• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home Lifestyle

The Top Affordable Places To Retire In Asia And Live Well

10 Cheapest Places On Earth To Retire Well

Kathleen Peddicord by Kathleen Peddicord
Nov 16, 2021
in Lifestyle, Retirement/Living
0
Da Nang city skyline cityscape at Han river at twilight in Da Nang, central Vietnam

Adobe Stock/Hanoi Photography

237
SHARES
3.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Asia boasts the most cost-friendly places anywhere on Earth to call home.

Pockets of India, Vietnam, and Thailand, for example, can be absurdly cheap.

Living on this side of the planet, you’d also have access to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. Your life would be full of the exotic, the unexpected, and the adventuresome.

Specifically, where should you be considering if you’re in the market for an exciting new life on an uber-modest budget?

Here are your 10 best lifestyle options in Asia as we begin to round the corner into 2022:

1. George Town, Malaysia

Aerial view of George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Alamy/Fabrizio Troiani

Penang isn’t just another lost-in-time outpost of the former British Empire. Combining all that’s appealing about island and city life, the “Pearl of the Orient” is one of Southeast Asia’s most livable destinations. Low costs are a big part of the appeal. In addition, health care is excellent, foreigners are welcome, and the country is safe and stable.

The population is a melting pot of Malay, Straits Chinese, Chinese, Burmese, Arab, Thai, Indonesian, and Indian. Thanks to its colonial past, English is the language that holds the ethnic stew together.

Life here is both traditional and 21st century, exotic and comfortable. Beyond the high-rise apartments of modern George Town is one of the best-preserved old cities in Asia, and almost on the city’s doorstep are stylish seaside settlements with palm-fringed sandy beaches and a backdrop of lush rainforest.

Malaysia is also one of the world’s most tax-friendly jurisdictions. As a resident of this country, you are taxed only on income derived from within the country, meaning that even income you remit to Malaysia is not taxed as long as it was earned somewhere else.

2. Bali, Indonesia

beach in canggu bali
Bali enjoys a well-deserved reputation as one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world. The jungle is lush, volcanoes rise into the clouds, and terraced rice fields cascade down the valleys. Multitiered Balinese temples adorn even the smallest villages.

The coastline is a picture postcard, and the ocean, never far away, offers world-class diving, surfing, snorkeling, parasailing, and all other manner of water sports.

In the city are bars, dancing, discotheques, and dining options from excellent street food for a pittance to white-glove and five-star. On the southwest side of Bali is the small town of Sanur, an unpretentious suburb of the larger city of Denpasar. Quiet and laid-back, Sanur feels far removed from the crowds of tourists who flock to Bali for vacations and honeymoons. Sanur can be a top choice for indulging in a five-star, luxury lifestyle on a three-star budget.

3. Da Nang, Vietnam

Da Nang, Vietnam view across city
Image Source: iStock/saiko3p

For many, Vietnam conjures up images of a backward communist country, top-heavy with red tape, clogged with inefficiencies. This stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth in the country’s third-largest city Da Nang, which manages to be forward-thinking and provincial all at once. The roads and architecture are modern, but most of the businesses are still family-run, with almost no big international brand names, fast-food joints, or coffee shop chains to be found.

This is a fast-moving city of skyscrapers, bridges, and malls with a palpable entrepreneurial spirit, energy, and enthusiasm. Meantime, women ride sidesaddle on the backs of motorbikes, legs dangling over the side, chauffeured by their colleagues or family.

Some don the traditional Vietnamese ao dai, the colorful two-piece outfit with the top extending to the ankles, a long slit down one side, long white pants underneath; others wear elbow-length gloves to add a bit of class while protecting against the elements. It can feel like an old movie is playing out in front of you.

4. Udagamandalam (Ooty), India

Beautiful green landscape in Ooty, India
Adobe Stock/TathaART

When John Sullivan, agent of the East India Company and founder of Ootacamund, stumbled upon what is now popularly known as Ooty, he described it as more like Switzerland than any country in Europe. Cool weather, wooded hills, and plenty of freshwater prompted the establishment of a hill station, which served British officials as a summer resort during India’s colonial period.

Today, Ooty’s natural beauty continues to draw visitors. Perched at 6,000 feet above sea level, the average temperature here is 58 degrees—a refreshing contrast to the rest of steamy southern India. The town is endowed with botanical and rose gardens, parks, lakes, a golf course, and several historic buildings dating to the early 1800s.

