Work From Anywhere: Best Long-Stay Cities for 2026 (From an Indian Who’s Actually Tried It)#

So, quick confession before we start. When people say “work from anywhere”, most of us in India first think Goa, Himachal, maybe Bali, and then… blank. Atleast that’s how it was for me. Then remote work became normal, my manager said, “As long as you’re online, do whatever you want,” and my brain just went, ok then, let’s not be sensible.

Over the last couple of years I’ve done long-ish stays (1–3 months types) in a few places that are becoming proper hubs for remote workers – Lisbon, Da Nang, Tbilisi, Bangkok, and of course our own Bengaluru. Some I loved, some I just tolerated because rent was cheap, some surprised me totally. And since everyone keeps asking me on Insta, “Bhai, where to go for 1–2 months and still work properly?”, I thought I’ll just put everything here in one place.

First, Reality Check: What Actually Matters When You "Work From Anywhere"#

Honestly, after a few trips you realise it’s not about fancy beaches or Instagram cafes. It’s more boring things like:

  • Reliable Wi‑Fi (if Jio fiber spoils you at home, you’ll know the pain outside India)
  • Visa rules – can you actually stay for a month or more without stress?
  • Time zone – will you be doing 11 pm standups because client is in US and you’re in Latin America?
  • Cost of living – can you survive without converting every coffee to rupees in your head and crying

Also safety, walkability, food options for when you miss dal-chawal, and local vibe. Specially for us Indians, things like finding vegetarian food, dealing with language, and avoiding racist nonsense matter a lot too. Most places I mention below are doing well on digital-nomad trends, co-working growth, and long-stay infrastructure. I’m not just going with vibes, promise.

1. Lisbon, Portugal – Europe But Kinda Chilled#

Lisbon is that city which looks like a postcard but still somehow feels laidback. I stayed there for around six weeks, living in a tiny studio in Graça with a slanting floor (no joke, my chair used to slowly roll by itself). It’s become one of Europe’s biggest remote-work hubs and you’ll literally hear English, Spanish, French, Hindi, all mixed in cafes.

Why it works well if you’re working remotely from India:

  • Time zone: Only about 4.5–5.5 hours behind India, so you can still do regular-ish office timing. Morning is quiet, calls start after lunch, evenings are yours.
  • Wi‑Fi & co-working: Co-working spaces are everywhere now – Second Home, Village Underground, IDEA Spaces – plus most cafes don’t blink if you sit with a laptop for hours.
  • Safety: I walked back from metro at 11 pm many nights. Felt super ok as long as I stayed in the central areas.

Cost wise, it’s not “cheap cheap”, but still lighter on the pocket than Paris or Amsterdam. For a long stay you’re looking at roughly:

  • Rent (room in shared apartment): ~€500–€800 per month in central-ish areas
  • Eating out: €8–€12 for a decent meal, €2–€3 for coffee

Pro tip from my trial-and-error life: avoid August if you’re working. It’s peak tourist season, crazy heat, and everything is packed. March–June or Sept–early Nov feels much nicer, you get pleasant weather and slightly better deals on stay.

Oh and btw, small hack – there’s a growing Indian community. I found a tiny Indian store in Arroios with Maggi, Parle-G, MDH masala. Saved my life on days when I couldn’t do one more pastel de nata.

2. Da Nang, Vietnam – Beach + City + Cheap AF#

Out of all places I’ve tried, Da Nang was the most underrated. Everybody talks about Bali, but honestly, Da Nang felt like that sweet spot – proper city, long beach, and still not ruined by over-tourism. Vietnamese govt has been pushing tourism and remote work pretty steadily, so infrastructure is catching up fast.

For long stays, this city is honestly a gem:

  • Cost of living: You can get a clean studio near My Khe beach for around ₹30k–₹50k/month if you negotiate directly or through local Facebook groups.
  • Food: Lots of vegetarian options surprisingly, plus Indian restaurants in the main areas. Local food is amazing – banh mi, pho, com ga – and street food can be as low as ₹120–₹200 a meal.
  • Internet: Co-working spots like Enouvo Space, SPACE A, plus cafes with solid Wi‑Fi. I did client calls from a cafe literally looking at the sea once. Felt filmy.

