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ThonRetire

Head to head · verified July 2026

Indonesia (Bali) vs Thailand

Thailand scores 10 points higher on our balanced view — but that gap is small enough that your own priorities can flip it. The breakdowns below show exactly where each one earns and loses.

Everyday street scene in Indonesia (Bali)

IndonesiaIndonesia (Bali)

Southeast Asia

79/100

Bali runs on its own gravity: cheap, beautiful, close to Australia, with a retiree ladder that actually works — the E33F KITAS at 60+ with a $3k/mo pension, then KITAP after 3–4 years. Tax residency is written as worldwide on paper; what that means in practice for a foreign pension is not something we treat as settled from secondary chatter. Elder-care registration appears to sit with local Dinas Sosial rather than a national list — we have not opened a primary instrument yet. The dealbreaker for some: serious medicine means a flight to Singapore.

Full Indonesia (Bali) guide
Everyday street scene in Thailand

ThailandThailand

Southeast Asia

89/100

Thailand's LTR visa is the country's quiet masterpiece: ten years, foreign income exempt by law (RD743), and some of the best-value private hospitals on earth an hour from the beach. The classic O-A route has gotten harsher — 3M THB insurance is now mandatory — and land stays off-limits; you buy condos or you rent. Elder and dependent-care enterprises sit under the Health Business Establishment Act B.E. 2559 and DHSS licensing; a browsable national register was not opened. PR is technically possible and practically rare.

Full Thailand guide

Side by side

Indonesia (Bali) compared with Thailand
CriterionIndonesia (Bali)Thailand
Visa & Residency
Retirement visaE33F Retirement KITASLTR / Retirement O-A
Minimum age60 for E33F (2026; was 55 — verify)50+ (LTR-WP & O-A)
Min income / assets$3k/mo pension (60+)$80k/yr or 800k THB
Visa processing timeE33F e-visa ~2–6 wks offshoreLTR ~1–2 mo; O-A 2–4 wks
Path to permanent residencyKITAP 3–4 yrsDifficult
Path to citizenship5+ yrs, Bahasa, renounce — rarely pursued5 yrs PR then naturalise — very rare
Tax
Tax-residency threshold>183 days/12 mo (or intent to reside)180 days
Tax on foreign pension5–35%0%
Capital gains taxAs ordinary income to 35% — enforcement patchyTaxed if remitted; LTR-WP exempt
Inheritance / estate taxNo inheritance tax5–10% above 100M THB
Annual property taxPBB ~0.1–0.3% — lowLow — ~0.02–0.3% building tax
Finance & Property
Foreign property ownershipNo freehold (leasehold)Condo only (no land)
Deposit / bond requiredE33F none; Second Home IDR 2B (~$130k)O-A 800k THB; LTR none
Forced-heirship rulesCivil-code reserved shares — make a local notarial willNone with a will
Cost to establish residencyE33F ~$0.8–1.5k/yr all-in with agentO-A ~US$1–2k; LTR 50k THB fee
Living
Cost of living17001800
Healthcare quality6.58.2
Safety6.56.8
Logistics
Flight time from Australia69
Health insurance requiredYes — min IDR 25M/yr coverO-A: 3M THB; LTR: $50k policy
Visa renewal easeAnnual up to 5 yrs + address reportingO-A yearly + 90-day reports; LTR 5+5
Provision for dependentsSpouse via E31 dependent KITAS, extra costLTR: spouse + kids <20

Showing the open fields. 17 more criteria — tax-residency day counts, capital gains, forced heirship, setup costs and processing times — need a free Thon account. Sign in to see the full table.

Why Indonesia (Bali) scores 79

79/100

Why this number

Every point is accounted for. Nothing is hidden in a weighting you cannot see.

  1. Base country quality76Indonesia (Bali) scores 76/100 before anything about you is applied — visa system, tax regime, healthcare, safety and property rights.
  2. Australian passport+3Better than average for Australian retirees: ~6h from Sydney + low cost + AU treaty
  3. Best fit for you79A decision aid, not a prediction. Two people with the same passport can rank these differently — that is the point of showing the working.

Why Thailand scores 89

89/100

Why this number

Every point is accounted for. Nothing is hidden in a weighting you cannot see.

  1. Base country quality84Thailand scores 84/100 before anything about you is applied — visa system, tax regime, healthcare, safety and property rights.
  2. Australian passport+5Better than average for Australian retirees: ~9h from Sydney + AU treaty + superb private hospitals
  3. Best fit for you89A decision aid, not a prediction. Two people with the same passport can rank these differently — that is the point of showing the working.