As society becomes increasingly digital, business, work, and travel opportunities are expanding globally. At the same time, housing prices in major cities worldwide are spiking, making it less convenient for people to live alone. And, as the earth’s precious natural resources are in decline, sharing resources with others is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.
Combined, these societal and environmental trends have contributed to the popularity and success of coliving spaces worldwide. But, some cities have vastly outperformed others—and the best cities for coliving have so much to offer.
There are thousands of coliving/coworking companies across the globe and within these top cities to choose from. Each space offers a variety of perks that make the entire process from move-in to move-out convenient and easy. The managed, done-for-you spaces are fully furnished, provide professional cleaning services, offer one fixed fee that includes all utilities, host weekly events to bring the community together, and so much more.
In this article, we’ll outline the best cities for coliving around the globe, the average price of coliving in each town, and the benefits each location presents to the various co-livers.
Who is coliving designed for?
Before you read about the best cities for coliving, it’s essential to understand that each city is excellent for different reasons. And those benefits may be more attractive to one type of co-liver over another.
For example, while the startup scene in San Francisco may be the ideal environment for an entrepreneur, a remote worker may care more about the city's cultural experiences.
Coliving is for anybody who values being part of a community of inspiring and exciting people. The most common people who choose to co-live are young professionals, entrepreneurs, remote workers & digital nomads, interns, and students.
We’ll outline precisely which aspects of each city benefit each type of common co-liver. Of course, these are generalizations and may not align with your needs, so we will provide a high-level overview of the city’s benefits to help you decide if it’s the right location for your next move.
1. San Francisco, California, USA
The average cost of a coliving space: is $1,475/month
View spaces available: Coliving in San Francisco
San Francisco is a technology hotspot that attracts people from all over the world. The original “hacker home”, where startup founders and their teams live and work under the same roof, was born in this innovative city. The most widely known instance of a company rising to success out of a hacker house is the story of Mark Zuckerberg and his team creating Facebook in 2004.
San Francisco is also rich in food, nightlife, entertainment, and neighborhood choices. Boasting over 40 different neighborhoods, each with its vibe and unique weather pattern, the right neighborhood exists for just about anyone looking to move there.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, many coliving spaces will host events that provide invaluable networking opportunities with investors and other startup founders in the area. The city is a hotbed for innovation and disruption which permeates the startup environment and motivates entrepreneurs to grow their businesses.
For interns, San Francisco is home to some of the world's biggest and most successful tech companies. Learning the methodology that these companies follow and surrounding yourself with highly motivated coworkers is a huge opportunity for anybody looking to develop a lucrative work ethic.
For digital nomads and remote workers, many coliving spaces throughout the city also provide a coliving space within the unit at no additional cost. This helps you to cut down on the price of a coworking space and gives you a unique opportunity to bond with your housemates/workmates that a coworking space alone can’t provide. It also has an incredibly diverse cultural scene, with endless activities, entertainment, food, and fun.
2. Los Angeles, California, USA
The average cost of a coliving space: is $800/month
View spaces available: Coliving in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is at California's heart of entertainment, media, and experiences. To say it’s full of entertainment options would be an understatement. It is the entertainment capital of the world, with Hollywood, Disneyland, and Universal Studios all based in and around the city.
It’s also packed with scenic hiking paths beautiful beach boardwalks, and a near-perfect climate year-round (75 degrees F / 23 degrees C on average). It has an eclectic vibe, as it’s made up of hundreds of neighborhoods with their personalities.
Commuting, however, is an issue as there isn’t an excellent public transport system and most people require a car to get around. Coliving spaces help ease this problem as they provide most of what you need within the unit, and when you venture out, you’ll have a group of people to travel with. Many ride-share, bike-share, and scooter options are also available to the public.
LA is also a key destination for professionals looking for network and growth opportunities. It has a thriving tech scene and even has its own “Silicon Beach”, named after the Silicon Valley of the north. More than 500 tech companies reside in this area alone!
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, LA offers some fantastic networking opportunities. Like San Francisco, there are many investment opportunities, which is great for startups looking to secure funding or build valuable relationships with driven professionals.
For interns, coliving provides a low-cost alternative to permanent housing and allows you to form bonds within a community fast. As LA is so spread out, it can sometimes take an hour or more depending on traffic, to meet up with friends or coworkers. The coliving community grants personal and professional networking opportunities in your living room instead of on the other side of town.
