A northern winter is hardest on people who work from home. The light is gone by mid-afternoon, the walk to the shop becomes an errand you put off, and the laptop starts to feel like the only thing in the day. Remote work lets you leave all of that, and three months somewhere warm changes how the whole year feels.
Warmth between December and February comes from three very different places. Subtropical islands and dry-winter coasts, like the Canaries, Taiwan's south and Mexico's Pacific shore, are at their mildest and driest. Highland towns in the tropics, such as Oaxaca, Antigua and Baguio, enter their dry season, with warm days and nights cold enough for a jacket. And the southern hemisphere is in full summer, which is how Cape Town, Adelaide and Santiago end up on a winter list.
Those are not interchangeable winters. Las Palmas peaks at 22C, while Adelaide and Santiago reach 30C, and the southern cities bring summer's own problems with them. If you want to see the month-by-month picture for a city that is not here, the Nomad Comfort Index scores every city we cover, month by month.
Each city gets a comfort score for December, January and February from its monthly climate normals: full marks when the average of the day's high and the night's low falls between 18C and 25C, the high stays at 30C or below and the month's rain stays at 50mm or under, with points lost beyond that (the formula is on the comfort index). The normals are 1991-2020 weather-station averages for 645 cities and ERA5 reanalysis for 2019-2023 elsewhere. Only cities with a Nomad Score of 6.5 or more qualify, so every entry is a workable base, and ties are broken by Nomad Score. All fifteen here reach full marks in all three months, as do 12 other qualifying cities, so the order reflects how livable each place is overall rather than which one is warmest. Explore the numbers yourself on the comparison tool or browse all 999 city guides.
At a glance
Las PalmasSteady highs of 21C to 22C all season, and a deep coworking scene by the beach. Living here costs about $1,580 a month, and the jacket you pack is for the wind, not the cold.
Best value in Asia
KaohsiungA dry winter of mid-20s days, two metro lines and an airport on the Red Line, all for about $860 a month.
Best southern summer
Cape TownJanuary highs of 27C and around 10mm of rain a month, on a clock that overlaps the European working day. Expect afternoon wind and peak-season rents.
What to weigh before you book
Three-month averages flatten the weeks you will actually remember. In Adelaide, heatwaves above 40C are common in January and February, and Santiago's summer brings smog alerts, so both suit people who can work through a bad week indoors. The highland picks run the other way: Oaxaca, Antigua, Baguio and Tepoztlán drop to 11C to 16C at night. Kaohsiung's air can dip in the cooler months, and Cape Town's southeaster blows most summer afternoons. Price is the other trade: December to March is peak season in Puerto Vallarta, Antigua and Cape Town, and December and January in Dubai, so a monthly rate locked in before you arrive saves real money. To find warm weather in a single month rather than a whole season, filter cities by month on our best-weather page.
The ranking
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1
Dec–Feb highs 21–22°C24 mm rain a monthNomad Score 8.5$1,580/moSafety 7WiFi 7Value 5The steadiest winter on this list belongs to a working Spanish port city, not a resort. From December to February, Las Palmas holds highs of 21C to 22C. Nights rarely drop below 15C, and even December, its wettest month, gets only 29mm of rain. Coworking clusters in Guanarteme and La Isleta, a short walk from Las Canteras, so a beach walk at lunch becomes routine. Budget about $1,580 a month. The catches are the wind, which blows all year, and the sea: comfortable swimming here runs June to October, so winter is for walking the sand more than floating in it.
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2
Dec–Feb highs 26–27°C11 mm rain a monthNomad Score 8.3$1,630/moSafety 3WiFi 5Value 6Swap a northern winter for Cape Town's high summer and the numbers look almost unfair: January highs of 27C and nights near 17C. Rain is rare, around 10mm a month. Fibre and backed-up coworking spaces like Workshop17 and Neighbourgood make it a serious place to work, on a clock that suits European clients, with Table Mountain minutes away. Plan on about $1,630 a month, and expect summer rents at their peak. Two things to accept: the southeaster wind, which picks up most afternoons, and a car-or-Uber life, with ride-hailing rather than walking after dark.
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3
Dec–Feb highs 22–23°C33 mm rain a monthNomad Score 8.2$2,400/moSafety 8WiFi 7Value 5Tenerife gives you two winters to choose from. The south, around Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos, stays dry and sheltered from the trade winds, which is why most nomads base there and work from Zen Den near the beach. The north, around Santa Cruz and La Laguna, is greener, cloudier and windier. Our normals show highs of 22C to 23C through the season. Rain peaks at a modest 37mm in December. Budget about $2,400 a month, the dearer of the two Canaries here. The sunny south is resort territory, though, and a hire car is close to essential beyond it.
