Kansas City named the best place on earth to work remotely, beating out international metropolises and capital cities

• Kansas City has been named the best city in the world to visit for remote working.
• The Missouri city of 500,000 people topped a list of 150 cities analysed by airline Icelandair.

Kansas City, Missouri has been voted the best place on earth to work remotely, according to new research from Icelandair.

The city, which is home to around 500,000 people, was one of 150 analysed by the airline, which ranked cities according to how easy, safe and healthy it is to work in them. Factors including internet speeds, quality of life, cost of living, and healthcare were all considered in the ranking, according to the research.

People have become accustomed to flexible work arrangements after social distancing and work from home requirements were put in place during the pandemic. Among employees surveyed by Icelandair, 58% said would like a fully remote position in the future, while 39% said they would prefer a hybrid work model.

As travel reopened, more people also began to take working vacations as a result of the flexible nature of remote work.

Kansas City beat better-known international hubs like Vienna, Copenhagen, and Wellington to become the world's best city for accommodating remote workers.

That's because people are more interested in "slow travel" since the pandemic, Gisli S. Brynjolfsson, director of global marketing at Icelandair, told CNBC.

Cities like New York and LA "aren't always best when you're looking to take a step away from the busy hustle of a usual working day," Brynjolfsson told the outlet.

As well as Kansas City, Vienna, Copenhagen, and Wellington, the top 10 was made up of Edinburgh, Perth, Frankfurt, Brisbane, Helsinki, and Victoria in Canada.