Low prices make Southeast Europe top destination for digital nomads
/ bne IntelliNews
By Valentina Dimitrievska in Skopje
October 13, 2023
Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, has earned the title of the top European city for digital nomads, followed by Sarajevo and Chisinau, according to UK magazine Time Out.
As the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way how people work and travel, many now work from home, and some remotely from different countries. This has become a new way of life.
Travel experts at Norton Finance loan company evaluated 184 countries, weighing factors such as average rent, utilities, transportation, food, gym and internet costs, along with the expense of return flights from the UK.
"While it’ll of course vary depending on where in the world you’re journeying from, the rest of the factors provide a pretty comprehensive breakdown of the affordability of a place, and ranking at number one is Skopje in North Macedonia,” according to Time Out.
“The city is a notoriously good-value tourist destination, popular for its archaeological sites and street food. The value of public transport is one reason why Skopje scores so well, as a monthly public transport pass is an enormous eight times cheaper than the London equivalent."
Securing the second spot on Norton Finance's list is the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sarajevo, where the average rent for a one-bedroom flat in the city centre is an affordable €275 per month.
Meanwhile, Chisinau in Moldova took the third position. In this city, a pint costs a modest €1.3, making it an attractive destination for budget-conscious digital nomads.
Sofia, Bulgaria's capital, and Bucharest, the capital of Romania, occupy the fourth and fifth positions respectively. Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, secured the sixth spot.
Copenhagen and Dublin are considered some of the least favourable European cities for digital nomads.
Tech
Lately, Russian businesses have been actively adopting solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), while the government is also incentivising the use of these technologies.
Engaged in sweeping transformations since the death of dictator Islam Karimov just seven years ago, Uzbekistan is seeing first results in the investment they’ve made to boost their IT sector.
The quality of the internet has been severely compromised by restrictions placed on the market.
Activists were openly critical of Serbia’s government, which NGOs say has a track record of deploying spyware and other digital surveillance tools.
Officials say that it will make government spending more transparent.
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