Travelling is the easy part, finding shelter is where hell breaks loose. Coliving hubs are fixing this.
For many digital nomads, finding a place to stay while traveling can be a daunting task. The cost of accommodation often eats up a significant portion of their travel budget, with some nomads reporting that it takes up to 50% of their expenses. However, a new solution is emerging in the form of coliving hubs. These shared housing spaces offer a range of services, including accommodation, utilities, cleaning, internet, and community programming, making it easier for nomads to find a place to stay and work.
The coliving market is growing rapidly, with a global worth of nearly $8 billion in 2024 and a projected growth of at least double over the next decade. In Africa, the market is still young but spreading, with cities like Nairobi and Cape Town emerging as hubs for remote workers. Coliving hubs in these cities offer a range of services, including coworking spaces, serviced apartments, and shared houses that cater specifically to nomads.
One of the key benefits of coliving hubs is that they offer a predictable and reliable experience for nomads. They provide reliable internet, comfortable workspaces, and power solutions where public supply is unstable. However, nomads often end up layering on their own costs, such as daily or weekly coworking passes, taxis, data top-ups, cleaning, and the time and friction of discovering reliable services.
Coliving hubs are a game-changer for digital nomads, offering a convenient and reliable solution for accommodation and work. As the global coliving market continues to grow, it's likely that we'll see more coliving hubs emerging in Africa, catering to the growing number of remote workers on the continent. For Nigerian startups like Paystack and Flutterwave, which have a strong focus on remote work and digital nomadism, coliving hubs could be an attractive solution for their employees and partners.
