Around the world there are millions of people living off the grid, some choose off grid living as a lifestyle, however, the vast majority of people have no other choice but to live off the grid. In the past couple of decades, off grid living has become a trend, some people live off the grid in a homestead, while others live off the grid in a van while traveling the world. It seems that more and more people are looking for ways to live off the grid.
Living off the grid is possible almost everywhere in the world, the US and Canada have several excellent areas for off grid living, but more and more people are looking to other countries, mostly as the cost of living in most countries is significantly lower than in the US and Canada. In Europe, there are a lot of regions with rural communities where people live completely off the grid, and they have been doing it forever.
For a lot of people living off the grid is just everyday life, they have lived all their lives more or less off the grid just like me in Alaska. In recent years, I have noticed a new trend on social media which is people filming their everyday life while living off the grid. While most of them are honest people, but there are some who distort their off grid experience, like traveling the world in a van, without a job or any real goals.
Off grid living is hard work, some who have never experienced off grid living might think it is an easy way of life, but the truth is that everything we take for granted like electricity, water from the tap, and sewage is a luxury for most people living off the grid. If you are wondering how people make money off the grid then check out my recent article How do off gridders make money? ( Top 34 Ways ).
Best Places To Live Off The Grid In The World
When it comes to living off the grid, the world offers an array of stunning locations that provide the perfect setting for a self-sufficient and sustainable lifestyle. These places boast abundant natural resources, breathtaking landscapes, and supportive communities that embrace off-grid living. From the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest in the United States to the remote wilderness of New Zealand, the tranquil landscapes of Scandinavia to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica, there are numerous destinations that stand out as the best places to live off the grid in the world.
Factors such as renewable energy potential, land availability, water resources, climate suitability, and the presence of like-minded individuals contribute to making these places attractive for off-grid living.
1. Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage ( Missouri )
The Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is located in Missouri, it started back in 1997 when a group of friends bought some land for the purpose of living off the grid. Their main goal is to live as a self-reliant way of life as possible, they grow their own food and they generate their own power. They mostly use solar panels and wind turbines for generating power and they even make some profit by selling the excess power back to the grid.
If you are new to off grid living and near this ecovillage then I highly suggest you check them out, you can even stay for a couple of nights as they are allowing tourists and they even set up workshops for people who want to learn more about off grid living.
2. Freedom Cove ( Canada )
Freedom Cove is located on Vancouver Island, the off grid location is actually a small island that is home to a couple. The small island has several buildings all built by them, they fish and also grow their own food, the freshwater comes from a nearby waterfall during the summer and during the winter they either harvest rainwater or they melt snow. This is probably one of the strangest off grid locations, both owners are artists and you can clearly see by the vivid colors of the buildings. If you want to know how off grid living is in British Columbia where Vancouver Island is, then check out my recent article Off grid living in British Columbia ( The Pacific Province ).
3. Lord Howe Island ( Australia )
Lord Howe Island is located in Australia, currently, the off grid population is around 350. Generally speaking, living off the grid on an island is a bad idea, everything has to be transported by either boat or plane which makes everything a lot more expensive. Although this is one of the most beautiful places in the world for off grid living. This community also allows tourists so you can check them out.
4. Azuero Sunset Coast ( Panama )
The Azuero Sunset Coast is located in Panama, during recent years more and more tourists started to visit this area, but around Morrillo there are several off grid communities. Some of these are gated communities that do not like visitors but some of them are open off grid communities that do allow tourists to stay for some time. If you want to know how you can live off the grid on the coast then you can learn a lot from them. Although you should know that they are not self-sufficient, most of the homeowners are rich ex-pats and some of them just generate their own power and call it off grid living.
5. Alaska ( USA )
The entire state of Alaska is ideal for off grid living, it is one of the wildest states in the US and there are a lot of people living off the grid here. Alaska has everything that you need for off grid living, although living off the grid here is a lot of hard work, and in some cases, it can be extremely dangerous. If you want more information about Alaska then check out my recent article Off grid living in Alaska ( The Last Frontier ).
