As a digital nomad, finding the perfect destination is so important to making the most of your travels. And if you’re looking for a city that offers culture, connectivity, and community, Lisbon is hard to beat.
Lisbon has been on the digital nomad radar for many years now, but the city has been transforming fast, mostly for the better (more on that later). What was once an up and coming capital on the fringes of Europe, has become a cultural powerhouse, the host to major international events across a wide range of interests, home to a rapidly growing international community, and a city which has found it’s confidence in so many respects.
So if you’re on the fence, and interested in what Lisbon has to offer, then here are ten reasons why Lisbon is the perfect destination for digital nomads.
1: Great weather and outdoor spaces
If, like me, you’re coming from a Northern European or Northern state in the US, then this is going to be by far the biggest perk of moving to Lisbon. If you’ve not lived in a warm climate before, the impact it has on your day is profound.
Lisbon has a Mediterranean type climate (albeit on the Atlantic), with mild winters and hot summers. This means that you can enjoy outdoor activities and relaxation throughout the year.
The city gets a brilliant 300 days of sunshine per year (certainly beats London’s 150…) which makes such a difference to your lifestyle as a Digital Nomad.
From May to September you can expect virtually no rain, with temperatures being hot, but not too hot (generally no hotter than 30 degrees Celsius, mid 80’s Fahrenheit). This is perfect weather for just about anything, a morning run along the riverside, nighttime drinks sat on the beach, or al fresco dining at any time of day.
I really can’t emphasise enough what a difference the weather makes here to your day and lifestyle. Even the winters are mild and short. With plenty of sunny days even through December – February. I was working on may balcony for pretty much 11 out of the 12 months of the year last year!
2: Vibrant and diverse culture
Lisbon is a city with a rich history and cultural heritage. From its ancient origins as a Roman settlement, to its period as a global maritime power, Lisbon has a fascinating past that is reflected in its museums, galleries, and landmarks.
Lisbon is host to some brilliant museums and galleries, in particular the world class Gulbenkian Museum is worth a visit, along with the MAAT along the riverside.
There are dozens of cultural events through the year. Of particular note is the famous Festival of St. Antonio in June, which attracts huge crowds partying (and eating sardines) for weeks, with parades, dancing and food stalls throughout the more historic parts of the city. It’s mostly focussed around the Alfama and Sao Vicente parts of town.
But beyond it’s history, Lisbon is a rapidly changing, modern city of bars, clubs and events. Throughout the year, you can enjoy everything from the city’s famous Carnival celebrations, to the jazz and music festivals in the summer months.
Lisbon is quickly becoming an international hot spot for events, and is attracting bigger and better festival acts, musicians, exhibitions etc. as it’s status grows.
3: Strong and Reliable Internet Connectivity
As a digital nomad, staying connected is crucial. And Lisbon offers a strong and reliable internet infrastructure, with high-speed broadband and mobile connectivity widely available.
Whether you’re working from a coworking space, a cafe, or your apartment, you can expect to find fast and reliable internet access in Lisbon. And if you’re traveling outside the city, there are a number of options for staying connected on the go, from mobile hotspots to local SIM cards.
Coworking coffeeshops are sprouting up all over the city these days, and you no longer need to be living in the nomad hotspots to find a place with good Wi-Fi and better coffee.
Having lived previously in London, where you would expect great 5g connectivity, I can say Lisbon is far better for coverage and speed, especially in the centre. If you can get a decent data package on a SIM card (of which there are plenty) then you can work just about anywhere from Lisbon to Cascais without fear of losing signal.
4: Thriving Startup and Tech Scene
Lisbon is quickly gaining a reputation as a tech hub and startup destination. With its strong tech infrastructure and supportive government policies, Lisbon is attracting a growing number of entrepreneurs and innovators.
As a digital nomad, this presents a great opportunity to connect with the local startup community and explore potential collaborations and partnerships. And with a number of coworking spaces and accelerators throughout the city, it’s easy to find a place to work and network with other digital nomads and entrepreneurs.
For the past few years Lisbon has been host to the Web Summit, attracting tens of thousands of visitors as the pre-eminent event in the tech world. More and more major companies are setting up shop in Lisbon so the talent pool is constantly growing.
If you’re just getting started as a digital nomad and maybe looking to learn to code or enter the tech world, Lisbon is host to dozens of coding schools too, with some great locations to learn the tools of the trade.
5: Excellent Food and Dining Options
Lisbon is a food lover’s paradise, and getting better everyday. While traditional Portuguese dishes can be a mixed bag, there is a rapidly growing food scene with high quality restaurants serving just about every major international cuisine you can think of.
Add to that Lisbon’s great weather, it means you can be dining al fresco for most of the year, eating great food.
The quality and variety of restaurants has improved significantly over the past 10 years, and Lisbon now competes with other major city’s for the diversity of its offer, something any long-term Digital Nomad will greatly appreciate.
And with its vibrant outdoor markets and street food scene, Lisbon is also a great place to explore local specialties and try new foods. The Mercado da Ribeira, for example, is a popular market in the city center, offering a variety of local produce, meats, and seafood, as well as prepared foods and drinks. This can be a tourist hotspot though, so be prepared to queue or eat standing up during peak season!
6: Affordable and Convenient Transportation
Lisbon offers a comprehensive and affordable public transportation system, making it easy to get around the city and explore beyond its borders. The city’s metro system is efficient and reliable, with four lines covering the city center and suburbs. And the city’s buses and trams offer a convenient and affordable way to travel within the city, with a single ticket valid for all modes of transportation.
You can easily grab a ferry along the riverside, to explore the Southern side of the river and Costa de Caparica (the big beach!) too.
