3.21/5
80 reviews
Photo by Gabriel Aguirre via Unsplash

Galapagos Islands

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work

internet

The Galapagos Islands are a stunning travel destination best suited for vacation and exploration rather than remote work. Travelers consistently highlight the natural beauty of the islands as a primary draw. It's a great location for self-guided excursions, relaxing in nature, and learning about local wildlife and conservation efforts. Many visitors found that organizing trips independently, rather than joining package tours, saved money and allowed for a more flexible experience. Budget-conscious travelers reported spending around $1,500 for two weeks, including accommodations and some guided tours.

However, one consistent downside is the lack of usable internet across the islands. Visitors and locals alike warn that it’s nearly impossible to do any meaningful online work, with even basic connectivity issues being common. Even workers based on the islands tend to catch up online only once they leave. As such, remote workers who rely on stable internet connections should reconsider or prepare to work offline. Overall, the Galapagos are highly recommended for leisure-focused travelers, but not suited for digital nomads or online professionals.

AI-generated summary of reviews
8 months ago

I live in Ecuador and I have been to the Galapagos a couple of times, but never for work because the internet simply doesn't work. In fact, I have a cousin who lives there and works for the Charles Darwin Station and whenever he visits us in Quito he catches up on social media… that's how bad the internet is over there.
It's a beautiful destination for fun, but not for remote workers (unless you can work offline while you are there).

3 years ago

I visited the galapagos on vacation (no work) and it was wonderful. Do not expect to work out there, really there is no usable wifi.
I was able to do 14 days on about 1500USD as a single traveler staying in guesthouses, taking a few tours and doing alot of self guided stuff. Highly suggest just going out there without a group package as you'll save some money and have a better experience.

4 years ago

✅ Beautiful destination

✅ Affordable for travelers

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to make friends

✅ Freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ (Medical) marijuana MAY be legal, unenforced or decriminalized (always double check this)

❌ Unusable internet

❌ Not many Nomads.com members go here

❌ Difficult to do business

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Hospitals are bad

❌ Roads are very dangerous

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not safe for women

❌ Not family friendly

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

2577°
warm

2882°
warm

2577°
warm

2475°
warm

2373°
mild

2272°
mild

2170°
mild

2272°
mild

2373°
mild

Real (median)

2576°
warm

2577°
warm

2678°
warm

2577°
warm

2475°
warm

2373°
mild

2272°
mild

2170°
mild

2272°
mild

2373°
mild

Humidity

nice
92%

nice
87%

nice
93%

nice
88%

nice
87%

nice
88%

nice
90%

nice
88%

nice
92%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
22mm

rainy
58mm

dry
44mm

dry
26mm

dry
6mm

dry
5mm

dry
3mm

dry
4mm

dry
5mm

dry
2mm

Cloud

pockets
37%

pockets
42%

pockets
33%

pockets
31%

pockets
28%

pockets
36%

pockets
37%

pockets
39%

pockets
41%

pockets
30%

pockets
45%

Sun

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

Remote workers

900 people

1,000 people

1,100 people

800 people

1,000 people

600 people

800 people

600 people

800 people

700 people

720 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Galapagos Islands's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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147pts

