A new study reveals the most expensive city centres for remote workers according to the number of co-working spaces and cafes, average city centre rental, and meal and coffee costs.
This indicates that Boston, Massachusetts, offers the highest number of co-working spaces per capita at 7.776 and the highest internet speed/Mbps, but it also has the second-highest costs of rentals in the city centre. San Francisco, CA, has the most cafes and the second-most number of co-working spaces.
This review comes from the company The Perfect Rug who have assessed the largest U.S. cities to identify the top ten most expensive city centres for remote work. This is based on metrics such as population data, the number of co-working spaces and cafes per capita, average internet speeds by state (distributed across cities), average monthly rent prices for city centre apartments, average hourly desk prices in co-working spaces, and the costs of meals and coffee.
The data was subsequently normalised to prioritize affordability and desirable metrics, such as higher counts of co-working spaces and cafes, faster internet speeds, and lower costs.
The outcome is:
| City/State | Number of co-working spaces per capita | Number of cafes per capita | Average internet speed/mbps | Average cost of rentals in the city central | Average cost for a desk per hour | Average meal cost | Index Score |
| San Jose, CA | 1.477 | 13.68 | 93 | $2,597 | $30 | $20.00 | 24.2 |
| San Diego, CA | 4.417 | 27.80 | 93 | $2,333 | $101 | $22.00 | 26.9 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 3.767 | 15.70 | 93 | $2,158 | $23 | $25.00 | 28.7 |
| San Francisco, CA | 7.625 | 48.33 | 93 | $2,894 | $27 | $25.00 | 33.6 |
| New York, NY | 3.733 | 13.03 | 397.7 | $3,864 | $22 | $30.00 | 34.1 |
| Chicago, IL | 3.747 | 21.12 | 324.9 | $1,863 | $12 | $25.00 | 51.8 |
| Boston, MA | 7.776 | 43.76 | 401.2 | $3,501 | $34 | $24.00 | 52.4 |
| Indianapolis, IN | 4.830 | 13.43 | 331 | $1,093 | $30 | $25.00 | 57.3 |
| Columbus, OH | 4.187 | 18.30 | 278.3 | $1,117 | $26 | $20.00 | 57.8 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 3.750 | 15.35 | 322.3 | $1,304 | $41 | $18.00 | 58.5 |
San Jose, CA, tops the ranking with a score of 24.2. Offering the fewest co-working spaces per capita at 1.47, and the highest coffee costs. San Jose is the least affordable city for remote work.
San Diego, CA, ranks second with a score of 26.9. Although it offers a considerably higher number of co-working spaces per capita at 4.42, the city still remains expensive due to the high average cost for a desk per hour at $101, the highest on this list. Rent prices are also significant, though slightly more affordable than San Jose, averaging $2,333 in the city center.
Los Angeles, CA, comes in third with a score of 28.7. While the rental costs in the city center average $2,158—lower than San Jose and San Francisco—the city still presents a challenge for affordability. The availability of coworking spaces per capita is at 3.77, which is quite average compared to other cities, but meal costs reach a high of $25.00, making it another pricey option for those working remotely.
Affordability is important for remote workers, as are factors like co-working availability, Internet speed, and the cost of everyday necessities. Cities with higher rents and fewer co-working spaces create financial challenges for remote workers, even in places with otherwise vibrant work cultures.
