10 BEST Small Towns & Cities to Retire in Asia Right Now!

10 BEST Small Towns & Cities to Retire in Asia Right Now!

These are my 10 best small towns to retire in Southeast Asia right now in 2025. If you don’t know, I’m Evan A. I’m retired early at 40 years old in Daang, Vietnam. So, Bangkok, Saigon, Tokyo, big cities get all the headlines. Skyscrapers, shopping malls, endless nightife. But here’s the truth. The best retirement spots in Asia aren’t always mega cities. They’re often relaxed, smaller, low-key spots. towns where you can walk to the market, know your neighbors, and live like every day is Sunday for half the cost of the city living. In this video, we’re counting down my top 10 small towns to retire in Asia. I’ll cover the real cost of living, the vibe you can expect, and the visa options that make it possible or a struggle. Whether you want mountain air, a seaside bungalow, or a riverfront cafe life, there’s a place to retire in Asia to fulfill your small town dreams. And we’ll talk money and real numbers the whole way. And I’m sure if I get them wrong, you’ll roast me in the comments. So, let’s start with a riverside gem in Cambodia, move through the cultural heart of northern Thailand, and end with my personal pick for the number one small town retirement in Asia. Spoiler, it’s not in Vietnam with me. All right, without further ado, cuz you say I blab. Number 10 is Samreap, Cambodia. Home of the Anchor Watt ruins. The cost of living here is incredible. Sub $1,200 a month is possible, even easy in the middle of the tourist zones. The rent’s going to be about 350 to 600 for a fully furnished one-bedroom unit with air conditioning on all of the time. No electricity bill. Healthcare basically local, but Ponamp Pen or Bangkok are your backup for major care. You can also fly direct from that international airport. Banking, it’s easy to open accounts with the right visa, but most retirees stick to wise transfers and ATMs. I have an affiliate link below. The vibe is temples, expat cafes, and a laid-back art scene once the tour buses leave Ankor Watt. The visa options, there’s the Cambodia ER retirement visa, age 55 plus or proof of retirement with renewable yearly options. And there’s no income requirement, but supposedly you need a visa agent. And if you’re under 55, you then do need some proof of income. So there’s a couple bells and whistles. In my opinion, Sreap Cambodia is one of the friendliest retirement towns, especially for American. You got one of the world’s true wonders and cultural gems in your backyard. The Ankorwatt ruins are gorgeous. The costs are unbelievably low and it’s a surprisingly cosmopolitan expatr crowd relative to the region. It is walkable and bicycle friendly, though it still has stifling hot summer heat. It’s quiet enough for peace, but lively enough you won’t get bored. There’s a bar street and you can actually rent a house with a yard and not worry about currency or foreign market exchange rates because you’re living on the US dollar. This is actually a great option for adventurous Americans on a smaller fixed income or social security right now in 2025 in Southeast Asia. Consider it the town, not necessarily the rest of the country. Number nine, Chiang Mai and Bai and Northern Thailand. I comb them together. Cost of living sub 1,500 still possible even in the heart of oldtown Chiang Mai which is the only place that city will feel like a town. The rent is 4 to700 bucks and you’re going to get a sweet pad in an expat hub or a large place in the hills outside of the city center or up north by the healthcare. There’s amazing private hospitals at public clinic prices and you have access to Thailand’s big city because it is Chiang Mai. Banking can be set up with the right visa, but a wise card is probably your best friend at first, and laws and regulations can change fast in Thailand. So, you got to stay up to date on this one in this country. The vibe, temples, coffee shops, monks, mountain views, and the mist in the hills of Bai where it’s hippie chill and serene natural beauty and hot springs. The visa options, the retirement visa is 50 plus and 800,000 BAT or about 22,000 USD or a 2K a month income in Thailand. And in my opinion, Thailand is still like the gold standard, the reigning champ of the region in Southeast Asia particularly. And Oldtown Chiang Mai is a beautiful sleepy clubhouse for those retired abroad older expats living on the cheap. while by is its sort of barefoot bohemian cousin up the winding green road through the hills. Some of you might say it’s not a small town and shouldn’t be on the list, but if you’re living in that walkable old city limit area, it feels like a tiny gated community. That said, the bustle of tourism is probably too much for me. So, I would probably find a quiet house in the green hillside outside of that city. You know, look for my inner nirvana and all that. Number eight, Laos. Lang Prabang. I said it wrong. I don’t care. The cost of living here is only around a thousand bucks a month, maybe pushing up to 14 or 1,500. Rent 3 to 500 bucks. Very affordable for a central one-bedroom less than that outside of town. I recently did a video where I looked at houses there. They were cheap. Health care, limited serious care means a trip to Thailand, Malaysia, or Singapore. In other words, you’d have to leave. Banking. Laos is a mostly cash economy, different than Vietnam or Thailand. There’s some