Best Cheap Places to Retire in SE Asia for 2025 

Thank you Dan for another excellent report. Thanks to you I’ve been to all. I’m a slow SEAsian traveler and a finding Vietnam a home base for now. So many wonderful choices in SE Asia. Da Nang, Nha Trang, Da Lat and areas within an hour are my current favorites. Puerto Galera, Baguio are high on my list also. You’ve been a big part of my expatriation resourced and success. This is beyond my imagination just 2 years ago. Thank you 🙏🏼

Love this channel & been watching & following Dan & his Mrs make the currently impossible for me look possible 😁

Great report Dan. Packed with good info. Thanks!

Great vlog Dan.

Amazing work as always. One of my favorite channels

Hi Dan, thanks 🙏 for all that you do 👊✊💪🤙😎🏆

great report

Thanks Dan…great report 👍🏼

Dan your videos are always informative

wondrous insights 🙏🙏🙏

Thanks Dan. Your information is much appreciated. :)

Smart video series for those inclined to move to Southeast Asia. I have been here for nine years and I agree with your conclusions.

Thanks Dan for your fav 2025 retirement destinations. Some of us are a few years further out. Would be great to get your POV on best 2030 places to retire!!

Such an excellent run down. So glad you added dumagette, pi , thou I've never been there, but heading there for the low down. Damn, you're good !

Boracay is the most expensive island in the Philippines to stay, very few restaurants with quality food! Kampot/Kep Cambodia deserves a mention, has lots to offer!

Feet on the ground facts and no sales pitch keeps me a lifetime member. Thank you for your hard work.

Congratulations on 150,000 subscribers! Love your videos, jam-packed with valuable practical information and stunning scenery👍💫 Thank you

Glad you guys are back. Haven't seen any videos for a while.

Just signed up for the lifetime subscription. I remember the first time I watched one of your videos, it was so inspirational. From that moment on, I’ve been working towards a plan to exit the country and travel. It’s very close to fruition and I have to thank you for showing that it’s possible.

Another excellent video

Love your content. Your research is professional and covers everything that should be considered if moving abroad. I have yet to visit your web site but did want to ask if there are ways to sort specific information all of these places. I mean healthcare, housing prices, active life style of nature and the arts are in my top 5 but another thing that is really important to me is weather that is not completely over the top in heat or humidity. I have lived in Oregon for the last 25 years and have grown accustomed to the brisk mornings and with very few days in the100's over the 365 days throughout the year. Cheers to you and yours!!

you're such a GOAT for sharing this. Just makes me sad I only have 17 days off/year.. Hopefully I can retire by 35 and live in all these places for a few months

Hey Dan, thanks for the video. Suggestions how about good places to retire in Africa? I am a subscriber and a longtime follower.

Another great and inspiring video. Let’s hope these gems don’t become Californicated and thus affordable only to the elite.

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Thank you Dan, for such a comprehensive overview. The video seemed to be cut a bit short for me, can I ask what was your overall number 1 please? (After Nha Trang VN). Thank you

I just got back from Thailand and Bali, UBUD is amazing, but you forgot one thing about Bali that most westerners are really going to struggle with and that is the traffic. It is INSANE, take you an hour to move 4 Kilometers sometimes.

Thank you so much for the information. I'm 59 and I'm close to retirement. I love your channel and your wife's channel. Keep up the excellent content!

Fine print, if you do not open a thai bank account your good, tax free, ATM withdrawl is not a taxable event, cheers and thanks for this video!🙏

Great video! I'm very surprised Bali is #1! From what I've researched it's not cheap, at least not compared to other places in SE Asia!

Holy moly did you see that nice.......ahh,... reef? 😂 But seriously, another great video with excellent info. Thank you

The problem with the "Best" type of videos is whats best for one is not so for another. Get boots on the ground and see what's best for each. I just moved to Duma (which I said I never would) from Northern Luzon. Still getting settled but feeling positive.

Thai taxes may not be as bad as you think. There was a video that was released a couple hours before this video on the “Retired Working For You” channel on the video titled “BIG Update on the New Thai Tax Law” at 11:45 discussing Thailands new tax law with a tax attorney. Taxes on repatriation of income only applies to money repatriated to a Thailand bank. It does not include Credit Card Transactions or ATM withdrawals from a foreign bank. If you’re making a large transaction you might need to remit money to a Thai bank, but it looks like if you just need money for day-to-day living you won’t be taxed using those 2 options.

Thanks Dan! I started watching your channel 2 years ago. Your information and advice gave me the motivation. I finally did it, I have my feet on the ground. I'm currently in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. I'm eating like the locals and I just had a great night at a jazz club. I'm looking forward to more travel. Again, thanks.

70 countries wow wow wow. Thanks dan

Hi Dan! It’s Dr Joseph on my 13th around the world. Uzbekistan was awesome and Tbilisi is now my favorite city on earth! Currently in Bangkok recovering and off to Manila then danang the Tokyo etc…if you’re at any of these let’s do lunch!

