Top 10 Asian Countries to Retire Early (2023) | Cost of Living Breakdown
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- What are the top 10 countries or destinations in East Asia and Southeast Asia you can retire early in? Let's go over the full breakdown of what type of healthcare and visa they offer as well as the cost of living.
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⏰ Table of Contents ⏰
0:00 Overseas Retirement Considerations
1:44 Bali, Indonesia
4:07 Singapore
5:57 Yokohama, Japan
7:39 Da Nang, Vietnam
9:23 Chiang Mai, Thailand
11:03 Taipei, Taiwan
13:19 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
14:56 Seoul, South Korea
16:39 Makati, Philippines
17:58 Kampot, Cambodia
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Having born in Singapore, it will be expensive to retire there. Closest to Singapore with respect to culture, food and cost will be Malaysia, probably in Penang or Penang Island rather than KL. Next will be Thailand:) Very informative video. Thank you!
Hey thanks for giving us your insight!
As a USA expat living in SE Asia over the past 10 years, I think this is the best retirement video i have seen on You Tube. It is well researched, presented in a quick concise way, and is short on “opinions” and rich in facts which I found to be quite accurate. Great job!!
Thanks!!!
?
Right, he gets to the point and not a lot of rambling about nothing.
I agree, but some of the numbers and facts seem off. The SE Asia numbers seem more accurate, but the East Asia ones seem too optimistic. $400 apartments in Seoul? Maybe if you are in a student boarding house or a dorm style accommodation that is just a room, but not a real apartment. And the statement that food is cheap in S Korea doesn’t fit with my experiences at all. Korean supermarkets and restaurants in Seoul are comparable to costs the US. There are lots of great things about S Korea, but cheap isn’t one of them
@@mgt74 yea I agree, I live here and it’s about the same as US prices. There is cheaper places to eat but not in the bigger cities.
Be sure to check the latest information on Vietnam visa. As of January 1, 2023 most but not all countries are limited to a 30 day visa. To renew you must exit and reenter Vietnam.
I’ve been living in Saigon, Vietnam for over 3 years now. I live in the most expensive part of the city and spend about $1,200.00 USD per month. The current visa situation isn’t good. You need to make visa runs every 30 days. Some of my expat friends enjoy moving around, so they base their traveling on the visa policies of the neighboring countries. For example, 30 days in Vietnam, a $20 ride bus to Cambodia, you get a 30 day visa on arrival plus an additional 30 day extension, another $20 bus ride, this time to Thailand where you can get a 45 day visa on arrival. After this you fly back to Vietnam, get your new 30 day visa, and start the process all over again. This semi nomadic lifestyle appeals to many. You have your favorite hotels, Airbnb apartments, and restaurants at your favorite destinations, and you develop a circle of friends at each location.
My favorite cities in Southeast Asia to live: Saigon, Nha Trang, Danang, Kampot, Siem Reap, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai.
Excellent feedback thank you so much
How long do you have to stay out of Vietnam on a visa run? Can you leave for a day and come straight back and start the 30 day visa again? Thanks.
Vietnam is one of the more difficult countries to obtain a long term visa for, assuming you are not working or married to a citizen. Currently, foreigners who are not employed must leave the country every 30 days. In you live in the south, most expats make visa runs to Cambodia and back. I hear rumors that 90 days visas are on the horizon. Otherwise, try to gain employment as an English teacher at a reputable school that can help you with your work permit and resident visa. Also, investing in a business in Vietnam is another way to secure a long term visa. Good luck!
This is great information, I will try to do this going from Philippines to Bali then back and leave US for good.
I have been living in Indonesia for twenty years, and I much prefer Asia to America, but still miss the culture sometimes. So if you can afford the winters in Asia, and summers in Europe or America, you got it made ;)
Great video! Thanks so much
It was nice to see Taiwan on the list. I'm happy that I moved here before retirement age, which allowed me to work and gain permanent residency after 5 years. I've lived here for 15 years now and couldn't be happier with my situation. I plan to retire here in another 5 years. I think my home country of the US is great, but my quality of life, eg. low violent crime, health care, and cost of living is much better in Taiwan.
Great to hear! I lived in Taipei for 6 years and I definitely want to visit there again one day
Very informative.. Thank you !
You forgot to mentioned that the healthcare in Malaysia is world class, much better than most western countries.
This is a good list! 👍
Thanks!
Glade I found your channel...I'm currently in Southern Nevada, in Pahrump. Based on your video South East Asia is to expensive for me.