6. Finca Bellavista Treehouse Community ( Costa Rica )
The Finca Bellavista Treehouse Community is probably one of the most beautiful off grid communities. The people who live here all live in treehouses, these are not your ordinary treehouses, they have running water from rainwater harvesting and groundwater, and they also generate their own power with mostly solar panels. If you are a Star Wars fan then you will love it here, it definitely looks like an Ewok village.
There are walkways from one treehouse to another, which are suspended mid-air, and the inhabitants have set up a complex zip line system that they use to get around. These people live completely off the grid, they generate their own power, harvest their own water, and they mostly live off the land by hunting and fishing. The good news is that they also allow visitors to stay for a couple of days, and some of them even join the community.
7. Greater World Earthship Community ( New Mexico )
This community is completely off the grid, and even their homes are built with recycled materials, right in the ground. The designer of these houses is Michael Reynolds, which managed to attract a lot of people who want to live off the grid with these unusual houses. The houses are called Earthships, they are entirely made out of recycled material, they generate their own power and they harvest rainwater during the summer and snow during the winter.
The local community is self-sufficient, in fact, they even started to produce and sell biodiesel a couple of years ago.
8. Vieques ( Puerto Rico )
Vieques is an island in Puerto Rico, it isn’t a tourist destination yet, and the local community does live off the grid. Most of the inhabitants of this island live off the land, although I should probably say that they live off the sea. The local off grid community is fairly small, although they do allow visitors, just make sure to plan ahead as getting to the island can be expensive during some periods.
9. Saint-Chinian ( France )
This village is mostly known for its excellent vine, while not everybody lives off the grid in the village, but in the surrounding areas there are several off grid communities, and most of them also grow grapes for vines. These off grid houses look like luxury villas mostly because they are, some areas are completely off the grid, while others are only partially off the grid. You can also stay for a couple of days as they do allow visitors.
10. Three Rivers Recreation Area ( Oregon )
The Three Rivers Recreation Area is a recreation area for people who want to get away from the busy city life. Over the past couple of decades, several people choose to move here and live permanently in this location. They do live completely off the grid, they grow most of their food, use the local natural resources for building, and also generate their own power with mostly solar panels.
11. Tinker’s Bubble ( England )
Tinker’s Bubble community is one of the most eco-friendly communities in the world, they only use the local resources for building their houses and they recycle almost everything. This community has a certain charm to it, you will feel like you have traveled back in time. The houses are made entirely by hand and they use old methods of building them. They also grow their own food and they generate their own power.
12. Gozo ( Malta )
Gozo is located in Europe in the mediterranean sea, the island has a rich history and a fairly high population density, which is not the best for off grid living. Although in some coastal areas, there are some off grid communities, these tend to be far from tourist locations. The problem with off grid living in this area is that most of the island is frequented by a lot of tourists throughout the year, which means high costs of living, no matter if you live off the grid or only partially.
13. Fernando De Noronha ( Brazil )
Fernando De Noronha is an ecological sanctuary, which means that most of nature is undisturbed. There are several smaller off grid communities in the surrounding area, living off the grid here is fairly easy, you can grow some crops and fish. On the other hand, some off grid communities live completely off the land, only taking what they need and they try not to waste anything and recycle as much as they can.
14. ReGen Village ( Netherlands )
The ReGen Village is not actually a village but an urban neighborhood, everything has been designed in such a way that people can grow their own food, treat their own waste, harvest rainwater and generate their own power. ReGen is a company that specializes in eco-friendly neighborhoods and villages, they have plans on making several projects in other locations across the world. The villages look fairly futuristic, almost like an episode from the show Black Mirror.
15. Lasqueti Island ( British Columbia )
This is the second off grid location in Vancouver Island which is on this list. The main difference is that Lasqueti Island is actually home to around 400 people, all living in an off grid community. Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it has everything you would need for off grid living. Vancouver Island has several privately owned islands, so if you are looking to relocate to an excellent off grid location you should probably check them out.
