Thailand vs Vietnam for expats

moderate — Navigating Thai visas requires choosing from work, family, study, retirement or investment routes that vary by nationality; always confirm current rules directly with immigration authorities to prevent complications. Housing options range from city condos to suburban homes and are best found via online portals or local agents. No customs or cost details appear in the guide.

Moderate — Visa options include work, family, study, and investment routes, typically sponsored by an employer or family member. Housing in major cities like Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi ranges from modern apartments to traditional houses, best found through real estate agents. Lease agreements should be in both English and Vietnamese, and all visa requirements must be verified with the Vietnamese embassy before moving.

Thailand offers several long-stay visa and residence routes for foreigners relocating there, but most are still temporary unless you obtain permanent residence. The main options in 2026 are the LTR visa, Thailand Privilege membership visa, retirement and work visas, the DTV for remote workers, and permanent residence for those seeking indefinite stay.

The LTR visa is a 10-year program, usually granted in two 5-year periods, for four groups: wealthy global citizens, wealthy pensioners, work-from-Thailand professionals, and highly skilled professionals. Public guidance in 2026 says qualified applicants apply online for endorsement first, then obtain the visa at a Thai embassy/consulate abroad or at the Thailand Investment and Expat Services Center in Bangkok within 60 days of endorsement. Typical eligibility figures cited in 2026 include about USD 1 million in assets for wealthy global citizens, or annual income of about USD 80,000 for pensioners and remote workers, with some lower-income/investment combinations available for pensioners.

Thailand Privilege is a paid membership route rather than a standard immigration category; 2026 sources describe terms of 5 to 20 years with fees from about 600,000 to 5,000,000 THB, and applications are handled through the Thailand Privilege program. The retirement route commonly refers to the Non-Immigrant O-A/O-X system for people aged 50+; one 2026 source cites a deposit of 800,000 THB for O-A-style retirement eligibility. The DTV is a newer long-stay option for remote workers and similar qualifying visitors, and 2026 guides describe it as a 5-year visa allowing stays of up to 180 days per visit.

• LTR — 10 years; for wealthy investors, retirees, remote workers, and highly skilled professionals; apply online for endorsement, then at a Thai embassy/consulate or TIESC in Bangkok.
• Thailand Privilege — 5 to 20 years; for applicants who pay membership fees; apply through the Thailand Privilege program.
• Retirement visa — usually for age 50+; typical figure cited is about 800,000 THB in a Thai bank for O-A-type retirement eligibility.
• DTV — 5 years; for remote workers and other qualified long-stay visitors; stays up to approximately 180 days per entry.
• Permanent residence — for those seeking open-ended residence, but approvals are limited; one 2026 source says about 100 approvals per nationality per year.

For employment, foreigners generally still need a work permit, even under long-stay routes, unless the specific visa category explicitly includes work authorization.

Foreigners relocating to Vietnam usually start with a visa, then switch to a temporary residence card (TRC) if they will stay long term. Vietnamese immigration law distinguishes temporary residence from permanent residence; a TRC is the standard long-stay document, while a permanent residence card is a separate, more limited status.[3][1]

As of 2026, the main long-stay routes are tied to your reason for being in Vietnam: work (LD), investment (DT), family reunion (TT), study (DH), and certain official or professional categories such as NN, LV, LS, and PV.[5][9][11] A TRC is generally issued by Vietnamese immigration authorities, and the initial visa/entry status is what determines which TRC you can later apply for.[3][9]

• Work: LD1/LD2 TRCs are for foreign employees or exempt workers sponsored by a Vietnamese employer; typical validity is about 2 years.[5][18]
• Investment: DT1 up to 10 years, DT2 up to 5 years, DT3 up to 3 years; DT4 is generally not a TRC category, but investor visas may be issued for up to 12 months approximately.[5][11][18]
• Family: TT TRCs cover spouses, children, and some dependents of eligible foreigners or Vietnamese citizens; typical validity is up to 3 years.[5][18]
• Study / internship: DH TRCs are for students or interns and are typically valid up to 5 years.[5][18]
• Diplomatic / NGO / special roles: NN, LV, LS, NG, and PV categories cover representatives, officials, lawyers, journalists, and related roles; validity ranges from about 2 to 10 years depending on the category.[5][7][18]

Where to apply: short-stay visas are handled through Vietnam’s e-visa system or a Vietnamese mission abroad, while TRCs and permanent residence cards are processed through Vietnamese immigration authorities in-country.[10][3]

For 2026, Thailand’s personal income tax for residents and most newcomers is progressive, with a top marginal rate of 35%. The current bracket structure starts at 0% on the first 150,000 baht, then rises through 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35% above 5,000,000 baht; the Revenue Department’s English page and recent tax guides show the same rates, though one older Revenue Department chart still shows the 30%/35% bands ending at 4,000,000 baht.

For tax residence, Thailand generally treats a person as tax resident if they stay in the country for 180 days or more in a calendar year; residents are taxed on Thai-sourced income and, under current rules, can also face Thai tax on certain foreign-sourced income when it is brought into Thailand under the newer remittance-based regime used in recent guidance.

Employee social contributions are separate from income tax. The standard employee contribution to Thailand’s Social Security Fund is commonly described as 5% of salary subject to a monthly cap, with recent guidance indicating the contribution is capped at about 750 baht per month for employees; employer and government contributions are also required.

