💰 Cost of Living
Average monthly expenses for a digital nomad
🏠 Accommodation
🍜 Food & Dining
🚗 Transportation
🎯 Other
⚡ Digital Nomad Essentials
Everything you need to work remotely from Riga
📶 Internet
☁️ Weather
✈️ Transport
🛂 Visa
✓Advantages
- ✓Lower cost of living and rent than most Western European capitals
- ✓Good, reliable internet with high fixed broadband speeds and growing 5G coverage
- ✓Atmospheric UNESCO-listed Old Town with cobbled streets and churches
- ✓Strong café culture with several laptop-friendly specialty coffee shops
- ✓Multiple coworking spaces from creative hubs to corporate-style offices
- ✓Easy day trips to the Baltic Sea and Jurmala beach
- ✓Compact, walkable centre with trams and buses covering outer districts
- ✓Good level of English among younger locals and in tourism sectors
- ✓Rich mix of medieval, Art Nouveau and Soviet-era architecture
- ✓Generally safe city with relatively low violent crime rates
✗Disadvantages
- ✗Winters are long, dark and cold with snow and ice common
- ✗Weather can be grey and damp for long stretches outside summer months
- ✗Job and networking opportunities are more limited than in larger EU capitals
- ✗Some infrastructure and buildings outside the centre feel a bit dated
- ✗Nightlife is lively on weekends but more modest on weekdays
- ✗Petty crime and tourist scams can occur around stations and busy nightlife streets
- ✗LGBTQ+ acceptance is improving but still more conservative than in Nordics and Western Europe
- ✗International food scene is smaller, with fewer global cuisine options than major hubs
- ✗Seasonal tourism means some venues feel quiet in the off-season
- ✗Rental market can be competitive for high-quality renovated apartments in Centrs
💼 Top Coworking Spaces
Best places to work in Riga
Teikums Jaunā Teika
📍 Gustava Zemgala gatve 78, Riga • 250 Mbps • 24/7 • Meeting rooms
Workland Galleria Riga
📍 Dzirnavu iela 67, 5th floor, Riga • 250 Mbps • 24/7 • Meeting rooms
Workland Telegraph
📍 Audeju iela 15, Old Town, Riga • 220 Mbps • Meeting rooms
OraculeTang Space
📍 Doma laukums 2, Old Town, Riga • 200 Mbps • 24/7 • Meeting rooms
People Work
📍 E. Birznieka-Upīša iela 21, Riga • 200 Mbps • Meeting rooms
Teikums Jaunā Teika
📍 Gustava Zemgala gatve 78, Riga
Workland Galleria Riga
📍 Dzirnavu iela 67, 5th floor, Riga
Workland Telegraph
📍 Audeju iela 15, Old Town, Riga
OraculeTang Space
📍 Doma laukums 2, Old Town, Riga
People Work
📍 E. Birznieka-Upīša iela 21, Riga
☕ Best Cafes to Work From
Laptop-friendly cafes with good WiFi
Kalve Espresso Room
📍 Quiet Centre
Zvaigzne CAFE
📍 Old Town
COFYZ
📍 Centre
Innocent Coffee Shop
📍 Centre
STRADA Coffee Bar
📍 Old Town
Kalve Espresso Room
📍 Quiet Centre
Zvaigzne CAFE
📍 Old Town
COFYZ
📍 Centre
Innocent Coffee Shop
📍 Centre
STRADA Coffee Bar
📍 Old Town
🏘️ Best Neighborhoods
Where to stay in Riga
Vecrīga (Old Town)
Historic heart of Riga with cobbled lanes, Gothic church spires, lively squares and many bars, restaurants and boutique hotels. Most atmospheric but also the most touristy and noisy at night.
Centrs / Art Nouveau Quarter
Early 20th-century streets with some of Europe’s best Art Nouveau facades, especially around Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela. Mix of residential buildings, offices and cafes within walking distance of Old Town.
Āgenskalns / Pārdaugava
Leafy, more local area across the river with wooden houses, markets and cafes. Feels residential and relaxed while still being a short tram ride from the centre.
Jaunā Teika
New business and residential district focused on tech and modern offices, home to Teikums coworking and several Rocket Bean cafes. Well connected by public transport with newer housing stock.
Vecrīga (Old Town)
$$ Mid-rangeHistoric heart of Riga with cobbled lanes, Gothic church spires, lively squares and many bars, restaurants and boutique hotels. Most atmospheric but also the most touristy and noisy at night.
