Top 5 Countries for Digital Nomads in 2026

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Remote Work and Online Income Resources:

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V I D E O S    T O    W A T C H    N E X T :


Online Business Tips to Working and Traveling In Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGH0voCyOc&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_IA6s3KvB_g9Cc9Ze1eji8j&index=2

Moving to Mexico: 10 Reasons Why We Chose to Live in Guadalajara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK23vD8_xjc&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_LAY7UV78YMgms-f2e1UcwN&index=23

Tips for Moving Overseas: Top 5 Remote Work Skills That Make Money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFzjCrlNAL8&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_IA6s3KvB_g9Cc9Ze1eji8j


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Disclaimer: The information in this video should not be considered tax, financial, investment, or any kind of professional advice. Only a professional diagnosis of your specific situation can determine which strategies are appropriate for your needs. Entrepreneur Ex

Transcript

0:36

Here's the truth. 2026 is the year the world is split in two for digital nomads on one side, countries are tightening borders. Raising taxes and making remote life heavier and harder. On the other side, though, the doors are wide open, safer cities, faster internet, lower taxes, and governments actively competing to attract people like you. If you choose right, you build a life where your money grows faster, your stress drops instantly, and your freedom compounds every single year. So today I'm breaking down the top five countries for digital nomads in 2026. Not the tired list you've heard before, but the places that are actually winning right now. Hi, I'm Justin from Entrepreneur Expat. We help freedom minded professionals and entrepreneurs build global lives without sacrificing comfort, income, or security. If you're feeling the pressure of rising costs, political tension or bureaucratic creep in the US or Europe, you're not imagining it, but there are countries where digital nomads are thriving, and that's what we're diving into today. If you're interested in more content like that. We're coming out with new videos every single week about how to relocate, how to build the life of your dreams in another country, and much, much more. Make sure to subscribe. Hit that notification bell and give this video a big thumbs up, a big like as well, because it helps us out a ton. And make sure that you don't miss any amazing content. So the shift has really been massive in these last several months. Governments realize that remote workers are a net positive overall. They're educated, they're low impact, and they are stable spenders and over 40 million people worldwide now identify as digital nomads or remote workers. Visa programs are evolving quickly, some extending tax breaks, others simplifying long-term residency and much, much more. Meanwhile, the us, Canada, and Northern Europe. Continue raising financial requirements and pushing policies that make mobility harder. 2026 is a strategic year. Move early and you lock in optionality, move late, and you're boxed in by closing doors. Now we're gonna dive into the ranking of some of these countries, and this ranking is based on real world criteria that matters to entrepreneur, expats, namely, stability and safety, cost of living versus income, potential, visa and residency pathways, internet and infrastructure as well as lifestyle, community and healthcare. This isn't about tourism, it's about sovereignty. It's about building a life that actually works and living as a true entrepreneur. Expat here are the top five countries, so number one, Mexico. This is the place that we currently call home. I would still consider this the heavyweight champion for remote workers. You can get 200 to 500 megabits per second, or even higher fiber in major cities. Like, uh, we're actually not even in a major city. We're about. 10 miles outside of the closest town, and we've still got gigabit fiber to our house. That just doesn't happen in rural areas in the US or it's very, very uncommon. But in major cities, you've got not only one option for fiber internet, but sometimes two or three or more, as well as something like DSL as a backup. Mexico also has accessible residency, at least for now. The costs and requirements are rising every single year. So if it is something that you do qualify, I highly recommend that you jump on that. Now, if you are looking to relocate to Mexico and get our white glove relocation help for that, whether it's the actual moving of you, your family, or your business, or all of the above, the visa. The process, the paperwork, process, taxes, accounting, and so much more across multiple countries. Then you're gonna want to go to entrepreneur expat.com/consult. We can help you not just with Mexico, but also figure out where the right balance is, or the right perhaps passport portfolio for you. So entrepreneur expat.com/consult. We can get you squared away with that. Another thing that I love about Mexico is that there's affordable, high quality private healthcare here. We're never really worried about, Hey, are we gonna. God forbid, you know, knock on wood, like break a leg or something happens, or we get into an accident and we go to the emergency room and it's 5, 10, 15,$20,000. It just isn't like that here. I did have one emergency room visit in the last few years. And I had to pay in cash because it didn't even meet my deductible for insurance. And in total, for me being in the ER with IVs and tests and everything else, I'm okay now. Um, but in total, that entire thing was under$400. I think it was like closer to$300 US for the entire thing in the us that would've been closer to$3,000. So you save at least. 