Coliving is a great idea and a great option for some people, as it offers the opportunity to live in a community and save money on rent. However, there are drawbacks, such as potential conflicts with roommates and a lack of privacy. The lively and bustling social energy comes with limited opportunities to be alone. Depending on the living space, common areas can be constantly filled with people talking and working.
You can even share a room, dormitory-style, so you even wake up surrounded by people. Luckily, living spaces give you a sense of security because of the number of people around you and the full-service benefits that many of them offer. Living spaces are generally independently owned, although chains like Selina, which offer packages to digital nomads, are emerging as their popularity grows. Living spaces take the form of villas, converted boutique style hotels or apartment buildings, and can be found both in cities and in rural areas.
When you have a group of people from your living space to go out and do things with, you're less likely to try to meet local people in the community. Hostels also don't usually have coworking areas or other services that are available to digital nomads who live together. A great advantage of staying in a living space is being surrounded by like-minded professionals, some of whom are likely to work in your field. Because many living spaces have amenities such as a cleaning service, free Wi-Fi and work spaces, they tend to cost more than if you rented them to a local owner.
Living spaces are currently particularly popular in the U.S. In the United States, Spain, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico, Portugal and Italy, to name a few.