Fun Friday: The best (and worst) cities for remote workers

If you could work remotely from any corner of the world, where would you set up your office?

While the idea might have sounded like a dream before, it’s now a reality for digital nomads in the era of remote working – and it’s all thanks to mobile and cloud technology.

For employers who are considering managing a distributed workforce, however, the bigger question isn’t just where employees want to work, but whether their work-from-home hub is conducive to getting things done outside the traditional office setting.

READ MORE: Fun Friday: 11 skills that make remote workers successful

The Remote Working Index compiled 50 popular cities across the world and ranked them based on the following criteria: internet speed, remote job options, food delivery options, cost of a laptop, and cost of living.

Six of the top 10 entries are in the US but a few destinations in Eastern Europe are also proving to be a remote worker’s dream. In fact, Bucharest bested all other contenders.

“Thanks to its fantastically low cost of living at £421.32 (approx. US$547) a month and a high percentage of remote working jobs at 4.33%, Romania’s Bucharest is the best city for remote working across the world,” the study found.

Meanwhile, San Francisco – home of the world’s most popular tech companies – offers almost the same percentage of WFH jobs but, with its relatively higher cost of living, the City by the Bay only managed to claim the sixth spot on the list.

One US city that has been growing in popularity as a WFH hub in recent years is Houston, Texas at No. 2, with its relatively lower cost of living and average internet speed (61Mbps) that smashes the competition.

If remote workers are all about cutting back on living costs, then they’ll be right at home in the cities of Kiev in Ukraine (approx. US$452) or Warsaw in Poland (approx. US$600).

Outside of the top 10, Mumbai in India is one option: the city costs remote workers under $400 in living expenses, not including rent though!

READ MORE: Fun Friday: Top 10 companies for remote workers

Then there are well-loved travel destinations such as Rome, Milan, Seoul, Paris and London – but they aren’t exactly paradise for WFH employees.

In Rome, for example, the painfully slow internet speed (16Mbps), especially for data-intensive tasks, and high living cost (approx. US$945) are a double whammy for those hoping to set up an office for good in the Eternal City.

So, which cities might be your next WFH hub?

The best cities for remote workers:

1. Bucharest, Romania
2. Houston, Texas, USA
3. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
4. Atlanta, Georgia, USA
5. Budapest, Hungary
6. San Francisco, California, USA
7. Los Angeles, California, USA
8. Kiev, Ukraine
9. Chicago, Illinois, USA
10. Warsaw, Poland

… And the worst:

1. Rome, Italy
2. Milan, Italy
3. Seoul, South Korea
4. Paris, France
5. Hamburg, Germany
6. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
7. London, UK
8. Cologne, Germany
9. Munich, Germany
10. Manchester, UK