Melbourne has been ranked the best city in the world for remote work, according to the Nestpick Work-From-Anywhere Index – a global study comparing 75 cities on factors from internet infrastructure and housing costs to visa regulations and quality of life.
This index (first released in mid-2021) examined cities often touted as “most livable” and assessed their readiness to attract remote workers across 16 indicators grouped into Costs & Infrastructure, Legislation & Freedoms, and Livability.
Melbourne, Australia, emerged as the #1 city overall, scoring especially high on safety, healthcare, culture, and inclusivity metrics. It even edged out tech hubs like Dubai (#2) and Sydney (#3), which, along with Tallinn (#4) and London (#5), rounded out the top five.
This victory underscores Melbourne’s reputation as a thriving, livable metropolis – and signals that the city’s investments in digital connectivity and social infrastructure are paying off in the new era of “work-from-anywhere.”
Why Melbourne led the pack
Several strengths boosted Melbourne to the top of Nestpick’s index.
Crucially, remote-working infrastructure was a standout: Melbourne earned a 91.8/100 score in this category, reflecting widespread high-speed internet availability, ample coworking spaces, and a mature tech ecosystem.
The city also benefited from having a form of digital nomad visa in place at the time of the study, one of only 10 cities in the index (including Melbourne’s peer Sydney as well as Dubai, Tallinn, Lisbon, and others) to offer a special visa or accommodation for foreign remote workers.
Moreover, Melbourne’s social stability and legal protections gave it an edge – it received near-perfect marks for gender equality (99.7/100) and minority inclusion (97.8/100), alongside a stellar 97.7/100 healthcare score, indicating world-class medical access. These scores highlight that, beyond just having the tech tools for remote work, Melbourne provides a safe, inclusive, and healthy environment for professionals and their families.
Overall, the city’s well-rounded strengths across livability, governance, and digital infrastructure combined to make it the highest-scoring “work-from-anywhere” city in the world.
Infrastructure, connectivity and visa friction
Robust digital infrastructure is the backbone of any remote-work hub, and Melbourne fares reasonably well here. The city enjoys nearly ubiquitous broadband coverage and reliable high-capacity internet – a factor that Nestpick captured in its “Internet Speed & Capacity” metric.
However, Australia’s internet speeds still lag behind many developed countries. Australia ranks only 81st globally in fixed broadband performance, with a median download speed of around 80.5 Mbps. This is well below the global average (~94 Mbps) and trails far behind connectivity leaders like Estonia (≈92.4 Mbps, 64th) and the UAE (≈313.6 Mbps, 2nd).
In other words, a remote worker in Melbourne will generally have a fast and stable connection for Zoom calls or cloud computing, but not quite the ultra-gigabit speeds one might find in Singapore or Dubai. There is ongoing progress on this front. The rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) and recent fiber upgrades have improved Melbourne’s internet capacity, and the federal government has earmarked additional funding (over A$3 billion) to “finish” NBN upgrades by 2025.
Still, observers note that Australia’s broadband market remains hampered by complexity and patchy last-mile performance, which sometimes results in higher latency or dropouts compared to global peers.
On a more positive note, Melbourne offers a plethora of coworking spaces, cafés with Wi-Fi, and modern work hubs. The city has over 100 coworking locations, and the average cost for a hot-desk membership is around A$400–430 per month. That is higher than the ~ $299 global average for similar coworking packages, reflecting Australia’s generally higher commercial real-estate costs.
Visas and policy: Attracting global talent
When it comes to visa frameworks for remote workers, Melbourne (and Australia in general) is in a somewhat paradoxical position.
In Nestpick’s 2021 study, Melbourne scored points for having a “Remote Worker Immigration” pathway – effectively crediting the country’s willingness to accommodate digital nomads. In practice, however, Australia does not yet offer a dedicated digital nomad visa akin to those in some other countries.
