2024 goals: get serious about cost-of-living arbitrage.

Check out current long-term costs in our chart below. For short-term trips, you can use budgetyourtrip to estimate your expenses.

This Week in Nomad Deals

• Landing’s December Deal: Short-term home rental platform Landing is waiving the $399 annual membership fee for its Standby pass if you sign up this month.

• Amtrak Deals: Save up to 20% on Northeast routes during Amtrak’s winter flash sale (ends Dec. 19 — today!)

• Frontier Flash Sale: Frontier Airlines is offering ultracheap tickets for several new routes, including from Philadelphia, Dallas, Cleveland, and Raleigh.

The Least Expensive Nomad Hotspots in 2024

Probably the biggest draw of the digital nomad lifestyle is the ability to set up shop in a lower cost-of-living area. But where do you actually get the most bang for your buck?

The chart below sums up the average monthly expenses in 25 popular nomad hotspots (cost of living + rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city). Data comes courtesy of Numbeo and our own calculations. For reference, a comparable lifestyle in the U.S. would cost $3,020 per month.

• South America: With $10 steaks made famous by Twitter, Argentina tops the list with an average cost of living totaling just $710. The megalopolis of Buenos Aires is considerably more expensive at $1,200 per month, but the country’s capital is still among the cheapest cities in South America due to the falling value of the peso.

• Asia: Even in a sea of affordability in the Far East, Indonesia stands out for its low cost of living. Yes, I'm aware that Bali is considerably more expensive…you just need to get out of the Eat Pray Love bubble.

• Europe: Keep your eye on North Macedonia. This up-and-coming digital nomad destination boasts a cost of living that amounts to just 23% of a comparable lifestyle in New York City.

Travel Bargains in the Middle East

“It sounds kind of macabre, but I like to go to visit a country after a terrorist attack,” one bargain hunter proclaimed in a 2022 viral TikTok video. “You get really good deals!”

Okay, so hear me out guys: how about the Middle East?

Since the October 7 attacks in Israel, tourism in the country has collapsed. U.S. airlines have suspended service to Israel, so flight prices remain within the typical price range. Hotel prices, however, have fallen dramatically — even as the famed nightlife scene in Tel Aviv is reportedly getting back to something resembling normal.

And it’s not just Israel. The hospitality industry in countries such as Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey is reporting mass hotel and tour cancelations from worried Western travelers. Hotel prices in tourist hotspots such as Cairo and Istanbul are nearing bargain levels for the first quarter of 2024. (Note: Asian travelers unbothered by recent events are supposedly propping up prices.)

To be clear, Nomad Deals isn’t endorsing the idea of nomading in a conflict zone (author’s note: I’ll pass on a trip to Israel right now). But as a travel deals newsletter, we must at least share the information.

Happy and safe travels for 2024…wherever you end up.

Need $40K for Your Startup? Ask Chile.

Chile wants to be the Silicon Valley of South America, and they’re willing to pay you for it.

One under-the-radar nomad deal is the Chilean government’s tech accelerator. Every year, Start-Up Chile entices tech entrepreneurs to come work on their startups in the country with $40,000 grants…no strings attached. Additionally, you get a one-year visa and access to coworking space with other contest winners.

The program is 50% women and 50% men, and so far over 2000 startups from 85 countries have received funding.

Although applications for 2024 have closed, now is the time to begin working on your idea for next year — before word of this deal becomes more widespread.

Travel Hack of the Week