# Which cities are the most crypto-friendly? (and where it's illegal)

> Crypto-friendly cities: BTC Map places within 25 km of 100 destinations, and where paying in crypto on the spot is banned. Data of October 12, 2026, free CSV.

- URL: https://staysats.com/crypto-friendly-destinations/
- Last updated: 2026-10-12
- Publisher: StaySats (https://staysats.com)

100 destinations compared in one index. For each city: places listed on BTC Map within 25 km, hotels among them, and the rule on paying in crypto on the spot. Counts are listings, not proof that a place accepts crypto today.

**Quick answer — Where can you spend crypto when you travel?**

On October 12, 2026, San Salvador led the **StaySats** index of 100 destinations, with 606 places listed on BTC Map within 25 km. Johannesburg (497) and Los Angeles (311) followed. Worldwide, BTC Map lists 29,734 active places, only 927 of them hotels. Paying in crypto on the spot is banned in 13 of these cities and restricted in 7.

## The index in figures

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Destinations in the index | 100 cities in 53 countries |
| Data date | BTC Map public API, downloaded on October 12, 2026 |
| Radius | 25 km around a city centre point, measured as a straight-line distance |
| Worldwide on BTC Map | 29,734 active places, including 927 hotels and 2,510 ATMs or exchange offices |
| Most places listed | San Salvador 606 · Johannesburg 497 · Los Angeles 311 · Cape Town 288 · Lugano 276 |
| No place listed within 25 km | 10 cities, among them Abu Dhabi, Doha, Macau and Mecca |
| Hotels listed on BTC Map | At least one in 37 of the 100 cities; most in San Salvador (13), then Chiang Mai and Lugano (9 each) |
| Paying in crypto on the spot | Banned in 13 cities, restricted in 7 (Thailand, United Arab Emirates), not verified yet in 3 (India) |
| On sale with StaySats | 97 of the 100 cities; not yet in Barcelona, Madrid and Palma (Spain) |
| Licence and files | CC BY 4.0, JSON and CSV |
| Update cadence | Quarterly; next update planned for January 2027 |

## Which destinations have the most places listed on BTC Map?

San Salvador leads with 606 places listed within 25 km of its centre. Johannesburg (497), Los Angeles (311), Cape Town (288) and Lugano (276) follow. These counts include every active BTC Map place except ATMs and exchange offices.

16 of the 100 cities have 100 places or more. The median city has 18. 35 cities have fewer than 10, and 10 cities have none at all.

The cities that crypto travellers visit most are not the ones with the most listings. Travala and Binance Pay named Dubai, Bangkok, London, Tokyo and Paris as the top five destinations of crypto travellers in 2024. BTC Map lists 10 places in Dubai, 95 in Bangkok, 86 in London, 51 in Tokyo and 48 in Paris. In those cities, the hotel is paid before the trip: you pay StaySats in crypto, and we pay the hotel in local currency. For Dubai, read the travel alert on [its city page](https://staysats.com/hotels/dubai/) first.

## Top 20 destinations by places listed on BTC Map (October 12, 2026)

Places listed on BTC Map within 25 km of each city centre. All 100 cities are in the full table below and in the files: [JSON](https://staysats.com/data/crypto-friendly-destinations.json) · [CSV](https://staysats.com/data/crypto-friendly-destinations.csv). The files add each city's check-in rule and the source of each local rule.

