Legend has it that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do. This is especially so if you’re moving to a new town, maybe even a new country. Estonian startup Teleport aim to help you.
The app mines an extensive database to provide real-time predictions for how much it will cost to live in over 250 cities around the world. The site has its origins in the ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle that is increasingly common.
Supporting the nomads
For instance, the site allows users to search for the perfect location based upon a number of preferences, whether it’s startup culture or access to nature. They also rank each of around 250 different cities on a range of metrics, with an AI algorithm then recommending the ideal place for each user.
The platform comes with a number of tools to help you, including live researchers who can hunt down specific bits of information for you about living in a particular location.
There are also a number of tools for effective coordination of teams that are distributed around the world.
The venture is run by a couple of ex-Skype employees, who have lived something of a nomadic existence themselves, so have strong first hand experience.
The nomadic lifestyle is something I touched upon a few years ago after NomadList had produced an index of the best places on earth to work from home.
They’ve looked at things such as the cost of living, weather conditions, internet access and so on, and the findings are pretty interesting, especially as I (we) have been mulling over the option of decamping to Czech. With Prague currently taking pride of place in 4th spot, by virtue of it being right in the middle of Europe, so relatively easy to get to other places should you need to. Being the capital of Czech, it also has a strong English speaking basis, so you can probably get by without learning Czech (although I do recommend it, even if it is hard).
From experience, the cost of property in Czech is certainly cheaper than Britain (and an awful lot cheaper than London), although the cost of things like food is not all that much different.
With the nomadic lifestyle increasingly common, tools like these are invaluable in helping people make the right choice for them. I suspect the biggest hurdle remains the cultural one that demands workers be based in a single, physical location, but the signs are that this is slowly changing.
