Coworking spaces. Some digital nomads and remote workers swear by them, and some don’t bother ever using them and are happy working from cafes and their hotel rooms.
They can be a great option, but do require a membership fee. So the question is: Are they really worth the money?
Let’s go over the basics and some of the benefits of joining a coworking space so you can decide for yourself. (Read until the end for a direct comparison of a week at a c-working space vs a week working from our hotel and coffee shops).
What is a Coworking Space?
First things first, if you’re new to this digital nomad or freelancing thing, then you might not be familiar with coworking spaces just yet.
In exchange for a membership fee, coworking spaces do what they say on the tin – provide you with a communal workspace to use alongside other digital nomads and remote workers.
For some, coworking spaces are conducive for their best work. Others may find they’re not worth the cost. So, to get started, let’s go through the main benefits if you do decide to try one out…
Benefits of Using a Coworking Space
Access to a Proper Work Setup
A work desk, comfortable chair, and fast wi-fi can make all the difference to your productivity and generally how much you enjoy your work.
Sometimes sitting on your bed or outside a cafe feels right, but when you’ve got deep work to be done, an office setup might be just what you need.
Give Yourself Some Structure
Nomad life can be crazy, and if you love structure and routine (like me), heading to a coworking space a few times a week can add some much-needed structure to your completely unstructured nomad lifestyle.
It can also help you build up positive habits that you might’ve lost when you hit the road as a nomad.
Take Advantage of Added Extras
Most coworking spaces have some great extras you can take advantage of.
Usually, they offer free water, tea, and coffee. Some even have swimming pools and gyms onsite that you can access for free with your membership, as well as partnerships with other local businesses like spas or restaurants to offer discounts for members.
Don’t forget to check them out when you’re choosing a space – a space that throws in a free gym membership could make a big difference to your budget versus paying for them separately.
Appear More Professional
If you’re dealing with clients, hosting a call from a booth at your coworking space appears way more professional than having your hotel room in the background.
Not to mention, you’re usually guaranteed a more stable internet connection. And from experience, there’s nothing worse when you’re on an important call than your wi-fi repeatedly cutting out – it just gives a bad impression.
Access to a Community
Let’s not lie, being a digital nomad has immense perks – but loneliness is inevitable sometimes.
Between free networking events and discounted group trips, tapping into the community at your coworking space can be a great place to meet new people on your wavelength.
Who knows, you might even meet your next big client or business partner.
Average Coworking Space Costs
The average cost of joining a coworking space can vary massively depending on your location. A workspace in South East Asia is going to cost very differently from one in a European capital.
Usually, spaces offer daily, weekly, or monthly plan options to choose from depending on how long you’re staying and how much flexibility you need.
According to Coworking Insights, the average hot desk monthly price in Asia is $163, $246 in North America, and $225 in Europe, in line with what we’ve experienced during our traveling.
For long-term memberships, a permanent desk is a pricier option but it can be great to have a monitor and other desk supplies on hand.
What Are the Coworking Alternatives?
Working From Your Accommodation
There are some major benefits to working from your accommodation – especially if you’re on a budget.
No need to travel. No need to pay for a workspace or buy something in a cafe for the privilege of using a table. But on the flip side, separating work and home can be very difficult when you’re not physically leaving your living space to do work – even more so when that living space is a single room.
I know I feel a bit stir-crazy on days when working in my room is the only option. Your mental health is definitely something to take into consideration when you’re deciding if you should work in your room, not just your productivity.
Working From a Cafe
Working from a nice little cafe can be a great change of scenery from working in your accommodation. And of course, there’s coffee and food available right there to keep you caffeine-fueled and full-bellied to power through your work.
Not to mention the amazing views you get at beachfront cafes and bars in Thailand…
The downside is that cafes can be full of distractions. Sometimes you strike gold and find somewhere super conducive to work with great coffee and quiet patrons also tapping away on their laptops. Sometimes though, you’re right in the middle of deep work when the lunch crowd starts and completely throws your focus.
Of course, some people thrive in a busy environment like that – so you can make the judgment whether it works for you.
Renting Your Own Office Space
If you’re a permanent ex-pat in one location rather than always on the move, renting your own office space could be an option for you.
There are so many benefits to having your own workspace, but of course, those benefits come with a whole host of costs and risks you need to take into account.
Our Coworking Experiment: What We Thought
We’ve used coworking spaces on and off throughout the first few months of our trip through South East Asia, and I couldn’t quite decide what I thought of them.
So when we decided we’d be spending two weeks in Ubud, it became the perfect time to test it out versus working from our hotel and cafes.
The Results
WORKING FROM OUR ACCOMMODATION
WORKING IN A COWORKING SPACE
Here are the stats:
During our week working from a combination of our room and coffee shops, I tracked 15.13 hours of time in 7 days.
During our week using the Outpost coworking space, I tracked 21.88 hours of time.
Clearly, I spent more time working when we used the coworking space. And yet, I had two full days off as opposed to working every day during our non-coworking week.
I will caveat this by saying I don’t do this volume of work every week while traveling. These particular weeks were specifically allocated to be ‘working weeks’ on either side of a 3-week trip around Java, during which we did very little work.
Coworking: Value for Money or Overrated?
In our experience, coworking spaces are really good value for money for periods when you need to do a lot of deep work or days when you know you need to sit at your laptop for 7 hours.
On those days you’ll be thankful for a proper desk setup, a comfortable chair, and minimal distractions. But, if you’re only doing a couple of hours of work or some admin that doesn’t require 100% focus and zero distractions – coffee shops are the way forward.
We recommend going for more flexible plans like 10 days per month or 25 hours per month to give you the opportunity to mix up your working environment depending on your mood and jobs to be done.
At the end of the day, you won’t know what works for you until you try it – so give different working environments a shot and decide whether coworking spaces are worth the money for you as a digital nomad.