• Resident threshold: typically 180 days in Thailand in a tax year.
• Brackets (2026): 0–150,000 baht 0%; 150,001–300,000 5%; 300,001–500,000 10%; 500,001–750,000 15%; 750,001–1,000,000 20%; 1,000,001–2,000,000 25%; 2,000,001–5,000,000 30%; above 5,000,000 35%.
• Social security: employee contribution is approximately 5%, capped at about 750 baht/month.
• Double taxation: Thailand has tax treaties with many countries, so newcomers often use treaty relief or foreign tax credits to reduce double taxation; treaty details depend on the other country and the income type.

For relocating workers, the main practical issue is whether income is Thai-sourced, whether you become resident under the 180-day rule, and whether your home country also taxes the same income. Treaty relief is highly country-specific, so the exact double-tax outcome depends on your nationality, prior tax residence, and where the work is performed.

For 2026, Vietnam’s personal income tax for tax residents uses a progressive monthly schedule with five brackets: 5% up to VND 10 million, 10% over VND 10–30 million, 20% over VND 30–60 million, 30% over VND 60–100 million, and 35% above VND 100 million.[2][3][12]

For non-residents, employment income is generally taxed at a flat 20% on Vietnam-sourced income.[2][4][16] Vietnam’s 2026 updates also raised the personal deduction, and one official notice says a single person paying PIT at the lowest rate will generally have monthly income of about VND 17.285 million after deductions and compulsory insurance.[10]

For people relocating to Vietnam, the key residency rule is that an individual is typically a tax resident if present in Vietnam for 183 days or more in a 12-month period, or if they have a permanent residence or lease/home in Vietnam under the applicable tax rules; otherwise, they are usually treated as a non-resident.[4][16]

Social contributions matter because PIT on salary is calculated after employee compulsory contributions. In practice, employment income is commonly reduced by compulsory social insurance before PIT, and some employer summaries for 2026 use an employee social-insurance deduction of about 10.5%, though exact coverage can depend on the worker’s status and local rules.[11]

• Double taxation: Vietnam uses tax treaties to reduce or eliminate double taxation for eligible residents and expatriates; treaty relief usually depends on residency certificates, source of income, and the treaty article applied.[4][17]
• Other income: some income types are taxed separately, for example dividends/royalties often at 5%, capital transfers at 20% on net gain or 2% on gross proceeds in some cases, and real-estate transfers at 2% of sale proceeds.[4]
• Important timing note: the bracket figures cited above reflect the 2026 reforms and differ from the older 7-bracket system that applied before those changes.[2][3][12]

For 2026, a typical cost of living for a single person relocating to Thailand is roughly ฿30,000–50,000 per month in a major city, with Bangkok usually at the higher end. Numbeo-based and expat guides place a 1-bedroom apartment in the city centre at about ฿15,800 on average, with a common range of ฿8,000–26,000; some Bangkok-focused estimates are higher, around ฿20,000–42,000 for central modern units.

Typical monthly running costs are lower than rent but vary with lifestyle and air-conditioning use. Utilities for a one-bedroom home are commonly around ฿1,600–4,750 per month, and some expat guides estimate combined electricity, water, internet, and mobile service at about ฿1,800–3,000. For groceries, a single person usually spends roughly ฿6,000–9,000 monthly, while mixed Thai-and-Western diets can push that higher. For transport, a city commuter may spend about ฿1,300 on average, though Bangkok BTS/MRT plus ride-hailing often comes to ฿3,000–5,000 a month.

Average net salary figures are less consistent across sources, but the widely cited national monthly salary estimates for Thailand are around ฿25,000–35,000 net for many office and skilled roles, with Bangkok typically above the national average; exact take-home pay depends heavily on sector and experience.

• Year: 2026
• Currency: Thai baht (฿)
• 1-bed city-centre rent: approximately ฿15,800/month; common range ฿8,000–26,000
• Utilities: approximately ฿1,600–4,750/month
• Groceries: approximately ฿6,000–9,000/month
• Transport: approximately ฿1,300–5,000/month
• Average net salary: approximately ฿25,000–35,000/month, depending on job and city

For people relocating to Vietnam, a typical 2026 monthly budget for one person in a major city is roughly VND 15 million–25 million, depending heavily on rent and lifestyle.[8][12][15] Prices are lowest in smaller cities and higher in central districts of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.[4][8][15]

Using 2026 figures, a 1-bedroom city-centre apartment is typically about VND 10.5 million on average, with a common range of about VND 6.5 million–16 million.[12] City-specific expat guides put central 1-bed rents around VND 8.8 million–17.6 million in large cities, and about VND 15 million–25 million in prime central districts.[8][11][15]

Other common monthly costs in 2026 are approximately:

• Utilities: about VND 1 million–2.5 million for electricity, water, and related bills, depending on apartment size and air-conditioning use.[8]
• Groceries: about VND 2.5 million–4 million for a single person cooking at home, with higher spending if you buy imported foods.[8][11]
• Transport: about VND 180,000–400,000 for basic local transport, or roughly VND 1 million–3 million if you include motorbike rental, fuel, and occasional ride-hailing.[8][11]
• Average net salary: approximately VND 10 million–15 million per month is a practical reference range for many salaried roles, while some expat-facing sources note professional local salaries around VND 7.7 million–20 million depending on sector and city.[9][12]

In U.S. dollar terms, Numbeo’s 2026 estimates put a single person’s monthly costs in Vietnam at about $430 excluding rent.[12] That makes Vietnam relatively affordable overall, but housing in the main urban cores can quickly raise the total budget.[4][12][15]