Indonesia vs Thailand
Two retirement contenders on one comparable scale. Same published formula, same source-cited data; every fact below keeps its citation.
Axis by axis
- HealthcareTied
- Retiree visaThailand +22
- AffordabilityTied
- SafetyTied
- ClimateTied
- Expat communityTied
The facts, side by side
Each value links to the exact source it was verified against.
Non-Immigrant O-A / O Retirement Visa (a 10-year LTR Long-Term Resident visa is also available)
The E33F Retirement KITAS requires proof of monthly pension or passive income of at least USD 3,000; the E33E Silver Hair route requires the same income plus a deposit. Applicants are typically 55 to 60 years or older depending on classification.
The O-A retirement visa (age 50+) requires either an 800,000 THB bank deposit, or a monthly income (pension) of at least 65,000 THB (roughly USD 1,800), or a deposit plus income totalling at least 800,000 THB/year.
International private health insurance is strongly recommended for expats to access private facilities and evacuation, as out-of-pocket private hospital stays can run USD 100 to 1,000 or more per night.
Care costs a fraction of Western prices; expats variously take inpatient-only or accident-only policies or self-insure from the savings on lower living costs.
Estimated monthly costs for a single person in Denpasar (Bali) are about Rp7.2 million (roughly USD 450) excluding rent.
Numbeo estimates single-person costs at about 19,719 THB/month (roughly USD 520) excluding rent.
A one-bedroom apartment in central Denpasar averages about Rp6.8 million per month, and about Rp2.8 million per month outside the centre.
A one-bedroom city-centre flat averages about 15,553 THB/month and 9,636 THB outside the centre, far below typical US rents.
Indonesian tax residents (present more than 183 days) are generally taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates of 5 to 35 percent, so foreign pensions may be taxable, subject to relief under applicable double-tax treaties.
Since 1 January 2024 (Order Por 161/2566), Thai tax residents (180+ days/year) are taxed on foreign-sourced income, including remitted pensions, in the year it is remitted into Thailand; income earned before 2024 is exempt. LTR visa holders are separately exempt on overseas income.
Full Indonesia profileFull Thailand profileAll 40 countries, ranked