Working Remotely in Brooklyn, New York
This is part of my remote work travel series where I review places I visit as a digital nomad. Check out the rest of my posts and follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Substack, or on TikTok for more travel content! This post contains affiliate links*, meaning I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog!
A few months ago, I decided to sell everything in my LA home and make the jump from West Coast to East Coast. I was going to move to NYC and live out my Brooklyn dreams.
…or so I thought.
I’m writing this post from Lisbon, Portugal, and I can say three things for certain:
I’m realizing Europe has a better quality of life than America.
Our environment affects our habits and stress levels on a much deeper level!
Community and walkable cities improve mental health tenfold.
Here’s a breakdown of my month and a half working remotely in Brooklyn, my existential debate as an American considering becoming an expat, and more:
What I Love About Brooklyn: Where to Stay, What to Eat for Digital Nomads
Now, fans of the blog will know I worked remotely in Manhattan back in 2021. Last year, I stayed in Chinatown which was awesome but hectic. Great food, busy streets, and lots of constant stimulus (which I didn’t love.)
Where to Stay in Brooklyn, NY
That’s why this time around, I had my sights set on living (and working remotely) in Brooklyn. I loved the quieter, tree-lined streets in Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, Carroll Gardens, and Park Slope. These neighborhoods are great for digital nomads because they’re so walkable without being total chaos.
We ended up staying in Downtown Brooklyn, which was a bit of a mistake because our Airbnb was on a major street. Even 12 stories up, the traffic noise interrupted our sleep and the blinds were translucent and let in the morning sun every day—so pick wisely!
Airbnbs in Brooklyn are also much more expensive than in any other city: we haggled down our $9,000/mo studio apartment to $7,000/mo which was insane considering our Airbnb budget has been around $2,000-$4,000/month for full houses in other states. So if you’re planning to work remotely here, be prepared to pay for it.
Outsite has great accommodations in Manhattan at midtown (room: empire) and Chelsea (room: apt 17). It’s a co-live subscription community that gives discounts for stays over a month. Check them out here* and get $50 off your membership. I suggest going for the lifetime membership if you like co-lives and plan on staying in more than one place. But if you want to just do it without membership it’s more expensive and can be done through booking.com. This is for Chelsea* and Midtown is exclusive to Outsite members.
RELATED: The Best Travel Cards for Digital Nomads
Where to Eat in Brooklyn, NY
With that said, here are some of my favorite places to eat in Brooklyn if you’re a digital nomad:
East Wind Snack Shop. This cute place on Smith Street has dumplings to die for. They’ve won awards for their well-seasoned dumplings, and I can’t recommend them enough. Plus, the dishes are fairly inexpensive.
Planted. This plant shop doubles as a vegan restaurant, and everything is house-made and healthy. They didn’t overdo the oil on any of their dishes, and didn’t rely too heavily on soy-based meats (like other places do!) Big fan of this vegan place and the good vibes here.
Guevara’s. If you’re looking for an incredible vegan bagel n’ lox, this is the place. Guevara’s is part coffeeshop during the day with pink walls and a pink parklet, and part restaurant (they close to laptops around 5pm and serve dinner after that.) We met Daniel, one of the owners, and he treated us to their coconut “ceviche” dish — it’s to die for. I recommend this spot to vegans and non-vegans alike, it’s awesome. Great for meetings, coffee dates, or relaxing dinners.
Overall, lots of great vegan spots and cute restaurants that aren’t a zillion dollars.
Where to Work for Digital Nomads in Brooklyn, NY
When it comes to workspaces, I wasn’t able to find a place in Brooklyn I loved working at. One of the major differences in NY vs. LA is that coffeeshops in LA are much bigger and work-friendly. Space comes at a premium in NYC, so most coffeeshops here are takeout only.
My recommendation is to get an Airbnb with a workspace. Our high-rise building had a dedicated study and game room which were empty most of the time, but we did have a Zumba class take over on a night when we needed the space. So, it’s always best to try find a place to stay with at least a desk and fast wifi.
