Thailand has been named the best retirement destination in Asia and ranked ninth globally in the Global Retirement Index 2026, according to the Thai government. The ranking, published by International Living, a leading US media outlet specialising in overseas living and retirement, awarded Thailand an overall score of 80.0 points.

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Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Perisvivatana announced the result on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, saying the ranking reflects Thailand’s growing appeal as a destination for retirees from around the world. The assessment was based on seven key categories: housing, visas and retirement benefits, cost of living, development and governance, climate, healthcare, and overall lifestyle suitability.

International Living compiled the index using input from experts, correspondents and expatriates living in each country. Thailand was recognised for its quality of life, healthcare system and welcoming living environment, which contributed to its position as the highest-ranked country in Asia.

Thailand achieved its strongest result in the cost-of-living category, scoring 96 points, reflecting the value it offers relative to the quality of life available. The country also received 84 points for development and governance, highlighting infrastructure and public administration.

Healthcare and retirement visas and benefits each received 79 points, with the government saying these scores demonstrate Thailand’s internationally recognised medical standards and policies designed to attract retirees from overseas. The results support the country’s ambition to remain competitive as a long-term destination for foreign residents.

The government said the ranking is consistent with its policy of developing Thailand into a global Medical and Wellness Hub. Current efforts include expanding the medical and wellness industry while promoting wellness tourism, elderly care and high-value medical services.

Officials also pledged to continue improving healthcare services, strengthening infrastructure and creating a supportive living environment for both Thai citizens and foreigners. The wider strategy aims to establish Thailand as a regional centre for the health economy while supporting long-term economic growth.

Khaosod reported that the government said it will continue promoting Thailand as a leading global retirement destination. It hopes this will generate additional tourism and healthcare revenue, attract investment and create sustainable economic opportunities across the country.

Picture courtesy of PRD

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Khaosod 2 July 2026

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The comments will be full of people telling you how terrible Thailand is… from the comfort of countries they can’t afford to retire in. 😅

They forgot to mention that you have to pay income tax on incoming remittances and get no benefits for the taxes paid.

Thailand for me is the best place to be. Rent a 3 bed house a few hundred yards from the sea for 8.5k baht. Eat steak and fish, get a beer in the local bar for 50 baht, gas 35 baht a litre, have a fantastic park nearby for walking and gym membership 6k a year..plenty markets and short drive to Makro and Lotus, health insurance and extension, total spend for me and my late teenaged kids about 35k a month..no flooding, no snow, just peace...someone tell me a better place to live?..

A title they would lose in a second, if / when Vietnam creates a retirement visa.

In this situation, someone who was likely to take seriously the information re cost of living etc should be alerted to the importance of comparing apples with apples.

As we all know, Los is a wonderful place in many respects, but while in general the cost of living is lower than in Western countries, one should do one's homework when it comes to the things that are most important to you.

For example, I like a good bottle of wine which costs peanuts in most places in the world, but that same bottle might cost me at least 100% more in LoS. Soon, I would be hovering over bankruptcy if I tried to maintain my "home" country's standard of living.

9 minutes ago, Leopold Bloom said:

In this situation, someone who was likely to take seriously the information re cost of living etc should be alerted to the importance of comparing apples with apples.

As we all know, Los is a wonderful place in many respects, but while in general the cost of living is lower than in Western countries, one should do one's homework when it comes to the things that are most important to you.

For example, I like a good bottle of wine which costs peanuts in most places in the world, but that same bottle might cost me at least 100% more in LoS. Soon, I would be hovering over bankruptcy if I tried to maintain my "home" country's standard of living.

Color me crazy but the thing that is most important to me with my budgeting is keeping a roof over my head. The cost of a bottle of wine would be well down my list of the most important monthly budget items.

Thailand ranks high, in my book, in providing a wide variety of housing to either rent or buy, at all price points. The money one can save monthly here keeping a roof over one's head will buy quite a few bottles of wine. For example, it now costs on average around $2300 to rent a 1-bedroom apartment in the small city where I used to live in the US. That's around 76,000 baht at today's exchange rate.

In Pattaya where I now live, 1-bedroom condos can be rented for 20,000 baht or less. Hipflat has a 2-bedroom/2-bath Centric Sea condo in Pattaya for rent for 26,000 baht a month. So, I could rent a bigger condo here in Thailand than the 1-bedroom in the US and still have 50,000 baht left over each month to buy those bottles of wine--or anything else I wanted.

I took a few minutes to read the International Living article.

Only two Asian destinations are mentioned. Malaysia at 10 and Thailand at 9.

Panama is ranked 2 with Greece at 1. Costa Rica also scores well at 3.

The info on the long term visas available for European countries is interesting

1 hour ago, Leopold Bloom said:

In this situation, someone who was likely to take seriously the information re cost of living etc should be alerted to the importance of comparing apples with apples.

As we all know, Los is a wonderful place in many respects, but while in general the cost of living is lower than in Western countries, one should do one's homework when it comes to the things that are most important to you.