Centrs / Art Nouveau Quarter
$$ Mid-rangeEarly 20th-century streets with some of Europe’s best Art Nouveau facades, especially around Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela. Mix of residential buildings, offices and cafes within walking distance of Old Town.
Āgenskalns / Pārdaugava
$ BudgetLeafy, more local area across the river with wooden houses, markets and cafes. Feels residential and relaxed while still being a short tram ride from the centre.
Jaunā Teika
$$ Mid-rangeNew business and residential district focused on tech and modern offices, home to Teikums coworking and several Rocket Bean cafes. Well connected by public transport with newer housing stock.
🏛️ Top Attractions
Best things to do in Riga
Vecrīga (Riga Old Town)
UNESCO-listed Old Town with narrow streets, guild houses, church towers and cozy squares. Perfect for wandering, photography and café hopping between remote work sessions.
House of the Black Heads
Reconstructed 14th-century guildhall on Town Hall Square, one of Riga’s most iconic facades. Inside you can explore grand halls and exhibitions on merchant history and the city's past.
Riga Central Market
Huge market housed in former Zeppelin hangars with fresh produce, smoked fish, pickles, street food and small eateries. Great place to feel local life and stock up on groceries on a budget.
St Peter's Church & Tower
Gothic church with an observation platform offering one of the best panoramas over Riga's rooftops and the Daugava river. There are also rotating art and history exhibitions inside.
Art Nouveau District (Alberta iela)
Compact area around Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela showcasing some of Europe’s finest Art Nouveau building facades, designed by Mikhail Eisenstein and other architects.
Bastejkalna Park & Freedom Monument
Green park with canal, bridges and views of the Freedom Monument, a key symbol of Latvian independence. Popular spot for walks, picnics and quick breaks between meetings.
Latvian National Museum of Art
Major art museum housed in a grand historic building, with collections spanning Latvian and Baltic art from the 18th century to contemporary works.
Jūrmala Beach (Day Trip)
Long sandy Baltic Sea beach town about 30 minutes by train from Riga. Wooden villas, pine forests and beach cafés make it a classic summer escape from the city.
Vecrīga (Riga Old Town)
UNESCO-listed Old Town with narrow streets, guild houses, church towers and cozy squares. Perfect for wandering, photography and café hopping between remote work sessions.
House of the Black Heads
Reconstructed 14th-century guildhall on Town Hall Square, one of Riga’s most iconic facades. Inside you can explore grand halls and exhibitions on merchant history and the city's past.
Riga Central Market
Huge market housed in former Zeppelin hangars with fresh produce, smoked fish, pickles, street food and small eateries. Great place to feel local life and stock up on groceries on a budget.
St Peter's Church & Tower
Gothic church with an observation platform offering one of the best panoramas over Riga's rooftops and the Daugava river. There are also rotating art and history exhibitions inside.
Art Nouveau District (Alberta iela)
Compact area around Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela showcasing some of Europe’s finest Art Nouveau building facades, designed by Mikhail Eisenstein and other architects.
Bastejkalna Park & Freedom Monument
Green park with canal, bridges and views of the Freedom Monument, a key symbol of Latvian independence. Popular spot for walks, picnics and quick breaks between meetings.
Latvian National Museum of Art
Major art museum housed in a grand historic building, with collections spanning Latvian and Baltic art from the 18th century to contemporary works.
Jūrmala Beach (Day Trip)
Long sandy Baltic Sea beach town about 30 minutes by train from Riga. Wooden villas, pine forests and beach cafés make it a classic summer escape from the city.
🛡️ Safety & Healthcare
What to know about safety and medical care
🚨 Safety
🏥 Healthcare
💬 What Nomads Say
Real reviews from digital nomads
"I used Riga as a base for three months and was pleasantly surprised. My one-bedroom near Centrs was under €600 and internet at home and in coworking spaces was rock solid. I worked mainly from Teikums and from cafes like MiiT and Rocket Bean. The Old Town is beautiful, Jurmala is an easy day trip and the city felt safe even walking home late. Winter looks tough, but spring and early summer were great."
"Riga is a good choice if you want a smaller, more affordable European capital. I stayed in Āgenskalns, used OraculeTang Space a few days a week and worked the rest of the time from laptop-friendly cafes. The vibe is calmer than in big hubs like Berlin. The only real downsides for me were the grey weather in November and fewer meetups compared with larger digital nomad hotspots."
"I spent six weeks in Riga in late winter. The city is pretty and costs are reasonable, but the darkness and cold made it harder to enjoy. There are good coworking options and I felt safe, yet I spent more time indoors than I expected. I would come back in summer or early autumn when parks and terraces are full of life, rather than use it as a deep-winter base."
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