| City | Places listed on BTC Map (25 km) | Verified in 2025 or later | Hotels listed | Paying in crypto on the spot |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [San Salvador](https://staysats.com/hotels/san-salvador/), El Salvador | 606 | 131 | 13 | No ban found |
| [Johannesburg](https://staysats.com/hotels/johannesburg/), South Africa | 497 | 487 | 0 | No ban found |
| [Los Angeles](https://staysats.com/hotels/los-angeles/), United States | 311 | 294 | 1 | No ban found |
| [Cape Town](https://staysats.com/hotels/cape-town/), South Africa | 288 | 264 | 1 | No ban found |
| Lugano, Switzerland | 276 | 214 | 9 | No ban found |
| Tbilisi, Georgia | 175 | 59 | 1 | No ban found |
| Funchal (Madeira), Portugal | 164 | 164 | 7 | No ban found |
| San Francisco, United States | 152 | 143 | 1 | No ban found |
| [Miami](https://staysats.com/hotels/miami/), United States | 142 | 119 | 0 | No ban found |
| [São Paulo](https://staysats.com/hotels/sao-paulo/), Brazil | 136 | 80 | 5 | No ban found |
| [Medellín](https://staysats.com/hotels/medellin/), Colombia | 135 | 130 | 0 | No ban found |
| Nairobi, Kenya | 131 | 107 | 3 | No ban found |
| Denver, United States | 118 | 108 | 0 | No ban found |
| [Orlando](https://staysats.com/hotels/orlando/), United States | 107 | 105 | 0 | No ban found |
| Zurich, Switzerland | 107 | 80 | 1 | No ban found |
| [Prague](https://staysats.com/hotels/prague/), Czechia | 101 | 50 | 2 | No ban found |
| [Bangkok](https://staysats.com/hotels/bangkok/), Thailand | 95 | 95 | 0 | Restricted (only through the TouristDigiPay sandbox) |
| Vancouver, Canada | 91 | 90 | 1 | No ban found |
| Austin, United States | 91 | 78 | 0 | No ban found |
| [Las Vegas](https://staysats.com/hotels/las-vegas/), United States | 87 | 81 | 1 | No ban found |

Counts computed by StaySats from the BTC Map public API (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). "Listed" does not mean that a place accepts crypto today. All 20 of these cities are on sale with StaySats.

## Where is paying in crypto on the spot banned or restricted?

Paying shops, restaurants or hotel desks in crypto on the spot is banned in 13 of our 100 destinations and restricted in 7. These rules target crypto used as money at the counter. Holding crypto can still be legal in the same country, as in Indonesia. Each row gives the rule, its status and its source; we checked them all on October 12, 2026.

| Country | Cities in the index | Rule | Status | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Indonesia | [Bali](https://staysats.com/hotels/bali/), [Jakarta](https://staysats.com/hotels/jakarta/) | Crypto may be held as an asset but not used to pay (Law 7/2011 on Currency). In May 2023, Bali announced sanctions against foreign tourists who pay in crypto. | Banned | [Antara, 2023](https://en.antaranews.com/news/283182/bali-to-crack-down-on-foreign-tourists-using-crypto-as-payment) |
| Türkiye | [Istanbul](https://staysats.com/hotels/istanbul/), [Antalya](https://staysats.com/hotels/antalya/) | The central bank bans the use of crypto to pay for goods or services. The ban took effect on April 30, 2021. | Banned | [The Block, 2021](https://www.theblock.co/linked/101905/turkey-central-bank-bans-crypto-payments) |
| Vietnam | [Ho Chi Minh City](https://staysats.com/hotels/ho-chi-minh-city/), [Da Nang](https://staysats.com/hotels/da-nang/), [Hanoi](https://staysats.com/hotels/hanoi/), Nha Trang, Phu Quoc | Crypto is not a legal means of payment. Using an illegal payment instrument can be fined VND 50–100 million (Decree 88/2019, article 26). | Banned | [LuatVietnam](https://luatvietnam.vn/tin-phap-luat/bitcoin-how-does-the-law-of-vietnam-regulate-230-29234-article.html) · [Viet An Law](https://vietanlaw.com/legal-framework-for-cryptocurrency-in-vietnam) |
| China (mainland) | Shanghai | All crypto activity is banned. Hong Kong and Macau have their own rules. | Banned | [Library of Congress report via Decrypt, 2021](https://decrypt.co/89148/over-50-countries-have-placed-bans-on-crypto-library-of-congress-report) |
| Qatar | Doha | Listed with an absolute ban on crypto in a report of November 2021, not updated since. | Banned (2021 report) | [Library of Congress report via Decrypt, 2021](https://decrypt.co/89148/over-50-countries-have-placed-bans-on-crypto-library-of-congress-report) |
| Egypt | Cairo | Listed with an absolute ban on crypto in the same 2021 report. | Banned (2021 report) | [Library of Congress report via Decrypt, 2021](https://decrypt.co/89148/over-50-countries-have-placed-bans-on-crypto-library-of-congress-report) |
| Morocco | Marrakech | Listed with an absolute ban on crypto in the same 2021 report. | Banned (2021 report) | [Library of Congress report via Decrypt, 2021](https://decrypt.co/89148/over-50-countries-have-placed-bans-on-crypto-library-of-congress-report) |
| Thailand | [Bangkok](https://staysats.com/hotels/bangkok/), [Phuket](https://staysats.com/hotels/phuket/), [Pattaya](https://staysats.com/hotels/pattaya/), [Chiang Mai](https://staysats.com/hotels/chiang-mai/), Koh Samui | Paying merchants in crypto is not allowed outside the TouristDigiPay sandbox, announced on August 18, 2025. In the sandbox, tourists convert crypto to baht and merchants receive baht only. We found no 2026 status update. | Restricted | [The Block, 2025](https://www.theblock.co/post/367207/thailand-crypto-baht-payment-pilot-foreign-tourists) · [Tilleke & Gibbins](https://www.tilleke.com/insights/thailand-launches-initiative-supporting-digital-asset-use-in-tourism/) |
| United Arab Emirates | [Dubai](https://staysats.com/hotels/dubai/), [Abu Dhabi](https://staysats.com/hotels/abu-dhabi/) | Shops may accept crypto only as a licensed dirham token, under the central bank Payment Token Services Regulation (in force August 31, 2024). Financial free zones are excluded. | Restricted | [Central Bank of the UAE](https://rulebook.centralbank.ae/en/rulebook/payment-token-services-regulation) · [The National, 2024](https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2024/07/19/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-uae-central-banks-new-regulation-on-stablecoins/) |
| India | [Mumbai](https://staysats.com/hotels/mumbai/), [Delhi](https://staysats.com/hotels/delhi/), Goa | Tax and on-the-spot payment rules not verified yet. | Not verified yet | — |

