Are you interested in learning about what is involved in developing a coliving community for digital nomads? In this post, we’ll look at what a coliving ecosystem involves and how to get the most out of a coliving destination if you are planning one.
Table of Contents
What Is a Coliving?
In case you haven’t already read our detailed post on what coliving is, coliving, in essence, is a place where digital nomads (people who are geographically independent, i.e can work from anywhere online) live together.
At the core of coliving is:
- a highly socialized environment (as opposed to a place where people independently live in apartments and do not mix).
- high-speed and reliable WiFi and a place to work from (including when holding online meetings)
- accommodation
An image of youth hostels and backpackers might at first come to mind with the idea of people traveling and socializing and there is some cross-over perhaps, but there are essential differences.
Coliving spaces are really aimed at people who are traveling and living with work at the core of their time (rather than the person being primarily a tourist or holidaymaker).
What Do We Mean by a Coliving Ecosystem?
There is a certain combination of components, as we have already touched on, that you need in order to create a fully functioning coliving space and the diagram below helps to visually showcase this.
1. Living Space
Bedrooms
Accommodation unsurprisingly is one of the first key aspects of the coliving ecosystem and there are a number of considerations to be made.
Affordability is essential given that we are looking at attracting digital nomads who will stay for several weeks or even a few months.
You will be looking at having discounted prices for nomads staying for more than a month and the benefits of this are:
- reduced time managing check-ins and turnover
- the chance to build a group with people staying and creating a community atmosphere (a key aspect of the coliving model)
Accommodation Options – Ideally you will also provide a range of accommodations in order to provide various options, to match the individual budget and needs of the digital nomads including:
- Ensuite for singles, couples, and/or shared
- Shared bathrooms for single, double, and/or dorms
Depending on the location and local environment (i.e., for rural and farm-type locations), it can be great to include options such as:
- camping or luxury tents area
Kitchen
A good coliving space will often be for anything between 10 and 50 people and so the kitchen space becomes essential.
The kitchen can become not just a practical space for cooking and food prep but also acts as a key social hub for many digital nomads.
In fact, as we mentioned in the article on tips for digital nomads, if you have stayed at some locations such as Sun & Co or The Roof in Las Palmas, you’ll appreciate how the kitchen can really add to the vibe.
For large coliving ecosystems, such as El Cabo coliving (31 bedrooms) and the newly planned Coliving Semkovo (with 200 units planned), kitchen space is especially important.
Chill-out Areas and Communal Space
With such an emphasis on providing a positive environment for socializing and for networking, chill-out areas, workspaces (discussed below), and communal areas to mix, chat, and relax, are essential ingredients in providing a coliving space.
2. Coworking & Work Spaces
Work is central to the concept of coliving and being a digital nomad.
The ability to work online means that consideration needs to be given toward:
- Providing high-speed & reliable WiFi
- Ensuring that there is 24 hours access to workspaces and WiFi connections (given that many nomads will be working in different time zones, such as someone in Spain working during U.S. office hours)
- Video call & meeting rooms, booths, or space – to provide for those needing to be involved in a work meeting online or who need privacy for an online meeting
- Various workspace options – ideally you will provide a specific coworking space (with a number of desks and plug sockets) and this can be attached or in the coliving space or in a separate location but within a very short walking distance of the coliving.
The workspace options ideally will also include the chance to work outdoors (weather permitting), spaces dotted around the coliving house to relax and work from, and a desk or two in each room).
Some digital nomads enjoy being in a busy space and like to work by the kitchen or lounge areas and socialize as they work, whilst others might need a meeting room often and a quiet space to work from.
As part of a coliving ecosystem, you will be looking to provide work areas that include:
- quiet areas
- social areas
3. Location
The location of the coliving space will of course come down to the available property, building costs, local facilities and infrastructure, and a number of other factors.
The location will have a knock-on effect in respect of the social aspect of the coliving ecosystem.
Remote & Isolated Locations
The majority of digital nomads are looking to socialize hence why they choose to stay in and use coliving spaces in the first place.
There is though still a divide between those who enjoy staying in coliving spaces that are situated in remote and isolated locations, and those who intentionally choose non-remote vibrant coliving locations.
More isolated coliving destinations include places such as:
- Tertulia Forest Coliving – coliving and coworking in the forest in Tuscany, Italy
- Arctic coliving – a coliving space in Lofoten, Norway
- Novovento in the Azores
- Chateau coliving in France
In locations that are fairly isolated, there is a much greater emphasis on the need to create the right social spaces and organize events and create opportunities for digital nomads to have an experience and to meet others.
Many nomads will of course choose these types of locations for the very benefit of the isolated locations, in order to enjoy the tranquility of the place, the scenery, the outdoor life, and so on.
Central nonetheless to coliving is the social element so, if planning a coliving space in an isolated location, organized activities are especially important.
The social events and activities can reflect the location.
City and Busy/Vibrant Locations
In a city-based coliving space (such as in Las Palmas, Spain, or NYC, USA), it is much easier for digital nomads to tap into the existing nomads’ community events and meetups so there is less need to be so proactive with organizing events within the coliving space.
4. Collaboration
Collaboration is another key aspect of the coliving ecosystem, particularly in the form of:
- Skillshare events
- One-to-one skills help
- Networking
- Encouraging people to ask for help on anything they need help learning from others (t
One of the best coliving locations I have found that very strongly pushes collaboration is at Sun & Co in Javea, Spain.
They organize a weekly get-together (7 pm on Monday nights when we were there) and every person gets to say something that they would:
- like to learn (or to have a round circle chat about as a group event)
- is willing to teach
Unsurprisingly, Sun & Co is rated one of the best coliving spaces in Europe and the collaboration aspect of their stays brings people back time and time again because you get to experience many activities and so easily get to mix with others.
