Moving Abroad? These Countries Offer Remote Workers Lightning-Fast Internet
Embrace your inner digital nomad! These countries have the best internet connectivity, Ookla says.
By Christopher Janaro
Looking to work and travel but want high-speed internet that can keep up with you? Now you confidently embrace your inner digital nomad, knowing you can connect in remote locations such as Malta and Taiwan.
A recent report from Ookla tracked which countries with remote work visas have the best internet. Fifty-one countries offer these temporary permits—which allow working visitors to stay—and of those, Thailand comes out on top. Its median download speed of 196.20Mbps and a median upload speed of 164.85Mbps would support multiple UHD video streams while simultaneously uploading high-res photos and videos.
Spain and Romania come in second and third with median download speeds of 172.04Mbps and 171.15Mbps, respectively.
If your remote-work vision includes a little more fun in the sun with sandy beaches and drinks with little umbrellas, you have plenty of options. Twenty-seven countries that offer remote work visas have average temperatures above 65 degrees, and—let’s not forget—beach access. Thailand comes in first again for internet speed. Runners-up include the vacation paradises of Bermuda (97.20Mbps), Dominica (80Mbps), Barbados (74.21Mbps), and St. Lucia (71.40Mbps). Each made the top 10 with respectable download speeds capable of handling most tasks.
Perhaps flip-flops and deck chairs are less your style, and instead, you yearn to explore some place a little more “old world.” Sixteen European countries offer some form of remote-work visa to choose from, along with enough new-world amenities to make the list. Spain comes in first with the fastest median download speed (172.04Mbps), so even if you’re not fast enough to outrun the bulls, you can easily get your work done. Following Spain are Romania (171.15Mbps), Hungary (134.43Mbps), and Portugal (128.50Mbps).
If your connection speed is less a priority than consistency, you still have plenty of potential remote-work location options. Ookla used its Speedtest intelligence data to test connection consistency, and if you already had your heart set on Thailand, you’re in luck. It once again reigns supreme, with an 89.8% consistency rating. Coming in at second and third place, we have Romania with 89.7% and Taiwan with 89.5%.
An often significant benefit of being able to work remotely is that you can live in locations where your hard-earned dollars go further. In fact, that’s often the factor that makes remote work feasible in the first place. For those who need good internet service but want to work in an area with a low cost of living, Ookla determined the seven best options.
By setting a base standard of 50Mbps download, 10Mbps upload, and under 100ms latency to designate a country as having “good” internet and comparing that list against the World Bank data for GDP per capita from 2021, Brazil made the top of the list. If your Portuguese is a little rusty, though, you still have six other countries to choose from: Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Montserrat, and Ecuador.
Wherever you want to work and play, more and more countries are embracing remote workers and have the connectivity and affordability to make it a realistic possibility, so pack your bags.
For those who would rather stay in the US but still work remotely from somewhere new, PCMag offers a guide to the best work-from-home cities. And if you’re staying where you are, make sure you know the fastest ISPs in your area.
(Disclosure: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, PCMag’s parent company.)
Originally published at https://www.pcmag.com.