The best way to get the lay of the land is to take a ride on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which slices through the surrounding hills and offers a glimpse of terraced tea estates and the “English fruit” (strawberry, plum, and peach) cultivation the area is famous for. Ooty is a compelling option for a quiet hill-country retirement on a small budget.

5. Chiang Mai, Thailand

View from the front of a lush, verdant Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Since the 1800s, the Thai city of Chiang Mai has been luring expats from the West with its uber-low cost of living, great weather (especially compared with elsewhere in Thailand), rich history, and distinct culture.

The heart of this city founded in 1296 lies within its old city walls where ancient and modern Buddhist temples coexist with residential and commercial neighborhoods. Modern Chiang Mai has grown beyond the ancient walls and offers mega malls, multinational grocery and department stores, and other trappings of 21st-century living.

The biggest advantage to life in Chiang Mai is its cost in general and of health care in particular. A couple can live here comfortably on as little as US$1,200 per month, and you can see an English-speaking doctor for US$20.

The biggest downside can be air pollution during the annual burning season, mid-February through mid-April, when local farmers burn their fields. Many expats travel outside the country during these months.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today

6. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo

kota kinabalu in borneo quiet beaches
Image Source: iStock/Oknopo

Kota Kinabalu is one of the world’s most livable beach cities—civilized, safe, clean, peaceful, and organized. KK, as it’s known, with a population of 800,000, is also lively, vibrant, and modern with every amenity, brand name, food variety, and entertainment option you could want. You won’t find orangutans swinging from trees, and no one walks around with bones protruding from pierced nostrils.

KK is Pleasantville or Mayberry circa 1950s transplanted to Asia, and Westerners are welcome. Its biggest practical advantages are the low cost of living and the high standard (and low cost) of health care. Kota Kinabalu is small and walkable, less than 2 miles from end to end. Life revolves around the water and is lived out-of-doors. Living here, you’d fill your days snorkeling, diving, boating, and ferry-hopping from the city center to neighboring islands.

7. Da Lat, Vietnam

Da Lat city in Vietnam.
iStock/saiko3p

Perched at 1,500 meters in the Lang Biang Plateau, Da Lat was discovered by 19th-century French colonists seeking respite from the heat and humidity of city life in Vietnam. Da Lat is abundantly green with lake views reminiscent of an Alpine ski town. The atmosphere is tranquil and contemplative.

French bourgeois architecture was imported in the form of grand hotels, villas, rose gardens, and churches to create a city that became known as Le Petit Paris, complete with its own miniature Eiffel Tower.

Today Da Lat is popular among Vietnamese tourists, especially newlyweds; this is the honeymoon capital of Vietnam. The city’s greatest appeal can be its eternal spring climate; temperatures average 62 degrees year-round. Vietnam is the world’s second-largest producer of coffee, and much of this comes from the Central Highlands around Da Lat.

8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

malaysia at night petronas towers

Kuala Lumpur, in the heart of the Malaysian peninsula, is a city of contrasts. The shining stainless-steel Petronas Towers, two of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, anchor a signature skyline. Air-conditioned malls sell everything from handcrafted batik clothing to Tiffany jewelry.

In the shadows of this ultramodern setting, less than a 20-minute walk from the city center, life in the ancient Malay village of Kampung Baru carries on. Roosters roam freely and monkeys swing from tree to tree.

Foreigners are genuinely welcomed in this former British colony. The British are gone but left their mark in the form of British-colonial architecture and driving on the left. English is the language of commerce, required learning for all Malaysian children, and the primary spoken language for many Malaysians.

Health care is first-rate, public transportation is state-of-the-art and efficient, and the tap water is safe to drink. Beautiful beaches are a short drive or flight away, and cool mountain retreats can be reached in less than an hour. Racially and ethnically diverse, the population of KL is 38% Malay and indigenous, 43% Chinese, 10% Indian, and 9% foreign.

9. Hua Hin, Thailand

Hua Hin is one of the best places to buy real estate in Thailand. View of town and bay
Image Source: iStock/Siraphol

Few places in Southeast Asia meet the requirements of a “developed” retirement haven. Popular seaside towns in the region can be crowded with young backpackers looking for the next party. Hua Hin, stretched along a sheltered beach on the west coast of the Gulf of Thailand, with good year-round weather and a large foreign community, is an important exception.

A retiree can afford a high standard of living—including days on the greens (the city is home to nine golf courses) and regular dinners out at first-class restaurants—on a modest budget. The standard of local medical care is good, and you’re less than three hours from Bangkok, which boasts some of the region’s top hospitals.

Housing options include modern condos, beachfront homes, and secure, modern gated communities. The big foreign community connects through reading clubs, festivals, cycling clubs, soccer leagues, wine tastings, and darts tournaments.

