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With the increasing costs of living at home, millions of Americans have their eyes focused on Europe-this in particular if they run an online company and are independent.
Now that many European countries have detached the access and residential regulations for digital nomads and have gone as far as launching visas that facilitate their move, 2025 is perhaps the year that you finally take that big transatlantic leap.
Yet there are 44 countries in the old continent, and not all of them offer a high quality of life and tax -friendly regimes compared to the US
If you hope someone would limit it for you, you can thank people Frantateworld For coming up with the Top 5 countries in Europe Based on their costs of living, internet speed and digital nomad scores.
Oh, and if you think the United Kingdom, France, Italy and the like have cut, you face one big surprise:
Portugal
A sun-drenched country is pressed between the much-Larger Spain and the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal is the fifth highest digital nomad destination in Europe:
When You are applying for their digital nomad visa, which requires a minimum income of € 3,548 per month, you will receive a Six months of tax exemption and may stay a year – with the Possibility to extend it up to four times, for a maximum stay of five years.
Despite the increased financial requirements, with the exception of Lisbon, the costs of living in Portugal are much lower: you can live on Only US $ 2,087 per month In the relaxed coastal city Lagos, or $ 2,107 on the island of Subtropical Madeira.
Moreover, it is currently one of the safest countries in the Western world:
How widespread as a pickpocket and minor crime can be in certain urban centers, radicalization levels are low and extremist attacks are usually not aimed at.
Romania
Romania is not in number 4 and is not the first choice of everyone from a digital nomadhub, given the hard winters, but you would be surprised how pleasant it can be as soon as the snow starts to melt in the spring, especially during those sultry Eastern Balkans.
Bucharest is the largest city and a vast concrete jungle sprinkled with monuments from the communist era and green parks, although it is far from the best range of Romania:
Timisoara is a cultural hotspot in the north-western corner of the country, famous for its elegant Austrian-Hungarian architecture And picturesque river front, while Constanta, on the Black Sea coast, is an underrated casino hub with a lively nightlife.
As far as our personal favorite is concerned, Brasov is a timeless medieval city that is famous for being postcanWhere paved streets are covered with quirky theme cafés and dominated by a creepy-Gothic, 14th-century black church.
It is also the entrance gate to historically important regions associated with Vlad Dracul, or as you may know him from legend, Count Dracula, a real bloodthirsty king who has never defeated the vampire confusions and whose Bran Castle is a short half hour drive away.
Living in Romania, you can expect Pay up to 10% on personal income taxAnd you even get an exemption of six months under the digital Nomad visa.
The financial threshold is on the higher side, at € 3,300, but you can live comfortably in Timisoara for $ 1,975 per month or in Brasov for $ 2,657.
Hungary
Hungary is a rank at number 3 and is a European jewel in Central Oriental Low levels of crime and irregular migrationHigh percentages of social cohesion-it-all remain ethnic-Hungarian and especially affordable life.
When it comes to destinations, Budapest is really that of Hungary Tour de Force:
A stately capital with the rapidly flowing Danube, it houses a number of Europe’s most iconic architectural sights, from the Rood-Dome Hungarian Parliament to the Castle of Hilltop Buda, and it is a great home base throughout the year.
Whether it is a naturally heated swimming pool to escape from the Winterkoute in one of the many graceful 19th-century saunas of the city or a lush-green Margaret island stroller Lots of tricks in the sleeve To keep you under the spell for months.
When it comes to prices, a meal in a room -run restaurant will cost an average of $ 10.46 in a room -run restaurant, while the rent in the city center U $ 669 will return, according to Numbeo Estimates.
In order to qualify quality for Hungary Digital Nomad Visa in 2025 in 2025, you must proof the monthly income of more than € 2,000, in accordance with the total costs of living in Budapest.
Montenegro
In the second place we have a still display but rapidly rising Montenegro:
A small Balkan nation embraced by the green-blue-colored Adriatic Sea, is considered by many to extend Croatia, thanks to the stone villages in Dalmatia style, amplified port cities and a slower lifestyle.
The city of Kotor is perhaps the most sought after place in Montenegro: a popular alternative to Dubrovnik, It has an intact, walled old townAnd it is the paradise for cat lovers, with thousands of stray kittens that fill his narrow, paved lanes and piazza’s.
In Budva you will find a quieter version of Kotor, without the usual cruise economes in the early afternoon, and a fairy-tale old stronghold that sits on a peninsula, and further along the coast, in the bar, a livelier social scene, exciting night life scene and the longest Sandy Beach Await discovery.
One of Montenegro’s biggest calls is the fact that it is neither a member of the European Union, which means that it can explain its own, more lax visa policy, nor of the Schengen zone:
In other words, if you are not a resident of Europe, you don’t have to worry about the annoying 90-day rule.
Supplementary, The tax rate is between 9-11%The minimum income requirement for foreign residents has been set at an affordable € 1,350 – no wonder that there are so many Serbs and Russians who live there – and because it is a Mediterranean land, Montenegro enjoys mild temperatures all year round!
Spain
The number one digital nomad port both in Europe, and the worldFor old favorites such as the VAE and the Bahamas, Spain has the perfect 5/5 score According to Visaguideworld, and it excels in all category on except one category:
The average internet speed score is 77.70, only lower than that of the VAE (which scores a perfect 100). The adjusted minimum income requirement for foreign residents is € 2,140. It has great health care, is (largely) cheap to live in, and …
You will be beaten with 24% taxesAnd that is if you are in the lower income bracket – but hey, you can’t have everything.
We would claim that a considerable part of your income is a fairly outdated assessment for the palm trees in Barcelona Sandy Coast and culturally rich Gothic Quarter, the almost uninterrupted sunshine of Valencia, or Mallorca’s Turquoise Calas And rolling vineyards.
In addition to the high taxes, some would claim that the lower safety levels in densely populated conurbations, especially in special tourist cities, are the biggest disadvantage of Spain: Americans are urging, for example, to exercise ‘increased caution’ due to crime.
That said, most residents would consider Spain as a safe and prosperous country to live in, regardless of the current geopolitical crises and rising crime, which remains at manageable level (versus most of the worldwide south).
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This article originally appeared on Traveloffpath.com
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