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58pts

55pts

54pts

53pts

52pts

51pts

21pts

10pts

7pts

Montanita

Ecuador

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 31° 88° 27° 81° 🥵

✈️2h

$2,691 / mo

17 Mbps

Mancora

Peru

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

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🌦 Feels 28° 82° 26° 80°

✈️2h

$2,056 / mo

11 Mbps

Guayaquil

Ecuador

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

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🌧 Feels 35° 95° 29° 85° 🥵

✈️2h

$1,361 / mo

8 Mbps

Santa Teresa

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety bad

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🌩 Feels 34° 93° 30° 85° 🥵

✈️2h

$4,234 / mo

34 Mbps

Tamarindo

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 41° 106° 34° 93° 🥵

✈️2h

$4,297 / mo

8 Mbps

Liberia

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 37° 99° 32° 90° 🥵

✈️2h

$2,442 / mo

8 Mbps

San José

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 29° 84° 27° 81°

✈️2h

$3,429 / mo

8 Mbps

Intag Valley

Ecuador

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 9° 48° 9° 49°

✈️2h

$2,451 / mo

26 Mbps

Cuenca

Ecuador

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 17° 63° 17° 63° AQI 69 😷

✈️2h

$1,315 / mo

8 Mbps

San Juan del Sur

Nicaragua

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

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🌦 Feels 31° 88° 28° 83°

✈️2h

$2,672 / mo

7 Mbps

Quito

Ecuador

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 20° 68° 19° 66° AQI 88 😷

✈️2h

$3,202 / mo

9 Mbps

Puerto Viejo

Costa Rica

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 28° 82° 26° 80°

✈️2h

$3,331 / mo

8 Mbps

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 16° 61° 16° 61°

✈️7h

$7,115 / mo

29 Mbps

Mexico City

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 21° 70° 21° 70° AQI 89 😷

✈️3h

$2,144 / mo

12 Mbps

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 12° 54° 12° 54° AQI 139 😷

✈️14h

$5,701 / mo

23 Mbps

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52° AQI 34

✈️13h

$3,876 / mo

38 Mbps

Miami, FL

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 29° 84° 26° 79° 🥵

✈️4h

$5,774 / mo

40 Mbps

Buenos Aires

Argentina

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 76°

✈️7h

$1,671 / mo

13 Mbps

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 14° 57° 14° 57° AQI 95 😷

✈️15h

$4,039 / mo

28 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 43° 109° 34° 92° 🥵 AQI 74 😷

✈️24h

$1,588 / mo

24 Mbps

Los Angeles, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 25° 77° 27° 81° AQI 45

✈️6h

$5,072 / mo

77 Mbps

Amsterdam

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 12° 54° 12° 53° AQI 68 😷

✈️14h

$7,018 / mo

21 Mbps

Wrocław

Poland

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 13° 55° 14° 57° AQI 81 😷

✈️15h

$2,344 / mo

21 Mbps

Playa del Carmen

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 32° 90° 28° 82°

✈️3h

$2,458 / mo

12 Mbps

Quito

Ecuador

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 20° 68° 19° 66° AQI 88 😷

✈️2h

$3,202 / mo

🌇 Also went here46 people

Medellín

Colombia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 23° 73° 23° 73° AQI 85 😷

✈️3h

$1,532 / mo

🌇 Also went here42 people

Lima

Peru

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 25° 77° 25° 78° AQI 46

✈️3h

$1,379 / mo

🌇 Also went here41 people

Mexico City

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 21° 70° 21° 70° AQI 89 😷

✈️3h

$2,144 / mo

🌇 Also went here35 people

Playa del Carmen

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 32° 90° 28° 82°

✈️3h

$2,458 / mo

🌇 Also went here33 people

Cusco

Peru

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 17° 63° 17° 62°

✈️3h

$2,295 / mo

🌇 Also went here36 people

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 16° 61° 16° 61°

✈️7h

$7,115 / mo

🌇 Also went here30 people

Buenos Aires

Argentina

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 76°

✈️7h

$1,671 / mo

🌇 Also went here40 people

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 35° 95° 29° 84° 🥵

✈️8h

$2,438 / mo

🌇 Also went here33 people

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52° AQI 34

✈️13h

$3,876 / mo

🌇 Also went here38 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 12° 54° 12° 54° AQI 139 😷

✈️14h

$5,701 / mo

🌇 Also went here44 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 15° 59° 15° 58° AQI 137 😷

✈️14h

$5,366 / mo

🌇 Also went here34 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 13° 55° 13° 55° AQI 38

✈️14h

$4,646 / mo

🌇 Also went here36 people

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 14° 57° 14° 57° AQI 95 😷

✈️15h

$4,039 / mo

🌇 Also went here33 people

Istanbul

Turkey

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🏎 Fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 8° 46° 10° 50° AQI 61 😷

✈️17h

$1,667 / mo

🌇 Also went here31 people

600 remote workers in Galapagos Islands now, of which 1+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.21/5 (Rank #360) 80 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍5 liked it 👎1 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	9% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,777 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 17 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Good
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 26°C79°F (feels 29°C84°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 78%
👌 Safety	Okay
👩 Safe for women	Bad
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Okay
🤝 Lack of racism*	Okay
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Great
💰 Income level*	Very low: $499 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
🚶 Walkability	Okay
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Okay
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Bad
❄️ A/C or heating	Okay
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Okay
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Good
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Latin America
🚩 Country	Ecuador
🗓️ Average trip length	9 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	17 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌦 26°C 79°F + 😊 Comfy (78%) = feels 29°C 84°F
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 Tipping	Yes, 12.50%
☕️ Best coffee place	Cafe Hernan
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	6,700 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$5,982 / year
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 61% 👱‍♀️ 39%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Ambiguous
🏠 Apartment listings	Airbnb
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	LAN Ecuador
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	LAN Ecuador

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,777 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$1,682 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$4,580 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$1,309 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$822 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,836 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$1,410 / month
🏠 Median home price	$250,000
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$39 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$60 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$250 / month
🍛 Dinner	$3
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	0
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$1
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$1