Digital nomad wellbeing: the worst cities in 2026 according to the Holafly index
On 2 September 2026 Holafly released its "Plans Wellbeing Index 2026", a study that rates 25 digital nomad hubs not on Wi-Fi speed or the price of a coffee, but on eight everyday wellbeing factors: community, noise, green space, access to exercise, healthy food, daylight, cost of living and healthcare. Each city gets a deficit score from 0 to 100, with 100 being the worst. Lima tops the list of the hardest cities at 85.3, ahead of Hanoi (82.7) and Cusco (76.3). Six of the eight lowest-ranked cities are destinations known for their low cost of living.
How the index is built
The study, covered on 7 September by EU Reporter and detailed by Innovative Human Capital, combines official public data with figures from the World Health Organization, Mercer and Google Maps. The eight criteria are aggregated into a single deficit score. The higher the score, the more a city lacks: little natural light, high noise, few parks, scarce or expensive gyms, poor food options, hard-to-reach healthcare.
Holafly added a survey of nomads. 33.7% name unpredictable schedules and time zones as the main obstacle to their balance, 20.7% say they do not know what exists locally to exercise or eat well, and 18.8% point to the cost of gyms, classes and healthy food.
The ten lowest-ranked cities
Lima, Peru: 85.3. The least daylight of all 25 cities studied, high noise and limited green space.
Hanoi, Vietnam: 82.7. Last for noise and access to exercise, tied for the weakest green space.
Cusco, Peru: 76.3. The weakest social and community network in the study.
Bogotá, Colombia.
Da Nang, Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Cancún, Mexico.
Medellín, Colombia.
Tbilisi, Georgia.
Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Holafly only published the scores of the first three. The extracts sent to the press do not give the top of the table either: the study is meant to flag the weak points of established hubs, not to crown a winner. The full report was not available online at the time of writing.
What cheap cities really cost
The most telling result fits in one sentence: of the ten cities at the bottom of the ranking, seven or eight are the ones guides recommend for their budget. Lima, Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Medellín, Bogotá, Tbilisi and Buenos Aires have featured for years in lists of destinations under 1,500 dollars a month. Cost of living is only one of the eight factors, and it is the only one where these cities score.
A city where you can live on 900 euros a month but sleep badly because of the noise, go without sun through the southern winter and pay Paris prices for the nearest gym is not cheap. It moves the cost from the rent bill to health and productivity.
The reverse reading is just as useful. More expensive cities such as Valencia, Las Palmas or Seville, which Holafly placed in its global top 10 for remote work earlier in 2026, combine sunshine, parks, markets and a public health system. The extra rent buys measurable wellbeing.
The visa side, which the index ignores
The study says nothing about the right to stay, even though it is the first constraint on remaining more than three months. Across the countries on the list, the picture is mixed.
Peru: the digital nomad visa announced in November 2023 under Legislative Decree 1582 is still not operational in 2026. No procedure, fee or income requirement has been published. Stays run on tourist status, 90 days extendable up to 183 days a year.
Vietnam: no nomad visa. The 25-dollar e-visa allows 90 days with multiple entries and cannot be extended in-country. You leave and reapply.
Colombia: the V "Nómadas Digitales" visa under Resolution 5477 of 2022 exists and works. It requires three times the minimum wage, about 5.25 million pesos a month in 2026, income entirely from abroad and six months of documented remote activity. Processing takes around 30 days, validity up to two years.
Georgia: no dedicated visa, but 365 days visa-free for most Western nationalities, still one of the simplest regimes in the world.
Mexico and Argentina: a temporary resident visa with proof of income for Mexico, and a 180-day remote worker permit for Argentina, both in force.
In other words, the three cities rated worst for wellbeing are also those where the legal basis for a long stay is weakest. We described the Colombian regime in our guide to nomad visas in Latin America; it remains the most solid route on the list.
What this changes depending on your situation
For a freelancer choosing a base for six months or a year, the index is an invitation to do the full sum: rent plus noise, plus light, plus exercise, plus healthcare. A city that saves 400 euros a month on housing but loses on the other seven criteria is not a good trade. Then check the visa: in Peru and Vietnam, a stay beyond 90 days rests on border runs, not on a permit.
For an employer that allows "workation" periods, the index gives a reason to frame destinations. An employee who works remotely from a city where they sleep badly and never exercise comes back in worse shape than they left. A work-from-abroad policy can set a list of approved countries based on two objective criteria: the existence of a residence status compatible with remote work, and the maximum duration before local tax or social security obligations kick in. Those are the two points Nomamundi checks in its compliance audit before each departure.
For a travel manager organising short trips, the study matters little: on a one-week assignment, noise or daylight weigh less than the flight and the business visa. It becomes relevant the moment an employee asks to extend their assignment on site.