For digital nomads and remote workers, there are many things to do, see and experience in LA. The city also has heaps of managed coliving and coworking spaces, providing an exceptional working environment that breeds productivity.
3. New York, New York, USA
The average cost of a coliving space: is $850/month
View spaces available: Coliving in New York City
New York is a city that never sleeps and certainly lives up to its reputation. The cultural and entertainment options are sky-high, similar to its many towering skyscrapers. You’ve got Broadway, The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, The Empire State Building, MoMA, The Brooklyn Bridge, the never-ending smell of fresh roasted peanuts from street-food vendors, and so much more.
It is also one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world—so many types of people with different backgrounds and life experiences living there. You can eat food from all over the world within the city’s borders, cooked by authentic chefs who relocated there to bring home-cooked happiness to all.
In terms of business, it is the financial hub of the states, as it’s home to both Wall Street, The New York Stock Exchange, and The World Trade Center. Besides finance, there is an array of industries throughout the city, from tech to media, the arts, law, real estate, and everything in between.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, the NYC startup ecosystem is a hub for the fintech, media, and design industries. Because the city is a creative epicenter, the startups here are the outcome of diverse ideas from people in multiple sectors joining forces. It also has more female-founded firms than any other city in the country, making it the number one city for female entrepreneurs.
For interns, NYC has so much to offer regardless of the field you are interested in pursuing. If your internship doesn’t pan out for whatever reason, you can find another one in a different industry without needing to move. The options are truly endless. Coliving spaces are also scattered throughout the many boroughs, allowing interns to pick any neighborhood they’re excited about living in.
For digital nomads and remote workers, coliving in NYC gives you a chance to live in historic brownstones that most people only dream of stepping foot in. Many people who move to NYC say that because it’s so diverse, they feel like they’re traveling around the world just by moving through the different areas of the city. It’s truly a cultural destination. It also has many coworking spaces, separate from and within coliving units, for you to focus without distraction.
4. Paris, France
The average cost of a coliving space: is $780/month
View spaces available: Coliving in Paris
Paris is the international center for the fashion and art industries. This makes the city incredibly cultural, teeming with art galleries, museums, artistic street performances, theaters, operas, and more.
The stunning architecture, parks, and gardens make the city a wonder to walk through—the beauty and history are almost too much for the eyes to see. If you’re a history buff, a nature lover, a fan of the arts, or into shopping, you will never get bored in Paris.
It is full of iconic tourist attractions such as The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Montmartre, The Seine, The Catacombs, and more. Plus, the food is top-notch, and the cafes are genuinely infinite. And dogs are allowed in restaurants, which makes everyone’s day a bit brighter.
The public transport system is also fabulous, as you can quickly move from one end of the city to another. You can even hop on a train and be in another European country within a few hours.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, the startup scene in Paris is still finding its footing. That said, it’s slowly emerging as a hotspot, as investments in startups there have increased by billions in the past few years. And in 2017, the government launched the world’s most extensive startup campus, Station F. If being part of an up-and-coming scene inspires you, Paris is your place.
For interns, most obviously, Paris is the place to be if you want to make your way into the fashion industry. But Paris has it all. From arts and culture to healthcare and education and everything in between, Paris has abundant internship opportunities. Many people who plan to move to Paris for a short-term (1-year) internship end up loving the lifestyle so much that they extend their stay.
For digital nomads and remote workers, Paris has the highest tourist traffic and cultural experiences worldwide. The city is full of coliving and coworking communities that make up a vibrant scene. Also, as mentioned above, you can easily hop on the EU Interrail Network and be in another European country in hours.
5. Berlin, Germany
The average cost of a coliving space: is $825/month
View spaces available: Coliving in Berlin
Berlin is a fast-growing startup epicenter with a good deal of investment support for new businesses. It attracts thousands of new tech companies annually, boosting its economy and making it an increasingly attractive workplace.
Berlin is also famous for its nightlife and entertainment opportunities. If you like to dance, you must go to a Berlin club. It also has many internationally significant museums that sit together on Museum Island. Several artists live in the city, giving rise to its global cultural presence.
