City guides compared: visas, tax, coworking and time zones for remote founders

• Visas: The US has no digital nomad visa. Citizens of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries can visit for business or tourism for up to 90 days with an ESTA, which costs US$40.62 and is usually valid for two years (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Coworking: Austin coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 runs from free open coworking every Tuesday at STATION Austin to US$35 a day at Fibercove and from US$39 a day at WeWork, with monthly desks from US$250 to US$850.
• Time zone: Austin is on UTC-6 from 1 November 2026, so it's 1 hour behind New York, 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles, 6 hours behind London and 14 hours behind Bali.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Austin.

Read the Austin guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Indonesia's official e-Visa portal lists the B1 visa on arrival at Rp500.000 for up to 30 days, extendable once for another 30, and says holders are prohibited from selling goods or services or receiving pay from people or companies in Indonesia (checked 28 Oct 2026 for an Australian passport).
• Tax: Indonesia's tax office says someone in Indonesia for more than 183 days in 12 months is a domestic taxpayer, taxed on all income including income from abroad, while a shorter stay means tax on Indonesian income only (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Canggu coworking checked on the venues' own sites on 28 Oct 2026 runs from IDR 150K for 8 hours and IDR 200K for a 24-hour day pass at PUCO Rooftop to Rp 299K a day at BWork, with a dedicated desk at PUCO for IDR 2,500K for 30 days.
• Time zone: Bali is on WITA, UTC+8, all year with no daylight saving, so from 1 November 2026 it's 13 hours ahead of New York, 7 hours ahead of Berlin and 3 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Bali.

Read the Bali guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is valid for 5 years with stays of up to 180 days per entry and needs at least 500,000 THB in funds, but the Royal Thai Embassy in Budapest says holders can't work for companies in Thailand or freelance for Thai clients (checked 26 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Thailand's Revenue Department treats you as tax resident after more than 180 days in Thailand in a calendar year, and residents are taxed on foreign-source income they bring into Thailand (checked 26 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Bangkok coworking checked on 26 Oct 2026 runs from a 250 Baht day pass at UnionSPACE Ekkamai to a 393 Baht day pass at the Hive Thonglor, with monthly hot desks from 4,000 Baht (UnionSPACE) to 6,057 Baht (WeWork).
• Time zone: Bangkok is on UTC+7 all year with no daylight saving, so from 1 November 2026 it's 12 hours ahead of New York, 6 hours ahead of Berlin and 4 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Bangkok.

Read the Bangkok guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 26 October 2026.

• Visas: Spain's international telework visa asks for monthly income of 200% of the minimum wage, and the Spanish consulate in Hanoi's table for 2026 puts that at EUR 2,442 a month (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Spain's Tax Agency treats you as tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year, or if your main base of business or economic interests is in Spain (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Barcelona coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 runs from a EUR 15.80 plus VAT day pass at Itnig in Poblenou to EUR 23 plus VAT at La Vaca in Poble Sec, with flexible monthly desks from EUR 125 plus VAT at MOB.
• Time zone: Barcelona is on UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, so from 1 November 2026 it's 6 hours ahead of New York, 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles, 1 hour ahead of London and 10 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Barcelona.

Read the Barcelona guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: The route for remote founders is a residence permit for self-employment under section 21 of Germany's Residence Act: paragraph 5 covers freelancers in the liberal professions, paragraph 1 covers people founding or running a business (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Under section 9 of Germany's Fiscal Code, a continuous stay of more than six months makes Germany your habitual abode from the first day, and keeping a flat you use there can make you tax resident even sooner.
• Coworking: Berlin coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 runs from a EUR 10 day pass at MotionLab.Berlin to EUR 35 plus VAT at betahaus, with monthly desks from EUR 125 plus VAT (betahaus CLUB, weekday hours).
• Time zone: Berlin is on UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, so from 1 November 2026 it's 6 hours ahead of New York, 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles, 1 hour ahead of London and 10 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Berlin.

