The top places for digital nomads are miles from the hottest Zoomtowns. Cities in the Midwest and West have an advantage on rents, restaurants, and transportation.
The Ohio Theater in Columbus, Ohio, whose entertainment options were top ranked in a recent Zumper report.
Shutterstock/aceshot1
Midwestern cities were prominent in Zumper's list of best places for digital nomads.
Cost of living — rent, most notably — was generally modest in each of the top 11 cities.
Zumper also took transportation, restaurant, and entertainment offerings into account.
It's settled. With the exception of some high-profile cases of mandatory in-person office work, the remote and hybrid work model is here to stay. According to Placer.ai, office attendance has been about 60% of pre-pandemic levels for several months, suggesting workers are now entrenched in their new routines.
The flexibility is giving rise to a new wanderlust of the American population, whether that means taking in new locations a few days at a time or laying down roots in a new community for a longer period. In 2021, the number of these digital nomads rose 42%, topping 10 million, MBO partners, a self-employment tech provider, found.
So, where to spend your lunch breaks and evenings once you're freed from the computer screen? It's probably wise to look beyond the most popular Zoomtowns like Austin, Texas, and the the Florida cities that are seeing the fastest growth in the nation, according to Zumper, an online service connecting property owners with renters.
Nomads should consider the Midwest, where cities like Columbus, Ohio, Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago offer a lot of the things that matter to a remote worker, Zumper concluded in a May report. It based its findings on myriad factors including short-term rental prices, ease of access to airports and other transportation, restaurant and entertainment offerings, air and WiFi quality.
Some cities making the cut have been in the midst of revivals, such as Detroit, Michigan, where homeowners and businesses are both betting on further improvement.
The overall cost of living in some of these places was high, but that was often offset by the excellence of other offerings. The cost of a short-term rental held the most weight in the ranking.
Insider compiled the Zumper rankings as follows.
10. Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Dan Anderson/ Getty Images.
Population: 425,336
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $157
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,310
Zumper's cost of living grade: C, though the city's transportation system got an A, and restaurants and entertainment each got Bs.
9. Denver, ColoradoDenver, Colorado.
Howard Kingsnorth/Getty Images
Population: 711,463
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $163
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,770
Zumper's cost of living grade: D, though the city's transportation, restaurant, and entertainment offerings all got an A.
8. Detroit, MichiganDowntown Detroit, Michigan.
Getty Images
Population: 632,464
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $155
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,030
Zumper's cost of living grade: D, though transportation, entertainment, and restaurant offerings each got an A.
7. San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas.
Allan Baxter/Getty Images
Population: 1.452 million
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $150
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,140
Zumper's cost of living grade: A. Its transportation system got a C, and restaurants and entertainment got Bs.
7. Cincinnati, OhioOver The Rhine district in Cincinnati.
Posnov / Getty Images
Population: 308,935
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $137
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,020
Zumper's cost of living grade: B. It got an A for transportation and Bs for its restaurants and entertainment.
6. ChicagoChicago.
Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Population: 2,697 million
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $196
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,870
Zumper's cost of living grade: D, but it got straight As for its transportation, restaurant, and entertainment options.
5. St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri.
Owaki-Kulla/Getty Images
Population: 293,310
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $127
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $910
Zumper's cost of living grade: A. It got Bs for transportation, restaurants, and entertainment options.
4. Houston, TexasHouston, Texas.
John Coletti/Getty Images
Population: 2.288 million
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $143
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,300
Zumper's cost of living grade: A. It also got the top grade for its entertainment and restaurant options, but just a C for transportation.
3. Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri.
Scruggelgreen/Shutterstock
Population: 508,394
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $131
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,050
Zumper's cost of living grade: B. It got an A for its entertainment scene, and Bs for its restaurants and transportation.
2. Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon.
Shutterstock
Population: 641,162
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $130
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,500
Zumper's cost of living grade: F. The failing grade was offset by As for the restaurants, transportation (and air quality). The entertainment options got a B.
1. Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio.
Checubus/Shutterstock
Population: 906,528
Median daily cost of a short-term rental: $130
Median monthly one-bedroom rent: $1,020
Zumper's cost of living grade: A. The entertainment and restaurant options also got the top grade, while transportation got a B.
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