best of, wellbeing
The happiest cities for digital nomads
“Happiness” rankings usually measure how residents feel about their own country. Useful, but not what you want when you’re showing up as a nomad. The ExpatWhy Wellbeing Score turns practical day-to-day tradeoffs into one comparable 0–10 signal.
the ranking
- 01
Lagos, portugal8.71 /10·~$1,689~$1,689120mb19°C7.4 nomad8.71/10 - 02
Evora, portugal8.65 /10·~$1,689~$1,689120mb17°C7.3 nomad8.65/10 - 03
Cascais, portugal8.64 /10·~$1,689~$1,689120mb19°C7.3 nomad8.64/10 - 04
Leiden, netherlands8.57 /10·$1,525$1,525130mb20°C7.5 nomad8.57/10 - 05
Cagliari, italy8.56 /10·~$1,737~$1,73790mb23°C7.0 nomad8.56/10 - 06
Lisbon, portugal8.52 /10·$2,334$2,334200mb19°C7.6 nomad8.52/10 - 07
Sintra, portugal8.51 /10·~$1,689~$1,689120mb17°C7.3 nomad8.51/10 - 08
Valencia, spain8.41 /10·~$1,706~$1,706200mb25°C7.8 nomad8.41/10 - 09
Aveiro, portugal8.40 /10·~$1,689~$1,689120mb18°C7.2 nomad8.40/10 - 10
Amsterdam, netherlands8.38 /10·~$1,606~$1,606200mb16°C7.9 nomad8.38/10
frequently asked
Quick answers.
- How is your Wellbeing Score calculated?
- It is an ExpatWhy composite designed around the practical tradeoffs that shape everyday life for a nomad.
- Why not just use the World Happiness Report?
- The WHR measures how residents feel about their lives, a long-term wellbeing signal for citizens. Useful for policy work, less useful for nomads who don't live there yet. Our score weighs what a nomad actually encounters in week one: safety, internet calls home, finding people to meet.
- Which city scores highest?
- Lagos (Portugal) leads the current Wellbeing ranking; Evora, Cascais and Leiden round out the top four. Recomputed 2026-09-07 without the English component.