For example, I like a good bottle of wine which costs peanuts in most places in the world, but that same bottle might cost me at least 100% more in LoS. Soon, I would be hovering over bankruptcy if I tried to maintain my "home" country's standard of living.

I haven't made wine here for probably 15 years or more but what I did make was strong and as good as that mont Clair stuff. Fruit, sugar and yeast is about all you need. Demijohns and steriliser I brought from UK 😁 You should give it a try 👍

3 minutes ago, Spilornis said:

I took a few minutes to read the International Living article.

Only two Asian destinations are mentioned. Malaysia at 10 and Thailand at 9.

Panama is ranked 2 with Greece at 1. Costa Rica also scores well at 3.

The info on the long term visas available for European countries is interesting

Panama offers a great retirement visa, only $1,000 per month needed. Good temperature all year round, also you can register for health care albeit have to pay. Of course same as most places costs can vary especially in the city

Thailand is still a great deal in many ways but it is not close to the deal it once was back in the day. If you get things right and make sound decisions, then it still offers a great affordable life/retirement... but there are increasingly many traps to fall into, changing laws of all types, and caveats that the glossy brochures and YouTude videos skate over or ignore.

As for tax rules, that is only going to get tighter and more exploitative because they are skint, same in most places these days so they'll be squeezing that... I think I read that over the next 3 years they are going to redo many tax rules bit by bit and that VAT will be 10% in 2030, which still isn't huge but everyone will feel that, especially the locals as I doubt wages are going up much to compensate.

11 minutes ago, baansgr said:

Panama offers a great retirement visa, only $1,000 per month needed. Good temperature all year round, also you can register for health care albeit have to pay. Of course same as most places costs can vary especially in the city

Be careful.

For the places that most retired expats actually want to live at in Panama (Coronado, Boquette, better areas of Panama City) the actual cost for a decent life is more like 3,000 a month than 1,000. There is often such a disparity between requirements and realistic actual costs. Also the weather in Panama City is not nice. Way too hot and humid and the city doesn't even have a beach.

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22 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Be careful.

For the places that most retired expats actually want to live at in Panama (Coronado, Boquette, better areas of Panama City) the actual cost for a decent life is more like 3,000 a month than 1,000. There is often such a disparity between requirements and realistic actual costs. Also the weather in Panama City is not nice. Way too hot and humid and the city doesn't even have a beach.

It's not somewhere I will consider for at least 4 years but thanks for the heads up

Off topic posts removed @Leopold Bloom this topic is “Thailand Tops Asia Retirement Ranking”, not the price of wine.

I lived and had a retirement visa there for many years. Loved it. Then when I was ready to retire, I left and retired in a country that catered to retiree's.

9 hours ago, baansgr said:

Thailand for me is the best place to be. Rent a 3 bed house a few hundred yards from the sea for 8.5k baht. Eat steak and fish, get a beer in the local bar for 50 baht, gas 35 baht a litre, have a fantastic park nearby for walking and gym membership 6k a year..plenty markets and short drive to Makro and Lotus, health insurance and extension, total spend for me and my late teenaged kids about 35k a month..no flooding, no snow, just peace...someone tell me a better place to live?..

TravelGuides & Travelogues

Siem Reap in Cambodia, miles away from the sea being a country bumpkin! Very quiet, inexpensive and very easy visa application with no bureaucracy! At 82 years of age, forget a gym. Local beer as low as 50 US cents (17 baht). Local Khmer beef and fresh fish from Tonle Sap - delicious!

6 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Siem Reap in Cambodia, miles away from the sea being a country bumpkin! Very quiet, inexpensive and very easy visa application with no bureaucracy! At 82 years of age, forget a gym.

Yes it has its good points and advantages, what is health care like..are there reasonable hospitals?

11 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Siem Reap in Cambodia, miles away from the sea being a country bumpkin! Very quiet, inexpensive and very easy visa application with no bureaucracy! At 82 years of age, forget a gym. Local beer as low as 50 US cents (17 baht). Local Khmer beef and fresh fish from Tonle Sap - delicious!

As another member mentioned, at 82 years, access to decent medical should be considered.

14 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Thailand has been named the best retirement destination in Asia and ranked ninth globally in the Global Retirement Index 2026, according to the Thai government.

This is obviously true.

We are fortunate to be here...

Instead of elsewhere.

10 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

As another member mentioned, at 82 years, access to decent medical should be considered.

Yes agreed, I have a local private hospital for intial diagnosis and treatment. Being an insulin dependent Type 2 diabetic for 32 years, I cannot get health insurance, so I fund myself whenever needs be from my personal medical fund.

25 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

Yes agreed, I have a local private hospital for intial diagnosis and treatment. Being an insulin dependent Type 2 diabetic for 32 years, I cannot get health insurance, so I fund myself whenever needs be from my personal medical fund.

For many, it would depend on the level of treatment available, and their capabilities, at that local private hospital. Also, location is important. Eg. should you have a stroke / heart attack, could you get to the hospital in time, and do they have the resources and ability to save your life.

Just on this point, it's fine to say one has retired in Thailand where there are decent medical facilities, but that doesn't mean much if you are living in a village in Issan, around 50kms away from the nearest decent hospital.

