Saw a stat about digital nomads and average income that threw me off

I was reading this report from some remote work site last week and it said the median income for digital nomads is around $72k a year. That surprised me because I always picture us as broke folks living off rice and beans in hostels. Maybe it's just me but I feel like the numbers might be skewed by the tech crowd who make a lot more. Has anyone else come across income stats that didn't match what you see in real life?

4 comments

4 Comments

kimr741mo ago

$72k? I'd have to be selling a LOT of my overpriced "location independent life" online courses to hit that number. Meanwhile I'm over here Googling if rice and beans have all the essential amino acids to save on groceries.

jana_shah1mo ago

Nah, I gotta disagree. I've met plenty of nomads pulling $70k+ doing regular remote work, not selling courses. Rice and beans is a choice, not a necessity.

wadew511mo ago

I see this number thrown around a lot, like from Nomad List or some LinkedIn surveys, but it doesn't match what I run into. Most nomads I meet in Thailand or Mexico are living on way less than $72k, closer to $30k or $40k. I think the high earners from tech and remote sales jobs pull that average way up, and the rest of us just get hidden in the math. The reality on the ground feels a lot more like hustling and making it work, not pulling six figures. Have you met many nomads who actually fit that $72k profile?

hill.margaret1mo ago

Huh, that's actually a really good point. Do you think the surveys are mostly pulling from people who are already in those higher-paying fields, or is it just that the people who brag about their income online are louder about it?