Per-city baseline assumes coworking hot desk, center 1br, healthy mix of cooking and eating out, and gym membership — the actual life most working nomads live.
All figures USD/month · 2026 data
| # | City | Cost/mo | Surplus | Cushion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chiang MaiThailand | $1,097 | +$1,903 | 273% |
| 2 | TbilisiGeorgia | $1,296 | +$1,704 | 231% |
| 3 | BogotáColombia | $1,308 | +$1,692 | 229% |
| 4 | Buenos AiresArgentina | $1,388 | +$1,612 | 216% |
| 5 | MedellínColombia | $1,493 | +$1,507 | 201% |
| 6 | BangkokThailand | $1,503 | +$1,497 | 200% |
| 7 | GuadalajaraMexico | $1,544 | +$1,456 | 194% |
| 8 | Bali (Canggu/Ubud)Indonesia | $1,690 | +$1,310 | 178% |
| 9 | PortoPortugal | $2,082 | +$918 | 144% |
| 10 | Mexico CityMexico | $2,088 | +$912 | 144% |
| 11 | Playa del CarmenMexico | $2,137 | +$863 | 140% |
| 12 | Panama CityPanama | $2,153 | +$847 | 139% |
| 13 | ValenciaSpain | $2,255 | +$745 | 133% |
| 14 | LisbonPortugal | $2,620 | +$380 | 115% |
| 15 | MadridSpain | $2,742 | +$258 | 109% |
Green = budget covers tier cost with surplus to save/invest. Red = you'd need to drop a tier or cut rent. Couple multiplier ≈ 1.55× (shared rent), family ≈ 2.05×. Estimates only — not financial advice.
4 selected · click column to sort · winners highlighted
Argentina
Colombia
Georgia
Indonesia
Mexico
Panama
Portugal
Spain
Thailand
| City | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MedellínColombia | $720 | $1,493 | $1,683 | $220 | 105 | 5.5/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 7/10 | 5/10 | 8% |
| BangkokThailand | $680 | $1,503 | $1,723 | $220 | 220 | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 22% |
| Mexico CityMexico | $1,080 | $2,088 | $2,333 | $280 | 86 | 5.5/10 | 7.5/10 | 7/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | 12% |
| LisbonPortugal | $1,480 | $2,620 | $2,908 | $310 | 184 | 8.5/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 5/10 | 38% |
Green cell = best in the currently selected set for that metric. Cost columns: lower wins. Score columns: higher wins. Data reviewed 2026-05-25 (Numbeo, Nomad List, Speedtest, government portals).
| City | Lean | Baseline | Comfortable | Rich |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiang Mai | $721 | $1,097 | $1,280 | $2,448 |
| Tbilisi | $861 | $1,296 | $1,463 | $2,769 |
| Bogotá | $851 | $1,308 | $1,485 | $2,788 |
| Buenos Aires | $935 | $1,388 | $1,565 | $3,002 |
| Medellín | $959 | $1,493 | $1,683 | $3,185 |
| Bangkok | $959 | $1,503 | $1,723 | $3,298 |
| Guadalajara | $1,016 | $1,544 | $1,747 | $3,284 |
| Bali (Canggu/Ubud) | $1,172 | $1,690 | $1,930 | $3,547 |
| Porto | $1,421 | $2,082 | $2,319 | $4,113 |
| Mexico City | $1,312 | $2,088 | $2,333 | $4,330 |
| Playa del Carmen | $1,413 | $2,137 | $2,412 | $4,416 |
| Panama City | $1,489 | $2,153 | $2,403 | $4,292 |
| Valencia | $1,535 | $2,255 | $2,492 | $4,335 |
| Lisbon | $1,738 | $2,620 | $2,908 | $5,112 |
| Madrid | $1,861 | $2,742 | $3,032 | $5,409 |
Plug your budget into any city page — sliders adjust rent, lifestyle tier, family size, and visa. The result is a real surplus/deficit number, not an aggregate score from a marketing site.
Sources: Numbeo 2026, Nomad List, Speedtest Global Index, government visa portals. Updated 2026-05-25. This is a decision aid, not financial, tax, or immigration advice.