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4
Dec–Feb highs 24–25°C23 mm rain a monthNomad Score 8$860/moSafety 9WiFi 8Value 6Pick Kaohsiung over Taipei for the winter and you trade the capital's cooler, cloudier winter for highs of 24C to 25C. Nights hover near 16C, typhoon season is long over, and a YouBike ride out to the waterfront at Pier-2 is pleasant rather than punishing. At about $860 a month, life is easy too: two metro lines, a light-rail loop and an airport on the Red Line. Second Space beside Central Park station is the coworking club built for foreigners. Two winter drawbacks: air quality can dip in the cooler months, and English thins out fast beyond business settings.
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5
Dec–Feb highs 26–28°C2 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.8$1,600/moSafety 6WiFi 5Value 7Oaxaca's dry season makes this one of the most rain-proof winters on the list, with just 1mm to 5mm a month from December to February. Days reach 26C to 28C. At 1,550 metres, though, nights fall to around 11C, so pack a jumper for evening mezcal in Jalatlaco. Gubixi Coworking near La Merced has the fiber you can rely on, which matters because home and cafe WiFi is uneven. Plan on about $1,600 a month. Expect the December holiday rush of visitors, and flight connections that route through Mexico City.
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6
Dec–Feb highs 28–30°C24 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.8$2,690/moSafety 8WiFi 7Value 4On the averages, Adelaide's summer is textbook: highs of 28C to 30C, warm nights and little rain. The extremes are another matter: heatwaves above 40C are common in January and February, which makes this the riskiest stretch of the year for getting work done. Air conditioning is standard in flats and in coworking spaces like Hub Australia, and the free city tram plus a compact, walkable centre keep errands short. Budget around $2,690 a month. Come for weekends in the Barossa and McLaren Vale and the beach at Glenelg, not for a nomad scene, which is thin.
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7
Dec–Feb highs 23–25°C25 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.8$830/moSafety 9WiFi 8Value 7Winter is the payoff for Tainan's brutal summers. From December to February the city runs highs of 23C to 25C with cool evenings, and it gets more sun and less drizzle than northern Taiwan. That is the season to work through its street food, where a bowl of beef soup or danzai noodles costs $2 to $3.50, and to catch Yanshui's beehive fireworks at the Lantern Festival. Living costs come to about $830 a month. The friction is transport: buses are thin, so most people rent a scooter, and prices jump around Lunar New Year.
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8
Dec–Feb highs 26–27°C12 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.8$1,380/moSafety 6WiFi 6Value 8Mazatlán's winter comes with company. November to April is when Canadian and American snowbirds settle in and the city is at its liveliest, with low humidity and highs of 26C to 27C. Nights cool to about 14C, and January, the wettest of the three months, sees just 23mm of rain. Work from Beehive a few blocks off the malecón, ride an open-air pulmonía across town, and eat seafood that is both excellent and cheap. Budget about $1,380 a month. Spanish matters more here than in Puerto Vallarta, and flights usually connect through Mexico City or Guadalajara.
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9
Dec–Feb highs 26–27°C11 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.8$1,100/moSafety 6WiFi 6Value 6Stellenbosch has a winter-sun quirk worth exploiting: its roughly thirty thousand students leave in November and return in February, so the cheapest long leases are the ones running through the summer holidays. Expect December to February highs of 26C to 27C and very little rain. Inland, January and February heat can be intense, so hikes in Jonkershoek belong to the morning, and the grape harvest starts at the end of January. Budget about $1,100 a month. You will want a car, a flat with a water tank, and a look at fire closures before any February hike.
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10
Dec–Feb highs 26–27°C17 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.6$2,110/moSafety 6WiFi 6Value 6For winter sun with the least friction, Puerto Vallarta is hard to beat. December to February brings highs of 26C to 27C under dry, clear skies. Nights stay around 18C, the warmest on this page. Fiber is reliable in the Romantic Zone and Versalles, Vallarta Cowork runs around the clock near the Río Cuale, and direct flights reach plenty of US and Canadian cities. A large English-speaking expat community makes settling in quick. The cost is real: about $2,110 a month, and December to March is peak season, when rents and crowds both climb.
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11
Dec–Feb highs 24–27°C15 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.2$3,350/moSafety 9WiFi 10Value 2Dubai's case for winter is simple: it is the only season when the city can be lived outdoors. From December to February highs drop to 24C to 27C, evenings turn pleasant, and the waterfront promenades at JBR and Dubai Creek become a daily walk rather than a dare. It is the priciest base here at about $3,350 a month, December and January are peak season for accommodation, and rent often wants post-dated cheques up front. Long-stayers can use the one-year Virtual Working Programme visa. Test your calling apps early, since some VOIP services are restricted.
