At Cosmo, we’re obsessed with spotlighting real couples from the world’s most stylish cities. We’ve hit New York, London, Mexico City, Atlanta, L.A.—you get the idea. But to celebrate our Online Issue, we’re taking the series digital (literally) with a long-distance twist.
In this very special installment of our now-iconic Cosmo Couples series, we caught up with three head-over-heels duos who prove that true love doesn’t always live in the same zip code. Whether they’re surviving different time zones or squeezing in FaceTimes between shifts, these couples are making it work—with help from voice notes, shared locations, and a lot of trust.
Meet the lovebirds keeping the spark alive across cities, continents, and time zones. Love may be complicated, but these couples? They’re committed. Wi-Fi willing.
Jess + Stef
Filmmaker and founder, 36, Brooklyn, NY + artist and musician, 31, Mexico City, Mexico
Years together: 2.5
Jess and Stef, who met in Mexico City in 2022, have been living apart while applying for U.S. citizenship for Stef. They rely on tech to stay connected—texting, calling, FaceTiming, voice notes, and location sharing. Their digital date nights are full of syncing TV shows and cooking together.
Stef: We talk throughout the day using Whatsapp, sending memes and...pictures so good, they must disappear.
Jess: She gives me a reason to use a privacy screen.
Stef: She fired her bass teacher when I told her I could help her learn bass guitar.
Jess: We also do weekly Spanish lessons.
Max + Vic
Content creator, 31, New York City + ophthalmologist, 29, Geneva, Switzerland
Years together: 1.5
They met on Hinge while Victor was vacationing in New York and, despite some initial hesitation, decided to try long-distance. Between regular in-person visits, they established a strong connection through texting and late-night FaceTimes— strong enough that they’re now finally living in the same place.
Max: I had a good job, but the work environment was very negative. It definitely interfered with our relationship.
Vic: And I’m doing my residency, making it hard to visit as often as I’d have liked.
Max: When I got promoted and asked for more vacation time, they said no.
Vic: I told him to move to Switzerland.
Max: I did! Now I get to WhatsApp him from the same time zone.
Syeda + Toufiq
Student, 23, Dhaka, Bangladesh + student, 24, Perth, Australia
Years together: 1.5
Because of a move to Australia (Toufiq) and political unrest at home (Syeda), the couple started dating via Bumble without ever having met in person. Their IRL chance finally came last April and then they spent an entire month together in June. Between visits, they chat through Instagram and phone calls and have virtual dinners and game nights.
Syeda: On his birthday, we each bought cupcakes to have together over FaceTime.
Toufiq: To make sure the experience was similar, we got the same flavor—chocolate.
Syeda: We’ll also watch movies together. He picks good ones!
Toufiq: For our first long-distance movie night, we watched About Time. It’s a bit romantic—that explains a lot about us.