5. Social
As discussed many times already above, the emphasis on social interaction is what makes coliving different from other travel types such as Airbnb and hotel stays.
If you choose to stay in a coliving space, then do expect and be willing to mix and meet lots of other people.
If you prefer isolation and to be left alone then coliving might not be for you.
If you are someone developing a coliving space, the emphasis on how you create a coliving ecosystem that makes it easy for everyone to mix is important!
Management
How much you need to manage or not manage is a balancing act and will partly depend on the location and size of your coliving space.
Nonetheless, ideally, you will have the following staff (they can though be volunteers as needed):
- check-in staff and someone to provide a house tour
- happiness officer (or ‘community manager’)
- events organizer and coordinator
- cleaning staff (weekly normally)
The idea of a ‘Happiness Manager’ (or a ‘community manager’) is an increasingly common one in coliving circles with this person responsible for helping to generate the relaxed vibe and communal feel of the coliving space.
This person is the go-to person if any of the people staying have any problems or if they need help such as finding local facilities.
The events manager or organizer might double as the happiness manager, depending on the size of your coliving space.
Technical Provision (High-Speed WiFi)
High-speed Wi-Fi that is reliable is absolutely in any coliving ecosystem.
Work is essential to what digital nomads do,, i.e. work from anywhere online and taking the time and investing in ensuring you have this infrastructure in place is vital.
Coliving vs Youth & Backpacker Hostels vs Hotel
| Coliving | Hotel | Youth Hostel |
| High-speed WiFi | High-speed WiFi | Most have Internet access these days (most often but not guaranteed) |
| Organized events | Concierge | Noticeboard |
| Price generally between a hostel and hotel (cheaper for a month plus) | More expensive | Cheap but sharing a dorm or paying for a private room |
| Focus on social events | None (except for organized tours) | Sometimes some organized events, e.g. pub crawls |
| Work areas are provided in various places in house & coworking space | Work from room or lobby | You might/might not find work areas |
| Weekly cleaning | Daily cleaning | Varies |
Solving Issues That Digital Nomads Can Experience in Coliving Spaces
You will also want to consider the issues that digital nomads can experience because addressing these issues can mean creating a better and more valued coliving space.
1. Loneliness
Whilst being a digital nomad can be incredibly rewarding, given that you can visit and live in lots of amazing locations worldwide, some nomads find that having no set circle of friends and place makes them feel lonely.
To try and help those staying in your coliving, doing what a coliving such as Sun & Co do, whereby you provide a community-based approach such as by using ‘Collaboration’ as discussed earlier, can greatly help.
The emphasis at a coliving such as Sun & Co is to make sure that everyone is included.
2. Affordability
Some locations that call themselves coliving spaces actually price themselves level with hotel nightly rates, and thus one wonders how sustainable it is for digital nomads to live in such a place for a long period of time.
The coliving ecosystem needs to match the idea that digital nomads aim to stay in places for long stays and this means that it needs to be affordable for a digital nomad to stay several months (even if they choose sometimes only to stay for a few weeks).
Pricing coliving accommodation affordably is essential, but this of course needs to match a higher level of organization in terms of activities and events than you might see in a youth hostel.
The idea of having volunteers can certainly be one effective way to provide enough staffing, whilst also ensuring profits as a coliving space.
Popular sites that are sometimes used to find suitable volunteers and that you can also use include:
- Workaway – especially good if you are in a rural location or offer something unique to your volunteers.
- Co-living volunteer opportunities via voluntouring.org
- You can also advertise (or find opportunities as a digital nomad) directly on co-living websites such as you find here for Nine Coliving and on the Sun and Co Jobs page.
3. Time Zones and Getting Work Done
We have mentioned timezones already a little, but just to briefly cover it in the context of digital nomad issues.
In organizing a coliving space, it is essential to provide access to coworking spaces for those who need to work in the evenings, overnight, or very early mornings, a place to work online from.
Quite common is to make the coworking space one with 24-hour access, by having a password-accessible door.
Existing and Planned Digital Nomad Villages and Communities
Europe
- Many of you will already be familiar with the work Matthias has done to develop Bansko coworking as a major hub for digital nomads in Bulgaria.
- The Maderia Islands digital nomads start-up group
- Banana House, Madeira
- In Germany, one of the most active and thriving communities developing right now is Coconat, one hour away from Berlin. This is a major development with a number of facilities and it’s quite a setup!
- Coworking Bansko is another major coworking and digital nomads hub.
- Oasis Coliving in Barcelona – is a location where you can spend lots of time by the coast and beach in your spare time.
- Cloud Citadel – located in Hautes Alpes in the French Alps, this is a great coliving location if you want to try outdoor activities including rafting, hiking, canyoning, or trail running. Work from the mountains!
Africa
- Mokolodi Backpackers also caters to digital nomads and is located in Gaborone, Botswana. A great location for wildlife and the great outdoors.
- Sundesk – in Taghazout, Morocco is a popular coliving and coworking space located by the coast in a seaside village.
The Americas
- Flamingo Coliving in Santa Marta, Columbia is a great place for socializing and meeting other digital nomads.
- Outpost Club – in the U.S. is especially useful if NYC is your planned coliving and working destination.
- Co404 Oaxaca coliving in Mexico – a lovely community for digital nomads in the heart of Oaxaca, a popular place for experiencing real Mexico.
- Valpi Coliving – Porto Alegre, Brazil
Indonesia
- Cozy Coliving Fatmawati, Jakarta, Indonesia
Useful Links
- Uruguay Digital Nomads & Remote Working Guide - June 15, 2023
- Buenos Aires Digital Nomads & Remote Working Guide - May 27, 2023
- Sri Lanka Digital Nomads & Remote Working Guide - May 14, 2023