Hua Hin is such an inviting place that, since the 1920s, it has been the summer home of much of Thailand’s royal family.

10. Taipei, Taiwan

View of temple and town of Taipei. Taepei is one of the best places to retire in asia
Image Source: iStock/f11photo

Taiwan’s capital city is a hyper-efficient and high-tech Asian metropolis, building a reputation for innovation in everything from its award-winning Mass Rapid Transit and light rail systems to the touchless technology found throughout its public spaces and its approaches to tackling environmental issues.

At the same time, remnants of the past are everywhere. Architectural and cultural landmarks scattered around the city remind you of the island’s many phases of history. The best way to experience Taipei’s culture, though, is through its cuisine. From night markets bustling with food stalls to high-end eateries, Taipei is a culinary wonderland that impresses even the most pretentious foodie.

This safe, clean, well-organized, and interesting city has all the appeal, infrastructure, amenities, and comforts of the region’s A-list destinations like Singapore and Hong Kong—with one big difference. The cost of living in Taipei is within the reach of most retirees’ budgets.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Peddicord signature
Kathleen Peddicord
Founding Publisher, Overseas Opportunity Letter

Tags: 'Chiang Mai''Thailand''Vietnam'Affordable Places To Retire In AsiaAsiaBalicheap living in asiaDa Latda nangexpats in asiageorge townHua HinIndiaIndonesiaKota KinabaluKuala Lumpurlive in asiaMalaysiaOotyRetire in AsiataipeitaiwanUdagamandalam
Share108Tweet54
Previous Post

How I Learned Diversifying Overseas Was Key To Success

Next Post

El Pilar: The World’s First Sustainable City, Built By The Maya

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has covered the live, retire, and do business overseas beat for more than 30 years and is considered the world's foremost authority on these subjects. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 21, established businesses in 7, renovated historic properties in 6, and educated her children in 4.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets across three continents, from the East Coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland... then to Paris, France... next to Panama City, where she has based her Live and Invest Overseas business. Most recently, Kathleen and her husband Lief Simon are dividing their time between Panama and Paris.

Kathleen was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. In that capacity, she opened her first office overseas, in Waterford, Ireland, where she managed a staff of up to 30 employees for more than 10 years. Kathleen also opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France.

Kathleen moved on from her role with Agora in 2007 and launched her Live and Invest Overseas group in 2008. In the years since, she has built Live and Invest Overseas into a successful, recognized, and respected multi-million-dollar business that employs a staff of 35 in Panama City and dozens of writers and other resources around the world.

Kathleen has been quoted by The New York Times, Money magazine, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance, the AARP, and beyond. She has appeared often on radio and television (including Bloomberg and CNBC) and speaks regularly on topics to do with living, retiring, investing, and doing business around the world.

In addition to her own daily e-letter, the Overseas Opportunity Letter, with a circulation of more than 300,000 readers, Kathleen writes regularly for U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

Her newest book, "How to Retire Overseas: Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad," published by Penguin Random House, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

Related Posts

Tropical beach setting on Isla Holbox, Mexico
Lifestyle

Why Living In Mexico Is An Easy Option For Expats

by Kat Kalashian
May 18, 2022
0

Panama has been called a halfway house for American expats... but I disagree. Mexico is a far easier transition for...

Read more
Caribbean Sea scenery in Playa del Carmen, Yucatan, Mexico

The Story Of A Canadian Living In Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

May 16, 2022
3 Popular Seaside Towns In Mexico Within Driving Distance Of The States

3 Popular Seaside Towns In Mexico Within Driving Distance Of The States

May 4, 2022
First Impressions On Moving To Waterford City, Ireland

First Impressions On Moving To Waterford City, Ireland

May 1, 2022
And old yellow school bus on a dirt road in Belize

Tales From The LIOS Archives—Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day

April 28, 2022
The Best Places To Live Abroad And Launch A New Life

The Best Places To Live Abroad And Launch A New Life

April 27, 2022
The Eiffel tower in Paris from a tiny street

While Away Your Days In Paris

April 26, 2022
Next Post
El Pilar, Mayan ruins in Belize

El Pilar: The World's First Sustainable City, Built By The Maya

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2022

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

The World’s Best Places To Be In 2022?

Discover Them Here…

WANT TO RETIRE OVERSEAS?

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately send you a free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE in style overseas. Each day you’ll learn about the best opportunities for international living, retiring overseas, offshore diversification and asset protection, and investing in real estate around the world.