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Why I’m More Productive in Expensive Digital Nomad Cities
The Reason May Surprise You
The cost of living is a huge selling factor to become a digital nomad. Being able to take a high paying salary to a low cost of living destination means the dream of early retirement is a reality. If you have an online business and need to communicate constantly with clients, you probably will not travel as much as you think you will. You would think that saving money would translate into higher quality clients and more money to invest into your business. I found the opposite to be true.
For an entire year, I was a digital nomad doing architectural drafting work remotely. This is a strange profession to take remotely, but it did keep me afloat in expensive and affordable cities alike.
I Landed Most of My New Clients in NYC and Helsinki
Paying $16 for a cappuccino + a muffin in a Chelsea cafe in Manhattan was really scary to me. I opened my laptop with a “now or never” mentality. I told myself I was not leaving this cafe without getting a new client. Helsinki, Finland was even scarier, because I was on the other side of the ocean from the U.S. If I ran out of money, the consequences were more dire. Perhaps I enjoyed these cities less, because I was constantly on edge, but I got all my highest…
