The United Arab Emirates is the most accommodating place for the wave of executives who have become digital nomads since the pandemic.

Savills, a real estate broker, conducted research and ranked 25 premium residential markets based on how appealing they were to long-term remote workers. According to Savills, senior hybrid workers in the finance and consulting sectors are flocking to Dubai and Abu Dhabi because of the cities’ excellent air connectivity, cutting-edge infrastructure, and high standard of living.

“People want the best of both worlds – a seaside lifestyle with the city amenities,” said Kelcie Sellers, a world research associate at Savills. “Most of the top 10 fall into that category, and the desire for this type of location has increased in recent years.”

Since the pandemic, many executives have relocated to new locations across the globe, frequently to warm coastal cities with convenient access to airports, as a result of the shift to hybrid working. According to a CBRE Group survey, a third of businesses still report office utilization rates of less than 40%, even though European companies are pushing more workers back to their desks.

Meanwhile, the affordability of desirable rental properties has emerged as a critical consideration when choosing where to relocate next, as rental costs in digital nomad hotspots continue to rise. Lisbon, which topped the rankings in 2022, came in at number five due to a 31% annual increase in rent in the city, according to Savills data.

Third place went to Malaga, which debuted in the rankings only a year ago following Google’s relocation, behind Dubai and Abu Dhabi. According to the report, Palermo, a newcomer to the 2024 league table, is profiting from being the most affordable major prime rental market in Italy, with rents up to 70% less than in Florence.

More return-to-work mandates are indeed being used in Europe, which is contributing to an increase in office attendance. According to CBRE, 75% of businesses currently have a minimum attendance policy in place, which has contributed to the continent’s steadily rising office use rates.

“If there is a more concerted push to have people in the office more frequently, you’ll only see the importance of air connectivity increase,” Savills’ Sellers said. Regardless, “business owners will always be able to live and work from wherever to manage their companies,” she added.