That 1-year visa for Vietnam you spoke of, was in place pre-covid. Now it’s only 3 months.
Malaysia is the best
In the centre of Asia..it's a great truly Asia.. modern, safe and beautiful 🇲🇾❤️
Good stuff!
Cambodia is where I am retiring. I can be in Thailand or VN in an hour for $100. Visa is easy in Cambodia, and Cambodia is awesome.
How much do you need per month
When I applied for a permanent residence visa in Japan a few years ago, there was no language requirement at all. But you have to live in Japan for 10 years straight, and have over 3 million yen a year income for the past 5 years, and have paid into the health system and pension system for the past 2 years. Those rules may change tho, as they like to make it harder and harder for foreigners to stay long-term in Japan. Oh yes, if you are young, have a high income and high education, there is a point system path to PR visa.
The Philippines has a 3 year tourist visa system , after 3 years leave the country for 1 day and come back 👌 start again.
Thanks so much, I am looking into this now.
For me: Thailand, Malaysia or the Philippines.
I retired to Makati Philippines last year under an SRRV retirement visa. What you need to know about these visas is that your deposit will depend upon which class of visa you receive. For mine, Expanded Courtesy Visa, the application fee was only $1400 upfront, minimum income required was $800/month, the required deposit in a Philippine bank was $1,500, and it renews annually for only $10. The visa never expires as long as I renew it. Unlike other countries, no visa runs every 30 days, no income taxes on my US income (in fact one can exclude up to $120k in income here or any country outside the US where it is earned from US Federal income taxes, but one has to pay self-employment rate of 15.3%), great weather (Manila is much farther north than Indonesia/Singapore/Malaysia, so we have cooler weather), and the Filipino people are incredibly kind.
This is very valuable info thank you
What type of income is it? Earned income or unearned income? Dividends, capital gains and interest? All are excluded from U.S. taxation? Any information I can find on this exclusion?
One of my favorite books that i have given to many people "The Millionaire Next Door". I bet you get what it is saying. Good Choice !
Funny you mentioned the dental hospitals in Cambodia. I will be moving to Cambodia in 3 months to live and work, while I get my dental implant done, which takes 1.5 years from start to finish. "Roomchang" is the state of the art dental hospital in Phnom Penh.
Retired in the Philippines last year with a $3000 a month budget. Living like the 1% in this country. Coming from Switzerland with a 8k monthly budget, this is amazing.
SINGAPORE is still way CHEAPER THAN NYC + HAS almost NO CRIME compared to NEW YORK - USA!
This video was made 2 years ago. Is that still the case in Singapore? Cost not crime which is low in Asia in general.
I'm a veteran that was stationed in South Korea, 2014 - 2015.
Some, if not all, of your countries get really hot, too. Unlike Las Vegas, it will be humid heat, not dry heat.
Do you know if Vietnam still offers a retirement type visa? That's where I want to go, I think Da Nang is great. You cannot buy a beer for 70 cents in Thailand, that is the equivalent of 24.31 baht. 7-Eleven's cheapest beer is around 30 to 35 baht, a San Miguel Light costs 41 baht at 7/11. As for Cambodia, their utilities are among the most expensive in all of SE Asia, $100 to $400 electric bills are common in Phnom Penh. In Cambodia you can buy beer for less than 70 cents. A lot of happy hours sell draft beer for 50 cents.
I have to point out that your distances on Bali from Jakarta are off. Bali is about 1,200 kilometers driving distance from Jakarta using toll roads and ferries, or about 750 miles. I think you may have used "distance calculator" which is inaccurate. It only takes a little over an hour and a half to fly from Bali to Jakarta, which is more indicative of 750 miles than 2,400 miles distance. I also think that the distance to Australia is off also. Otherwise, very good content.
As in any tropical country, be aware of the heat and humidity.
Both sound great to me!
as for assimilation and building good relationshoips with people, it would be Philippines hands down. Language barrier is almost non existent too.
I retired in Malaysia 🇲🇾 25 years ago . I’m from Seattle! Never looked back! For MM2H now you must show an income of $10,000 / month and deposit $250,000 in a Fixed deposit
Oh wow interesting! Thanks!
Blessings
$10,000 a month and $250,000 deposit is ...... interesting. If a retiree is getting $10,000 monthly coming in and has an extra $250,000 he can afford to just let sit in a bank.....why would they retire in Malaysia when they could retire anywhere else in the world? Malaysia I swear had much more reasonable requirements. This must be a recent change.