Excellent analysis. Only one I found odd is Koh Samui. If you will get island fever in Boracay, you’d catch it in about 10 minutes on Koh Samui.

No Hua Hin ??? Surprised. A couple of reasons? Im the p.t. Leg press great..d/ b curls, too much momentum.No momentum and hold in flex for a couple of seconds Keep you elbows in one position. Lifting them reduces flex strength.. Will make a big difference to your upper body development

Nha trang is a great place. I visit regularly.

Dan.....no disrespect, but that thumbnail of Qiang - damn brother....good on you!

I met you in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, so now I know I can trust your info here about asia..thx

One thing I notice you really go to some beutiful locations

Hi Dan.. I’m Filipino Canadian my husband is Canadian. We retire early 55 and 58 years old and we are living in Bacong area of Negros Oriental it’s 15 mins from Dumaguete. We are renting a 2 bedroom bungalow for $550 US., it’s 5 mins walk to the beach. We love it here! We choose to just rent instead of building a house. We plan to move to Iloilo City next year as Iloilo has a western style infrastructure. We are so grateful to be able to retire early. We also do a lot of travelling. Philippines is our base as I’m from here. Our next trip will be in Japan . Love your channel!

Best video on you tube!! I know, I subscribe To 300 yt channels about SE Asia. Mark in Las Vegas and Laguna Beach, California. I'm a retired Real Estate Broker and owned And sold 4 different companies, and now I just relax & travel & explore & smile & make Friends.

Hey Dan with the latest trend of “ visa free entry” can you do a video on which countries US citizens can enter and stay for at least 90 days with out a visa? Do you know anything about The Marshall Islands? Great work!! Thx for all the info

Hi Dan, have you done anything on Visas?

Da Nang is my choice !👍🏽

Boracay is pricey to live,&seems to have a water shortage,, unless your in a pricey place on the beach,,was there last april,,the Algae was out and there's no regular local beach showers to rince off with,,the Airport,, Catalan is very crowded,,Cebu air had a 5 hr breakdown,, had to bring in another plane,,Cebu air is often a fun airline,😜, I think id choose Panglao in Bohol,,Panang is awesome,Rentals in Phi.seem to be higher than Nam or Thailand,,why?,not sure..Good Vid guys👍

If you are not already living here unfortunately Thailand is going to be a question mark for those considering moving to Thailand because of tax issue. It went into effect this year but no one knows how it is going to work for retired expats. I suspect that we won’t know until January 2025 when individuals start filing or we hear from tax experts (again). That Retired Working For You interview with a tax lawyer is excellent but leaves unanswered questions.

Dan do you have atop 10 in south Central America or Europe

We love Da Nang and planned see Nha Trang and Da Lat next Visit. I would disagree with Ubud #1, too much traffic, over crowded, and roads are bad to drive. I would rank BKK over KL.

I liked Sapa in northern Vietnam.

When in Ubud: walk or scooter ❤ If you don’t ride scooter, order scooter taxi (Grab or Gojek) for $1-$2. Car for going out of town.

The beaches, the sea, paradise all become old after a while. In fact I know many expats who live in "paradise" who haven't been near the sea since they arrived. Can we see a video that gives realistic overview of good retirement places in Asia. Cost of living, health, infrastructure, social connections, transport, food, entertainment, cultural differences, friendliness of the locals etc....

5:24 Pa-Neng 😂 😂 😂

One of the issues with places like Thailand and Viet Nam is the constant changing of visas. Unfortunately Viet Nam still has no retirement visa.

9:16 thank you. Vietnam 🇻🇳

Ubud is great but it has become too popular and during the high season it has major traffic jams.

60 or 90 day visa given for indonesia. Or 30 plus 30 extension? Thanks.

May I wonder; do you still have to file taxes every year right? Do you do it remotely online?

Hi Dan, i have asked this question before and got no response, so i will ask again. How do you deal with your snail mail when you are moving around all the time. Thanks in advance. 🙏

Do I have to pay taxes to thailand if I'm a TOURIST(not retiring) bringing in several thousand dollars?

World's longest white sand beach town Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh provides the best value for money?

I heard if your retirement pension income is already taxed in your home country will not be taxed again in Thailand.

Nothing hear this yr.on Sri Lanka?

Thanks for the cover. Appreciate the swim suit model. She obviously is an attention getting beauty.

Am retired debt free in Japan. fabulous and cheap.

I like Baguio, but it is not walkable place. It is located in the mountains, there are no flat roads, you are always walking down or up.