Read the Berlin guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Argentina's digital nomad residence (residencia transitoria para nómades digitales) runs for up to 180 days and can be extended, according to the official argentina.gob.ar service page checked on 28 October 2026.
• Tax: ARCA, Argentina's tax agency, treats a foreigner as tax resident once they get permanent residence or stay on temporary permits for 12 months (checked 28 October 2026).
• Coworking: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Time zone: Buenos Aires is on UTC-3 all year with no daylight saving, so from 1 November 2026 it's two hours ahead of New York, four hours behind Berlin and 14 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Buenos Aires.

Read the Buenos Aires guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: From 15 September 2026, Thailand's visa exemption for Australian, US, UK, Canadian, German, French and New Zealand passports is 30 days and for tourism only, replacing the old 60-day stay, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Thailand's Revenue Department says anyone in Thailand for more than 180 days in a calendar year is a tax resident and is taxed on the portion of foreign income brought into Thailand (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Chiang Mai coworking day passes on the venues' own sites run from 300 THB at RealSpace to 429 THB at Yellow, and monthly hot desks from 4,000 THB at Alt and RealSpace (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Time zone: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Chiang Mai.

Read the Chiang Mai guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Vietnam has no digital nomad visa: its e-visa is valid for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, and Vietnam's national tourism authority lists the fee as USD $25 for single entry and USD $50 for multiple entry (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Under Decree 253/2026/ND-CP, in force from 1 July 2026, you're a Vietnamese tax resident if you're in Vietnam for 183 days or more in a calendar year or in 12 consecutive months, or if you have a regular residence there, which includes rented housing on leases totalling 183 days or more in the tax year, and residents are taxed on income arising inside and outside Vietnam.
• Coworking: Da Nang coworking checked on the venues' own sites on 28 Oct 2026 runs from 110,000 VND a day at Enosta Space to 200,000 VND at Coworking Da Nang, with monthly passes from 2,000,000 VND at Seaview and Hana's Coworking to 3m VND at Coworking Da Nang.
• Time zone: Da Nang is on UTC+7 all year with no daylight saving, so from 1 November 2026 it's 12 hours ahead of New York, 6 hours ahead of Berlin and 4 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Da Nang.

Read the Da Nang guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Malaysia's DE Rantau Nomad Pass lists 'Chief Executive Officer (Founder/ Managing Director/ President)' as a non-tech role needing USD 60,000 a year, against USD 24,000 for tech roles, according to MDEC's FAQ version 10.0 dated 28 August 2026.
• Tax: Malaysia's Inland Revenue Board treats you as tax resident if you stay 182 days or more in the tax year, and non-residents pay a fixed 30% rate (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Kuala Lumpur coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 runs from RM40 a day at several WORQ outlets and RM50 a day at Common Ground, with hot desks from RM399 a month (Common Ground's DE Rantau Hub rate) and RM400 a month at WORQ.
• Time zone: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Kuala Lumpur.

Read the Kuala Lumpur guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Portugal's residence visa for remote work asks for average monthly income over the last three months of at least four times the minimum monthly wage, which was set at EUR 920 from 1 January 2026, so the bar works out at EUR 3,680 a month (checked 26 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Under article 16 of Portugal's income tax code, you're tax resident if you spend more than 183 days, in a row or not, in any 12-month period starting or ending in the tax year, or if you hold a home you appear to intend to keep as your habitual residence (checked 26 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Lisbon coworking checked on 26 Oct 2026 runs from a EUR 15 plus VAT day pass at Impact Hub Lisbon to EUR 50 plus VAT at Avila Spaces, with flexible monthly desks from EUR 85 plus VAT (Impact Hub) to EUR 220 plus VAT (LACS and Avila).
• Time zone: Lisbon sits on UTC+0 in winter and UTC+1 in summer, so from 1 November 2026 it's 5 hours ahead of New York, 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles, 1 hour behind Central Europe and 11 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Lisbon.

Read the Lisbon guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 26 October 2026.