70, 80, 90% on average in a lot of cases, especially for any type of emergency care. And I would argue that, uh, even seeing a specialist is, is. Almost that much cheaper as well. Like you can go and see a specialist here without even any, any type of plan or insurance for anywhere from 50 to about 60 or$70. US cash pay out of pocket, uh, nobody else is involved there. That's how affordable it is. And the doctors here actually spend time with you. And in fact, it's like that a lot more in other countries. Outside of the US than it is in the us in the US and uh, in Canada and a lot of other places. You know, you're in and out in 15 minutes. They don't have a lot of time for you. It's just kind of a wham bam, thank you ma'am. Here they're actually spending as much as an hour with you really understanding your unique situation and helping you make sure that you are all set. Uh, it's not just about money, it's, it's about actually helping people. Another thing that's really cool is that Mexico is a massive global expat hotspot. So it's not just a quote, cheap escape. It's one of the best value for quality countries on the planet, period. Now, number two, Portugal. So Portugal still has the D eight remote work visas as well as passive income pathways, and those remain a strong contender in types of, in terms of those more. Formal residency programs for digital nomads and entrepreneur expats worldwide. It's also extremely safe, highly functional, and English friendly. It's a nice EU base with a softer cultural landing. The taxes are higher, that's for sure, but with the, within the first few years, there's a lot of incentives to ease that tax burden. For nomads who want European stability, Portugal still leads, right? Mia? She says. She says, right. I don't think she likes the sound of the, of the lawnmower outside of the, outside of our, our patio or our fireworks outside there, huh? So number three, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is arguably the most underrated city in Asia. It's got infrastructure that rivals Singapore at a fraction of the cost. They have programs like the MM two H residency that's back with clearer and more predictable rules. There's a low cost of living. It's very multicultural and it's incredibly livable. So if you want order, if you want comfort and affordability without the Bali chaos, Malaysia is the move. Number four, Uruguay. Uruguay is South America's safest and most stable country. They have predictable residency pathways and a strong rule of law. One of the things that a lot of our high net worth clients say as well about Otay is that there's reliable banking and low corruption. That's one of the things that they love about Otay compared to other places in Latin America. It's got a clean European feel lifestyle, and it's perfect for freedom seekers who want privacy and long-term stability. Number five, Albania. This is the breakout star of 2026. It's one of the easiest digital nomad visas in Europe, which stays up to a year for US citizens and easy pathways to longer residency and even a passport. Albania has exceptionally low cost of living compared to Western Europe, and there are fast growing expat hubs like Ana Sarda and Flora. It's not currently in the eu, which actually may work in your favor because there's fewer regulations, simpler bureaucracy, and a lot more flexibility. And I would also argue there's a lot more privacy and personal freedom as well, being that it's not currently an EU country. English is also widely spoken and locals are extremely welcoming of Americans. Albania's, ALS always had an amazing relationship with the us. Albania gives you Mediterranean lifestyle without the EU complications and without the EU price tag. Most digital nomads tend to choose countries emotionally, beaches, cafes, photos, entrepreneur, expats, however, choose countries. Structurally, the biggest mistake is waiting until the requirements go up or the programs disappear, so you really want to act now. We're seeing this trend absolutely everywhere, mexico's residency thresholds just increased for 2026, and they've been increasing every single year. Europe is tightening the digital nomad programs on that continent, and some countries are reducing tax incentives after there's too much demand. 2026 isn't the year to drift. It's the year to actually decide and to take action. So how do you pick your country? Well, you want to ask yourself these three grounding questions. Number one, what lifestyle do you want daily, not just on vacation. Do you want temporary mobility or long-term residency? And how does this country support your financial freedom and business goals? When you choose based on structure, not fantasy, everything becomes easier. Taxes, banking, healthcare, safety, cost of living, and long-term options. So if you're interested in getting one-on-one support with all of your relocation needs, whether that's taxes, visas, paperwork, and so much more, or perhaps even picking a country for you, your family, and your business to relocate to, just go to entrepreneur expat.com/consult. Tell Mia go get the consult. Go sign up. She says, go sign up for a consult@entrepreneurexpat.com slash consult. And we will speak to you very soon. Freedom really just does not happen by accident. It happens when you choose places that expand your options instead of shrinking them. And I wanna reiterate, make a decision. Take action now. Mexico, Portugal, Malaysia, Uruguay, and Albania are giving digital nomads the strongest advantages in 2026 if you move intentionally and move quickly. So if you're ready to build your global strategy, the right country, the right visa, the right financial plan, don't forget to book that call@entrepreneurexpat.com slash consult, and you can also check out some of our free resources, such as our moving abroad checklist@entrepreneurexpat.com slash abroad. You're not looking for a vacation, you're building a sovereign life and the world has never been more ready for it.