16. Tristan Da Cunha ( United Kingdom )
Tristan Da Cunha is a small island with around 250 residents, everybody who lives here lives off the grid although they do have some modern comforts like a sewage system. UK’s climate is not the best for off grid living as you are limited on what you can grow. Although if you are also able to fish as these people do then you will have no problem living here off the grid. You should probably check this place out if you want to live off the grid in the UK.
17. Easter Island ( Polynesia )
If you have never heard the story about Easter Island, then I will sum it up quickly. Hundreds of years ago this island was inhabited by a lot of people, they were expert navigators and sailed across the world. However, as the population of the island started growing so did the demand for timber. They got to a point where no trees were left standing on the island, people were stuck on the island and the tribes started fighting with each other for the extremely limited resources.
Things are different now and this island has a fairly large off grid community, although living here is kind of expensive for most people.
18. Torri Superiore ( Italy )
Torri Superiore is a small eco-friendly village, what makes this village different from all other eco-friendly villages is that they have a medieval lifestyle. The village has only around 20 residents, who live completely off the grid, they do not even generate power and they tend to do everything in a medieval fashion. They also accept visitors and they even invite some of them to live permanently there.
19. Lammas Ecovillage ( Wales )
Lammas Ecovillage is a small off grid community, they live an eco-friendly way of life, and they mostly use the local resources to build the small houses. They also grow their own crops and most of their power is generated with solar panels. They are one of the most welcoming off grid communities, you can stay for a couple of days and if you want to join the community then they will help you.
20. The Azores ( Portugal )
The Azores is considered by many one of the most beautiful places on earth, although the popularity of this place is getting bigger every year and more and more tourists are coming here. There are a couple of off grid communities and most of them live completely off the grid. In most of these off grid communities, you can also stay for a couple of days, to see how people live and enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
21. Raoul Island ( New Zealand )
New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places in the world, it is often the backdrop of movies due to its scenery. Raoul Island is a relatively small island, with few inhabitants, most people tend to live completely off the grid on the island while others live partially off the grid. If you love the local climate and you also love fishing then this could be an ideal place for off grid living, just keep in mind that living off the grid on an island tends to be somewhat expensive initially.
22. Macquarie Island ( Australia )
Macquarie Island has a fairly low population of around 40 permanent residents, all of them live off the grid. This island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and people who live here have an extremely small carbon footprint. Although this is a beautiful place to live off the grid, I personally do not recommend it as a permanent off grid location, mostly because everything has to be flown or shipped in. Most of the residents are actually researchers who live off the grid and not people who choose off grid living as a lifestyle.
23. Konohana Family ( Japan )
The Konohana Family community is an eco-village, their main goal is to live as self sufficiently as possible, and everybody in the community has a job which they have to do. Japan has one of the highest costs of living so if you are on a budget then this is probably not the best option for you. The off grid houses are not like any other in the world, their style is unique but they tend to be extremely small, even smaller than tiny houses.
24. False Kiva ( Utah )
False Kiva is a well-known tourist attraction in Utah, although there are no open off grid communities here but some individuals do live off the grid in this area. The problem is that the local climate is fairly dry, with not a lot of rainfall, so your main problem will be water. People who live off the grid here tend to store water in large water tanks or cisterns, although you should probably inform yourself if there are any restrictions regarding how you store the water and for what you use it.
25. Khula Dhamma ( South Africa )
Khula Dhamma is a small eco-village that was set up entirely by volunteers. The houses are actually traditional African huts made out of clay and straw, these are excellent for keeping the heat out of the hut. They grow their own food, generate their own power, and even set up a water pump that feeds the local well with the help of solar panels. A lot of people live off the grid in Africa although most of them have no other option.
Key Takeaways
- The best places to live off the grid in the world vary based on factors such as climate, natural resources, legal regulations, and infrastructure.
- Some notable locations for off-grid living include regions in the United States (such as Alaska and parts of the Southwest), Canada (including remote areas of British Columbia and Yukon), Australia (like Tasmania and Queensland), and New Zealand (particularly South Island).
- These places often offer abundant natural resources, favorable climates, access to land, and a supportive community or infrastructure for off-grid living, making them attractive options for those seeking a self-sufficient lifestyle.