The 2021 Library of Congress report also lists Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Bangladesh and Nepal; none of them is in our index. A status we could not verify says so: we do not guess.

## Crypto-Friendly Destinations Index: all 100 cities (October 12, 2026)

Sorted by the number of places listed on BTC Map within 25 km. A city name links to its hotel page when one exists. The last column is our own offer, included and marked.

| City | Places listed on BTC Map (25 km) | Verified in 2025 or later | Hotels listed | Paying in crypto on the spot | On sale with StaySats |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [San Salvador](https://staysats.com/hotels/san-salvador/), El Salvador | 606 | 131 | 13 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Johannesburg](https://staysats.com/hotels/johannesburg/), South Africa | 497 | 487 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Los Angeles](https://staysats.com/hotels/los-angeles/), United States | 311 | 294 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Cape Town](https://staysats.com/hotels/cape-town/), South Africa | 288 | 264 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| Lugano, Switzerland | 276 | 214 | 9 | No ban found | Yes |
| Tbilisi, Georgia | 175 | 59 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| Funchal (Madeira), Portugal | 164 | 164 | 7 | No ban found | Yes |
| San Francisco, United States | 152 | 143 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Miami](https://staysats.com/hotels/miami/), United States | 142 | 119 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [São Paulo](https://staysats.com/hotels/sao-paulo/), Brazil | 136 | 80 | 5 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Medellín](https://staysats.com/hotels/medellin/), Colombia | 135 | 130 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Nairobi, Kenya | 131 | 107 | 3 | No ban found | Yes |
| Denver, United States | 118 | 108 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Orlando](https://staysats.com/hotels/orlando/), United States | 107 | 105 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Zurich, Switzerland | 107 | 80 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Prague](https://staysats.com/hotels/prague/), Czechia | 101 | 50 | 2 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Bangkok](https://staysats.com/hotels/bangkok/), Thailand | 95 | 95 | 0 | Restricted (only through the TouristDigiPay sandbox) | Yes |
| Vancouver, Canada | 91 | 90 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| Austin, United States | 91 | 78 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Las Vegas](https://staysats.com/hotels/las-vegas/), United States | 87 | 81 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| [London](https://staysats.com/hotels/london/), United Kingdom | 86 | 49 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Buenos Aires](https://staysats.com/hotels/buenos-aires/), Argentina | 86 | 16 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [New York](https://staysats.com/hotels/new-york/), United States | 85 | 76 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Milan](https://staysats.com/hotels/milan/), Italy | 82 | 21 | 7 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Mexico City](https://staysats.com/hotels/mexico-city/), Mexico | 79 | 4 | 3 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Rome](https://staysats.com/hotels/rome/), Italy | 57 | 4 | 3 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Lisbon](https://staysats.com/hotels/lisbon/), Portugal | 53 | 34 | 3 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Berlin](https://staysats.com/hotels/berlin/), Germany | 52 | 30 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Tokyo](https://staysats.com/hotels/tokyo/), Japan | 51 | 46 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Amsterdam](https://staysats.com/hotels/amsterdam/), Netherlands | 50 | 42 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Cancún](https://staysats.com/hotels/cancun/), Mexico | 48 | 36 | 7 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Paris](https://staysats.com/hotels/paris/), France | 48 | 34 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Honolulu](https://staysats.com/hotels/honolulu/), United States | 45 | 44 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Florianópolis](https://staysats.com/hotels/florianopolis/), Brazil | 45 | 29 | 4 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Chiang Mai](https://staysats.com/hotels/chiang-mai/), Thailand | 35 | 31 | 9 | Restricted (only through the TouristDigiPay sandbox) | Yes |
| [Rio de Janeiro](https://staysats.com/hotels/rio-de-janeiro/), Brazil | 35 | 17 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Bogotá, Colombia | 33 | 28 | 3 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Vienna](https://staysats.com/hotels/vienna/), Austria | 33 | 18 | 4 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Seoul](https://staysats.com/hotels/seoul/), South Korea | 32 | 15 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Munich, Germany | 31 | 17 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Melbourne, Australia | 26 | 11 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Sydney](https://staysats.com/hotels/sydney/), Australia | 23 | 14 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Madrid](https://staysats.com/hotels/madrid/), Spain | 22 | 13 | 1 | No ban found | Not yet (Spain paused) |
| [Barcelona](https://staysats.com/hotels/barcelona/), Spain | 22 | 9 | 1 | No ban found | Not yet (Spain paused) |
