Top 10 Asian Countries to Retire Early (2023) | Cost of Living Breakdown

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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Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. I am solely sharing my personal experience and opinions. All Strategies, tips, suggestions, and recommendations shared are solely for entertainment and educational purposes only. There are financial risks associated with investing. You must conduct your own research and due diligence, or seek the advice of a licensed advisor if necessary.

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[TravelPhuket]

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!!

[tapandrack]

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.

[markbrazil]

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.

[DadInTaiwan]

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.

[Photojouralist]

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

[Will]

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.

[louis]

For me: Thailand, Malaysia or the Philippines.

[Mark-ehmv]

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.

[evegoodmon]

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 ;)

[ianlewis]

The Philippines has a 3 year tourist visa system, after 3 years leave the country for 1 day and come back 👌 start again.

[ianng]

You forgot to mentioned that the healthcare in Malaysia is world class, much better than most western countries.

[dr.michaellittle]

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.

[decTac]

Malaysia is the best
In the centre of Asia..it's a great truly Asia.. modern, safe and beautiful 🇲🇾❤️

[dexterspeights]

SINGAPORE is still way CHEAPER THAN NYC + HAS almost NO CRIME compared to NEW YORK - USA!

[Richard-kgrn]

Very accurate assessment compared to most of the videos on YouTube.

[Flagship]

Bangladesh could be another great option for couples to retire for under $1000 per month . The cost of living is low, and the climate is warm and pleasant year-round. Longest white sand beach and great mountains. Food is cheap, delicious and people are very friendly. There are plenty of cultural attractions and activities, as well as excellent healthcare facilities. English is widely spoken, making it easy to get by in this vibrant country.

[unknowninfinium]

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.

[mylifethaidiy]

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.

[henrychua]

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.

[earlysda]

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.