The numbers are in, and Canggu is losing the argument.
A digital nomad who built a comparative database of 52 cities — scoring each on monthly cost of living, internet speeds, safety ratings, visa conditions, LGBTQ+ friendliness, and coworking quality — published the results on r/digitalnomad this week to significant engagement: 61 comments, 36 upvotes, and a debate that cuts to the heart of why Bali holds such disproportionate power over the nomad imagination despite metrics that don't support the hype.
The headline finding: Canggu, Bali ranks statistically worst among popular nomad hubs across the combined dataset. The numbers explain why.
The Numbers That Don't Add Up
Canggu, Bali: $1,400/month. 50 Mbps average internet. Safety score: 7/10. Women's safety: 7/10. Visa: 60-day extendable B211A, requires income documentation and fee.
Chiang Mai, Thailand: $900/month. 100 Mbps average internet. Safety score: 8/10. Women's safety: 9/10. Visa: Multiple options including visa-on-arrival extensions.
Tbilisi, Georgia: $900/month. 50 Mbps average internet. Safety score: 8/10. Women's safety: 7/10. Visa: 365 days visa-free for most Western passport holders. Zero fee. No income requirement.
The analyst who built the dataset framed it bluntly: "Same internet as Tbilisi. Worse safety than Chiang Mai. 55% more expensive. And it gets worse — Bali isn't LGBTQ-friendly. Indonesia's B211A visa is 60 days extendable. Meanwhile Georgia gives you 365 days visa-free, $0 fee, no income requirement, no tax."
The Visa Math Is the Real Story
The visa comparison deserves particular attention because it represents a hidden cost that doesn't appear in monthly budget calculations. Bali's B211A Social-Cultural Visa costs approximately $45-60 in government fees plus agent fees (typically $50-100), must be applied for before arrival, and requires documented proof of income. Extending it involves a process that most nomads outsource to visa agents for an additional fee.
According to Nomad List, the total visa overhead for a six-month stay in Bali — including initial visa costs, extensions, and agent fees — routinely runs $300-600 per six months.
Georgia, by contrast, grants citizens of the United States, EU, UK, Australia, and most developed nations a full 365-day visa-free stay with no fees, no income documentation, and no restrictions on remote work. The visa cost for a six-month stay: zero.
What the Defenders Are Saying
The 61-comment thread surfaced the standard defense of the Bali premium — and some of it is legitimate. Canggu and Seminyak's established nomad infrastructure is genuinely impressive: reliable co-working spaces like Dojo and Outpost, a massive pool of similarly located English-speaking remote workers, world-class surf at any skill level minutes from the desk, and a food scene that has evolved from pad thai and nasi goreng into genuine culinary ambition.
"The community is the product," argued one commenter. "I've built my entire professional network in Canggu. That's worth more than the $500/month premium over Chiang Mai."
This is the honest version of the Bali argument — not that the numbers are good, but that the network effects and lifestyle integration justify the cost premium for certain types of workers and certain life stages. It's a defensible position. It's just not a data-driven one.
The Cities Quietly Outcompeting Bali
Beyond Tbilisi and Chiang Mai, the dataset identified several second-tier nomad cities delivering strong value-to-quality ratios:
Medellín, Colombia — $1,000-1,200/month with strong internet, a growing coworking scene, and a significantly warmer culture for LGBTQ+ travelers than Bali.
Plovdiv, Bulgaria — Under $800/month, EU timezone for European clients, Schengen-area access, and fast fiber internet in most neighborhoods.
Tirana, Albania — The fastest-emerging city in the dataset. Under $700/month, 365 days visa-free for most Western travelers, and a digital infrastructure investment surge following EU candidate status.
Da Nang, Vietnam — Strong internet, $600-800/month, improving visa access, and a beach-city lifestyle at a fraction of Bali's cost.
The "Bali Premium" Is Pure Vibes
The dataset's creator acknowledged that Bali's appeal isn't irrational — the island is genuinely beautiful, the food scene is strong, and the nomad community is the largest and most established in Southeast Asia. But the premium being charged relative to comparable or superior alternatives is no longer supported by objective metrics.
Nomad List has historically ranked Canggu highly, but its own data shows the cost-to-quality ratio declining year-over-year as rents have risen with nomad influx while infrastructure has not kept pace.
The uncomfortable conclusion: travelers new to the nomad lifestyle are often choosing Bali first because it is the most heavily marketed, most Instagrammed, and most socially validated choice — not because the spreadsheet suggests it. For nomads willing to run the numbers, the alternatives are compelling.