The city has many public parks, lending to the perfect balance of infrastructure and nature. And the people who choose to live here are excited about being a part of a vibrant social scene bursting with networking opportunities. The city is also incredibly eco-friendly and conscious.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, Berlin is an exciting place-making wave in the global startup scene. Investment opportunities are on the rise, and it attracts entrepreneurial talent from around the world.
For interns, Berlin has a strong economy, meaning there are many stable opportunities awaiting. It’s also perfect for young people who are excited about joining a vibrant social scene, an environmentally friendly city and testing out a location you may want to live in after your internship.
Berlin is centrally located in Europe for digital nomads and remote workers, making it a fantastic base. It’s easy to travel to dozens of other European countries from Berlin, which is exciting for the digital nomad looking to experience new places. There are also plenty of coworking and coliving spaces that make attaining a good work/life balance easy.
6. London, UK
The average cost of a coliving space: is $1688/month
View spaces available: Coliving in London
London is one of the largest financial centers in the world. It is also home to the global headquarters of many media, creative, and service companies. This professional diversity makes it great for people involved in any career and allows for an easy career shift if desired.
It’s also rich in history, music, and culture. It’s been a central global hub for thousands of years, and there is a physical record of the distant past around almost every corner of the city. The Tower of London, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Kew Gardens, Greenwich Observatory, Trafalgar Square, and Westminster Abbey are only a few examples of the vibrant history that makes up modern London’s tourist attractions.
London is also one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the entire world. Like New York, this means the cuisines are varied and mouth-watering.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, most coliving spaces in London also provide coworking spaces in the units. They are tailored for startups and people looking for the perfect work-life balance.
For interns, London is a city of commuters, which makes it incredibly easy to get to the office no matter where it is located throughout the city. As there are endless career choices and advancement opportunities, it’s the perfect place for a budding professional to begin a career.
For digital nomads and remote workers, Paris is a two-hour train ride, and many other beautiful European cities are a few short hours away by plane. There is also a thriving nightlife, entertainment and music scene, and endless cultural exhibitions to experience.
7. Bengaluru (Bangalore), India
The average cost of a coliving space: is $270/month
View spaces available: Coliving in Bangalore
Source: Travel Massive
Bengaluru is a charming and extravagant, yet affordable, city. It is full of professionals, investors, and real estate developers helping to elevate the city’s global reach and economic status. It is also an ex-pat favorite, as many people move there for high-class living at mid-range prices.
This city also offers the perfect blend of old historical sites and modern cultural experiences. It definitely caters to the younger crowd who are interested in living a trendy and contemporary lifestyle. It is India's IT hub, making it an incredibly progressive city compared to many other locations throughout the country.
It also has a plentitude of culinary attractions, parks, museums, and markets; the weather is great year-round.
The population is multicultural, as many ex-pats who move to Bangalore stay there for the long term. Regarding business opportunities, the most successful businesses are IT services companies, advertising agencies, public sector companies, and startups.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, Bengaluru is known as India’s startup capital and the Silicon Valley of India. There is a strong entrepreneurial spirit and community, which is ripe with Series A funding opportunities. It’s also a fantastic place to find qualified people to join your growing team as you scale.
For interns, if tech is what you’re into, then Bengaluru is perfect. Most of the internship opportunities will be with startups, so if you’re excited about getting your foot in the door in an up-and-coming scene, this city is suitable for you.
For digital nomads and remote workers, Bengaluru has an array of coworking spaces to choose from. The coliving spaces are also quite inexpensive, making it a fantastic place to save a bit of cash on living spaces as you revel in the nomad experience.
8. Bali, Indonesia
The average cost of a coliving space: is $740/month
View spaces available: Coliving in Bali
Bali is a beautiful and densely populated island with a flourishing ex-pat community. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and the perfect waves for surfers of all experience levels.
It is also full of exciting adventures and places to see. You can scuba dive practically anywhere in Bali or the surrounding islands and marvel at the stunning reefs and underwater wildlife. There is also a healthy variety of both Indonesian and western food choices all over the island. As the ex-pat community is so large, many westerners have opened up their food venues with their take on a variety of worldwide dishes.
Bali is also home to several coworking spaces and startup incubators that cater to entrepreneurs or digital nomads looking to expand their skill sets and grow their businesses.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, Bali is one of the best places in the world to network with other founders who are eager to share ideas and learn from each other. Many entrepreneurs also have the opportunity to host paid skillshares and spread their wisdom to other founders or remote workers looking to learn from their success. You may not have many investment opportunities in Bali, but the networking opportunities are through the roof.
