Thailand vs Vietnam
Two retirement contenders on one comparable scale. Same published formula, same source-cited data; every fact below keeps its citation.
Axis by axis
- HealthcareThailand +23
- Retiree visaThailand +50
- AffordabilityTied
- SafetyVietnam +24
- ClimateVietnam +10
- Expat communityThailand +20
Partial data: Vietnam has unverified inputs on this axis (scored a neutral 50).
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)
No verified data yet
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.
No verified data yet
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.
Expats are advised to hold international health insurance and use private JCI-accredited hospitals, as the public system is not well suited to foreign residents.
Numbeo estimates single-person costs at about 19,719 THB/month (roughly USD 520) excluding rent.
Numbeo estimates a single person's monthly costs at about 376 EUR (roughly 11.3 million VND) excluding rent; overall cost of living is about 160% lower than the US excluding rent.
A one-bedroom city-centre flat averages about 15,553 THB/month and 9,636 THB outside the centre, far below typical US rents.
Rent prices in the US are about 288% higher than in Vietnam; a one-bedroom apartment in a Vietnamese city centre averages roughly 10.5 million VND per month per Numbeo.
Tropical monsoon in the south and centre, humid subtropical monsoon in the north.
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.
Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income, but personal income tax paid abroad on overseas income is creditable in Vietnam, capped at the Vietnamese tax due on that income.
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