Weather wise, just be careful about the typhoon/rainy season. From around Sept to Nov, it can get pretty intense with heavy rains and floods. Best months to base yourself there are Feb to early May – warm but not melting, less rain, water is nice.

Also, safety for solo travellers felt very good. People mostly keep to themselves, and crime is quite low in the main areas. Only thing – language is a small issue, so just keep Google Translate ready. For us Indians, accent also becomes a mutual comedy show, but it’s fine.

3. Tbilisi, Georgia – Visa-Friendly and Kinda Addictive#

Georgia has quietly become a massive hit with remote workers. Tbilisi especially. The first week I reached, I met more founders, freelancers and random crypto bros than I’ve met in months in Bangalore. There’s a reason: the country has been very relaxed with visas and long stays for many nationalities, including Indians, and it’s still relatively affordable.

Things that made me stay longer than I planned (my mother was not happy):

  • Cost of stay: A decent one-bedroom or large studio can be found around $350–$500 per month if you’re okay being 10–15 mins away from absolute center. Airbnb will show higher, so check local agents and Facebook groups too.
  • Food: Georgian food is heavy but amazing – khachapuri, khinkali – but yeah, vegetarian can get tricky if you’re strict. There are Indian restaurants, grocery stores with basic Indian masalas, and loads of bakeries.
  • Community: Co-working spaces like Impact Hub, Terminal, and Space Z are full of remote workers. The networking happens naturally over coffee and wine.

Tbilisi is walkable, has a cool old-town area, and on weekends you can escape to the mountains or wine regions. Just note that winters get properly cold. If you’re like me who starts shivering under fan in Bangalore winter, then maybe target April–June or Sept–Oct to avoid snow and black ice drama.

On safety: I felt very safe, even late at night in central areas. Just like any city, avoid super drunk crowds and dark back streets. Overall, locals were friendly and quite used to foreigners now because of the digital nomad rush.

4. Bangkok, Thailand – Chaos, Comfort, and Co-Working Everywhere#

Bangkok is not just a stopover city anymore. It’s become a proper base for a lot of remote workers and startup folks. I did a six-week sprint there – living, working, eating more Thai curry than my stomach could handle. And honestly, it’s one of the most convenient long-stay cities I’ve experienced.

Why it’s great if you’re coming from India:

  • Flights are frequent and usually not crazy expensive, especially from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore.
  • Time zone is just 1.5 hours ahead of IST, so your work schedule barely changes.
  • You’ll find Indian food literally everywhere – from cheap thalis to fancy North Indian restaurants.

Accommodation for long stays is where Bangkok really shines. In areas like On Nut, Phrom Phong, or even parts of Sathorn, you can get serviced apartments with Wi‑Fi, cleaning, sometimes even a pool and gym, for like ₹35k–₹70k/month depending on how fancy you go.

Co-working and cafe culture is solid – The Hive, Hubba, WeWork, and endless coffee shops where no one gives you side-eye for opening a laptop. Internet speeds are fast and stable, definitely better than what I’ve had in many European cities, not gonna lie.

Safety wise, central Bangkok is okay as long as you use basic common sense. Public transport is a blessing – BTS and MRT make you forget about traffic (well, at least partly). Just avoid booking super cheap rooms near random alleys, spend a bit more to be close to a BTS station. Your sanity will thank you.

5. Bengaluru, India – The OG Remote-Work City We Keep Ignoring#

I know this is supposed to be about global cities, but hear me out. Sometimes the best “work from anywhere” base is still inside the country. Bengaluru has quietly turned into a massive remote-work bubble: cafes full of laptops, co-working in every block, amazing weather compared to most Indian cities, and a ridiculous amount of food options.

