Head to head · verified July 2026

Italy vs Philippines

Philippines scores 8 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.

Italy

Western Europe

79/100

Italy's 7% flat-tax deal is the romantic's bargain: all foreign income, ten years, in exchange for living in a southern town under 30,000 people. The SSN healthcare buy-in (~€2k/yr) is world-class, and the EU permanent-residency clock runs at five years. Residential-facility accreditation sits with the Regions; a national FAR monitoring system is not a public name register — Italy stays unchecked here. The consulate decides your Elective Residence visa at its own discretion — real applications get refused, so over-prepare the file.

Full Italy guide

Philippines

Southeast Asia

87/100

The SRRV is still the bluntest instrument in retirement migration: deposit $15k (50+, with pension), get a permanent visa on day one, and pay zero Philippine tax on foreign income. English is everywhere and the cost of living is among the lowest on this list. The trade: health insurance past 65 runs thin, serious care means Manila or Cebu, and DSWD licenses social-welfare agencies without publishing a searchable national elderly-care register. Plan for the care gap the same way you plan for the hospital gap.

Full Philippines guide

Side by side

Criterion

Italy

Philippines

Visa & Residency
Retirement visa	Elective Residence verifying	SRRV Classic verifying
Minimum age	None — passive income is the gate verifying	40 (since 2025; 50+ pays less) verifying
Min income / assets	~€31k/yr passive verifying	$15k dep. (50+, pension) verifying
Visa processing time	2–4 mo — discretionary consulate	~30–45 working days (PRA)
Path to permanent residency	5 yrs verifying	Permanent verifying
Path to citizenship	10 yrs + B1 Italian — slow but real verifying	10 yrs; must renounce AU — impractical verifying

Tax
Tax-residency threshold	183 days or registered residence	Irrelevant — source-based system
Tax on foreign pension	7% verifying	0% verifying
Capital gains tax	26% standard; 7% under flat regime verifying	0% on foreign assets verifying
Inheritance / estate tax	4–8% + forced heirship	Estate tax 6%
Annual property tax	IMU ~0.46–1.06% (primary non-luxury home exempt) verifying	RPT ≈0.2–0.5% of market value verifying

Finance & Property
Foreign property ownership	Yes	Condo only (no land)
Deposit / bond required	None — income/savings proof only verifying	$15k (50+, pension ≥$800/mo) or $30k without verifying
Forced-heirship rules	Forced heirship — but AU law electable by will (Brussels IV)	AU law governs your succession; estate tax 6%
Cost to establish residency	~$2.5–6k incl. lawyer verifying	~$2.5–4k + deposit verifying

Living
Cost of living	2400	1500
Healthcare quality	8.6	6.8
Safety	7.9	6

Logistics
Flight time from Australia	24	8
Health insurance required	Yes — private cover ≥€30k/yr for visa verifying	Yes — health policy required for SRRV verifying
Visa renewal ease	Annual permesso early yrs — questura queues verifying	None — annual $360 PRA fee; 2-yr ID cycle verifying
Provision for dependents	Spouse OK — couple bar ~€38k/yr verifying	Spouse + 2 deps in annual fee; $300 each verifying

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 Italy scores 79

79/100

Why this number

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

Base country quality80Italy scores 80/100 before anything about you is applied — visa system, tax regime, healthcare, safety and property rights.
Australian passport-1Worse than average for Australian retirees: Long flight; bureaucracy
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 Philippines scores 87

87/100

Why this number

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

Base country quality83Philippines scores 83/100 before anything about you is applied — visa system, tax regime, healthcare, safety and property rights.
Australian passport+4Better than average for Australian retirees: ~8h, English, cheap, permanent-style SRRV
Best fit for you87A decision aid, not a prediction. Two people with the same passport can rank these differently — that is the point of showing the working.