New research by Craft Documents has revealed the top locations to work and live as a freelancer around the world in 2023. 

With the rise of freelancing, workers now have the option to work from home, in a co-working space or anywhere with good internet connectivity.

As 84% of businesses believe freelancers can add positive value to their business, there is a lot of opportunity to freelance across a variety of industries, while working remotely.

In order to determine the best places to live and work remotely, researchers conducted an analysis of various metrics from locations around the world to determine the top spots.

This new data examined the average price of a co-working hot desk, the average rental cost of a 1-bedroom property in the city’s centre, the average Airbnb nightly cost, internet speed, food costs, transport costs, and the number of co-working space – based on the most popular cities for digital nomads.

A spokesperson for Craft comments: “The rise of freelancing and remote working has been a global phenomenon over the past few years. Many jobs that were once traditional 9-5 positions are now being replaced by freelance and remote working opportunities, offering increased flexibility, autonomy and freedom for workers.

“With this, many individuals have been able to pursue their passion, work from different locations around the world, and take advantage of technology to collaborate with people from anywhere with internet access.

“This has allowed for more freedom – meaning you can choose to work from destinations across the globe – from Ho Chi Minh to Buenos Aires. All while exploring new cultures, delving into unfamiliar working environments, and earning an income!”

Most Freelance-Friendly Locations:

Penang (Malaysia), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), and Bangalore (India) were amongst the top locations to live and work as a freelancer – topping the leaderboard for having the best access to co-working spaces, a reasonable cost of living, and good internet speeds.

Penang in Malaysia took the top spot due to its affordability and high standard of living, offering the lowest costs for hot desking and rental prices.

Closely following these destinations were Chiang Mai in Thailand and Buenos Aires in Argentina, also offering affordable transportation, food, and accommodation.