Can digital nomads afford the world’s most liveable city?
By: The Startup
Tags: Remote Working, Digital Nomad Lifestyle, Digital Nomads, Online Business, Money Management

Digital Nomad Locations

Can digital nomads afford the world’s most liveable city?

Photo by Leyy . on Unsplash

Digital nomads have a tendency to congregate in places like Bali, Indonesia and Chiang Mai in Thailand. The good weather is often cited as the main reason but the reality is that the cost of living in these countries is a fraction of what it is in western countries and the other reason (though talked about less than the freedom being your own boss brings) is that the early years of starting your own business are often fraught with financial uncertainty and those elusive 10K months are a long way off.

Personally, I don’t do particularly well in humid climates, my hair grows to twice it’s normal size and I struggle to appear insta worthy when sweating profusely in my digital nomad uniform of a white t-shirt, denim shorts and Havaianas (a classic look for every female digital nomad).

Although I love the beach, I feel that living in Bali or Chiang Mai could be a bit lonely given the transient nature of every expat there. Care needs to be taken when making friends as you don’t want to invest too much in a friend who is leaving next week.

On top of that, it almost feels like cheating to live in a cheap country and escaping from “real life” (whatever that is). Is my business really successful or is it just that I earn enough each month to live comfortably in these countries? (one could also argue — does it matter?) but that is a conversation for another day.

Why I moved to Vienna

COVID saw me back in Ireland for a few months after a stint in Japan and contemplating my next move. I thought it best to stay within the European Union and not risk going too far afield given the uncertain times and potential requirement for medical attention.

I have a close friend who lives in Vienna whose talk of serene woodlands within 30 minutes of the city centre and pictures of beautiful buildings had me excited to give it a try. I booked my flights (very reasonably priced for some reason….) and landed in Vienna in September 2020.

What makes Vienna the world’s most liveable city?

According to The Economists Global Liveability ranking in 2020, the Austrian capital is the world’s most liveable city. This accolade is bestowed upon cities based on 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories of Stability, Healthcare, Culture & environment, Education and Infrastructure. According to this insider article , the cleanliness, café culture, plentiful supply of potable tap water and availability of things to do all year round from swimming in summer to skiing in winter are just some of the reasons that it topped the charts for the 2nd year running.

My prior assumptions of Vienna

I had been to Vienna twice before, for fleeting visits. I was much younger at the time, staying in hostels while backpacking around Europe and much more interested in the best pub crawl to partake in than the eateries, architecture, museums, or Christmas markets the city has to offer.

Prior to my move here and doing any research, I was expecting Vienna to be very expensive and quite similar in cost to living in Dublin. Turns out, I was wrong.

I was pleasantly surprised by how cheap it is to live in and how affordable a high quality of life can be here.

In this article I’m going to break down the exact cost of everything I need in order to live very comfortably as a digital nomad in Vienna.

Accommodation

Given the pandemic, Airbnb prices have fallen quite drastically and therefore I was able to secure a 1 bed apartment for a very reasonable price.

I chose to go with an Airbnb because I have no idea how long I’m staying for and didn’t want to get tied into an expensive lease and have to furnish an entire apartment from scratch. Furthermore, the Austrians tend to have longer term rentals (3–10 years) as standard and I have a preference to live my life on a more month by month basis.

The wonderful thing about the apartments in Vienna is that they tend to have 10-foot-tall ceilings and be awash with natural light. All in all, a drastic improvement from other places I have stayed (especially the 12 metre square apartment in Japan!).

My Apartment is located in District 2, which is a 30-minute walk to the city centre. I also have a huge park on my doorstep and can meander along a treelined avenue 1–7* times a day

*lockdown significantly increases the number of walks I go on.

As with all Airbnb’s, bills are included (the heating has not been off since the cold snap arrived in early November) and it is fully furnished so I didn’t have to bring anything but my suitcase or purchase any additional household bits (which can really add up and then I would just end up chucking them out in a few months anyway). The apartment is 900 euro a month and I share with my partner.

It should be noted that if I wanted to stay long term and get a long-term rental contract, I could secure a similar apartment (though unfurnished) for approx. 500–600 euro a month.

Co-working space

I chose a coworking space that I could walk to in order to incorporate exercise and fresh air at least twice a day. A quick google informed me that TSH collab had just opened and as a result had an early bird offer which I could avail of.

It is beautiful space to work in, brand new, and with the amount of free tea that I consume — I calculated that I’m actually up about 20 euro a month by working here.