ATMs. Wise is definitely friend for transfers, and you’re going to need to load up that cash card to make payments. The vibe, UNESCO heritage city, Buddhist temples, French cafes, Meong sunsets. It is a truly majestic if somewhat sleepy colonial town. It is gorgeous if you’re aesthetically minded. Visa options. There’s no formal visa for retirees, but long-stay business or volunteer visas are common. Workarounds to that problem. People are doing it. If you want to, you can. In my opinion, if you want a slow, meditative pace with a dash of romance, is a great spot. Mike, the coding travel bug, who I interviewed, splits time between Daang and John Tienne in the south of Patia. He told me dreamy stories of his slow travel experiences in Laos. And I’ve always been drawn in by the stunning landscapes and silence. It is a truly low population density and a touch of that faded colonial charm never hurt, but you need to be okay with remoteness and light infrastructure. That said, it is as cheap as it gets and it’s not getting overcrowded anytime soon. Even with the new high-speed railway to China up and running, if anyone fancies a trip to good old Kuning, it’s there. Number seven, Fukuquac. We’re finally in Vietnam, but we’re still a little far from my hometown. Cost of living in Fukuok, I’d say 900 to 1,400. You’d spend more, you could also spend less. Uh rent 4 to700 bucks for a furnished apartment or a small villa near the beach a little farther from the city/town. Healthcare is basic, but there’s better care options in Ho Chi Min, Hong Kong, or even South Korea. All direct flights from the island. the banking. Easy digital banking setup with Teemo and a tourist visa as long as it’s still good and then wise transfers to a local account once you have a long-term visa like I do. The vibe. It is the best island life with a little touch of Vietnamese culture, sandy beaches and growing expat areas and a whole strip of massive resorts alongside the city and international airport. The visa options, business, investor, or long-term visas can qualify for you a temporary resident card, marriage, spouse, etc. The golden visa is promised, but has yet to materialize. In my opinion, Fukok is where you go to slow life to a crawl with a perfect sunny seaside vista, but still enough development that you can get a decent espresso or an ice cold draft. Shout out Rory’s Beach Bar. I love it. I’d skip the city and resort side of the island, drive over on a motorbike straight to that far coast where Rory’s is. Find the pristine ocean views, and the prices there aren’t pushed up yet by resort hopping tourists. You can live like a local with easy access to western amenities a short drive away. Fukquok also has that international airport that serves all the major cities from Bangkok to Qualur to Singapore to Hong Kong, not to mention long hauls to Europe and South Korea. That’s a real bonus. So you can skip the mainland entirely and rest assured knowing you’re a short flight from first class health care and hospitals. And if the visa changes or if I get annoyed with the transient nature of Daang’s tourism scene, this could be my spot, like my final spot, my golden years. I’m thinking about it. And if you’ve been thinking about making a move to Vietnam like I did, I put together a 60-minute video course that you can watch right now. You get a full step-by-step relocation advice for your first 30 to 180 days in the country, visa strategies, banking options, cost of living breakdowns, healthc care, and dating info from experts and expats like myself. Already living that life you’re dreaming of. The links in the description, and you can start watching it right now to find out if a move to Vietnam is right for you. Next up is our number six on the best small towns to retire in 2025 in Asia. It’s a bit of a ringer. Tyan, Taiwan, right outside of Kaosung on that western coast. The cost of living here is 1,200 to 1,800 a month. The rent is 400 to7 for a furnished city apartment. Health care is absolutely worldclass in Taiwan. It’s affordable and efficient with national health insurance. The banking is straightforward once you have a residence permit. Cards are widely accepted everywhere. This is a modern, very westernized place. The vibe, there’s historic temples, food markets, a slower pace than Taipei, there’s the HSR, there’s fast trains to Koung to Taipei. There’s visa options, though they’re tough. The Taiwan Gold Card is for highincome professionals or ARC extensions for retirees. It’s not cheap to get in. There’s also a new digital nomad or remote work visa, though, if you’re just looking to spend winters in Taiwan and can prove you have a foreign income coming in monthly, aka a pension, investments, whatever. In my opinion, Thailand gives you the best of Taiwan without the big city rush. The food alone can keep me coming back here for life. The big downside is that it ain’t easy to get a visa, and I ain’t married to a Taiwanese. If you’re living on a great pension or investing a big bundle of cash, go for it. That said, where there’s a will, there’s a way. And I love Taiwan. It is a tiny, stunningly beautiful island with nature, cycle paths, and fantastic train lines and infrastructure. Not to mention, there’s baseball and camping. Two of my favorite summer pastimes. And a real American cultural presence that I kind of miss sometimes in Vietnam. I dream of that like real embedded expat culture that’s been