A flex desk in Chiang Mai costs as much per month as three day passes in Zurich. When you plan a workation, your workspace belongs in the budget just as much as rent, because depending on the region it's either your second-biggest expense or a rounding error. Here are the price ranges for 2026, sorted by region, and the signs that tell you before booking whether a space is any good.
The ranges in 2026
Monthly prices for a flex desk (no fixed seat, access during opening hours) based on Nomads.com data from September 2026, roughly converted to euros and widened into ranges. Day passes are based on experience from the spaces' own booking pages.
| Region | Day pass | Flex desk per month | Examples (monthly, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Asia | €5 to €12 | €80 to €180 | Chiang Mai approx. €95, Bangkok approx. €125, Canggu approx. €175 |
| Caucasus | €6 to €12 | €70 to €130 | Tbilisi approx. €90 |
| Southern Europe | €15 to €30 | €100 to €250 | Lisbon approx. €100, Valencia and Barcelona approx. €205 |
| Latin America | €8 to €20 | €100 to €280 | Medellín approx. €105, Buenos Aires approx. €180, Mexico City approx. €280 |
| DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) | €20 to €45 | €160 to €420 | Berlin approx. €165, Vienna approx. €175, Zurich approx. €415 |
Mexico City is the odd one out: prices there are geared to US corporate clients, not individuals. In Oaxaca or Guadalajara you pay half.
Why Southern Europe isn't cheap, but Lisbon is
Lisbon is more expensive than Berlin for rent, but cheaper for coworking. The reason is oversupply: since 2020, dozens of spaces have opened in Lisbon and Valencia, many of them aimed at nomads, with monthly prices just above €100. Barcelona and Madrid are twice as expensive because companies are the customers there. Rule of thumb: the more startups in the city, the pricier the flex desk.
What the day pass tells you
A day pass should cost around five to eight percent of the monthly price. If it's well above that (a €30 day pass with €200 a month), the space wants to discourage walk-ins, which is good for members and doesn't matter to you if you're staying four weeks anyway. If it's far below, the space lives off walk-in customers: more turnover, more noise, fewer regular faces. Neither is a deal-breaker, but it's a hint of what to expect.
Most spaces now offer weekly passes or 10-day passes. For a four-week workation with two or three coworking days a week, the 10-day pass is usually the cheapest option: €60 to €120 in Southeast Asia, €120 to €220 in Southern Europe.
How to spot a good space
Before you book: get a day pass. And on that day, check these points, in this order.
- Internet under load. Run a speed test at 11 am, when everyone is there, not at 8. Below 50 Mbit/s download and 20 upload, every video call becomes a lottery. Ask whether there's a second line. Good spaces answer that without thinking.
- Phone booths, and how many. A space with 60 seats and two booths has a queue at 3 pm, when North America wakes up. Rule of thumb: one booth per ten to fifteen seats.
- Chairs. An office chair with adjustable height and a backrest. Designer stools and benches are for photos, not for eight hours.
- Climate and light. In Southeast Asia, air conditioning that isn't set to 18 degrees. In Southern Europe, windows that open, and heating in winter. Daylight at your desk, not just in the lounge.
- Opening hours and access. 24/7 access by key fob is essential for people with US clients and irrelevant for everyone else. More important: is the space open at weekends, and does that cost extra?
- Who sits there. A space full of two-person teams with whiteboards is different from a space with 40 solo workers wearing headphones. Both have their place. You just need to know which one you're booking.
What doesn't count: the coffee, the yoga class, the roof terrace. Nice, but you don't work on the roof terrace.
When you don't need a coworking space
If you have few calls and accommodation with a stable connection and a desk, save the €100 to €250 and spend it on two day passes a week for the social side. If you have lots of calls, live in a coliving or work from an old building with thin walls, the space isn't optional: it's what keeps your workation from falling apart in the first week.