| [Hong Kong](https://staysats.com/hotels/hong-kong/), Hong Kong | 21 | 16 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Auckland, New Zealand | 21 | 9 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Warsaw, Poland | 21 | 7 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Toronto](https://staysats.com/hotels/toronto/), Canada | 19 | 15 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Lima, Peru | 19 | 14 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Pattaya](https://staysats.com/hotels/pattaya/), Thailand | 18 | 18 | 1 | Restricted (only through the TouristDigiPay sandbox) | Yes |
| [Phuket](https://staysats.com/hotels/phuket/), Thailand | 18 | 18 | 2 | Restricted (only through the TouristDigiPay sandbox) | Yes |
| [Kuala Lumpur](https://staysats.com/hotels/kuala-lumpur/), Malaysia | 17 | 7 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| Koh Samui, Thailand | 15 | 14 | 3 | Restricted (only through the TouristDigiPay sandbox) | Yes |
| [Porto](https://staysats.com/hotels/porto/), Portugal | 15 | 10 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Bali](https://staysats.com/hotels/bali/), Indonesia | 15 | 5 | 3 | Banned (Law 7/2011 on Currency) | Yes |
| [Florence](https://staysats.com/hotels/florence/), Italy | 14 | 6 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| Dublin, Ireland | 14 | 4 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Palma de Mallorca](https://staysats.com/hotels/palma/), Spain | 13 | 6 | 0 | No ban found | Not yet (Spain paused) |
| [Busan](https://staysats.com/hotels/busan/), South Korea | 13 | 3 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Cebu](https://staysats.com/hotels/cebu/), Philippines | 11 | 1 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Panama City, Panama | 10 | 8 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Singapore](https://staysats.com/hotels/singapore/), Singapore | 10 | 6 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Dubai](https://staysats.com/hotels/dubai/), United Arab Emirates | 10 | 5 | 2 | Restricted (licensed dirham tokens only, 2024 rule) | Yes |
| [Manila](https://staysats.com/hotels/manila/), Philippines | 10 | 3 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| Santiago, Chile | 10 | 3 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Lagos](https://staysats.com/hotels/lagos/), Nigeria | 9 | 6 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Accra, Ghana | 8 | 4 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| Kraków, Poland | 7 | 4 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Athens](https://staysats.com/hotels/athens/), Greece | 7 | 1 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Punta Cana](https://staysats.com/hotels/punta-cana/), Dominican Republic | 6 | 6 | 1 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Istanbul](https://staysats.com/hotels/istanbul/), Türkiye | 6 | 3 | 0 | Banned (central bank rule, April 2021) | Yes |
| Tel Aviv, Israel | 6 | 2 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Budapest, Hungary | 6 | 1 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Taipei](https://staysats.com/hotels/taipei/), Taiwan | 5 | 3 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Tulum, Mexico | 5 | 3 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Mumbai](https://staysats.com/hotels/mumbai/), India | 5 | 2 | 0 | Not verified yet | Yes |
| [Da Nang](https://staysats.com/hotels/da-nang/), Vietnam | 4 | 4 | 0 | Banned (illegal payment instrument, Decree 88/2019) | Yes |
| [Jakarta](https://staysats.com/hotels/jakarta/), Indonesia | 4 | 3 | 0 | Banned (Law 7/2011 on Currency) | Yes |
| [Osaka](https://staysats.com/hotels/osaka/), Japan | 3 | 2 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Ho Chi Minh City](https://staysats.com/hotels/ho-chi-minh-city/), Vietnam | 3 | 1 | 1 | Banned (illegal payment instrument, Decree 88/2019) | Yes |
| [Malé](https://staysats.com/hotels/male/), Maldives | 3 | 0 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Antalya](https://staysats.com/hotels/antalya/), Türkiye | 2 | 2 | 0 | Banned (central bank rule, April 2021) | Yes |
| Goa, India | 2 | 2 | 0 | Not verified yet | Yes |
| [Kyoto](https://staysats.com/hotels/kyoto/), Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Cairo, Egypt | 2 | 0 | 0 | Listed as banned (2021 report) | Yes |
| [Fukuoka](https://staysats.com/hotels/fukuoka/), Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Hanoi](https://staysats.com/hotels/hanoi/), Vietnam | 1 | 1 | 0 | Banned (illegal payment instrument, Decree 88/2019) | Yes |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 1 | 1 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Shanghai, China | 1 | 1 | 0 | Banned (all crypto activity, mainland China) | Yes |
| Jeju, South Korea | 1 | 0 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Abu Dhabi](https://staysats.com/hotels/abu-dhabi/), United Arab Emirates | 0 | 0 | 0 | Restricted (licensed dirham tokens only, 2024 rule) | Yes |
| [Delhi](https://staysats.com/hotels/delhi/), India | 0 | 0 | 0 | Not verified yet | Yes |
| Doha, Qatar | 0 | 0 | 0 | Listed as banned (2021 report) | Yes |
| Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| [Macau](https://staysats.com/hotels/macau/), Macau | 0 | 0 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Marrakech, Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0 | Listed as banned (2021 report) | Yes |
| [Mecca](https://staysats.com/hotels/mecca/), Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Nha Trang, Vietnam | 0 | 0 | 0 | Banned (illegal payment instrument, Decree 88/2019) | Yes |
| [Penang](https://staysats.com/hotels/penang/), Malaysia | 0 | 0 | 0 | No ban found | Yes |
| Phu Quoc, Vietnam | 0 | 0 | 0 | Banned (illegal payment instrument, Decree 88/2019) | Yes |