there for decades. Speaking of which, number five, Dumagetti, Philippines. This is a word of mouth recommendation only. The cost of living is 1,00 to,500. The rent is 350 to 600 for a furnished one-bedroom or even a small house. Also, lots of great videos of people building retirement homes in the Philippines. Healthcare, University Medical Center is fine, but you’re going to want to go to St. Luke’s in Manila for anything major. It’s the best hospital in that country. Banking local accounts are easy with longstay visas. ATMs are widely available. The vibe, it’s pretty. I’ve looked at the pictures. It’s a university town with a friendly expat crowd. There’s scuba diving nearby and an easygoing pace of life. visa options as we talked about the special resident retirees visa, the SRRB supposedly going to no age limit again this year. So, I could get one if you have the deposit and income required, but they say it’s going to be big like 30 or 40K. Uh, but you do get generous entry exit option. In my opinion, according to the internet, Dumagedi has the small town meets international feel. You get local warmth, ocean breezes, and more foreign retirees per square mile than anywhere else in the Philippines. It’s a good thing, maybe. But big butt. I asked a friend who actually lived here, and he called it a hole. I won’t say his name, but he suggested I go to Baguio instead and live in an affordable mountain town north of Manila. To be honest, I probably would have left the Philippines off the list because I’ve never been. But you guys will give me absolute heck in the comments. So, why don’t you all let me know where is the best small town for retirement in the Philippines below. Or maybe I should just leave it off the list. That’s fine, too. Just comment. Tell me. Hit the thumbs up. Even if you disagree with me, you don’t have to smash that dislike button. Number four, Ser Bali, Indonesia. Is Bali a small town? Can you actually live there for 12-,800 a month? Can you really find rent for 500 to,000 bucks for a villa or modern apartment in Senur? Yes. I’m probably saying it wrong, too. I don’t care. Good private hospitals in Dempasar. International Standard Care in nearby cities. Banking super easy with a kit visa. ATMs and Wise for the day-to-day. Again, that’s affiliate linked below. The vibe, calm beaches, mature expat crowd, western bars, slower pace than Cuda or Semenyak, but still the easy appeal of that pampered Bali lifestyle. It’d be nice. Visa options, the retirement kits for 55 plus. It’s renewable annual with proof of income and a rental contract in Bali. So, in my opinion, Sur is Bali without the chaos. Once you get through that malstrm of landing in the airport at Dasar and get there, it’s walkable. It’s mellow. It’s beachy. And your neighbors are as likely to be artists as they are retirees. There’s the classic laid-back expat beach bar vibe that so many of us are always looking for and searching for in Southeast Asia. And even though it’s not the cheapest place in Asia, this little nook of the island in Bali, Indonesia, offers just about everything you could ask for in a small town retirement in Asia. I’ll take it over Eat, Pray, Love, Yoga, and the granola vibe of Ubud any day. I’m probably never going back there, but never say never. Okay, so I kind of bent the rules. Number three is Da Nang, my hometown, and Hoyan, a legitimate small town to retire in in Asia. And in Vietnam, Hoyen is probably the best small town retirement option in Vietnam. Cost of living there, easily under a,000 bucks all the way up to 2,000 bucks a month. Uh rent can go anywhere from 400 to 700 to even 1,200 if you get a big villa. Charming. I would look out in the rice fields or by the beach at Anb Bang. The health care just a basic clinic in town, but there’s higher level hospitals like Vinmech 30 minutes drive away here in Daang City. By the way, people even say I say Daang wrong. If you speak Vietnamese, correct me if you don’t, I have a special word for you. Okay. Banking Teemo digital setup. Use the wise transfer codes link below. the vibe, lantern lit streets, tailor shops, riverside cafes, and a surprisingly social expat communities, especially if you’re Aussie, though it is a bit of a fishbowl. It’s small. Everyone knows every expat in this town for better or worse. Probably not for me, but I have friends out there who love it. Visa options, long-term spousal, investor, upcoming golden visa could be a real route to get a TRC. You can get a part-time job. In my opinion, this is kind of a cheat code for me. It’s the only way I could actually put Daang, Vietnam, the fifth largest city here with a growing population of a million plus on this list without being totally full of crap. It’s a short 30-minute drive away. I lived there for a few months. Honestly, Hoyam wasn’t for me, but I see how it can be perfect for some. It’s a UNESCO heritage site. It’s got an old town, and it’s a real tourist pit stop, but it’s a bit too perfect. In fact, the last few times I’ve got a strong tourist traps by Desense. And if you can handle that tourist buzz though, it is literally one of the most beautiful places you could ever call home. It’s walkable, it’s affordable, and it’s quaint, especially during low season when it cools off and the quiet comes after the throngs of summer. Bus loads leave and go home to Korea and China. Personally, I would and did live at a beach villa. Next option would be