Work from Wherever Index
Best countries to work abroad from
This report was issued on January 11, 2022.
Important: Please check the latest travel restrictions and travel advisories before planning any journey. Visit our travel restrictions map for real-time updates on COVID-19 restrictions and entry requirements of individual countries around the world.
As of February 18, 2022, the list of countries included on the Work from Wherever Index has been updated to reflect the latest U.S. Department of State’s Level 4 Travel Advisory regarding increased threats of military activity.
Best countries to work from based on 22 factors
One big revelation that arose from the last couple of years is that working from home can be very productive. But at the same time, staring at the same view and only having the dog to bounce ideas off of can be extremely... uninspiring. Our new index ranks 111 countries according to their remote working conditions and opportunities to have amazing travel experiences.
Using 22 different factors divided into six different categories like health and safety conditions, travel prices and social opportunities, the index gives clear insights into the countries that would be easiest for you to work from while having a lot of fun in your off hours. See which countries came out as the best places to be your new office away from home.
Click on a category to expand it and see individual factors. Click on a factor's arrow to sort the ranking based on that factor.
The factors presented are in the original data values but the total score and category scores are presented on a 1-100 scale, with 100 being the best (or cheapest), based on the normalisation calculations. For more info please see the full Methodology. "-" denote missing data values
Top countries
1. Portugal
Final score: 100
Portugal was ranked the all-round best country to work remotely from worldwide. Some of the primary reasons why it came in Nr. 1 is because Portugal offers a remote work visa, many locals have a high English proficiency, it's very ...
Find flight2. Spain
Final score: 93
Spain came in as the second-best country worldwide to work remotely from. Some of the reasons why it placed so well is because it has fast internet speed, plenty of co-working spaces and remote visas for freelancers. It also has v ...
Find flight3. Romania
Final score: 92
Romania came in Nr. 3 worldwide for working remotely from, primarily because it offers very attractive prices. Romania has cheap car hire and hotel prices, plus affordable long-term apartment rentals and local food. It also has fa ...
Find flightWork from Wherever Index - Methodology
Data in six categories has been collected in order to rank countries in terms of their attractiveness for remote work: Travel, Local prices, Health & safety, Remote work, Social life and Weather.
Within these categories, a total of 22 factors have been defined to reach a comprehensive overview of aspects that travelers may encounter and care about when deciding on the destination for remote work.
Data sources & factor definitions
Travel
The Travel category comprises four factors:
Accessibility
Defined by the weekly number of flight routes to/from the destination country.
Source: Cheapflights internal data
Avg. hotel prices
Avg. hotel price per night in ZAR for standard double room across all hotel types. Prices based on the search period Jan-Sept 2021 for travel period: Jan-Dec 2022.
Source: Cheapflights internal data
Avg. car hire prices
Avg. prices for a car hire per day in ZAR and across all vehicle classes. Prices based on the search period Jan-Sept 2021 for travel period: Jan-Dec 2022.
Source: Cheapflights internal data
Fuel prices
Euro-super 95, avg. price (ZAR) for 1 litre from the period 11 - 17 Oct 2021.
Source: GlobalPetrolPrices.com (Data from Oct 11- Oct 17 2021)
The Social life category comprises three factors:
English Proficiency Index score
The EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) score is based on test data from more than 2,200,000 test takers around the world who took the EF Standard English Test (EF SET) or one of EF English placement tests in 2019. Read more about the EF EPI here. For countries where an EF EPI score is not available but where the English language is an official language, the highest EF EPI score of 652 was applied.
Source: EF EPI (Accessed on 29/09/2021)
Going out
Avg. number of bars and clubs in five major cities (per 100,000 inhabitants).
Sources: Open Street Map
Culture
Avg. number of theatres, museums and galleries in five major cities (per 100,000 inhabitants).
Sources: Open Street Map