About
The right city, chosen with data
The Nomad HQ helps remote workers find where to live and work, using measured ratings across the 13 things that actually matter, not hype or scattered blog opinions.
Why we built this
Choosing where to base yourself as a remote worker usually means stitching together a dozen half-answers: a Reddit thread on visas, an outdated cost-of-living post, a listicle written by someone who never went. The advice is scattered, often sponsored, and rarely comparable city to city.
The Nomad HQ replaces that guesswork with one consistent system. We rate 710 cities on the same 13 categories, give each a calibrated Nomad Score, and show the full breakdown, so you can weigh Lisbon against Chiang Mai against Medellin on equal terms and decide based on what matters to you.
How we rate cities
Every city is scored from 1 to 10 in each of these 13 categories through our own consistent editorial assessment, informed by research and public data and applied the same way to every city:
The Nomad Score
The headline score is not a plain average. It is a calibrated composite of the 13 categories, rescaled so the strongest and weakest cities genuinely stand out instead of clustering around the middle. You can browse and compare every city or match the ratings to your own priorities on the Nomad Wheel.
Independent by design
Trust only works if the ratings are honest, so we hold to a few firm rules:
- No pay-for-ranking. Scores come from data and assessment, never from advertising or affiliate partnerships. No city can buy a better position.
- Affiliate links are disclosed. Some links earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. That revenue keeps the site free and never influences a rating. See our affiliate disclosure.
- Corrections are welcome. If a number looks wrong, tell us. Reader corrections keep the ratings honest and up to date.
Who is behind it
Yannick Schroth
Founder, The Nomad HQ
Yannick writes practical, field-tested guides for digital nomads on visas, cost of living, coworking, and building a location-independent career. The Nomad HQ is written and maintained by him, drawing on years of remote work and long-term travel across the destinations it rates.
Start exploring
Everything on the site runs on the same ratings. Here is where to dive in:
Browse all cities
Filter and compare all 410 rated destinations.
Nomad Wheel
Match cities to the priorities that matter to you.
Compare cities
Put two or three cities side by side, category by category.
Rankings
The best cities for visas, WiFi, budget, and more.
Guides
In-depth, field-tested guides to nomad life abroad.
Get in touch
Spotted an error, or have a city we should add? We read every message, and reader corrections keep the ratings honest.