the rice fields outside of town. I would skip the hubbhub of like elephant pants and huers. But either way, be prepared to time your visa runs because torrential rains come and flood the town center almost every frigin year. Be prepared for it starting right around now, September, October. Number two, Huah Hin, Thailand. I’ve got a couple friends living there now and they really like it. 1,200 to 1,700 a month doable just down the street from Bangkok. Rent 450 to 800 for a condo near the beach. There’s all these big new houses and villas they built. The healthc care is excellent. Private hospitals plus Bangkok access by highway just a couple hour drive. It’s going to have everything. The banking is going to be very straightforward as long as you have a legitimate retirement visa. There’s ATMs absolutely everywhere. The vibe is the real thing though. There’s golf courses, there’s seaside boardwalks, there’s a big expat scene, especially with old guys. and easy links to the excitement and amenities of Bangkok. The visa option, we talked about it already, but there’s a Thai retirement visa for 50 plus, blah blah blah, 22K, blah blah blah, 2K a month, yada yada. We went over this already. You can get a legit visa to Thailand. You can also get their DTV digital nomad visa. In my opinion, Huah Hen is kind of like the Florida for Thailand. sunshine, amenities, comfort without the madness of Bangkok or Paya, but with all the creature comforts and famous welcomes of Thai culture. The only downside might be that it’s no secret you’re going to see plenty of older white males roaming this town. For better or worse, that is the crowd. If you’re into it, you’re into it. If you’re not, you’re not. The reason I put it above anywhere in Vietnam is the easier visa and the better healthcare. and up the street, Bangkok. And you know, that’s an established place. So, you can also buy an apartment here for much less than you can in Vietnam. I’ve gone over this in other videos, but the cost per square footage, Vietnam is just not my number one when it comes to the top 10 best small town retirement spots in Asia, which brings us to the best. What I think is the undisputed number one small town to retire in Asia. It’s Georgetown, Paneang, Malaysia. The cost of living anywhere from a,000 to 2,000 a month. The rent 500 to a,000 for a modern condo fully loaded with amenities. Or you can get yourself an old-fashioned townhouse. Healthcare, some of the best in Southeast Asia. The best hospitals, lowcost and English- speakaking, plus train or air access to Qualur or Singapore within an hour where there’s exceptional worldclass hospitals. This is easy. The banking is no problem to set up. There’s digital banking, there’s ATMs, and you can even set up in Singapore and do your business banking there if you have a lot of money and want to park it close by outside of the States or Europe and have it accessible to you but safe. The vibe, it’s Asia’s street food capital, colonial charm, UNESCO streets, everything you get in Hoyan and the multicultural buzz and culinary options of Chiang Mai. It’s a foodie town. There’s nature just a few, you know, whatever kilometers up the coast. the visa option, there’s the MM2. This is flexible income and the deposit options vary by state. So, it’s different in Paneang than it is in Koala Lumpur. In my opinion, Georgetown is just the gold standard for small town retirement in Asia. Affordable, walkable, foodie heaven, great weather, worldclass healthcare, and a community that feels instantly like home. There’s bookstores, there’s cafes. Why? Well, it’s a former British colony and everyone speaks English even though it has become a cultural melting pot of people and cuisines. It’s objectively beautiful and has that nostalgic colonial charm that I just love. And though not technically a beach town, it’s on the water and close enough to sand and hiking trails for me. The island of Paneang also has an international airport and you can be in Singapore for those banks, hospitals or business in like an hour. This to me is the perfect blend of everything on offer in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand rolled up into one perfect little affordable bundle in a small town in Asia. The only question is, what are you waiting for? I’m Evan A. I’m retired early at 40 in Daang, Vietnam. This is a video that will tell you more about my life here in Vietnam if you’re curious. And this is a video about some other countries in Southeast Asia where we dive a little deeper into the retirement options.

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10 BEST Small Towns to Retire in Asia right now in 2025

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In this episode of The Cost of Living Abroad Pod @costoflivingabroad we compare the best affordable places to live and retire early in SE Asia, including a full monthly budget breakdown and discussion of the pros and cons of living in Vietnam.

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10 BEST Small Towns to Retire in Asia right now in 2025

WATCH MORE VIDEOS:
20 Reasons Not to Retire in Vietnam https://youtu.be/JmkBaOP068E?si=S_BsmeUw40hB9uG4
Best Place to Retire in 2025 https://youtu.be/g9R9xgC_fu8?si=W4NDpZuqku6mh5OZ
Life in Vietnam on $500 https://youtu.be/R4G73dVNAug
If Not Thailand, Where to Retire? https://youtu.be/N-OcJK0mnb4?si=JkAJlKfh4zl2sxB4

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