Place counts computed by StaySats from the BTC Map public API on October 12, 2026. BTC Map builds its places from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). "Listed" does not mean that a place accepts crypto today. The last column is our own offer, included and marked.

## Can I still book a hotel with crypto in those countries?

Booking online before you travel is a different act from paying on the spot. With StaySats, you pay us in crypto, and we pay the hotel in rupiah, lira, dong, baht, dirhams or another local currency. You never hand crypto to the hotel desk, a shop or a restaurant, which is what the local rules target.

At checkout, the exact total of the stay is held on your balance, not charged. It is charged only when the hotel confirmation number is issued, and released at once if the hotel can't confirm. See [how it works](https://staysats.com/how-it-works/).

Two limits apply. Hotels in Spain are not available yet, and we sell nothing in sanctioned countries: see [where we can't sell hotels](https://staysats.com/where-we-cant-sell-hotels/). Extras at the hotel, such as a deposit or the minibar, are paid in local currency or by card.

## Why do some big destinations list so few places?

BTC Map depends on local volunteers who add and verify places, so counts vary with local activity and local rules. Dubai lists 10 places within 25 km, and Abu Dhabi and Macau list none. Singapore lists 10. In the United Arab Emirates, a 2024 central bank rule lets shops accept crypto only as a licensed dirham token.

In Singapore, guidelines of January 17, 2022 from the Monetary Authority of Singapore ask crypto firms not to promote their services to the public. That includes crypto ATMs in public places. A low count is a reason to pay for your hotel before you travel. It is not, by itself, a sign that crypto is illegal there.