My favorite channel hands down. Retirement in southeast Asia ? If you can do basic math, it's an obvious choice economically. Canada sucks big time nowadays. North America altogether. I'm 53 now, and 25 years ago I was already planning for my retirement. Get a small chalet and go fishing was all I wanted. It was possible back then, unfortunately it's not possible nowadays. The cost of living is astronomical here. Housing alone is insanely expensive so is everything else. I'll burn through my savings if I don't leave north America. My quality of life is simply going to get worse, my purchasing power is just gonna dwindle every year. If I want to leave something to my kids, I must leave north America. I will sell my house soon, 2 maybe 3 years from now. I already have a retirement fund, combined with selling my house, I'm a modest millionaire. Social security is something I never factored in planning my retirement. I see social security as gravy on my steak nothing more. I don't need to live like a king at all, it's not who I am. I just want to go sport fishing from time to time. Don't need to live like a king to go fishing. I could sell my house and buy a chalet on the lake, but this is not helping the cost of living in Canada. Everything else will just go up in prices. Food, gas, taxes and everything else. I don't want to own anything either, I'd rather rent now for my retirement. Being stuck with a mortgage ain't my thing anymore. I'd rather remain "mobile". I'm concerned about China actually. If the shit hits the fan, I just leave everything and go somewhere else. As I'm getting older, I'm also concerned about health care, health insurance, life insurance. Some diligent homework is required here. Most channels rarely talk about this unfortunately. The cost of living in southeast Asia, if you're healthy is one thing, but we all know as you get older and older so is your chances of needing medical care. I'm 53, so far so good, but I know this won't last forever. Not a popular subject I know. However it's still a big chunk of your monthly expenses so keep that in mind people. Simple math works fine if you add everything at the end of the month, including health care health insurance life insurance. Just saying. I don't want to come back to Canada. The taxes, costs of living, the badly managed government spending, the costs of heating my house alone is insanely expensive. Winters are brutal here. Scraping the icy frost from my windshield in the morning ? The insurance for the damn car, the house ? It doesn't make sense anymore. Two to three years to go. Freedom 55... or freedom 56 in my case. Until then, I'll keep watching your channel my friend.

How do you earn money , can u tell more about your income and how did u make it

Dan, since you're posting videos of SE Asia while traveling in Eastern Europe I'm gussing that you are missing the nice beaches, exotic food and low cost of living in this part of the world..

Hi 😊 plz tell me : How much do you spend on the maintenance of your _ young woman ? 😊

Nice video and info Dan! Everyone's needs and wants will be different but you covered some great places. However Boracay wouldn't even make my top 50 list LOL

I would pick Georgetown over Kuala Lumpur but Malaysia is not my thing to heavily influenced by its Muslim majority. Koh samui you might be stuck on the island for days sometimes because the ferries don’t run because of bad weather and the public transportation is not good.

Man, you really lost me at the end, you went so fast with the additional 5. Why wouldn't you show the name and show a picture of a map with the places?

How do have nerves of steel driving a scooter without getting knocked off the road?😮

And by Utuwala, do you mean Uluwatu, by any chance? 🙃

you never go to some part of indonesia ...

Hey Dan, I’m wondering since you have so much experience in the Philippines if you’ve heard of a spot called Bitcoin Island? I’ve heard there is like 250+ vendors/businesses that accept bitcoin…thoughts??

Baguio better than Chang Mai? 🤔

There is No Tax on foreigen income so far, der Dan!

Đà Lạt thậm chí còn thú vị hơn ,chúa tể cà phê và gần Nha Trang

Personally, since Im Westernize and Catholic I prefer the Philippines although its under developed and sub health care. I just cant bring myself to live in a muslim country or go to these buddha temples you go to and not understand the criptic signs in local asian alphabets. Seems like an entire different world im not comfortable in.

Thailand is not the place to retire anymore. Great to visit or live and work there, but not for retirees. Starting 1 Jan 2024 Thailand now taxes the income of retired Expats (including Pensions), if you live in Thailand 180 days or more in a year, while all the other countries in SEAsia do not. Hopefully Thailand will change their mind, but as it is now, starting on Jan 2025 Expats have been told to pay income taxes on the money they brought to Thailand from 1 Jan 2024 onwards. Thailand also wants to implement worldwide taxation, so even if you dont remit the money to Thailand they want to tax it . No matter how good their Visas are or the country is - for retired Expats Thailand is not the best option (we are leaving).

Did I miss the No.1?

I like your content and it's quality work. No need for the booty shots and all the bikini pics. I'd much rather see local sites while you're explaining things.

Nha Trang is not much to do and it’s boring city. Siem Reap Cambodia is beautiful province to retire there.

show the places, not the stick

Koh Pan gan! C'mon Dan. You need to start learning how to pronounce.

climate change and rising pollution levels are becoming increasingly obvious in Bali. hard pass but luv the channel....wish you continued happiness and good health

I don't know why u would recommend any part of Indonesia, their visa rules are stupid ,there drug laws are draconian

Malaysia should be removed as they have updated their visa, now only the wealthy can afford it.

I like some of your stuff but just getting so bored of seeing your girlfriends backside as she walks away, can't you just get a little bit more creative with good content rather than go for cheap click bait pervy stuff

Thailand has NOT started taxing $ coming in. They are trying to figure out what they are going to do about that, that law has been on the books for years

Nah. Philippines: poor infrastructure, crap food, poor health care and service (,per the blogs, never been there). Vietnam- no retirement visa. Ubod- supposedly way overcrowded. Thailand- only certain types of income taxes. Social Security exempted. I'm happy in South Thailand.