For locals, the increasing presence of digital nomads in many places across emerging Europe offers them a chance to engage in a global conversation without leaving their home city.
Earlier this week, I drove from Thessaloniki to Prishtina for the KosICT Festival, with a brief stopover in Skopje.
Alongside meetings with government and local business representatives, I had the opportunity to work from a welcoming co-working space I had been invited to visit a few months ago. It was a great chance to experience Skopje’s thriving entrepreneurial spirit firsthand.
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My chat with Ivana, who is the community manager at The Hub, was a great reminder of the freedom that digital nomading offers and that such interactions create opportunities for locals to establish global connections. And Skopje’s growing coworking scene perfectly captures the appeal of this lifestyle, blending flexibility with the opportunity to connect globally.
For years, the digital nomad lifestyle was seen as a niche trend—idealised images of laptops on the beach and remote work in tropical destinations dominated the narrative.
But over time, the scene has matured, and many digital nomads have traded beach huts for vibrant urban centres in Central Europe. Cities like Budapest, Kraków, Tbilisi and Skopje have become unexpected hubs for these remote workers, reshaping their local economies and cultures in ways that go beyond the headlines.
The arrival of digital nomads has also reshaped urban life in these cities. Neighbourhoods that were once known for their traditional charm, now cater to a more global, mobile audience.
In Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, café culture has exploded, with many spots offering high-speed Wi-Fi and quiet corners for remote work. Meanwhile, Airbnb listings have multiplied, providing nomads with a range of flexible living options that suit their transient lifestyles.
These changes have had mixed effects—bringing new vibrancy to some areas but also contributing to rising (or sometimes, skyrocketing) rents and housing pressures.
The physical spaces that digital nomads gravitate towards—coworking hubs, start-up incubators, and cultural hotspots—have become microcosms of global exchange. These places are often where ideas, cultures, and languages converge, offering locals a taste of global trends and connecting them to wider networks.
A global conversation
For locals, the presence of these international workers offers a chance to engage in a global conversation without leaving their city. This cultural exchange can be enriching, as it introduces new ideas and perspectives, but it can also highlight tensions between locals and newcomers over the use of space and cultural integration.
At The Hub in Skopje, I heard a large chunk of conversations being carried out in English, including by native speakers.
Now, what sets the digital nomad influx apart from traditional tourism is that it has forced these cities to rethink how they position themselves. Budapest has seized the opportunity to market itself as a creative hub, while Kraków leans into its tech-savvy workforce and historical charm to attract remote workers. Tbilisi has positioned itself as a gateway between Europe and Asia, offering an appealing combination of (relatively) low living costs and rich cultural heritage.
This transformation has been more than a branding exercise—it’s a reinvention of identity. Digital nomads, by choosing these cities as their temporary homes, are validating their global relevance. It’s a reminder that reinvention is not just about updating infrastructure or policies; it’s about shifting perceptions—both external and internal—about what a city can become.
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