You have 1 article left to read this month before you need to register a free LeadDev.com account.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The digital nomad dream is fading as local communities turn on expats.
Michael Lythcott dislikes the term “digital nomad” – at least, when it comes to himself. “I never thought of myself as ‘nomadic,’” Lythcott says. The co-founder and creative director of the New York City web-development agency Reccenter moved to Lisbon in 2014 with the aim of building a life there. The city was affordable, charming, and under the radar among foreigners.
Others eventually caught on – especially fellow workers in tech.
Just over a decade later, Lisbon has become an emblem of digital nomadism gone wrong. Hastened by the 2022 launch of a digital-nomad visa by the Portuguese government, a flood of workers from the UK, US, Germany, and other high-income countries has transformed the city landscape as small businesses and family homes have been quietly replaced by laptop-friendly cafes and Airbnbs. The cost of living has soared, becoming untenable for many locals. Earlier this summer, Lisbon was one of several southern European cities to stage mass protests against over-tourism. Digital nomads were implicated by extension.
Remote tech workers in expat hotspots now face a dilemma. Do they stay and potentially perpetuate the problem, try relocating somewhere else, or return home? In today’s globalized tech workforce, the answer is not always so simple.
Your inbox, upgraded.
Receive weekly engineering insights to level up your leadership approach.
The evolution of tech’s digital nomad
“Digital nomad” once conjured an image of young, globetrotting freelancers with no fixed address, working just enough to fund their travel adventures. The label was largely associated with wealthy white men who worked in tech. In recent years – and especially since the pandemic – that definition has expanded to include diverse “technological teleworkers” across sectors, as well as women and young families.
Today’s digital nomads also have diverse motives for living abroad. For some, the decision is less of an adventure-driven lifestyle choice – often bolstered by generous tax breaks and lower living expenses – than a circumstantial compromise. “I never assumed that I would be a digital nomad,” admits Asia Solnyshkina, founder and CEO of the remote-first software development company, ProSense, who is currently based in the nomad hotspot of Mexico City. “But then, some things happened in my country.”
When Russia declared war on Ukraine in February 2022, Solnyshkina became one of as many as a million Russians who fled the country in short order. Along with her husband and two young children, she packed up and relocated to Tbilisi, then again to Dubai, before landing in the Mexican capital. There, she’s built friendships among a small community of locals and fellow Russian transplants, many of whom also work in tech and are traveling with their families in tow.
Serhii Pylypenko, a lead PHP developer for the tech staffing platform, Mobilunity, had been based in his native Ukraine before he was also forced to uproot his family due to the 2022 Russian invasion. What was intended as a two-week stopover in “a peaceful small city in western Poland” has turned into more than three years, and counting. “It’s become our unexpected long-term home base,” Pylypenko tells LeadDev.
In sharp contrast with the stereotype of the laptop-toting transient techie, Pylypenko has continued to work full-time for his longtime employer. The company has not only been supportive of his move, but helped him obtain residential status in Poland. “Their support made this challenging transition much smoother,” he says.
In contrast, Naz Avo – a software developer who also hails from Ukraine – chose a nomadic life in 2013 to escape limited opportunities at home. He’d always wanted to travel, and he had a hunch that he would be able to expand his professional network abroad. It turned out that he was right. “Back in the day, most of the nomads I met had tech or marketing backgrounds,” Avo says. It was easy to surround himself with likeminded people. After the pandemic, the nomad pool became larger and more diverse.
More like this
Navigating controversy and community
The pandemic is often cited as a turning point in the dynamic between digital nomads and local communities, as well.
A 2022 report from the Migration Policy Institute pointed out that while remote work offered tourism-dependent countries a chance to offset pandemic-driven income losses by attracting young, wealthy, and skilled workers for medium-term stays, it was not guaranteed to fully replace traditional tourism revenue.
While digital nomads can boost demand for housing, co-working spaces, and public infrastructure, they are often barred from local labor markets, limiting direct economic integration. Host communities, in turn, often see little social or financial benefit from expat enclaves. The dynamic is ripe for tension.
As with Lisbon, Mexico City has become a popular destination for remote foreign workers – especially post-pandemic. Mexico City has also undergone significant gentrification and displacement. In July, a mass anti-gentrification protest overtook the city, featuring many signs admonishing “gringos” – foreigners, usually from the US – to go home.
But not every newcomer has been on the receiving end of locals’ ire. “I’ve only seen in the news that some people are against digital nomads, saying they’ve driven up prices and made apartments unaffordable in Mexico City,” Solnyshkina says. “In my personal life, no one has ever said those things to me directly.”
Pylypenko reports a similarly uneventful integration within his own adopted community. “I consider myself fortunate – I haven’t encountered any unwelcoming attitudes from locals,” he says. “We always make an effort to be respectful and courteous with local people, and they consistently reciprocate that kindness. Polish locals have been remarkably polite, warm, and genuinely helpful to us throughout our stay.” Pylypenko has also made friends with fellow tech nomads through local Telegram groups, LinkedIn networks, and similar online platforms that organize offline meetups for coffee or social activities.
Professional camaraderie has been a vital part of the nomad life for Avo, as well. ”Most of my nomadic friends have been professionals working full time,” he says, adding that he tends to steer clear of transient part-time workers who are forever “looking for their next thing.” Even in transit, he has sought a sense of rootedness.
October 15-17, 2025
Big names joining the New York lineup! 🔥
These days, however, Avo considers himself “semi-settled” on a five-year nomad visa in Thailand. He is building his own SaaS business part-time and traveling a few months of the year while otherwise staying put. “In general it seems like more and more nomads eventually realize the importance of having a more settled life and decide to have a stable base somewhere where they have a community,” he says.
The desire for stability and belonging led Lythcott, the American in Lisbon, to return to the US this February after more than a decade abroad. His adopted city had gotten expensive and crowded, then he lost a loved one. The time had come to go home.