## Which crypto-friendly cities suit a long stay?

For a month or more, compare cities with many listings and a clear local rule. Funchal on Madeira lists 164 places and 7 hotels, Tbilisi 175 places, Medellín 135 places, Lisbon 53 places and 3 hotels. Chiang Mai lists 35 places and 9 hotels, but paying on the spot is restricted in Thailand.

Nomad visas and the crypto rule of each country are compared on [digital nomads](https://staysats.com/digital-nomads/). Deposits, taxes and refunds for a 30-night booking are on [monthly stays paid in USDT](https://staysats.com/long-stays-paid-in-usdt/).

## How is the index built?

- **Source:** the BTC Map public API (`api.btcmap.org/v4/places`), downloaded on October 12, 2026: 43,120 places, of which 13,386 deleted, leaving 29,734 active.
- **Exclusions:** 2,510 ATMs and exchange offices are left out of the city counts.
- **Radius:** 25 km around a city centre point set by hand, measured as a great-circle (haversine) distance.
- **Verified:** a place counts as verified when BTC Map shows a verification date of January 1, 2025 or later.
- **Hotels:** places shown with BTC Map's hotel icon.
- **Local rule:** one status per country (banned, restricted, not verified yet, no ban found), with its source and the date of our check.
- **On sale with StaySats:** our own sale status on the same date.

## What are the limits of this data?

- BTC Map is built by volunteers from OpenStreetMap data. A listed place may have stopped taking crypto, and many places that take it are not listed.
- "Listed" never means "accepts crypto today". Check with the place before you rely on it.
- In the United States, some places shown with a fuel station icon may in fact be ATMs. We did not remove them.
- The hotel census is very incomplete: BTC Map lists 927 hotels in the whole world.
- Two nearby cities can share places when their 25 km circles overlap, for example Osaka and Kyoto.
- The 2021 Library of Congress report has not been updated, so the statuses based on it may be out of date.
- The index contains no hotel price and no count of our own hotels. We publish those only once they are measured.

## How can I download and reuse the data?

Download the full index as [JSON](https://staysats.com/data/crypto-friendly-destinations.json) or [CSV](https://staysats.com/data/crypto-friendly-destinations.csv). The files add each city's check-in ID rule and the source URL of each local rule. They are free to reuse under the CC BY 4.0 licence. We update the index every quarter. The date on this page changes only when the data changes, and each update is logged in the [changelog](https://staysats.com/changelog/). Our other datasets are on [open data](https://staysats.com/data/).

## How do I cite the destinations data?

Use this line, with the date of our count:

> Source: StaySats, *Crypto-Friendly Destinations* (checked October 12, 2026), CC BY 4.0, https://staysats.com/crypto-friendly-destinations/.

A link is appreciated; any rel attribute is fine. Please also credit BTC Map and OpenStreetMap contributors for the place counts, since the counts come from their listings.

## Who publishes this index, and is there a conflict of interest?

StaySats publishes it: the StaySats research desk of TravelGoat LLC (United States) compiles the data. No expert has reviewed it yet; named reviewers will be listed on our [editorial policy](https://staysats.com/editorial-policy/) when appointed. We sell hotel bookings paid in crypto. Our offer is included and marked: the last column of the table shows where you can book a hotel with us.

No city or merchant paid to appear, and our sales do not change the BTC Map counts. If you find an error, write to us through the [contact page](https://staysats.com/contact/) and we will correct it in the next update.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which city has the most places listed on BTC Map?

San Salvador, with 606 active places listed within 25 km of its centre on October 12, 2026. Johannesburg (497) and Los Angeles (311) come next. El Zonte, a beach town in El Salvador, was measured separately: 211 places, 35 of them hotels. It is not one of the 100 cities of the index.

### Is it legal to pay a hotel in Bali in crypto?

Not on the spot. Indonesian law lets people hold crypto as an asset but not use it to pay. In May 2023, Bali announced sanctions against tourists who pay in crypto. Booking online before you travel is different: you pay StaySats in crypto, and we pay the hotel in rupiah. You never pay the hotel desk in crypto.

### Does a high count mean I can pay in crypto everywhere in that city?

No. A count is the number of places listed on BTC Map within 25 km, sorted by volunteers from OpenStreetMap data. Even in Johannesburg, 497 listed places are a small share of the city's shops and hotels. Use the count to compare cities, then check a specific place before you rely on it.

