The Digital Nomad Rich List: Sri Lanka Takes the Crown!

Have you ever dreamt of trading the dull concrete skyscrapers of the city for a serene beach or a picturesque mountain view? Well, thanks to the rise of remote work, now you can, and it could make you wealthier too!

With digital nomad visas rapidly being introduced worldwide, a staggering 50-plus countries are now rolling out the red carpet to welcome remote workers, freelancers, and digital entrepreneurs. Digital nomad visas allow remote workers to live and work in that country for a specified period, whilst being employed and earning an income from a business based outside of that country. 

With so many countries currently offering the digital nomad visa across the world, and over 5 million Brits, and a whopping 16 million Americans working remotely, these visas present an invaluable opportunity to work from anywhere. As more people travel overseas to work remotely, we wanted to discover what countries are the best places to call home and find out where you’ll get the best value for your hard-earned money.

Releasing our first Digital Nomad Rich List, we have discovered the best places to live for remote workers looking to grow their wealth or make the most of their earnings.

Analyzing the average cost of living (rent, food, transport and utility bills) in these digital nomad-friendly countries against the average full-time salary in the UK and US, we can reveal that Sri Lanka is the number one destination for remote workers to live a wealthy life. 

If you’re curious to see where your dream destination lies, check out the full Digital Nomad Rich List below!

The Digital Nomad Rich List – Cheapest Countries for Digital Nomads

Country		Total Disposable Income for Remote Working Brits (After rent, food, transport and utility bills) Based on average UK salary of £2,773 per month	Total Disposable Income for Remote Working Americans (After rent, food, transport and utility bills) Based on average US salary of $5,158 per month
1	Sri Lanka	£2,282	$4,534
2	Argentina	£2,200	$4,430
3	Colombia & North Macedonia	£2,195	$4,424
4	Indonesia	£2,182	$4,407
5	Malaysia	£2,124	$4,334
6	Brazil	£2,096	$4,298
7	Ecuador	£2,079	$4,276
8	South Africa	£2,035	$4,221
9	Cabo/Cape Verde	£2,027	$4,210
10	Albania	£2,026	$4,210
11	Thailand	£2,018	$4,199
12	Romania	£2,008	$4,186
13	Mauritius	£2,005	$4,182
14	Belize	£1,928	$4,085
15	Hungary	£1,869	$4,010
16	Mexico	£1,848	$3,984
17	Serbia	£1,844	$3,978
18	Grenada	£1,830	$3,961
19	Dominica	£1,826	$3,956
20	Montenegro	£1,821	$3,948
21	Latvia	£1,792	$3,912
22	Croatia	£1,786	$3,904
23	Montserrat	£1,783	$3,901
24	Greece	£1,782	$3,899
25	El Salvador	£1,745	$3,853
26	Georgia	£1,712	$3,810
27	Saint Lucia	£1,708	$3,806
28	Costa Rica	£1,688	$3,780
29	Estonia	£1,619	$3,693
30	Uruguay	£1,616	$3,688
31	Portugal	£1,574	$3,635
32	Anguilla	£1,567	$3,626
33	Panama	£1,562	$3,619
34	Spain	£1,554	$3,609
35	Czech Republic	£1,536	$3,587
36	Italy	£1,505	$3,547
37	Curaçao	£1,490	$3,528
38	Armenia	£1,443	$3,468
39	Barbados	£1,348	$3,348
40	Malta	£1,342	$3,341
41	Aruba	£1,310	$3,300
42	Seychelles	£1,294	$3,280
43	Germany	£1,263	$3,240
44	Cyprus	£1,251	$3,225
45	Antigua & Barbuda	£1,093	$3,025
46	United Arab Emirates	£1,090	$3,020
47	Norway	£1,004	$2,911
48	The Bahamas	£909	$2,790
49	Iceland	£489	$2,257
50	Cayman Islands	-£709	$736
51	Bermuda	-£1,345	-$72

With neither the UK or the USA currently offering digital nomad visas to the rest of the world, both countries do not qualify for the rich list. If both the countries were to feature, the UK would be the eighth, and the US would be the third, most expensive country to live in.

With cost of living totaling an average of £1,674 in the UK, and $2,966 in the US, the average Brit or American living and working in their home country would retrospectively pocket half the disposable income they would have if they were to live in any of the top five countries on the rich list (£1,100 for the average British employee and $2,192 for the average American employee). 

The findings of our Digital Nomad Rich List are eye-opening, highlighting that the average remote worker in both the UK and US could increase their disposable income by choosing to work remotely from over 40 countries, freeing up financial and mental space to explore and enjoy life. 

If you can work from anywhere, why not pick a place that enhances your life? Whether it’s the warm beaches of Indonesia, the cultural hubs of Argentina, or the natural beauty of Sri Lanka. Remote work doesn’t have to be confined to our familiar surroundings; it can be the gateway to global experiences, cultural immersion, and financial empowerment. 

The world is your office!

If you’re running a distributed team of digital nomads, try out Flamingo’s leave tracker for a way to track and manage any time your team members take time off.

Flamingo saves you time and headspace that you can funnel back into growing your business. Try it for free today.