---
title: "Top 10 small cities for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/top-10/small-cities
description: "The ten best-scoring cities with fewer than half a million residents, for nomads who want a slower pace without giving up internet or safety."
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Top 10 small cities for digital nomads

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Funchal (Madeira) score best of the 116 cities under 500,000 people. Small does not mean disconnected: every one is checked for internet speed and airport links.

City-proper population < 500,000; sorted by balanced score.

| # | City | Country | Population | Score | Monthly cost | Internet | Safety |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Santa Cruz de Tenerife](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/santa-cruz-de-tenerife) | Spain | 209k | 75 | $2,200* | 81 | 77 |
| 2 | [Las Palmas de Gran Canaria](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/las-palmas) | Spain | 378k | 75 | $2,200* | 78 | 77 |
| 3 | [Funchal (Madeira)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/funchal) | Portugal | 106k | 75 | $2,000* | 77 | 83 |
| 4 | [Palma de Mallorca](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/palma) | Spain | 423k | 74 | $2,200* | 88 | 77 |
| 5 | [Valletta](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/valletta) | Malta | 5k | 73 | $2,136 | 80 | 86 |
| 6 | [Malmö](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/malmo) | Sweden | 362k | 73 | $1,957 | 83 | 82 |
| 7 | [Faro (Algarve)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/faro) | Portugal | 68k | 72 | $1,719 | 70 | 83 |
| 8 | [Bilbao](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/bilbao) | Spain | 347k | 71 | $2,200* | 78 | 77 |
| 9 | [San Sebastián](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/san-sebastian) | Spain | 188k | 71 | $2,200* | 88 | 77 |
| 10 | [Alicante](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/alicante) | Spain | 359k | 71 | $2,200* | 83 | 77 |

## FAQ

### What are the best small cities for digital nomads?

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Funchal (Madeira), Palma de Mallorca, Valletta: each has fewer than 500,000 residents and a strong balanced score.

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages).

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/top-10/small-cities