Poetica Coffee on Smith Street also had a nice back patio, so if you’re staying close to the Brooklyn Heights/Carroll Gardens area that might be a good place to check out, but I can’t speak to their wifi. Coffee Project New York in Downtown Brooklyn also had good wifi and nice seating, but they only have certain tables that allow laptops, so don’t go out of your way for this place.
What to Consider Before Moving to NYC or Brooklyn
Brooklyn is hands down one of my favorite places in the U.S.: it’s walkable, the subway lines are so convenient, and the food here is awesome. I love the artsy vibes from Park Slope to Greenpoint, and overall the city feels like a more communal experience compared to some of the small towns or other coastal cities we’ve visited.
However, we happened to plan our move during the peak of the rental market. As we started our apartment search, we realized that landlords were accepting “best offers” — people were bidding on rent — for apartments that were already overpriced in an insanely expensive city.
After absorbing this and all the stories in the news of how rent hikes were driving people out of the city, and rising interest rates were keeping people in the rental market, we decided that it wasn’t going to be worth it to spend so much of our income on rent. Just because you can afford to shell out $6,000/month for an apartment, it doesn’t mean that you should.
Another thing to keep in mind is that broker fees in NYC aren’t just a percentage of a month of rent: they’re a percentage of annualized rent. Which means to move into a $4,800 apartment, it will cost you around $20,000 for the deposit, first month, and broker fee.
While Brooklyn and Manhattan are amazing places to live, there’s also been an increase in violent crime and some notable recent shootings. Most major cities are experiencing an uptick in crime, and living in a big city comes with risks. But I’ve heard more anecdotal stories about people not wanting to take the NYC subways anymore because of the rising crime rates. Another thing to keep in mind are flood zones: when we were looking at Greenpoint, we saw the flood map projecting some dismal future predictions for that part of Brooklyn.
Overall? NYC is a cultural hub with vibrant communities — as well as its own set of problems. While we may return to NYC at some point, it’s not in the cards for this particular moment. Which brings me to…
…Why You Should Consider Europe Instead
If you clicked on this post, you probably didn’t expect me to pitch moving to Europe to you. But here we are!
I spent three months last year living in Prague, Budapest, and all over Italy (Milan, Florence, Rome, Montepulciano, Naples, Amalfi, and Venice to be exact!)
As I write this, I’m in Lisbon, Portugal. I’m staying in the Alfama neighborhood on top of a hill next to a literal castle (The Castel del Sāo Jorge!) with views of the city. Portugal is the fourth safest country in the world, and it has universal healthcare. Lisbon is right next to the ocean, and the weather is temperate with soft breeze and no humidity. It doesn’t have mosquitos like most of the Italian towns I’ve visited, and English is widely spoken here. Not to mention that one-bedroom apartments start at $600-$2,000 USD and the average rent for an apartment in Lisbon is $1,114.
When I was in New York, I took a blood test that made my doctor start piling on more medications to combat inflammation in my body. (For new friends to my blog: I have the autoimmune disease Rheumatoid Arthritis and am on a journey to heal it!) My swelling was generally pretty high and I had a good amount of symptoms despite going to pilates, doing yoga, meditating, and eating a pretty healthy vegan diet with lots of vegetables and daily green smoothies.
I’ve been in Lisbon for less than a week and already my symptoms are starting to go away, my swelling is going down, and I feel healthier and happier. But why?
Maybe you’ve heard the anecdotal stories of Americans losing weight while eating nothing but baguettes and cheese in France. Or, hearing how those with gluten/dairy intolerances in the United States are having a grand old time eating those things in Europe with no problem. Why is that?
It could be in part because the standard of living here is enforced by stricter rules: because European countries pay for health insurance, it’s in their best interest to keep their citizens healthy. If you look at any food label, you’ll find the ingredients lists are much shorter than those in America. A lot more toxic chemicals are banned here, and grocery stores are smaller and more whole foods-focused (depending on where you are.) Even the avocados taste better here in Lisbon.
A lot of countries (like Portugal!) are rolling out digital nomad visas. So if you’re looking to jump ship on America and have a better slice of life for half the cost — maybe take this as a sign.
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