• Visas: Spain's international telework visa asks for monthly income of 200% of the minimum wage, and the Spanish consulate in Hanoi's table for 2026 puts that at EUR 2,442 a month (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Spain's Tax Agency treats you as tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year, or if your main base of business or economic interests is in Spain (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Málaga WorkBay, a site run by the council's company Promálaga, offers digital nomads help with NIE, visa and town hall registration paperwork, plus a list of local coworking spaces.
• Time zone: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Málaga.

Read the Málaga guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Colombia's digital nomad visa (Visa V Nómada Digital) runs for up to two years and asks for bank statements showing income of at least three monthly minimum wages over the last three months, which is COP 5,252,715 a month at the 2026 minimum wage of COP 1,750,905 (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Coworking: Coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 starts at COP 45,000 a day including IVA at Semilla in Laureles, and WeWork lists All Access Basic in Medellín from COL$713,741 a month on a 12-month plan, plus taxes.
• Time zone: Medellín runs on UTC-5 all year with no daylight saving, so from 1 November 2026 it shares New York's clock exactly and is 16 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Medellín.

Read the Medellín guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: The NSW Government says the Business Innovation and Investment Program (BIIP) is closed as of 31 July 2024 and Home Affairs is no longer accepting new applications, so a non-Australian founder can't use it to move to Melbourne (checked 27 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Coworking: Melbourne coworking checked on 26 Oct 2026 runs from a A$50 day pass at The Cluster to A$69 excluding GST at Hub Australia, with monthly options from A$190 (Inspire9 flexible) to A$290 plus GST (Stone & Chalk flexible desk).
• Time zone: Melbourne is on AEDT (UTC+11) until 4 April 2027, so from 1 November 2026 it's 16 hours ahead of New York, 10 hours ahead of Berlin and 3 hours ahead of Singapore.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Melbourne.

Read the Melbourne guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 27 October 2026.

• Visas: Mexico has no digital nomad visa: founders either visit, where GOV.UK says 180 days is the longest a tourist can stay and the passport stamp sets your actual days, or apply for temporary residency at a Mexican consulate (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Coworking: Coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 starts at $250 a day plus VAT at Impact Hub Mexico City and MEX$717 a day at WeWork, with WeWork All Access from MEX$3,459 a month.
• Time zone: Mexico City has run on UTC-6 all year since Mexico's time zone law took effect on 30 October 2022, so it's one hour behind New York and two ahead of Los Angeles from 1 November 2026.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Mexico City.

Read the Mexico City guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Georgia's Government Resolution 255 lets citizens of the listed countries, including Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Germany, enter and stay without a visa for one full year, and GOV.UK still told British visitors on 28 Oct 2026 they can visit for up to one year.
• Tax: Georgia's Tax Code lets an individual entrepreneur hold small business status, taxed at 1%, with the rate rising to 3% once gross income passes GEL 500,000 in a calendar year, and the status revoked after two years over that limit (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Tbilisi coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 runs from 30 GEL a day and 350 GEL a month at TWENTYFIVE to 40 GEL a day at Impact Hub Tbilisi and 600 GEL a month for a flexible desk at Vake Cowork.
• Time zone: Tbilisi is on UTC+4 all year with no daylight saving, so from 1 November 2026 it's 9 hours ahead of New York, 3 hours ahead of Berlin and 7 hours behind Sydney.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Tbilisi.

Read the Tbilisi guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

• Visas: Spain's international telework visa asks for monthly income of 200% of the minimum wage, and the Spanish consulate in Hanoi's table for 2026 puts that at EUR 2,442 a month (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Tax: Spain's Tax Agency treats you as tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year, or if your main base of business or economic interests is in Spain (checked 28 Oct 2026).
• Coworking: Valencia coworking checked on 28 Oct 2026 starts at EUR 25 plus VAT a day at Wayco Abastos and Vortex Centro, with unlimited flexible desks from EUR 155 plus VAT a month at Wayco Abastos.
• Time zone: Not in this guide's key takeaways yet.
• Meetups: see where founders meet in Valencia.

Read the Valencia guide for remote founders for the sources, updated 28 October 2026.

Visa, tax and price rules change, so open the guide and its sources before you book. Our guides to digital nomad visas and tax residency go deeper, and you can join Remote Builders (it's free) to ask founders who live there.