Which European countries offer the best quality of life for digital nomads?
More and more countries are introducing digital nomad visas for remote workers and entrepreneurs, but not all of these visas are as good as they appear at first glance.
For example, some digital nomad visas come with prohibitively high earning requirements or are for countries with an extremely high cost of living or otherwise subpar quality of life.
Take Iceland’s digital nomad visa, which requires applicants to earn at least $7,763 USD per month. In addition to that, Iceland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, doesn’t have good weather for most of the year, and the visa only allows you to stay for up to six months.
The following European digital nomad visas hit the sweet spot between reasonable monthly earning requirements and countries with a low cost of living and high quality of life.
1. Spain
Spain is one of the best countries in Europe to offer a digital nomad visa. This recently-launched visa only requires applicants to prove monthly earnings of approximately $2,215 USD. It’s good for one year, with the possibility of extending for longer.
Compared to the rest of Western Europe, Spain is more affordable and offers incredible cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Sevilla where digital nomads can base themselves.
2. Croatia
Another great country for digital nomads in Europe is Croatia. Croatia is the top digital nomad hub of 2023 because of its amazing quality of life, relatively low cost of living, and digital nomad visa.
The visa requires applicants to earn approximately $2,650 USD per month, and it’s good for six months to one year. This is important considering that as of 2023, Croatia is part of the Schengen Zone, and Americans can only stay in the country (and any other Schengen Zone country) for up to 90 days.
So while it was previously possible to stay in Croatia long-term without a visa, that is no longer the case.
3. Portugal
Another European country with a great quality of life for digital nomads is Portugal. This country is known for great cities like Lisbon and Porto, as well as beautiful beaches, delicious food, and a relaxed pace of life. It’s also much cheaper than the rest of Western Europe.
Remote workers wanting to apply for the digital nomad visa in Portugal will need to demonstrate earnings of approximately $2,950 USD per month, and it’s good for one year with the possibility to extend.
4. Estonia
Another great European country with a digital nomad visa is Estonia. This Baltic nation was actually the first country to start offering a digital nomad visa.
The visa allows you to stay in the country for up to one year, and you must demonstrate earnings of at least $37,000 USD per year.
Estonia offers a low cost of living, and the picturesque city of Tallinn is perfect for digital nomads.
5. Czech Republic
The Czech Republic does not offer a typical digital nomad visa like the countries above, but they do have a trade license-based freelancer visa that functions similarly.
It can be tricky to apply for, and many people hire a specialist to help them with the process, but once established, you can stay in the Czech Republic for up to one year with the possibility to extend.
For income requirements, you must demonstrate you have at least $5,800 USD in your bank account.
6. Albania
Albania is a country that doesn’t offer a digital nomad visa. Instead, Americans and many other nationalities can stay in the country for up to one year as a tourist.
This is ideal for digital nomads who don’t want to jump through the hoops of applying for a visa or residency in another country.
Albania offers a remarkably low cost of living and has a growing digital nomad scene in the capital of Tirana and the coastal city of Sarandë.
