Home, coworking or cafe: where should you work?

Key rules

• Typical mix: Home 2 to 3 days a week, coworking for focus and meetings, and cafes only for occasional changes of scene.
• Video calls: Take them from home or coworking, not from a cafe.
• Coworking: Try a day pass before paying for a monthly plan.
• Home connection: Test your home fibre and keep a backup connection.

Electricity prices change often, so check the current figure with the national energy regulator or Red Eléctrica.

The short answer

For most remote workers, the best mix is home for 2 to 3 days a week, coworking for focused work and meetings, and a cafe now and then for a change of scene. Adjust it with the four questions below.

Cost

Home is the cheapest option. A cafe costs a coffee or more each visit. Coworking is a monthly fee, so it only pays off if you use the desk often. Compare the price of a desk with the number of days you would really go.

Working at home also adds to your electricity bill. There is no single fixed price per kWh. The regulated tariff changes hourly, and other offers vary by supplier. Check the current figure with the national energy regulator or Red Eléctrica before you budget. The cost calculator below helps you compare home and coworking.

Focus

Coworking and a quiet home office are best for deep work. Cafes suit light tasks such as email or reading. If you share your home with others, a coworking desk may be worth it on your heavy-focus days.

Calls

Take video calls from home or from coworking, where you can use phone booths or meeting rooms. Cafes are noisy, have little privacy and often have unreliable wifi. If calls involve client data, confidentiality is another reason to avoid them.

Test your home fibre before you rely on it. Arrange a backup connection, such as mobile data, for call days.

Social needs

Working alone every day can feel isolating. Coworking and cafes both give you people around you, and coworking also builds a network. If you miss company, make coworking part of your week.

Put it together

1. Mark which days need focus, calls or meetings.
2. Put calls and deep work at home or in coworking.
3. Add cafe time only for light work or a break.
4. Try a coworking day pass before you commit to a monthly plan.
5. Also weigh commuting time. A desk far from home can cancel out its benefits.

The timeline below sets out these steps in order, and the FAQ answers common questions.

Timeline and deadlines

• Work out which days need focus, calls or meetings: Before you commit to any space

• Test your home fibre and arrange a backup connection: Before your first call day at home

• Try a coworking day pass: Before you pay for a monthly desk

• Settle on your weekly mix, for example home 2 to 3 days: After your trial days

Monthly cost of working from home or from coworking

Work it out

What you enter

• Coworking monthly fee before IVA (EUR): The price on the coworking's website or offer, usually quoted without IVA.
• Hours you work at home each month (hours): Count your usual hours per day times the days you work at home in a month.
• Share of those hours the air-conditioning runs (%): Your own estimate: think of how many hot (or cold) hours you need it on.
• Your electricity price per kWh, all costs included (EUR/kWh): Your electricity bill: divide the total by the kWh used, or check your supplier's offer.

Figures used

• General IVA rate added to coworking prices: 21 % (as of 2026)
• Typical electricity draw of a one-room inverter split air-conditioner at full load: 0.9 kW (as of 2026)

Worked example (with Coworking monthly fee before IVA 150 EUR, Hours you work at home each month 120 hours, Share of those hours the air-conditioning runs 50 %, Your electricity price per kWh, all costs included 0.2 EUR/kWh)

When the sum misleads

• The home figure counts only air-conditioning. Add your extra lighting, computer and internet costs if you want a full comparison.
• A unit running at partial load uses less than the full-load figure, so your real home cost may be lower.
• If your tariff has cheaper night or weekend hours, use the average price per kWh from your bill for daytime hours instead.
• If your coworking quotes a price with IVA already, divide it by 1.21 before entering it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take video calls from a cafe?

No, a cafe is a poor place for video calls, because it is noisy, the wifi is often unreliable and you have little privacy. Use your home or a coworking phone booth or meeting room instead. Keep cafes for light tasks.

How many days a week should I work from home?

A common mix is 2 to 3 days at home, with coworking for focus and meetings and cafes for the occasional change of scene. Work out the cost of a desk against the days you would really use it.

Does working from home make my electricity price go up?

Yes, your bill will rise with more hours at home, but there is no single price per kWh to quote. Regulated-tariff prices change hourly, and other offers vary by supplier, often costing more at peak hours and less at night. Compare offers before you decide that home is the cheapest option.