How much are the usual earnings of a digital nomad? (aka how much are you making?)
I feel most earn only $1000 to $2000 and spend it ALL on travelling. I don’t think thats mentally and financially sustainable.
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Digital nomad encompasses (but is not limited to) anyone whose job can be done remotely.
That ranges from freelancers making ends meet to survive in rural SEA to principle software engineers or company founders making millions.
There is no answer to be had here.
https://nomadlist.com/digital-nomad-statistics
Scroll to “Nomads by Income”: 35% report $150k - $250k followed by 34% $50k-100k
I don’t know any actual long-term nomad who is only making so little. If someone is just taking an extended gap year then it doesn’t matter much and it is better than blowing through savings. I would say median of people I know ~$5k with way, way higher upper-end.
I was making around $2,000 CAD a month ten years ago and that was okay for travelling half the year. Now I’m around $5,000 CAD a month that while working much less and can stay in nicer places.
I currently make $4,500 CAD in my Web Dev Job. I’m gonna be traveling for 4 months across Europe this winter and was wondering what kind of lifestyle did $5000 CAD afford you while traveling? I’m also thinking of transitioning into freelance so how did you get started? Thanks
I’ve been travelling with a partner recently, so the costs are shared. I’d likely stay in cheaper countries, for longer periods of time to get better accommodation rates otherwise, which is what I used to do. This last trip, we were eating out most of the time, but there was often a breakfast buffet or we’d get snacks or make sandwiches.
Staying away from the more expensive countries and focusing on the cheaper places in central and eastern Europe lets you stretch that money way further. I used to try not to spend more than $60 / night when in hotels while on my own but that isn’t too feasible anymore unfortunately if you are staying shorter durations. So a bunch of your income is going to go towards accommodation now. You may get better deals with AirBnb, but I try to steer clear of them now unless they’re a private room in someone’s house as I don’t feel comfortable with how much this and similar platforms have affecting housing affordability, with certain people having multiple listings in a city.
I’ve been freelance in the video production sector for ages, doing odd paid gigs since 2003. It was slow going, was location-dependent, and wasn’t paid great. Eventually I was recommended for a web development job with a steady client with good pay in 2012, and I could do the work remotely, so I did. A few years later, another video production contact got in touch with me and tried my work out on-location before moving remote, then I got another programming client through them a few years after that. And a possible fourth steady video production client through that relation as well.
New clients pay better than the old ones, but there’s a learning curve, more complexity, and you never know if it’s going to work out. But you need to diversify in case an older client’s work slowly starts to drop off (which has happened with the first client). The older clients tend to be way more hands-off and let you do what you want and they’ll know your work well enough to recommend you to others, so it’s usually a good idea to keep them and keep in touch. Mind you, all of these steady remote clients came to me directly or indirectly from classmates in college, so making sure your friends, family, and acquaintances know when you’re looking for more work is incredibly important.
Something important to keep in mind is $4,500 income is more like $3,500 after taxes and CPP are factored in. I’d look into accommodations based around that budget. Maybe sprinkle in some hostels when you’re first visiting an area, so you meet new people and explore together, and keep your accommodation costs lower. And look for hostels that have kitchen facilities.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m happy to help.
Problems.
The usual digital nomad is cash-flow negative, stretching credit cards and savings while selling others the idea of living on a permanent vacation is attainable if you just buy this particular nomad’s $699 hustle pdf guide
want some toast with your jelly?
Keep telling yourself that. Absolutely false narrative there
Sounds like you’ve never met one.
I make about $26k a month. I’m in consulting and work a few contracts at the same time with rates between $110-$125 an hour
What kind of consulting are you in?
HR tech and fintech
Teach me. Please.
I also spent 5 years previously working in person at a Big 4 consulting firm getting the experience, skills, and network to work for myself via independent contracts
I tried digital nomad thing for a year. 7 countries. Most adequate, safe places, 1,5-2K just doesn’t cut it. My expenses on average were 3K. Luckily I make substantially more than that. Sure, nothing wrong with living in a bunaglo and eating street food only somewhere in Southeast Asia, or South America, but if you want safety, good infrastructure, modern urban environment, this comes with a price - still cheaper than in US / Canada, but generally not really cheap. And yes, this is only sustainable if you spend in a country long time, bothered to learn the language, pay taxes there, make local friends and not just expat friends, and generally, working towards something like PR / second passport. Which in turn, for me, crosses out a lot of countries from list, such as Thailand, for example, where you can live for decades, and still be a tourist without any rights.
It really depends. I live in Medellin and have met a few nomads with marketing businesses which make 20K-100K per month.
What kind of marketing businesses? Social media agency?
I hang out with those guys. We probably know each other haha
Ice bath crew?
I’m a developer and barely break $10K after tax a month. I work from WeWork and other coworking spaces around the world and have met others making around the same or more.
There are definitely responsible digital nomads out there. It really depends on your circles and where you stay as well. I cannot work at hostels or focus at small hotel rooms so I up my hotel budget and see it as a business expense.
Asking all the other devs in this thread the same question, but I’m guessing you are working remotely abroad without telling your employer right? on travel visas? I’m fully remote but all the roles I ever see being advertised restrict me to stay in my country.
Hi, may I know whether you work for a company or do you freelance/own your own business?
i work for WeWork
For now… 😉
I’m a dev too making around $7,500 to a bit over $8,000 USD a month generally. Freelancer but steady clients and haven’t taken a new project in a year and a half. Living in Asia for over 4 years now
Can I ask what in languages / techs ? I am a full-stack dev for 20 years but I never did any freelance job, I only worked on my own business (websites and apps) I had some crazy years in money but these days its much harder, these number make me reconsider :)
Completely depends on profession. I’ve met some digital nomads just scraping by but also ones making 50k+ per month.
I make above $4000 USD.
I also happen to live in Asia so travelling is very cheap.
There’s needs to be room for savings and big purchases as well.
$17-$20k per month. Mostly slowmading :)
Do u have a job/business/freelance? And in which niche?
I do freelance as a product manager and run multiple blogs
Any advices for someone starting from zero? What would you do if you had to start from scratch?
Learn something / be great at something people are willing to pay for.
Otherwise, If you have great work ethic (willing to hustle 50/60hrs a week for 2-4 years), then offer a simple service (e.g., cold outreach, podcast placements, whatever else can be standardized with SOPs) until you reach $10k monthly profit. Then parlay that into higher margin businesses like software.
I average on a similar $15 - $17k a month and it goes much higher on summer months, April to Oct.
Also slowmading for most of the year. 6 to 8 weeks at least in one place.
Same…6 months Thailand, 6 months traveling
What is slowmading?
I make $11,000/mo, spend $1350 a month on rent, $200 a month on flights and about $800 a month on food. Since I own very little, most of the rest of my income goes towards my business or self development. Pretty fucking sustainable.
Easily over $100k from the guys that I’ve met but I am closer to 40 so this may be skewed based on age (much later into their careers)
Exactly - I’m not sure why people are so shocked that someone travelling around the globe is making a high salary and is likely already in an established career.
This sub is not the one for high income digital nomads from what I’ve gathered. It’s mostly guys who want to do it but by the skin of their teeth
Many people in very different places.
You will see a lot more about making a tight budget go further for many of the same reasons as non DN work: more people have lower paying jobs, and people with less money need more help making budgets work.
Those of us making $5k-$10k+ don’t have reasons to be asking how to make our budgets work.
I don’t think thats mentally and financially sustainable.
this is true whether traveling or not.