Depending on the severity of the cardio issue, many may not survive the journey, and if they do, paralysis or brain injury may mean they wish they never did.

A very popular topic of discussion among expats in Cambodia is medical evacuation to Thailand.
Also yes the Cambodia retirement visa is easy but surely that will change someday which means retired expats there don't have any more residence security there than in Thailand.

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

A very popular topic of discussion among expats in Cambodia is medical evacuation to Thailand.
Also yes the Cambodia retirement visa is easy but surely that will change someday which means retired expats there don't have any more residence security there than in Thailand.

I've said it before, it's been 800k baht in a Thai bank for decades in Thailand. The purchasing power of that 800k baht has diminished over the years, which is normal.

I predict the day will come when it will be raised to 1 million, or perhaps 1.1 million or 1.2 million baht. That will knock many out of the game here, or, push them onto agents to circumvent the new law.

Another possibility is the Thai government may want to "take out the trash" and make it 1.5 million baht, and strictly enforce the use of agents, thus, raising the financial standard of expat retiree here, and cleaning out the place of retirees who spend no money.

As Thailand has no reasonable pathway to citizenship for foreigners, that means we are at the mercy of the Thai government all the time, and regulations can change very quickly here. It's the main reason I am happy to rent, and have no problem moving to a neighboring country should I want / need to.

Thailand and Filipinz are popular for a reason

21 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

I've said it before, it's been 800k baht in a Thai bank for decades in Thailand. The purchasing power of that 800k baht has diminished over the years, which is normal.

I predict the day will come when it will be raised to 1 million, or perhaps 1.1 million or 1.2 million baht. That will knock many out of the game here, or, push them onto agents to circumvent the new law.

Another possibility is the Thai government may want to "take out the trash" and make it 1.5 million baht, and strictly enforce the use of agents, thus, raising the financial standard of expat retiree here, and cleaning out the place of retirees who spend no money.

As Thailand has no reasonable pathway to citizenship for foreigners, that means we are at the mercy of the Thai government all the time, and regulations can change very quickly here. It's the main reason I am happy to rent, and have no problem moving to a neighboring country should I want / need to.

When they changed the rules in 2008 (I think) they "Grandfathered" the previous requirements so that the new rules only applied to new applicants.

I would suggest that they would be very like to do the same with any new increased financial requirements.

24 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

A very popular topic of discussion among expats in Cambodia is medical evacuation to Thailand.
Also yes the Cambodia retirement visa is easy but surely that will change someday which means retired expats there don't have any more residence security there than in Thailand.

With respect, why should the Cambodian Retirement Visa change someday? If you have proof please share.

Also why medical evacuation to Thailand? Currently I know Khmer people who used to go to Ubon Ratchathani (including myself) but cannot because of the border closure by Thailand. They now go to hospitals across the border in Vietnam where, evidently, there are excellent medical facilities. Those that can afford to fly direct from Siem Reap for private treatment in KL (Malaysia).

5 minutes ago, Why bother said:

When they changed the rules in 2008 (I think) they "Grandfathered" the previous requirements so that the new rules only applied to new applicants.

I would suggest that they would be very like to do the same with any new increased financial requirements.

Consider this --

When OA visas started to require health insurance -- NOT grandfathered.

When embassy letters were stopped for income verification by major nations -- NOT grandfathered

Financial requirements are not the only thing to be concerned about.

2 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

With respect, why should the Cambodian Retirement Visa change someday? If you have proof please share.

Also why medical evacuation to Thailand? Currently I know Khmer people who used to go to Ubon Ratchathani (including myself) but cannot because of the border closure by Thailand. They now go to hospitals across the border in Vietnam where, evidently, there are excellent medical facilities. Those that can afford to fly direct from Siem Reap for private treatment in KL (Malaysia).

2 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

With respect, why should the Cambodian Retirement Visa change someday? If you have proof please share.

Also why medical evacuation to Thailand? Currently I know Khmer people who used to go to Ubon Ratchathani (including myself) but cannot because of the border closure by Thailand. They now go to hospitals across the border in Vietnam where, evidently, there are excellent medical facilities. Those that can afford to fly direct from Siem Reap for private treatment in KL (Malaysia).

2 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

With respect, why should the Cambodian Retirement Visa change someday? If you have proof please share.

Also why medical evacuation to Thailand? Currently I know Khmer people who used to go to Ubon Ratchathani (including myself) but cannot because of the border closure by Thailand. They now go to hospitals across the border in Vietnam where, evidently, there are excellent medical facilities. Those that can afford to fly direct from Siem Reap for private treatment in KL (Malaysia).

Talking about expats flying in.

It's well known Cambodia is fine for basic stuff but for complicated stuff, it just isn't. Hopefully someday, but not yet.

Why does any country make it harder?

The change is almost always to harder vs. easier.

Cambodia is very easy now.

If you actually believe it will be that way forever ...

Even Nicaragua raised their income level!

Yes I watch the global trends on this.

It is 100 percent predictable.

The only uncertain thing is the timing.

To wit: