Coliving spaces for digital nomads
Coliving combines a private room, a desk, and a ready-made community. Most valuable for your first week in a new city or stays under 4 weeks — after that, a local apartment is almost always cheaper.
Key takeaways
Private room, coworking desks, and a community of working professionals — designed for remote work.
Ideal for 1–4 week stays. For 6+ weeks, a local apartment is significantly cheaper.
Hundreds of spaces across 60+ countries. Best for comparing independent properties not on the big platforms.
Smaller, curated, more professional crowd. Better for deep work and US-based nomads.
A hotel gives you a room. A coliving space gives you a room, a desk with reliable internet, a community of people doing similar work, and — usually — someone who knows the city. For the right person at the right stage of nomad life, it's significantly better than Airbnb.
What coliving actually is
Coliving combines private accommodation (your own room, usually ensuite) with shared common areas — coworking desks, kitchen, lounge, sometimes a pool or rooftop. Unlike hostels, the focus is on working professionals, not backpackers. Unlike a standard apartment, it's fully furnished, internet-included, and short-term (you can book a week or a month). All-in pricing typically includes wifi, utilities, cleaning, and access to the workspace.
The community component is the real differentiator. The people around you are other nomads, often in similar niches — a mix of freelancers, founders, and remote employees. For someone arriving in a new city alone, this solves the social isolation problem that solo nomad life can create.
When coliving makes sense
Coliving is most valuable when you're new to a city and want a ready-made social environment, when you're only staying 2–4 weeks (too short to justify an apartment search), or when you're burning out on solo remote work and need the energy of working alongside other people. It tends to be more expensive per night than an apartment but more convenient than piecing together accommodation + coworking + social life separately.
💡 First week in a new city
Use coliving for your first week in any new city. It gives you time to figure out the neighbourhood, meet people who know the local spots, and decide if you want to stay longer — without committing to a month-long apartment lease in a place you haven't seen yet.
Outsite vs Coliving.com — side by side
Curated stays focused on remote work quality
- Locations50+ curated properties
- Best regionsUS, Europe, Latin America
- PriceMembership $199/year + nightly
- CommunityFocused, professional crowd
- Best forDeep work, quality-over-quantity
Largest aggregator of independent coliving spaces
- Locations500+ spaces, 60+ countries
- Best regionsGlobal — Europe, Asia, Americas
- PriceVaries by property
- CommunityDepends on property
- Best forFinding independent spaces
Outsite — quality over quantity
Outsite is a smaller, more curated network — around 20+ locations in the US, Europe, and Latin America. Where Selina prioritises scale, Outsite prioritises consistency. Locations are typically in attractive destinations (Lisbon, Santa Cruz, Montauk, Costa Rica) with a focus on the remote work experience specifically. Membership ($199/year) gives you access to the full network at member rates and priority booking. Browse Outsite →
Better for: US-based nomads, people who want a quieter, more focused environment over the party energy that can show up at busier Selina properties.
⚠️ Check the internet before committing
Coliving spaces market "fast wifi" but rarely specify upload speed, which matters for video calls. Check recent reviews on NomadList, Google, or the property's own reviews specifically for wifi quality. Some coliving spaces have excellent shared wifi but the speed becomes unreliable when 30 people are working simultaneously. Ask about dedicated Ethernet connections or backup connectivity.
Finding coliving beyond the big brands
The best coliving spaces are often independent properties that don't have a big marketing budget. Coliving.com → aggregates 500+ spaces across 60+ countries — including small, community-run properties that don't appear on standard booking platforms. NomadList's housing section and local Facebook groups for specific cities (Canggu, Chiang Mai, Medellín) are also worth checking.
Coliving vs a standard apartment
For stays over 6 weeks, a local apartment is almost always cheaper than coliving — often dramatically so. The crossover point depends on city, but in Southeast Asia a furnished apartment can be $400–700/month vs $900–1,400/month for coliving. The community and convenience premium is real, but at some point you're paying a lot for it. Most experienced nomads use coliving tactically — for arrival weeks, short stays, or intentional community periods — rather than as a permanent solution.
The bottom line
Outsite for a curated, focused experience with a professional crowd. Coliving.com when you want to browse independent spaces by city and find something beyond the branded networks. For longer stays, transition to a local apartment — it's cheaper and gives you more control.
Outsite — curated remote work stays
50+ hand-picked properties in the US, Europe, and Latin America. Annual membership gives access to the full network at member rates.
Browse Outsite → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.Coliving.com — find spaces worldwide
The largest coliving aggregator — 500+ spaces in 60+ countries, including independent properties you won't find elsewhere.
Browse Coliving.com → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.