Vietnam Is The Most Affordable Country In The World For Expats

For the fourth continuous year, Vietnam is the most affordable country in the world for expats, ranking first out of 53 destinations when it comes to personal finances, according to a 2024 InterNations study.

It came in at number 40 for quality of life, number 29 for expat necessities like housing, language, and digital life, and number 14 for working abroad, taking into account things like career prospects, salary, and job security.

The Expat Insider 2024 survey, which included responses from more than 12,000 expats living in 174 countries and territories around the world, provided information on topics such as the best and worst places to live, quality of life, working abroad, and personal finances.

InterNations asked survey takers to rank their level of personal satisfaction in three categories for the Personal Finance Index: general cost of living, level of contentment with one’s financial situation, and whether there was enough money in the household to live comfortably.

This data was used to create the report, which is largely the same as last year except for Brazil (9th), which replaced Malaysia, which dropped from fifth in 2023 to eleventh this year.

In the meantime, the following are the top ten locations that, according to expats, are the most affordable:

Vietnam
Colombia
Indonesia
Panama
Philippines
India
Mexico
Thailand
Brazil
China

This year’s list was dominated by Asian nations, taking six of the top ten spots. With Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand all in the top 10, Southeast Asia stood out.

The majority of expats concur that housing is readily available and reasonably priced in Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

Ambassadors Join UN Tourism To Look Ahead For Sustainable Growth

According to the report, compared to 54% of expats worldwide, expats in Vietnam rate the country’s cost of living favorably (86%), which is more than twice the global average of 40%. Additionally, 65% of respondents in the country state that they are content with their financial situation.

The survey also revealed that, compared to 41% of people worldwide, 68% of respondents believe their disposable household income is sufficient to lead a comfortable life.

The majority of residents claim that these nations are stress-free. They say it’s a great change from their hectic and time-consuming work life.

British expat living in Vietnam Not only are living costs low, but expats typically earn more money there.

Additionally, expats in the country report a very high level of general job satisfaction. Vietnam rose to third place in 2024 for this factor, which falls under the “Work Culture & Satisfaction” subcategory. Last year, Vietnam ranked 24th.

The report states that “work-life balance trumps career advancement” generally in Vietnam. Notably, compared to the global average of 57%, less than half (46%) of the country’s expat population works full-time. 21 percent of expats work part-time, and 18 percent of expats are retired.

This more extensive list explores how expats feel across different parts of life abroad, in light of 5 indices: general happiness, quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad and their “expat essentials” index, which is based on administration, housing, digital life and language.