This U.S. City Is the Best for Working Remotely — Here's Why

Coffee and Wi-Fi.

A man working alone on his laptop in a cafe
Photo: Eternity in an Instant/Getty Images

When you're a digital nomad, the world is your office. With a lifestyle that only requires a laptop and Wi-Fi — you can ramble wherever you please. But the staggering amount of destination options (literally anywhere on the planet) can become overwhelming when choosing where to log on.

Luckily, Reviews.org has scoured the country and ranked the top cities in the U.S. for digital nomads.

The cities were ranked on "seven different factors such as average metro area internet speed, # of free wifi hotspots, average short-term rental stay cost, miles from nearest airport, national parks, and more," the company shared with Travel + Leisure.

Coming out as the best city in America for digital nomads is Seattle, Wash. The city ranks highest in the country for its number of Wi-Fi spots available — not to mention an enviable amount of coffee shops where you can post up for the afternoon. The internet connections that you'll find in Seattle are rated at number 21 on the list, with an average speed of 111 mbps. But if you're thinking of temporarily settling in Seattle, be sure to budget properly. Nightly rates for Airbnb rentals in Seattle are an average of $191 (one of the more expensive options on the ranking).

Traveling remote workers can also take advantage of Mount Rainier National Park only 44 miles away. And when it comes time to switch to your next destination, the airport is only 10 miles away from town.

Some of the biggest cities in America appear further down the list than you might expect. New York City only ranks at number eight in the list and Los Angeles comes in at number 16, due to their surprisingly low number of Wi-Fi spots.

In general, coastal cities dominated the top spots on the list. Portland, Ore. came in at number two and Atlanta and San Jose were close behind.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.

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