@@ariefraiser140 It's MYR$10,000...about USD 2,280...not USD10,000. Deposit is MYR1 million ...USD228,000+. Not affordable? Go for the Sarawak SMM2H...much lower income requirements.
@@Ribble.B087 It's $10,000 USD according to the multiple publications I've read.
Per South China Morning Post:
"Under the new rules, foreigners must prove they have liquid assets worth 1.5 million ringgit (US$354,000) - up from 350,000 ringgit for those above the age of 50, and 500,000 ringgit for those below the age of 50 - although 500,000 ringgit of the funds can be used for property, health care and school fees. They must also have a monthly offshore income of at least 40,000 ringgit (US$9,400) compared with 10,000 ringgit previously, which the Malaysian government says ties in with its effort to target high-income individuals who can contribute to an economy hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing political turmoil."
Very accurate assessment compared to most of the videos on CZcams.
Congrats on your FIRE Psy. Your hardwork paid off.
I been doing my research. Vietnam is a good place to retire but you cannot get a PR. Same with Japan. Now however Japan seems tricky because the inflation there has gone out of hand. So time will tell how the inflation there will change things. I would have gone to Japan without thinking twice but as mentioned by you the PR is very hard. Hopefully it changes.
Agree with you on Taiwan, if it weren't for the tensions it would have been a great place to live.
Malaysia recently changed their requirements on the MM2H right? Thing is it is getting popular and most retirement channels are forecasting more changes to come.
South Korea is another good place but the PR and cost of living is high.
Looking forward for more videos from you.
Thanks for the feedback!
There has been almost no inflation in Japan for the last 30 years, in fact, deflation has been the problem. But you are correct that imported goods have gone up a lot in the last year or so.
You should expound on the Philippines more as it is the best and affordable place to retire in Asia since it’s an English speaking country and still is the cheapest because of the exchange rate with the US dollar. The only drawback for retirees is the healthcare. Hence, I’ve been having to go back to the mainland for that since I retired 10 years ago.
I fly to the Philippines for medical care. I go to St. Luke’s in BGC, because my insurance pays 100%. I’ve had surgery, annual physical and other things. I’m going again in March. Never had any problems.
I visited Philippines 2019.i thought it was awesome until I visited Thailand. I feel the only thing better with Philippines is language, possibly religion and that might be it. Never lost power in Thailand or water or internet and roads were way better since you can drive same speed as in USA outside of city. Philippines took 3 hour bus ride to go 60 miles
Wow, you have REALLY chosen some VERY expensive countries to retire in… Singapore, Japan, Taiwan.
Hey! I live in Northtown too...Near the speedway
Where is the Philippines in retirement. The cost living is great. Been retired here for 8 years.
How much do you spend a month incl. rent, transportation, food? I am planning to live in Iloilo within the next 3 years ... my wife is former filipina ;-)
It's disappointing that you didn't mention a visa run for living in Vietnam. Also, the MM2H program for Malaysia residency has changed it's requirements.
117 degrees? Are you over by Mountain's Edge or something? It hits 120+ here on the Henderson/Whitney border.
Where's that? Arizona or something???
@opsecclassified6469 southeast side of town, just between Old Henderson Main Street area and the Black Mountain.
GREAT VIDEO for guys happy to leave AMERICA!
I don’t understand why the Malaysian government for the M2’s program has put a 40k rm (7/8k usd a month) of income to retire in Malaysia, isn’t that counterproductive, since it’s excludes most of retirees to retire in this country?
Bali, Singapore, Japan?!!
FYI, if you're not white ("gaijin"), there may be some "issues" about living in Japan, especially outside of Tokyo (good luck with affordable housing there).
I don't know how many "retirees" can afford these places. Or are we looking at a particular economic "class"? Also, Bali is so "touristy" and, normally, retirees put medical facilities in their top 5 when moving.
Couldn't continue watching, after those 3 options as your starters.
More practical videos available, I'm sure.
🙏
How you can retire there, if they don't allow you to stay more than a year in the country?? At max
Thailand sounds amazing!
Seoul is a nice place to visit but if you want to live in South Korea the Busan area especially on the east side near the Lotte movie theater is way better and way cheaper to live at long term. Food is expensive in South Korea though. It's not a place to live cheaply but it is a VERY nice place to live. Very good Korean, Japanese, and Chinese food is very easy to find and the street food is awesome! Also, in Busan you don't have to worry about being target practice for North Korea that has enough artillery aimed at Seoul to wipe it out in minutes. Make sure to enjoy the Korean bath houses because they are to die for and I love them so much!!!!!!!!