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12
Dec–Feb highs 23–24°C27 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.2$810/moSafety 7WiFi 6Value 9Baguio is winter sun for people who wilt in tropical heat. At 1,540 metres in the Cordillera, December to February is its coolest and clearest stretch, with highs just under 25C. Nights near 13C call for a light jacket. Nobody needs air conditioning, English is spoken everywhere, and the lowest budget on this list, about $810 a month, covers a comfortable life. Work from 19Hundred on Session Road, where the fiber is steadier than cafe WiFi. Book early or steer clear of February's Panagbenga flower festival, and accept a long bus ride from Manila or Clark.
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13
Dec–Feb highs 29–30°C2 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.1$1,140/moSafety 6WiFi 8Value 6Santiago earns its place with the driest season on the page, under 4mm of rain a month. Days reach about 30C, while nights fall to a sleepable 13C. Many Chileans leave for the coast in these months, which frees up cafes and one of Latin America's best metros, and Work Cafe Santander branches give you a free desk for the price of a coffee. Budget about $1,140 a month. The honest downside is the air: summer heat brings smog and frequent air-quality alerts, so weekends at the coast or in the wine valleys earn their place.
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14
Dec–Feb highs 24–24°C4 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.1$1,800/moSafety 5WiFi 5Value 7Antigua's dry season is volcano season. With highs steady at 24C and only a few millimetres of rain a month, January and February bring the clear skies for climbing Acatenango or Pacaya. Laptop-friendly cafes like La Vid and Fat Cat near the cathedral make for an easy working week, with El Cubo's fiber and backup generators for important calls. Nights at 1,530 metres turn cool, so pack a layer. Our estimate is $1,800 a month. Prices rise 20 to 30 percent from November to March, which makes late January, after the holidays, the smartest time to arrive.
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15
Dec–Feb highs 23–26°C2 mm rain a monthNomad Score 7.1$900/moSafety 6WiFi 5Value 7Tepoztlán is the quietest entry here, on weekdays at least. Its dry-season winter brings crisp mornings, highs of 23C to 26C and almost no rain, the right weather for the steep climb to the Tepozteco pyramid, which opens Wednesday to Sunday. There is no real coworking, so most people work from a rented casa and keep a Telcel hotspot as backup. Our estimate is $900 a month. Weekends fill with day-trippers from Mexico City, an hour and a half away by bus, and Carnaval, which in 2027 falls in early February, makes a quiet room near the centre almost impossible to find.
The best winter base is the one whose trade-off you will barely notice. If wind does not bother you, the Canaries give you the most predictable three months on the list. If heat is fine but cold evenings are not, pick the Mexican coast over the highlands. If you want summer itself, Cape Town delivers it with a European time zone attached. Pair one of these winters with a mild summer elsewhere and the whole year is covered, or look at our ranking of cities with good weather all year round for places that manage both without moving.
Frequently asked questions
Which city on this list is warmest in winter?
For outright heat, Adelaide and Santiago reach highs of 30C in January and February, because they are in their summer. For warmth without the heat, Mexico's Pacific coast is the sweet spot: Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán sit at 26C to 27C by day, and Puerto Vallarta has the warmest nights on the page.
Where in Europe is it warm in winter?
Among cities we consider workable bases, only Las Palmas and Tenerife reach full comfort in all three winter months, with highs of 21C to 23C. Both are in the Canary Islands, part of Spain and the Schengen area, so the usual 90 days in any 180 applies. Mainland Spain, Portugal and Madeira all fall short in at least one of the three months.
How is this winter sun ranking calculated?
We score December, January and February for comfort from each city's monthly climate normals, using the same formula as our comfort index, and average the three. Only cities with a Nomad Score of 6.5 or more are included, and ties are broken by Nomad Score. All fifteen here reach the maximum comfort score, so the order mostly reflects how livable each city is.
What is the cheapest place for winter sun?
Baguio is the cheapest at about $810 a month, with Tainan close behind at $830. Kaohsiung costs about $860 and Tepoztlán around $900. At the other end, Dubai costs about $3,350 a month and Adelaide about $2,690.
Why are Adelaide and Santiago here if their summers can be uncomfortable?
Because the ranking works on long-run monthly averages, and on those both cities sit inside the comfortable band. Averages hide extremes, though: Adelaide gets heatwaves above 40C, and Santiago's summer brings smog alerts. They suit people who can stay indoors through a bad week, while anyone who needs every day to be pleasant should look at the Canaries or the Mexican coast.
