This island destination is affordable, beautiful, and growing in popularity with digital nomads. Here’s why it should be on your radar if you’re looking for a digital nomad base.
Tenerife in the Canary Islands is set to become a major digital nomad hotspot.
The Canary Islands belong to Spain, but geographically, they are located off the coast of Western Africa. While there are eight islands in total, Tenerife is the largest and most developed, making it an ideal destination for digital nomads.
Tenerife is known for its beautiful beaches and great nightlife. It has a warm and sunny climate all year, making it an ideal destination for those wanting to avoid cold weather.
Here’s why Tenerife is growing in popularity with digital nomads and remote workers:
1. Affordable Cost Of Living
One of the biggest draws to the Canary Islands is the affordable cost of living.
Spain is already one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe, and the Canary Islands are even cheaper than mainland Spain.
It’s possible to live on less than $2,000 a month in Tenerife while enjoying a good quality of life. If you have $3,000 to spend per month, you can live even better and enjoy a nice apartment, going out to eat, and other splurges from time to time.
The affordable cost of living makes Tenerife an attractive spot for digital nomads.
2. Spain Has A Digital Nomad Visa
Spain launched its long-awaited digital nomad visa at the beginning of 2023.
This visa allows digital nomads from many foreign countries to live and work in Spain (including the Canary Islands) for up to one year.
One of the biggest benefits of Spain’s digital nomad visa is its relatively low income requirement. Applicants must demonstrate an income of at least €2,160 a month, which is about $2,313.
3. Warm And Sunny Year-Round
Tenerife is one of the warmest destinations in Europe year-round. Even during the winter months, the average high is typically around 70° to 75° F, while temperatures rarely drop below 60° F.
And in the summer, Tenerife enjoys average temperatures around 80° to 85° F.
Because of its warm and sunny weather year-round, the Canary Islands is a popular “winter sun” destination for many European travelers looking to escape the cold.
If you don’t like cold weather and want to live near a warm, sunny beach all year, this is the perfect destination for you.
4. Growing Digital Nomad Community
The Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife, has a growing digital nomad community.
For being a small island, there are more than a dozen coworking spots in Tenerife, and it’s easy to find events and meet-ups for digital nomads, remote workers, and expats.
Although Tenerife is not yet known as a major digital nomad hotspot worldwide, it’s well on its way to becoming one, making now a great time to check it out.
5. Cheap Flights To Europe
If you’re hesitant about Tenerife because it seems remote with its location off the coast of Western Africa, there’s no reason to be concerned.
Tenerife is actually a very well-connected destination with many cheap flights to mainland Europe, many of them under four hours.
Flights to mainland Spain are cheap and abundant. You can get to Madrid in under three hours and Barcelona in 3.5 hours.
Lisbon, Portugal is just a 2.5-hour flight away, while London is 4.5 hours.
When flying on budget airlines, many of these flights are just $50 to $100 round-trip, making it easy to explore more of Europe if you ever want a break from the island life.