Also, in the Philippines you can live in some areas for less than 800 a month total expenses. Food is cheap if you shop local and outside of the tourist traps. Same with apartments being as cheap as 200 a month in some areas. By far the cheapest and easiest place to settle down for long term living. The other thing that is nice is that it's an easy place to travel to the other places for vacations.
Great content 🙏
Thanks!
The United States should have. A lot of them restrictions sounds like too many restrictions to me I wish I could rejoin the retirement community there but too many hoops to jump through
Do you have or will do some vlogs about tax savings for living abroad?
Can I stay in Cambodia with three people of 1900 ssi
Still can't get a retirement visa in Vietnam
Which countries you don't have to do visa runs, don't want to move around every 30 and 90 days for the rest of my life
What's your background bro....I am from Trinidad
Vietnam is my goal . I love Vietnam.
You forgot to mention the climate of Thailand, Malaysia and
Singapore which are very hot compared to the mild climate of the Philippines.
what? Philippine climate is not mild , it's hot. Similar to Malaysia and Singapore but Thailand is hotter.
98% humidity. I lived in Makati, 1976 - 1981, shirt was always wet unless inside the malls. VERY friendly people.
My memories start from living in Bangkok, in the early 1960s. VERY clean, respectful people. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the outstanding cuisine. LOVE their desserts and bountiful varieties of fruits.
THESE are not hot places. They're humid, sticky, sweaty and tropical.
Northern India is HOT. New Delhi was 120° F..., in the shade! The tar on the roads melt. BUT, the hotter it gets, the sweeter the varieties of mangoes (300+) and melons. How I miss the different foods (it varies by state, geography, dominant religion) of India! The street food is AMAZING! Just get your stomach in order first. That's a must for westerners, no matter WHICH non First World country you decide upon.
"Mad dogs and Englishmen stay out in the midday sun." Rudyard Kipling
Don't forget, it also snows in North India, starting from the foothills of the Himalayas. It has been noted that Kashmir has ski slopes and scenery comparable to Switzerland.
I lived in the Philippines 7 years my wife is Filipina so she was able to get me a visa and on a Ford pension we lived very well. We are back in the USA and she is working as a nurse but we are thinking of making that move again.
We retired in Philippines in 2015. Cannot beat cost of living!
@@morrishooks7536 We actually built 2 houses there and own our home here in the USA. We have one in Baguio and one in Pangasinan near Hundred Islands. We are planning to get a diving resort in Coron Palawan.
@@danneyboy1000 we been retired here 8 years now. In that 8 years you witness a lot😂. Visiting and vacationing is not like living full time here. We want to try minimize as much as we can. I will be 70 soon so dealing with less is best. Great thing about living here is the affordability.
@@morrishooks7536 I've been to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, and Hong Kong but nothing beats the Philippines for beauty, and beautiful people, especially Filipina women. on my pension of $6 grand a month we can live above most people. I know Tagalog and some dialects too but if you know English you can be just fine. We plan on using Airbnb for our home here in Corpus Christi as this is a tourist town and people short-term rent here a lot. That will also supplement our income and my wife says she would like to work in Guam as a travel nurse.
@@danneyboy1000 I travel a lot over Asia as well being a retired Marine. Lot same places and others.I retired from Marines then 23 years civil service. Disability from Marines. So we do quite well living here. Plus we no bills. It’s affordable here to live in province. But sometimes you get tired there so we go to Makati. I love Singapore for looks. It’s clean and orderly but super expensive.
We lived in Philippines 8 years now. It’s so much different vacations, been station here and living. Remember how marriage is with different stages. I.e. dating, honeymoon, years later. You go thru these different emotions and stages in marriage. Same applies living here in Philippines. There are a couple things that I wish would change here. That being noise and poverty. I choose to focus on positive which makes it easier living here. We live on 2 1/2 acres in province.
If you are a pensioner retiree or an internet nomad worker with a monthly pension or income of at least $2K, you can live
luxuriously in the Philippines as a 5-star condo with a beautiful pool resident.
Fellas, if you have a $3 to 4K a month pension or salary, you are a baller and will be able to afford a billionaire lifestyle
and be an Elon Musk kinda passport bro.
What is the fatfire?
