomads who wish to explore for a while or to relocate permanently. First of all, you will easily get around and interact with the locals as the largest population speaks English.

The cost of living is relatively cheap and the cost of a hotel or Airbnb is very affordable even for the ones on a tight budget. Numbeo estimates a meal at an inexpensive restaurant to cost 2,000 HUF, or around $6,50.

Generally speaking, the internet connection in Budapest is fast and reliable. In fact, according to an analysis by Speedtest, Hungary has the 7th fastest fixed broadband internet connection in the entire world.

Krakow, Poland

Krakow is a remarkable place to visit, travel, and live both temporarily and permanently which is exactly what digital nomads want.

Some of the main factors that attract digital nomads to this place include an attractive cost of living, close distance to other countries, such as Germany and Denmark, and delicious food.

Moreover, you can easily access the Internet in almost every place that you visit. Krakow also has a modern infrastructure and hospitals, which is definitely an added benefit.

Poland is an excellent place to stay when you are on a budget. The cost of living is low, there are lots of affordable coworking spaces, and the city is relatively safe. It's one of the best cities to live in Eastern Europe for digital nomads.

Belgrade, Serbia

Serbia is a country that attracts many digital nomads since it's one of the cheapest and most accessible European cities.

Belgrade has a very fast internet and a modern infrastructure. We can say that it is very well connected, both digitally and physically.

Furthermore, Serbia has a special visa that allows digital nomads to stay in the country for up to 1 year. Needless to say, that’s an advantage that many countries around the world don’t offer.

Zagreb, Croatia

Zagreb, and more generally Croatia, is one of the best places for digital nomads in Eastern Europe.

First of all, there is almost no language barrier as Croatians usually speak English very well. Secondly, most coffee shops and co-working spaces have a reliable internet connection. There are plenty of co-working places all around, and the city is safe.

Last but not least, accommodation in Zagreb is quite affordable and you’ll certainly manage to save some money during your time there.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Sofia is another one of the best cities for digital nomads in Eastern Europe that every remote employee should consider. Sofia has everything a digital nomad could ever want. Local people are welcoming and friendly and you’ll find it pretty easy to interact with them.

In fact, according to the Nomad List, Sofia is one of the best digital nomad destinations in terms of internet speed (29 MBps on average), high-quality hospitals, cost of living, and overall quality of life.

Furthermore, the city has attractive places to visit and excellent places to explore for history lovers.

Athens, Greece

Greece is continuously gaining popularity as one of the best digital nomad destinations.

To start with, Athens has decent internet connectivity with a speed ranging from 9 Mbps to 16 Mbps. Second of all, Greek people are generally extremely welcoming.

It is important to note that Greece has a lot to offer to travelers and tourists visiting the country. In fact, with 6,000 islands, you’ll certainly have the possibility to enjoy your time off of Athens. Without a doubt, Athens offers its visitors interesting historic places, fascinating culture, and perfect weather. What’s more, accommodation and public transportation is very affordable in Athens.

To sum up, Greece is one of the best places to work as a digital nomad in Europe.

Prague, Czech Republic

The famous city of Prague is another one of the most popular places for digital nomads in Europe.

The cost of living in Prague is relatively cheap compared to other European countries. There are many co-working spaces where digital nomads can work from. And above all, the city itself is incredibly beautiful with many sights to visit all year long.

In addition, Prague also has a stable and fast internet connection, at about 20 mbps on average.

According to Nomad List, digital nomads love Prague for its quality of life, walkability, general lack of language barrier, and much more.

What’s more, while living in the Czech Republic, you can easily access neighboring countries such as Germany, Austria, Poland, and Slovakia.

Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest is another one of the Eastern European cities that can be considered the perfect place for digital nomads. It is cheap, you can easily find a place to live, you can comfortably travel to neighboring countries, and people are overall friendly. What’s more, the food and social events are quite affordable, and the Internet is fast and readily available.

In addition to that, there are also lots of co-working spaces where you’ll be able to work all day long. Moreover, you can quickly move from one place to another by bus and train in order to discover Romania’s countryside.

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

There’s a reason why many digital nomads choose Plovdiv. It has some of the fastest internet connection, and most cafés and restaurants in the city offer free WiFi.

According to Euvie Ivanova’s report for Medium.com, there are endless reasons for a digital nomad to live, even temporarily, in Plovdiv. Low cost of living, high quality of life, low taxes, fast WiFi, and more.

What’s more, there are tons of cafés and co-working spaces in the city with a subscription of as little as 50 euros, or $60, per month.

Whether you’re a successful entrepreneur or a newbie freelancer, Plovdiv is one of the best cities for digital nomads in Eastern Europe. If you’re looking for an affordable digital nomad destination, you should definitely consider moving there for a while.

Our Bottom Line

These were the best cities for digital nomads in Eastern Europe that you had to know about. From the historic city of Prague to the modern and enjoyable Budapest and sunny Athens, Europe will treat you well.

To conclude, if you’re looking for a peaceful area in the world to drop your luggage for a short while, Eastern Europe is definitely a fantastic option and we couldn’t recommend it enough.