If you’re testing the long-stay life, do a 1-month work-from-Bangalore before going international. It’s cheaper than Europe or SE Asia once you remove flight costs, and you still get that new-city energy.

Some quick reality from my own long stay there:

  • Areas like Indiranagar, Koramangala, HSR are packed with co-working spaces and cafes that have decent Wi‑Fi. On weekends they turn into party zones also, so life balance is sorted.
  • Rent isn’t cheap but still manageable – a decent 1BHK might be ₹25k–₹45k/month in these areas, depending on how fussy you are.
  • Weather is surprisingly kind for most of the year, except some random hot weeks. Compared to Delhi summer or Mumbai humidity, it feels like heaven only.

Traffic is the only villain. So choose your area based on where you plan to hang out and work. I made the mistake of staying in Whitefield and co-working in Koramangala. Learned the hard way. Don’t do it.

Visas, Safety & Other Boring But Important Stuff#

I know this part is dull but if you’re planning to actually move around while working, you can’t ignore it. A few quick things from my own runs and from other Indians I met on the road:

  • Always double-check visa rules on official govt sites before booking long stays. Policies keep changing quietly; what was allowed in 2023 might need extra paperwork now.
  • Travel insurance – don’t skip it. I used to laugh at it and then had a small hospital visit in Thailand. After that I never travel without.
  • eSIMs and local SIMs are super easy now in most of these cities. Good to keep backup data in case your Wi‑Fi dies before a client call. Which it will. Murphy’s law.

For safety, most of these cities are relatively fine if you stick to central areas, don’t drink yourself senseless in random bars, and avoid flaunting expensive gear in sketchy streets. For solo women travellers, I’ve heard very positive feedback about Lisbon, Da Nang and Bangkok in particular, though obviously experiences vary, and local research is must.

How I Choose My Next Long-Stay City (So You Can Copy-Paste The Method)#

My selection process is very high-tech, you know… basically a messy mix of gut feeling and spreadsheets. But some filters I always use now:

  • Is the time zone within 3–4 hours of IST if I have Indian clients? If not, can I handle weird call timings?
  • What’s the average monthly rent in areas with decent public transport and safety? If it’s more than what I pay in India + flight cost + food, is it really worth it?
  • Are there co-working spaces or at least laptop-friendly cafes nearby? I can’t work only from home, my brain turns into khichdi.
  • How easy is it to get vegetarian food or at least ingredients so I can cook? Long stays mean you will crave simple ghar ka khaana.

Also, tiny but important: I always check if Uber/Grab/Bolt/anything app-based exists. Makes life 10x simpler when you’re new and don’t wanna bargain every rickshaw ride.

Final Thoughts: WFA Sounds Glam But It’s Still Real Life#

Um, so here’s the thing nobody tells you in those dreamy YouTube vlogs. Working from random cities sounds glamorous, but most days you’re still just… working. You’ll have deadlines, annoying calls, bad mood days. The difference is, when you shut your laptop, instead of staring at the same lane outside your building, you can go watch a sunset on a beach in Da Nang, grab sangria in Lisbon, eat khao soi in Bangkok, or drink filter coffee in Bangalore’s cute cafes.

If you’re thinking about doing a long stay in 2026 or whenever your company finally agrees to flexible work, my honest suggestion: start small. Maybe 2–3 weeks in Bangalore or Goa. Then try one SE Asian base like Bangkok or Da Nang. Once you’re comfortable juggling time zones, expenses, and homesickness, then push for Europe or somewhere further.

Don’t wait for the “perfect time”, because it never comes. I delayed my first long stay for almost a year thinking, “Let this project finish, let that promotion come…” Nothing changed except time lost. The moment I just booked my ticket and figured things out on the way, life opened up a little bit more.

Anyway, I’ll stop gyaan now. If you wanna dive deeper into more destination guides, remote-work city breakdowns and such, I keep reading and sometimes writing on AllBlogs.in – lot of solid, desi-friendly travel info there. Might help you pick your next work-from-anywhere city without making all my mistakes first.