When you talk about digital nomad “hot spots” and getting started as a nomad, the conversation will almost invariably shift to locations primarily Asia. Why is that? What is it about Asia that makes it better for a digital nomad just starting out?

Costs

Most digital nomads just starting out on the whole location independent experience are trying to get clients for freelance work, grow a blog, launch a startup product, etc. They are not in the steady earning phase yet, by and large.

Thus, cutting costs and ‘extending the runway’ is incredibly important if they truly want to make it as a digital nomad. Once the money runs out they have to throw in the towel. Having extra cash for a few more months of hustle can make all the difference.

Asia offers more locations and options for a nomad, at a lower price point than South America. While South America can be had for cheap it’s a bit more limited for choices.

Flights to Asia from North America are, typically, not cheap. Flights from Europe can be had for a better deal. Flights to South America are also not cheap, though North American nomads win out over their European counterparts. It’s a tie here.

Nomad Presence

While South America has a fast growing digital nomad presence in places like Medellin, Colombia it still has a ways to go before it can catch up. The existence of numerous, well established cities in Asia like Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia will continue to make Asia more attractive to digital nomads. There are up-and-coming cities too like Siem Reap, Cambodia.

South America offers a lot of incentives for entrepreneurs seeking startup capital with government incubator programs like “Startup Chile” and “Startup Peru”, something that Asia doesn’t as readily offer.

Language

This is where Asia falls on its face. In South America, you can get by with Spanish, save for needing Portuguese in Brazil (not that Spanish can’t get you by), across all the countries.

With Asia, you’re dealing with different languages in each country and sometimes inter-country dialects that are all but separate languages as well. Couple that with the fact that each comes with a different writing system and you have a massive headache, even for the most linguistically talented.

If you’re fluent or passable in Spanish, South America will be much better to you. However, if you’re not worried about learning the local languages, and content to be a little more isolated from the locals then Asia will do you fine.

Regional Travel

Flights around South America are typically more expensive than those around Asia. This is due to Asia having a highly competitive environment of low-cost airlines. If you’re willing to take a bus in South America your costs can come down drastically. You lose out in terms of speed and convenience that your Asian nomad counterparts will enjoy from flying. Cheap overland travel and also be had in Asia as well.

Asia, especially Southeast Asia, packs a lot more diversity and variety into a smaller area than larger South America, making it easier to change locales and experience new sights and cultures.

Internet Availability

This is highly dependent on where in Asia or South America you want to go. Asia seems to have a more comprehensive, widespread internet infrastructure setup for digital nomads to take advantage of. Though less developed places like Indonesia and Philippines can be extremely spotty to nonexistent.

South American internet (especially in hot-spots like Medellin, Columbia) seems to be more stable in terms of reliability and consistency with speed when it is available. It does not seem as readily available outside big cities as in Asia.

Crime and Safety

Southeast Asia is more “loose” feeling than South America, where in the latter the rule of law seems to be more prevalent and enforced. In East Asia, I felt much more safe than South East Asia or South America.

One thing to mention is the feeling I often got of being regarded as a walking ATM, particularly in Southeast Asia. I did not get the same feeling in South America. If this bothers you, you might try South America or Europe out instead.

Both places have issues with petty crime, and I’ve not experienced any violent crime yet, so I can’t comment on that. Safety-wise they are a toss-up depending on your tolerance level and metric you’re using. I’ll would give Asia the advantage here though, as it suffers less violent crime as a whole and I generally feel safer while traveling there.

THE RESULT?

Overall, Asia offers many advantages in terms of getting started as a new digital nomad. While South America has its charms and opportunities, it may be better suited for the more experienced traveler and seasoned digital nomad.

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