Found out my coworking space in Lisbon costs more per month than my old rent in Ohio

I was just looking at my bank statements last night and almost spit out my drink. I pay 350 euros a month for a hot desk at this place in Lisbon. That's about 380 bucks. Back in Columbus I was splitting a 2 bedroom with a roommate for 400 each. So basically I'm paying almost the same just to have a chair and wifi here. The crazy part is I thought I was being frugal by picking a cheaper coworking spot. Most of the others in the area start at 450. It just hit me that I'm spending rent money on a desk when there are cafes everywhere with free wifi. But the real kicker is the internet here is actually slower than my old apartment connection. Has anyone else realized they're spending way more on workspace than they expected in a nomad city?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.wyatt5d ago

@the_parker makes a good point about demand driving prices, but that doesn’t make it any easier on the wallet. Here’s what I’d do if you want to cut that cost down. Look into library memberships in Lisbon, some of them have decent workspaces for free if you get a local card. Also check out those co-living spots that include a desk in the rent, might be cheaper than separate living and coworking. That internet issue is rough too, I’ve found that cafes near the business districts usually have the fastest connections if you need to hop on a call.

finleyh8925d ago

Did you see that article about coworking spaces in Lisbon being the most expensive in Europe per square meter? I read it on some nomad blog and it totally matches what you're describing. Feels like the whole city is pricing out people who actually live there now.

the_parker25d ago

Honestly, I gotta push back on that. Calling people "digital nomads" like it's a bad thing feels kinda unfair. They're just people trying to work and live somewhere cool, same as locals. If coworking spaces are expensive, it's probably because there's actual demand for them - not some conspiracy to ruin the city. Lisbon's been a tourist hub forever, and coworking spaces are just a newer version of that same thing. Plenty of locals use those spaces too, so pinning it all on nomads ignores the bigger picture of how cities grow.