How We Research

Research principles

Prefer primary sources

We prefer government agencies, immigration authorities, embassies and consulates, official statistics, central banks, official transport sources, and official service-provider pricing pages where relevant to the claim.

Cross-check important facts

For important or time-sensitive facts, we try to use more than one source, investigate conflicts, and prefer the source that is more authoritative or more recently maintained. The appropriate level of checking depends on the risk and specificity of the claim.

Separate facts from interpretation

We distinguish verified facts, estimates, and editorial interpretation. An editorial judgment should not be presented as a measured statistic, and a source describing one experience should not be treated as proof of a universal condition.

Show uncertainty

When information is incomplete, we may label it partial or estimated, show a range, identify a source date, and explain the limitation. We do not create false precision simply to make a comparison look complete.

Destination research

Destination pages generally examine internet and workability, neighborhoods, transportation, climate, community, lifestyle, and practical living conditions. The source registry for the current destination pages is maintained in src/data/destinationSources.ts.

Where available, the page-end Sources and verification section shows the main sources, what they support, and the date they were checked. A source verification date is the date we checked the source; it is not necessarily the date the source was published.

Qualitative observations may combine several sources with editorial interpretation. We avoid using one total score to declare a city “best,” because different people make different trade-offs and the available evidence does not justify a single objective ranking.

Cost of living

The cost comparison uses the structured data in src/data/cost-of-living.ts. Items can include a source, sourceUrl, sourceDate, lastVerified, status, notes, and sourceTier.

Local currency first

Prices are shown in the currency used by the underlying source. The local-currency figure remains the primary value because it preserves the original context and avoids implying that a conversion is more precise than the source data.

USD conversion

Approximate USD values are calculated at build time using the reference rates in src/data/exchange-rates.ts. They are comparison aids, not replacements for the original prices.

Partial data and source tiers

If a category lacks a comparable current source, has incomplete coverage, or cannot support a reliable single value, it may remain partial or use a range rather than an invented estimate. The current cost data uses tier1 and tier2 labels to distinguish stronger direct or official sources from structured, provider, or other secondary benchmarks. These labels describe the source used for an item; they are not a score for the quality of a city.

Exchange rates

Our current USD reference rates use European Central Bank euro foreign exchange reference rates, with an explicit source date and update date in the data file. The USD conversion is a build-time calculation, not a live rate or real-time trading quote. A bank, card issuer, or money-transfer provider may apply a different rate, spread, or fee.

Visa research

Visa pages prioritize official government materials, immigration authorities, embassies and consulates, and official visa portals. Visa requirements, fees, processing practices, and interpretations can change quickly, so readers should recheck the current official source before applying.

Visa pages provide general information, not legal advice or a determination of personal eligibility. Forums and personal blogs are not treated as the final authority for high-risk visa facts. Important claims should be grounded in official material wherever possible.

Remote work research

Remote-work coverage may include job platforms, productivity practices, work-environment guidance, and official labor, tax, or institutional sources where relevant. A commercial job platform may be listed as a discovery resource without endorsement. Its inclusion does not automatically make it a sponsored source; any future commercial relationship would require appropriate disclosure.

Social, community, and relationship information

Social scenes, community access, dating, and relationship compatibility are harder to quantify objectively than visa rules, exchange rates, or government requirements. We therefore distinguish three kinds of evidence:

• Observable facts: features such as coworking density, community events, city size, transport patterns, and neighborhood concentration, when supported by reliable sources.
• Sourced indicators: community infrastructure, recurring events, social venues, and local participation patterns from sources that can be checked. These indicators do not directly prove that it is easy to find a partner.
• Editorial interpretation: a judgment about whether a city may feel socially easier or more difficult, or whether a lifestyle may suit relationship-minded nomads.

We do not guarantee that any city is more likely to produce a relationship, treat dating success as a predictable outcome, or assign an unsupported relationship-success score. Relationship guidance should help readers understand an environment and its trade-offs, not promise a result.

Review and update process

Last reviewed

A Last reviewed date indicates that the page received substantive editorial review. It does not mean every source was published that day or that every price was updated in real time.

Source dates

Source dates and verified dates help readers judge the freshness of the underlying evidence. Different information changes at different speeds. Visa rules, government requirements, prices, exchange rates, and transport systems generally need more frequent review than neighborhood characteristics, general lifestyle, community patterns, or work environments.

Review triggers

We prioritize review after a visa or government-rule change, a major price change, an exchange-rate refresh, a transport-system change, or the discovery of a factual error. We do not promise automatic monitoring.

Corrections

If you find outdated information, a broken official source, a factual error, or a material discrepancy, email hello@digitalnomadsingles.com with the page URL and the issue. We review relevant reports and correct material information when appropriate.

AI-assisted workflow

AI-assisted tools may help organize research, support drafting, format content, transform data, or assist with quality control. AI is not a fact source. Factual claims still require verifiable sources, and AI must not invent sources, quotations, interviews, or first-hand experience. See the Editorial Policy for the broader editorial, commercial-link, and review principles.

Affiliate relationships do not change our research methodology, source hierarchy, or how we handle Cost of Living, Visa, destination, FX, or remote-work data. They also do not change future relationship-related editorial conclusions. Where a commercial relationship exists, see our Affiliate & Commercial Disclosures.