### Why does Dubai rank so low if crypto travellers go there?

Because travel demand and merchant listings are different things. Dubai was the first destination of crypto travellers in 2024, per Travala and Binance Pay, yet BTC Map lists only 10 places within 25 km. A 2024 UAE central bank rule also limits shop payments to licensed dirham tokens. Since February 2026, the UAE has also been under a travel alert: see [Dubai hotels](https://staysats.com/hotels/dubai/).

### Can I book hotels with crypto in Thailand?

Yes, online. Paying Thai merchants in crypto is restricted to the TouristDigiPay sandbox, where crypto is converted to baht and merchants are paid in baht. With StaySats, you pay us in crypto before you travel, and we pay the hotel in baht. Extras at the hotel are paid in baht or by card.

### Why do some cities say "Not verified yet"?

Because we could not confirm the rule on an official or primary source. That is the case for our cities in India on October 12, 2026. We prefer an honest blank to a guess. When we verify a rule, the status, its source and the date of the check appear in the table and in the data files.

### How often is the index updated, and can I reuse it?

Every quarter; the next update is planned for January 2027. The table and the JSON and CSV files are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Credit StaySats with the date of the data, and BTC Map and OpenStreetMap contributors for the place counts. Each change is logged in our changelog.

**Going somewhere with few crypto merchants?** Book the hotel before you go: top up from $25, and your balance is held, not charged, until the hotel confirms. [Search hotels](https://staysats.com/hotels/)

## Sources

1. [BTC Map, places API (v4)](https://api.btcmap.org/v4/places) — BTC Map (checked 2026-10-12)
2. [BTC Map wiki: API elements (data taken from OpenStreetMap)](https://wiki.btcmap.org/api/elements) — BTC Map (checked 2026-10-12)
3. [Copyright and licence](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright) — OpenStreetMap Foundation (checked 2026-10-12)
4. [Bali to crack down on foreign tourists using crypto as payment](https://en.antaranews.com/news/283182/bali-to-crack-down-on-foreign-tourists-using-crypto-as-payment) — Antara (2023)
5. [Turkey's central bank bans crypto payments](https://www.theblock.co/linked/101905/turkey-central-bank-bans-crypto-payments) — The Block (2021)
6. [Thailand rolls out pilot program for tourists to convert crypto into baht for spending](https://www.theblock.co/post/367207/thailand-crypto-baht-payment-pilot-foreign-tourists) — The Block (2025)
7. [Thailand launches initiative supporting digital asset use in tourism](https://www.tilleke.com/insights/thailand-launches-initiative-supporting-digital-asset-use-in-tourism/) — Tilleke & Gibbins (checked 2026-10-12)
8. [Over 50 countries have placed bans on crypto: Library of Congress report](https://decrypt.co/89148/over-50-countries-have-placed-bans-on-crypto-library-of-congress-report) — Decrypt (November 2021)
9. [Payment Token Services Regulation (Circular 2/2024)](https://rulebook.centralbank.ae/en/rulebook/payment-token-services-regulation) — Central Bank of the UAE, rulebook (checked 2026-10-12)
10. [What you need to know about UAE Central Bank's new regulation on stablecoins](https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2024/07/19/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-uae-central-banks-new-regulation-on-stablecoins/) — The National (2024-07-19)
11. [Bitcoin - How does the law of Vietnam regulate?](https://luatvietnam.vn/tin-phap-luat/bitcoin-how-does-the-law-of-vietnam-regulate-230-29234-article.html) — LuatVietnam (checked 2026-10-12)
12. [Legal framework for cryptocurrency in Vietnam](https://vietanlaw.com/legal-framework-for-cryptocurrency-in-vietnam) — Viet An Law (checked 2026-10-12)
13. [MAS issues guidelines to discourage cryptocurrency trading by general public](https://www.mas.gov.sg/news/media-releases/2022/mas-issues-guidelines-to-discourage-cryptocurrency-trading-by-general-public) — Monetary Authority of Singapore (2022-01-17)
14. [Binance Pay and Travala report a surge in crypto travel bookings](https://finbold.com/binance-pay-and-travala-report-a-surge-in-crypto-travel-bookings/) — Finbold (2024)

---

StaySats: StaySats is a hotel booking site paid only in crypto: BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, with USDT on TRC-20 or ERC-20. You top up a balance from $25, and a booking is held, not charged, until the hotel's confirmation number is issued.