Settle Asia

Independent relocation rankings · 8 destinations · 51 cities

Find where you'll live better, for less.

Eight Southeast Asian destinations, scored every week on what actually decides whether you thrive: cost, safety, healthcare, air and internet. Independent and sourced. Rankings are never paid for.

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Every score is built on open data, not opinions World BankWHOIHME / OWIDUNODCCloudflare Radar

Editor's picks

Places worth a serious look

Full rankings
Chiang Mai, Thailand79Chiang MaiThailand

Cheap, walkable, the original nomad base. Strong healthcare nearby.

 Hua Hin, Thailand78Hua HinThailand

Calm beach town that retirees actually settle in, not just visit.

 Hoi An, Vietnam74Hoi AnVietnam

Riverside calm, very low cost, some of the best food in Asia.

 Ipoh, Malaysia73IpohMalaysia

English everywhere, excellent private healthcare, easy long stays.

 Ubud, Bali69UbudBali

Lush, wellness-minded, the biggest established expat community.

 Kampot, Cambodia64KampotCambodia

Sleepy riverside living, the easiest visas, hard to spend money.

Stay ahead

Visa & policy watch

All updates
Apr 2026🇹🇭Thailand 60-day exemption under reviewStill in force, but flagged for change. Check before you book. Sep 2025🇵🇭Philippines restructures the SRRVNew deposit and age bands for the retirement visa. Mar 2025🇻🇳Vietnam extends 45-day visa exemptionUK, DE and FR passports, window runs to 2028. 2024🇲🇾Malaysia revises MM2H income tiersHigher thresholds plus the new Sarawak S-MM2H route.

This week

The destination rankings

How we score

    Scored on cost, air quality, safety, healthcare and internet, one open dataset each, weighted into a single 0 to 100 score. Not driven by any one metric.

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