I’m not locked into a contract; I extend on a monthly basis which suits me. I get the opportunity to interact with locals and other nomads. Furthermore, having a reason to leave the house and get out of my PJs every day has proved very beneficial for my mental health and general productivity.

I have a flexi pass membership which means I can choose to sit in a different seat everyday which works well given my lust for change. I have access to the space Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm and it sets me back 103 euro per month.

TSH Collab, Vienna

Phone

Lyca mobile offer a free sim and 30 GB of data for just 9.90 euro a month.

Transport

As I can walk to the city and my coworking space I don’t find the need to travel too far in Vienna, but when I do I can either use the city bikes or public transport. Vienna is a really flat city and even the most respiratory challenged cyclists can navigate the streets on two wheels with ease.

The extensive public transport also means that everywhere in the city is easily accessible (even the wineries at the edge of the city, although be prepared to hike up the foot hills).

City bikes is just 1 euro to sign up and free every time you use it if you dock the bike before 1 hour has passed. I have never gone over the 1 hour as cycling to other districts from District 2 takes me on average between 15 and 25 minutes.

Unlimited public transport for a month is 52 euro. A single journey cost 2.40 euro so if you plan on using public transport a good bit the monthly ticket is worth it. For those who want to stay in Vienna longer term, a yearly ticket will set you back 365 euro.

Yoga

Schnupper (my new favourite German word) means trial and it seems that every single yoga studio in Vienna offers a trial month of unlimited Yoga. The benefit of doing yoga in Vienna is that most classes are in German and as long as I stay in the back and watch other people I can follow along no problem while learning German (I now know the German for inhale, exhale and slowly which I’m sure will serve me well when interacting with locals). I have tried two Schnupper months so far at different studios:

Fancy pants yoga — a beautiful studio in the city centre with floor to ceiling windows and yoga teaches that speak softly and slowly.

A monthly trial costs 48 euro and after that a monthly membership ranges from 74–108 euro.

Coming Hooomm Prater is another place I have tried. Not quite as chill or relaxed but a great variety of classes and set in a beautiful building with 15-foot-high ceilings. Cost for trial month is 50 euro.

Fancy Pants Yoga, Vienna

Eating Out

There is no shortage of places to eat out in Vienna. The most famous local dish is Schnitzel…. OK but nothing to write home about (at least not any of the schnitzels I’ve had so far). My favourite places to eat so far are Pizzeria il Mercato — a tiny restaurant run by the most charming and passionate Italian man and Bahn-Mi Vienna for incredible Vietnamese food (owner not as passionate or charming).

A lunch will set you back around 10 euro and dinner in an affordably priced restaurant around 15–20 euro. All in all, it is reasonably easy to source affordable food when dining out in Vienna. Also, wine is cheap, like 1.50 euro a glass cheap.

Groceries

With a Hofer, Lidl, Spar, Billa, small family run Fruit and Veg shops on every corner there is no shortage of places to buy groceries. In general Hofer (AKA Aldi) and Lidl tend to the best value and a food shop to feed me for 1 week costs around 35 euro.

Other benefits of being based in Vienna

Telling clients that I’m based in Vienna lends more credibility than being in Bali (I consult as a freelance medical writer). I think being based in Bali would have prospective clients conjure up images of me covered in sand while attempting to read clinical papers in a hammock whereas Vienna presents more of a professional image, at least for what I do.

Glühwein. A wintery walk through the cobbled stoned streets of Vienna is not complete without a warm and spicy mulled wine in your hand.

Beautiful.buildings.everywhere. My friend was not wrong when she said it was a beautiful city. A stroll around Vienna’s winding streets admiring the architecture is currently one of my favourite things to do (and only thing I can do….’cas lockdown).

Furthermore, learning a European language is actually doable (I’ve previously attempted to learn Japanese). And sometimes fun (sometimes soul destroying). For those times when my few words of German aren’t enough to communicate, practically everyone under the age of 50 speaks perfect English so being able to interact with the locals has been a breeze thus far.

Is Vienna affordable for digital nomads?

So back to my original question: is the world’s most liveable city affordable for digital nomads?

Total cost per month for me:

Accommodation (bills included): 450 euro (I share with my partner)

Co-working space: 103 euro

Phone: 9.90 euro

Eating out/takeaways (2 x week): 120 euro

Groceries: 140 euro

Unlimited public transport: 52 euro

Yoga membership: 48 euro

Total cost per month: 922.90 euro per month (Approx. 1,100 USD)

Therefore, yes I would say Vienna is very affordable for digital nomads who are earning circa 1000 USD a month.

Originally posted on thestartup101.com.