Top 10 · By what matters
Top 10 cities for digital nomads
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Funchal (Madeira) score highest of 309 cities under balanced weights. No city wins everything: the columns show where each one gives something up.
All cities, sorted by the balanced score (equal weight on all nine factors). 309 cities qualify; the ten best are shown. Dataset 2026.09.4. How the scores work.
- 1Santa Cruz de TenerifeSpain
- Score
- 75
- Monthly cost
- $2,200*
- Safety
- 77
- 2Las Palmas de Gran CanariaSpain
- Score
- 75
- Monthly cost
- $2,200*
- Safety
- 77
- 3Funchal (Madeira)Portugal
- Score
- 75
- Monthly cost
- $2,000*
- Safety
- 83
Torn between the top two? Compare Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria side by side →
The full Top 10
| # | City | Score | Monthly cost | Safety | Internet | Climate | Nomad visa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | $2,200* | 77 | 81 | 100 | yes | |
| 2 | 75 | $2,200* | 77 | 78 | 100 | yes | |
| 3 | Funchal (Madeira) Portugal | 75 | $2,000* | 83 | 77 | 100 | yes |
| 4 | Palma de Mallorca Spain | 74 | $2,200* | 77 | 88 | 67 | yes |
| 5 | Valletta Malta | 73 | $2,136 | 86 | 80 | 75 | yes |
| 6 | Malmö Sweden | 73 | $1,957 | 82 | 83 | 25 | no |
| 7 | Faro (Algarve) Portugal | 72 | $1,719 | 83 | 70 | 67 | yes |
| 8 | Málaga Spain | 72 | $2,200* | 77 | 69 | 67 | yes |
| 9 | Barcelona Spain | 72 | $2,694 | 77 | 77 | 50 | yes |
| 10 | Lisbon Portugal | 72 | $2,499 | 83 | 66 | 67 | yes |
* country-level cost estimate. Scores are 0–100 under balanced weights; open a city for every number and its source.
Frequently asked
- What is the best city for digital nomads?
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife under balanced weights (75/100), ahead of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Funchal (Madeira). The answer depends on your weights: the ranker lets you set them.
- How is the overall score calculated?
- Each city gets nine factor scores from 0 to 100 using the same open data and formulas. The balanced score is their average; the methodology page lists every formula and threshold.
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