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Cape Town hailed as one of the best cities in the world for remote workers, study shows

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Cape Town is ideal for remote workers.
Cape Town is ideal for remote workers.
Dan Dedekind, EyeEm, Getty Images
  • Cape Town has been rated as one of the best cities in the world for people who work remotely.
  • The Mother City secured the 16th position on a list of 75 cities.
  • The City of Cape Town says encouraging more nomads to choose Cape Town, will boost the economy because they will spend more time and money in the city. 

Cape Town has been ranked as one of the best cities in the world for people who work remotely, according to a new study by global housing rental platform, Nestpick.

A remote worker is an employee who works outside of a traditional office environment, including their homes, a coffee shop or even another city.

Scoring 16th out of a list of 75 cities, the Mother City ranks higher than locations such as New York, Athens and Barcelona.

The Australian city of Melbourne was found to be the best city for remote working. The rest of the top 10 cities are Dubai, Sydney, Tallinn, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Glasgow, Montreal and Berlin.

The index score was based on a range of factors, including the cost of living, infrastructure, leisure activities, and overall liveability.

The City's Mayco Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, James Vos, said the outcome proved the city was a top-class, affordable destination for digital nomads and added that it bolstered their call for a remote working visa.

"Digital nomads typically stay longer than 90 days in a destination. As such, I am making submissions to national government to make provisions in the Immigration Act to allow for a remote working visa for a period longer than three months," Vos said.

Strategic marketing approach

The City's enterprise and investment team has already incorporated this position into the strategic marketing approach, known as the six pillars, which includes visit, live, work, study, play and invest in Cape Town. 

"The City also recently hosted a remote work webinar in which we heard from stakeholders at key tourism and hospitality organisations about how and why to appeal to digital nomads."


Vos added that the remote work model wasn't just a trend but that it was here to stay.

"Let's fully capitalise on what we as a city can offer these 21st century workers," he said.

The City said that encouraging more nomads to choose Cape Town, would boost the economy because they would spend more time and money in the city. 

"They will also amplify the message among their friends, family, and networks about Cape Town being a prime destination for work and play," Vos added.

Tap here for the list of top cities for remote workers.


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