The Philippines was a former US colony. American English is the second official language of the country. The Philippines is
the US Call Center Capital of the world. Most of the registered medical nurses and medical technicians in the US and the UK
are Filipinos. The US is presently recruiting Filipino teachers to fill in the shortage of teachers in America. The
Philippines is the most Americanized ASEAN country in Southeast Asia. Most Filipinos have American first names too.
My Filipina wife is an RN here in the USA she liked the more than 1,000% raise she got after passing the NCLEX.
Retire in the Philippines
$1,500/mo = comfortable living
$3,000/mo = living like a King
Your title is retire early? If it’s for the very rich to retire early in Singapore then yes, this country can be a heaven. If it’s for an average person, take note that more and more government public housing is crossing the mark of S$1m (over US$0.7m for about 1500sqf - 2nd hand) and private housing could range from anything US$1m-US$50m. A permission to owe a car for 10 yrs only easily cost US$90k and import taxes for a car could be as high as 300%.
This video may need an update with some visa changes
You haven't talk about retired in China
Singapore is a HORRIBLE place to retire! The cost is insane!
So you can’t chew gum in Singapore?
I believe foreigners can, but still I can’t stand their local laws and the heat. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Singapore, but only to visit.
Sorry I see you did cover philippines
Lol I'm trying to save like 20k, my boy taking about 3.7 mil. Sheeeh
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰❤️
United States should have the same restrictions.
Yea, we definitely have some discipline issues, but the same can be said for our financial institutions. By nature, we are rebels who don't want a oppressive system. Of course there's obvious drawbacks to that.
🇮🇩
If you add Seoul and Yokohama into this list, you can add any city in Asia. You can then argue for Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Khaoshiung, you name it. Why not all these. You really look like a young guy who did a little online research and have never been to any of these cities (except for Japan) and do not really know professionally or personally.
you don’t know me very well and that’s ok. Your opinion is noted
8:25 this picture is taken off the same balcony i live in. muong thanh apartment in da nang... Its filled with cockroaches haha
I have lived in the Seoul area for a decade. Your numbers are WILDLY off. It seems like you just Google'd statistics and are just repeating someone's Quora replies.
These numbers appear high from my research during all of 2023. 1st > Bali visa requirements suck ! -- 2nd Singapore is crazy !!! -- 3rd Japan is expensive & few speak English. -- 4th Vietnam is a low cost destination. Piss poor visas available ! -- 5th Thailand has idiotic visa laws if you wish to stay long term ! Not economically friendly. -- 6th Taiwan = EXPENSIVE !!! -- 7th Malaysia is worthy & English is widely spoken. -- 8th S Korea gets very cold ! Not very practical. 9th Philippines can be economical to live in some locations. 10th Cambodia One of the best over 55 cheap & easy.
Je my rent in pinoy land if I want stay is nothing hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Elektrik 20 Euro water 7 garbage 4 the most expensiv is there pork 10 Euro here only 6 in Austria so wat is cheap there nothing in the climat tropic wanna die soon stay there long time happy trip
Filipinos are very familiar with US culture. The Philippines is the most Americanized ASEAN country in Southeast Asia. The
The Philippines is a former US colony and the educational system of the country is similar to the American system, that's why
there are so many Filipina nurses and teachers getting easily employed by American hospitals and schools. Some fellow
Asians find the Philippines and
Filipinos are too Americanized for their liking. Filipinos are more loyal to the U.S. than
most ingrate and entitled Americans who actually, hate and bash their own country every chance they get?
The biggest local fast-food chain in the Philippines is Jollibee Burger. Filipinos drink Coke, eat Cheese Burgers, and
Hotdogs Sandwiches,
munch on French Fries, Chicken Nuggets, and finishing it off with a Chocolate Sundae or Apple Pie every
day is so American. Filipinos love
to hang out often in Starbucks too. How American can you get more than that?
WHY TOP 10, BUT NOT MENTION, WHAT A JURK👎😡
Wow, really? You won't be comfortable with less than $3.7 million dollars. Most American and I assume many of other countries are retired in some other country on a bit less than 3.7 million dollars. Like on social security and maybe a small pension. Can we afford to retire? You lost me as a subscriber as soon as I saw that. I'm sure you'll be fine without me, but it grinds me to no end to see articles that exclaim "You CAN retire on one million dollars." I can retire on my social security and pension, thank you.
No way Korea is that cheap lol
B I G F A T C H E M T R A I L @ 04.50