Digital Nomad Friendly Countries close to United States Time Zones

Published in

Gypsy

4 min readJul 19, 2022

If you did not have to live next to your employer, where would you live?

Keeping true to US time zones, which new country can you escape to this year? I’ll take a rather specific approach to breaking this list down:

You are primarily from the United States and your employer is okay with remote work
Internet is freaking important for your job. Lots of calls and collaboration.
Time Zone friendly: You do not want to stray too far away from the US times zones because you would like to have a somewhat normal life. This rules out Europe, Asia and other exotics. So what’s left?

# 1 Antigua, Bermuda & Caribbean Islands

A short flight (~4 hours) from most locations in the US, and well aligned with EST times, Antigua & Bermuda are right up there on this list.

Pros. The beaches are stunning. I mean, it’s like #1 on this list in terms of how gorgeous the beaches are. They have a “digital nomad” visa, which allows you to live in this paradise for 12 months.

Cons. Food and basic necessities are very expensive — so much so that this’ll be your biggest expenditure. This island produces nothing and imports everything.

If you love all things ocean — surfing, scuba, fishing and snorkeling, you will be in paradise after work everyday.

#2 Costa Rica

A gem in the heart of central America, this is quickly becoming a hot place for remote workers. Takes 5 hours from NYC and about 4 from LA.

Pros pura-vida:

Same time zone as the US. Tends to be warm almost all the time
There is lots of geographical diversity. You get beaches, mountains, tropical forests and a bit of downtown.
Housing and food are very affordable. People are overall very friendly too. Great coffee. Great Chocolate.

Cons

Only pockets of people speak English. If you can speak Spanish you are golden.
WiFi can be iffy, do your homework well. It’s easy to get some Internet for basic browsing but 4 people on a video call sharing one router? Not a good idea.
Power cuts are like a daily thing in some places. Watch out.
Mosquitoes are a constant

#3 Columbia

Columbia entered the remote-worker scene as recently as 2021 with a 2 year visa. Given its time zone alignment with the US, Columbia is an excellent choice.

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

Pros:

Cities like Medellin and Bogota are somewhat developed and well equipped. You also get to escape to beautiful beaches and jungles within a few hours. Weather tends to be warm all the time.
Food and housing are very affordable.
Transportation is decent around Medellin. Lots of cabs, trains and trams.
Good food. Locals call it Bandeja Paisa, or “typical local food”. Rice, beans, meat and fries are somewhat pervasive.

Cons:

Some petty crimes and theft are not uncommon. Watch where you go alone, especially outside downtown or at night.
They will price things differently for you than the locals. They know you can afford it.
Language can be barrier if you don’t speak Spanish, especially outside major cities.
The default tourist visa is 3 months. Extending this visa is no small feat. Make sure you get the nomad visa if you plan on staying longer.

Getting Started

You can plan ahead and create an experience for one year spanning these countries ahead of time. Some tips:

Start your booking at least 3 months in advance. You’ll get better deals.
WiFi is a tricky one. Most rental locations will say “oh yeah solid Internet” on the phone. When you show up to work it won’t be all that solid.
Don’t gloss over power-cuts and transportation
Figure out all the paperwork for a nomad visa. Again, best to do this early.
Gypsy offers concierge services to these locations for complete peace of mind. Battle-tested WiFi, stunning locations, help with procuring visa and great deals for local experiences all around.

About Gypsy

Gypsy is building the next-gen infrastructure to enable remote workers to become global citizens. Stop living in a box. Break your lease and travel the world.

We ❤ you.