A study of the 75 cities about working digitally (work from home) has put Melbourne on top.
However, Melbourne is not the only Australian city in the top ten. Dubai beat Sydney to be on number two and Tallinn in Estonia follows it on number four.
Multiple lockdowns and restrictions suggest that remote working is to rise despite travel curbs ease with the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic over.
Working from home is not new to a lot of sectors including Information technology and Banking, however, Covid-19 restrictions have certainly forced many more people to work from home, which has raised questions around the location-centric approach to working.
A lot of so-called ‘digital nomads’ are choosing great locations in the far-flung suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney due to their low cost of living and lifestyle opportunities.
As soon as the vaccination process will speed up globally international travel will slowly but surely start opening back. It will be an opportunity for these global ‘digital nomads’ to choose the best city which is best equipped for remote working.
According to a new study done by Nestpick.com, a Berlin-based furnished housing platform Melbourne is the best city in the world for ‘Digital Nomads.’
The study assessed 75 of the world’s “most liveable” cities for their suitability when it comes to remote work, taking into account 16 factors under the group headings “costs and infrastructure”, “legislation and freedoms” and “liveability”.
Survey website says, “We decided to investigate which cities are not only the most attractive and welcoming to foreigners but also have the infrastructure and legislation in place to make it easy for remote employees [domestic and/or foreign] to live and work there.”
Melbourne, known for its cafes, ranked No 1 overall despite coming in the top three for just two individual factors (“gender quality” and “culture and leisure”).
Dubai, Sydney, also in Australia, and Tallinn, in Estonia, placed second, third and fourth in the study, and also benefit from visa conditions that allow foreigners to work remotely without additional permits.
However, of the 75 cities ranked in the “Work-from-Anywhere Index”, only 10 are covered by specific digital nomad visas (including Australia’s working holiday visas) –
Omer Kucukdere, founder and CEO of Nestpick says, “High earners are leaving business-focused cities to live in places that offer better day-to-day lifestyles, taking their purchasing power with them.”
“What we’ve seen through our study is that technology and employers have moved faster than infrastructure, with many legal barriers still in place for migrants who want to bring their job with them.”
Post-pandemic, governments who move quickly to offer digital-nomad-friendly visas may receive early-mover benefits.
“We will see more cities adapting to these new working conditions, and benefiting from the economic boost that these workers inject into their economies,” said Kucukdere.