Where to base next.

$1,200-2,000/mo · Fast (100+ Mbps)

Lisbon is overrated. You should probably still go. This is annoying, because both things are true. The nomad scene is crowded and the locals are exhausted by it. Then the light hits the tiles, you walk to dinner, and the obvious choice starts making sense again.

$1,500-2,500/mo · Extremely fast (200+ Mbps)

Tokyo makes daily life look suspiciously well engineered. The trains arrive, the streets stay clean, and dinner is good almost by accident. Then Friday comes and you realize you still do not know anyone. Give it three to six months. You will leave impressed, slightly lonely, and probably planning a return.

$800-1,500/mo · Good (50-100 Mbps)

Mexico City has almost everything, including the occasional internet outage exactly when the rain starts. The food keeps ruining other cities for you. The altitude takes your first week and the traffic takes whatever patience remains. Once your lungs catch up, you begin to understand why people stay longer than planned.

$600-1,200/mo · Very fast (100+ Mbps)

Bangkok is where people come to find out whether they like this life or merely liked the idea of it. The internet is fast, daily life is easy, and the expat scene will introduce you to every kind of nomad within a week. By week four, the heat and traffic have joined the conversation. You will have your answer.

$1,200-2,000/mo · Good (50-100 Mbps)

Berlin is where nomads go when they begin describing themselves as expats. The startup scene has substance and people care about things beyond optimization. Bureaucracy will take a number and call you back sometime next month. Come with a project, a winter coat, and patience for forms.

$500-1,000/mo · Decent (20-50 Mbps)

Bali is played out. Everyone knows this, including the people booking flights there. Go once anyway. Canggu has crypto bros, yoga teachers, and enough interesting people to keep you out too late on a Tuesday. Three months is plenty unless you are ready to become a Bali person, a diagnosis usually delivered by your friends first.