If you prefer to travel by car, Lisbon also offers a number of car-sharing and rental options, making it easy to explore the city and nearby areas at your own pace. And if you’re looking to travel further afield, Lisbon is home to a major international airport, with regular flights to destinations throughout Europe and beyond.
The great thing about Lisbon is how centrally located it is within Portugal. You can drive to both the beaches of the Algarve on the Southern coast, or to the Port warehouses of Porto to the North, within about 3-4 hours.
Besides those there are plenty of brilliant smaller cities and sights to visit within east reach of Lisbon. You can check out our top 10 day trips from Lisbon here.
7: Affordable and Accessible Healthcare
Lisbon offers high-quality and affordable healthcare options, with a range of public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the city. If you’re a digital nomad from the European Union, you can access healthcare in Portugal through the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which provides coverage for medical treatment in public hospitals.
If you’re from outside the EU, it’s important to have adequate health insurance coverage while traveling in Lisbon. There are a number of options for expat and international health insurance, and it’s a good idea to research and compare policies before your trip.
Visits to the doctor are comparatively cheap compared to just about any other Western European country, although do be prepared for some waiting and queuing! Prescriptions are easily accessed from the many pharmacies that dot the streets of the city, with affordable prices (especially if you’re coming from the US). Likewise, dentistry is comparatively cheap versus much of the rest of Europe.
8: Rich and Vibrant Nightlife
Lisbon has a vibrant and diverse nightlife scene, with a wide range of bars, clubs, and live music venues to choose from. From the traditional fado music clubs in the Alfama neighborhood, to the trendy bars and clubs in the Bairro Alto and Cais do Sodré districts, there’s something for everyone in Lisbon.
The nightlife scene has improved in many ways a lot over the past 10 years. What were once rough neighbourhoods such as Cais do Sodre, have found a new lease of life as late night hotspots.
And if you’re a fan of live music, Lisbon is home to a number of music festivals and events throughout the year, from jazz and blues, to rock and electronic music. The bands and DJs attracted to the city are improving every year, as it’s status grows.
There does seem to be a growing trend of bachelor parties coming to the city, particularly in the Bairro Alto area, which may not be everybody’s idea of a fun night out. But the nightlife scene has grown to more districts of the city now, so there’s plenty to check out and explore beyond the traditional areas.
9: Strong and Welcoming Digital Nomad Community
One of the biggest advantages of Lisbon as a digital nomad destination is its growing and supportive community of digital nomads. With a number of local groups and organizations, as well as regular meetups and events, it’s easy to connect with other digital nomads and build a support network in Lisbon.
Lisbon is home to the notorious Lisbon Digital Nomad meet-ups, one of the biggest regular nomad meet-up groups in the world. This community organise great parties and events on a weekly basis, and if you’re new to the city, their events are probably to best way to quickly meet dozens, if not hundreds of like minded people.
There also plenty of great meet-ups to meet the locals too, for a change of scene, and there are dozens of interest specific groups in town worth checking out too who meet up regularly.
Whether you’re looking for advice on finding accommodation, navigating the local culture, or exploring the city, Lisbon’s digital nomad community is a great resource, with various facebook groups, discords, slacks, etc. etc.
10: Affordable Cost of Living?
Now this is going to be a contentious one. If you’d asked 5-10 years ago, I’d have said Lisbon is one the cheapest European destinations for Digital Nomads. You could pick up a nice city centre apartment for under €1000 a month, beer was 1-2 euros, life was good.
Times change however, and Lisbon, while still affordable compared to some destinations, isn’t quite the bargain that it used to be.
The thing is, compared to other popular digital nomad destinations like London, Berlin, or San Francisco, Lisbon can still offer great value for your money. It’s just not the same massive advantage it once had. But if you’re like me, you’ll see the other advantages of this beautiful city can justify spending a little more.
Digital nomads and foreign expats probably have some things to answer for when it comes to housing prices, as the huge influx of foreign long-term visitors has pushed up rental prices considerably. This is the price you pay it would appear, to create a large nomad community.
A typical one-bed apartment, to a decent standard will likely set you back €1000-1500 per month depending on location. If you need a 2-bed place expect prices to start from €1300 up to €2000.
Of course if you’re willing to share and find a room-mate this can bring these costs down considerably, or consider looking at location outside of the city centre. Lisbon isn’t a big city relative to many other European capitals so you’re unlikely to feel completely removed from the action by moving 20 mins out.
Outside of housing costs, the city is still very competitive compared to the rest of Western Europe, with travel, food and drink costs being on the lower end. You can eat very well in the right places for under €20 (although there are plenty of expensive options and tourist traps too)
11: A Safe and Welcoming City
One of the biggest perks of Lisbon is how comparatively safe and welcoming the city can be. Other than some petty pickpocketing, as you’d expect in most European capitals, the city enjoys a very low crime level, one of the lowest in Europe.
When compared to the United States, the contrast is even more striking. Portugal’s violent crime rate in 1/10th that of the United States, with homicides even lower.
The IEP ‘Global Peace Index’ ranks Portugal the 6th most peaceful country in the world, in large part due to the lack of crime or internal struggle. In general therefore, Lisbon is a very safe place for most people, although of course always be sensible, especially at night.
The city is likewise very accepting and cosmopolitan. Although the country has a history of Catholicism, this has never been as tightly ingrained in the country’s moral attitudes as can be found elsewhere. The young, in particular, are highly educated and outward looking, with many having travelled and worked around the world. Add to this a large, young foreign community in the city, and this results in a town which is welcoming to LGBTQ+ communities as well as those from minority groups.
Lisbon – the Perfect Digital Nomad City?
So I hope in reading this you’ll agree that Lisbon is a fantastic destination for digital nomads, offering a great combination of affordability, culture, connectivity, and community. If you’re looking for a place to work, explore, and connect with other digital nomads, Lisbon is hard to beat.