The inclusion of Melbourne and Sydney among cities with a “digital nomad visa” likely refers to existing visa options (such as working holiday visas, skilled independent visas, or other long-stay visas) that remote employees can use to reside temporarily in Australia. Since 2021, dozens of countries – from Estonia and Croatia to the UAE and Malaysia – have launched special visa schemes for foreign remote workers. Australia, the UK, and Japan have not followed suit in creating a bespoke remote-worker visa (as of 2025). This means that a freelancer or corporate employee abroad who wants to “work from Melbourne” must qualify for a traditional visa (e.g., skilled migrant, working holiday, etc.), rather than a simple digital nomad pass.
Cost of living: High, but still livable
Affordability is a double-edged sword for Melbourne. Compared to Silicon Valley, London, or Singapore, Melbourne is relatively affordable – but compared to many emerging remote-work hubs, it is expensive. Nestpick’s index included a Cost-of-Living score, where Melbourne was somewhere in the middle of the pack.
Recent data bear this out: as of 2024, Melbourne’s median rent has surged to a record A$589 per week (about A$2,350 per month). That figure, courtesy of CoreLogic, reflects a rapid rise in rental costs (nearly 10% annual growth) as the city rebounds from pandemic lows and faces a housing supply crunch. Melbourne’s rent is now on par with Adelaide’s and only slightly cheaper than Sydney’s (which is around A$770/week).
In global terms, Melbourne’s housing costs in 2024 resemble those of major Western cities – expensive, though not as extreme as New York or San Francisco. Remote workers moving from lower-cost regions might find Melbourne pricey, whereas those from London or LA might find it a bargain for the quality of life offered.
Aside from housing, general living costs in Melbourne – groceries, transportation, dining out – are on par with other large Australian cities and tend to be lower than in Sydney (the nation’s priciest metro). Melbourne doesn’t have Sydney’s astronomical property prices nor its higher salaries. In cost-of-living indices, it usually ranks slightly below Sydney.
Still, global nomad surveys consistently note Melbourne’s high prices. Yet, it’s also clear that despite the high cost, the city offers good value due to the quality of life and overall livability.
Safety, health and social strengths
One area where Melbourne truly shines is in its social and legal environment, which is critical for anyone relocating internationally. In Nestpick’s analysis, Melbourne and Sydney both scored at the top for “Safety, Freedom & Rights”, reflecting Australia’s stable rule of law, low crime rates, and high respect for civil liberties.
Melbourne, in particular, is often lauded for its multicultural harmony – nearly half of its residents were born overseas or have an overseas-born parent, and the city celebrates diversity. The index gave Melbourne perfect or near-perfect scores for minority inclusivity and LGBT+ equality, indicating strong protections against discrimination and a broad acceptance of different communities. For remote workers (and their families) considering a move, this provides peace of mind that Melbourne offers a welcoming environment regardless of one’s background or identity.
Healthcare is another pillar of Melbourne’s attractiveness. Australia has a hybrid public-private healthcare system, and Melbourne is home to some of the country’s best hospitals and research institutions. Nestpick’s index assigned Melbourne a 97.7/100 healthcare score, among the highest of all cities surveyed. Residents and many long-term visa holders have access to Medicare (the public healthcare system), and there’s an extensive network of clinics and specialists.
Melbourne’s remote-work future
Melbourne’s path forward is full of promise. The city’s #1 ranking in the Work-From-Anywhere Index affirms its strengths. It shows that Melbourne, long celebrated for coffee and culture, can also dominate on the digital stage. Remote workers from around the globe thrive here, thanks to a welcoming environment and forward-thinking policies.
Yet challenges lie ahead. Melbourne’s leaders must address housing costs so remote workers of all backgrounds can afford to stay. They also need to expand key infrastructure, from broadband to public transit, to keep pace with growing demand. Targeted policies, like a dedicated remote-worker visa or tax incentives, could supercharge the city’s international appeal.
Melbourne should also leverage its world-class universities. Remote professionals may look for career development or strong local schools for their children, and the city can offer both.
By embracing these opportunities, Melbourne will continue to shine as a leading remote-work hub for years to come.