For interns, Bali is not necessarily teeming with options. The tourism industry spurs the economy, and there aren’t many other opportunities.
For digital nomads and remote workers, Bali is near-perfect. There are boundless coliving spaces throughout the island and several successful coworking spaces. Bali provides an ideal mix of focused work opportunities and relaxing leisure experiences. It’s the type of place where you may start your day with a yoga class, head to the coworking space for a few hours, get a $10 hour-long massage mid-day, work a few more hours, and then catch the stunning sunset in the evening.
9. Barcelona, Spain
The average cost of a coliving space: is $1026/month
View spaces available: Coliving in Barcelona
The city of Barcelona can best be described as a mishmash of a bustling metropolitan and a beach town in one. This beautiful city is full of historical, cultural, entertainment, and leisure activities.
One day, you may find yourself walking through Gaudi’s infamous Park Guell or Sagrada Familia, and the next you could be in a bathing suit playing a game of beach volleyball. And there are hordes of other famous attractions and neighborhoods throughout the city, such as Parc de Ciutadella, Casa Batlló, The Gothic Area, Barceloneta, Gràcia, Montjuïc, Arc de Triomf, and more.
Barcelona is also a foodie’s paradise. There are thousands of restaurants serving all types of cuisine throughout the city. It’s also an effortless city to get around, with many public transport options. This includes bike-sharing, electric scooter-sharing, ride-shares, the metro, and busses. To use the incredibly convenient electric scooter-sharing service, you do need to have an EU or valid international driver’s license.
Barcelona also has excellent weather year-round, though it can get a bit cold in the wintertime so be prepared for that!
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, Barcelona is the most active startup city in all of Spain. Madrid has the most startups in Spain, but Barcelona has the highest concentration of startup activity, including the amount of capital and investments. Barcelona’s startup scene is on the rise and may overtake other Spanish and global cities in the near future.
For interns, as Barcelona is an international business hub, it is a significant economic influence throughout European cities. This means that major companies have office spaces throughout the city, offering fantastic internship opportunities for those interested. It’s also an enjoyable, laid back, and welcoming city, which makes it ideal for an intern looking to move abroad.
Barcelona has over 200 coworking spaces throughout the city for digital nomads and remote workers. It is one of the most incredible cities to cowork and colive in. Numerous networking opportunities and events throughout the city make it easy to make new friends and new business partnerships.
10. Singapore
The average cost of a coliving space: is $1511/month
View spaces available: Coliving in Singapore
In Singapore, the standards of living are hard to beat. They have great weather, public transport, healthcare, education, political stability, entertainment, and a low level of crime.
That said, it is quite an expensive city to live in. Yet, that doesn’t stop its residents from being some of the happiest people in Asia. Singapore’s population is a cultural melting pot as people from all over the world are proud to call this island nation home.
Despite being an urban setting, there’s plenty of green space throughout the city. It was intentionally designed to be a “garden city, meaning parks and green areas have been carved out to create a light airiness within the urban jungle. This isn’t purely aesthetic—Singapore is one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world.
The food is fabulous as the international cuisine is just as delicious as the traditional local fare. And, if you feel like experiencing even more local Asian food, you can hop on a plane and arrive in one of many other SE Asian countries within a few hours.
For entrepreneurs & startup founders, Singapore is a fantastic place to start a business as they have open borders for business. This means they intentionally make it easy for non-residents to officially and legally open their businesses within their country. Its competitive economy, intellectual property protection, sustainability, quality of life, low taxes, and bustling business community are some reasons startup founders flock there.
For interns, Singapore offers fantastic growth opportunities. It’s one of the most diverse nations in the world and is outspoken about being open to foreigners moving there for work. As their economy and culture are very business-centric, it’s the perfect place to surround yourself with motivated people who value great work.
Singapore is attractive for digital nomads and remote workers because it’s safe, the weather is hot year-round, the accommodation is often luxurious, and the internet speeds are some of the fastest in the world. The city is also littered with coworking spaces and cafes designed with the remote worker in mind, making it easy to stay motivated.
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We are lucky enough to live in a time when we have thousands of coliving choices rooted in amazing cities worldwide. Where are you heading next? Check out our verified listings to find the perfect space with the best deal for your journey ahead.
