Are you looking for a place where you can combine work and leisure? Then you have come to the right place.
The Hungarian capital Budapest tops the list of the world’s best cities for working and vacationing, or “workcation,” compiled by flexible and hybrid workspace operator International Workplace Group.
The results are based on internal research and the findings of a survey of 1,000 hybrid office workers worldwide.
Hybrid and remote work, which gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic when companies around the world temporarily closed their offices to comply with health standards, has become a permanent solution for many companies.
The number of people working from home increased fivefold between 2019 and 2023. and 40% of U.S. workers currently work from home at least one day a week, according to a report from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
“Thanks to cloud technology, we can be anywhere in the world as long as there is a high-quality internet connection available. So it’s no wonder that more and more people are coming up with the idea of combining work with travel, whether it’s for a few days at the end of a vacation or a few months as a digital nomad,” said Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of the International Workplace Group.
According to the IWG report, 84% of hybrid workers have extended their vacation time or would consider doing so to work remotely, and 75% said that “the freedom to work from anywhere increases their job satisfaction.”
The IWG report compared 30 cities around the world and rated them on a scale of 10 in the following categories:
- climate
- culture
- Accommodation
- transport
- Eat
- Living expenses (cost of a coffee)
- Luck
- Broadband speed
- sustainability
- Availability of flexible workspaces
This criterion was chosen to “measure how pleasant or conducive the working environment abroad will be, particularly taking into account the job responsibilities,” Dixon told CNBC Make It.
“In addition to basic quality of life requirements (accommodation, transportation, food, etc.), there are critical considerations that can have a significant impact on a worker’s productivity, such as broadband and the availability of flexible workspaces,” he said.
Budapest tops the list this year, securing high scores in the categories of accommodation (9.5/10), transport (9.5/10), sustainability (8.5/10) and broadband speed (8/10).
The Hungarian capital is “famous for its classical architecture and attracts around 12 million international tourists annually… (and) has more than 200 museums and galleries, vibrant neighborhoods and spacious green spaces, making it an ideal choice for digital nomads,” the report says.
The 10 best cities for a workcation according to IWG:
- Budapest
- Barcelona
- Rio de Janeiro
- Beijing
- Lisbon
- new York
- Singapore
- Jakarta
- LA
- Milan
Barcelona, which topped the list last year, remains a favorite among hybrid workers. In addition to its digital nomad visa, reliable transportation infrastructure and comparatively affordable cost of living, the Spanish city also offers “a vibrant atmosphere, stunning architecture and almost year-round sunshine,” the report said.
Barcelona scored well in the categories of transport (9/10), climate (8.5/10) and accommodation (8.5/10), which measure the cost of a monthly public transport pass, the total number of hours of sunshine per year and the average rent per month.
Cities in Asia were Beijing, Singapore and Jakarta also feature prominently in this year’s list, making it into the top 10. Beijing dropped one place this year and is now in fourth place.
Singapore, on the other hand, was able to improve by an impressive 14 places compared to the previous year and is now in 7th place. The city-state performed particularly well in the categories of broadband quality (10/10) and sustainability (9/10).
Boasting the world’s second-best airport, Singapore serves as a “global gateway to Southeast Asia,” making it an attractive travel destination. Singapore has also been named Asia’s happiest country for the second year in a row and is on track to offer island-wide 5G coverage by 2025, according to the IWG.
“This trend will continue to accelerate and we will continue to see more and more companies adopting WFA policies to improve their employees’ work-life balance and increase their attractiveness as an employer,” said Dixon.
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