Vietnam is the most cost effective country for expats in 2024: InterNations

According to a report by InterNations, Vietnam is the most cost effective place for expats to live.

Oscar Wong | Moment |

Moving abroad may appear to be a pipe dream, however it doesn't necessarily need to break the bank.

One of crucial aspects in deciding whether to maneuver abroad for private or skilled reasons is your personal funds.

For the fourth time in a row Vietnam is the most cost effective country on the planet for expats and ranks first amongst 53 destinations on the subject of personal funds, in response to a InterNations Study 2024.

To be clear, out of 53 places, it ranked fortieth in quality of life, twenty ninth in facets necessary to expats comparable to digital life, housing and language, and 14th in working abroad – bearing in mind facets comparable to profession opportunities, salary and job security.

More than 12,000 expats from 174 countries worldwide participated within the broader Expat Insider 2024 Survey that provided insights into the perfect and worst places to live, quality of life, working abroad and private funds, amongst other things.

For the Personal Finance IndexInterNations asked survey participants to rate their personal satisfaction in three areas: general cost of living, satisfaction with the financial situation and whether the disposable household income is sufficient to guide a snug life.

This data was used to compile the report, which is basically unchanged from last 12 months, except for a brand new addition to the list: Brazil (ninth), which replaces Malaysia, which fell from fifth place in 2023 to eleventh place this 12 months.

Here are the highest 10 travel destinations that expats say are best for his or her personal funds:

  1. Vietnam
  2. Colombia
  3. Indonesia
  4. Panama
  5. Philippines
  6. India
  7. Mexico
  8. Thailand
  9. Brazil
  10. China

Asian countries dominated this 12 months's list, taking on six of the highest 10 spots. Southeast Asia particularly stood out, with Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand all making the highest 10.

“In all four countries, housing is a big plus: Thailand is number 1, Vietnam is number 2, the Philippines is number 5 and Indonesia is number 8,” Kathrin Chudoba, head of selling at InterNations, told CNBC Make It. “Most expats agree that housing is easy to find and they are happy with how affordable it is.”

Eighty-six percent of expats surveyed in Vietnam rate the associated fee of living positively – double the worldwide average of 40 percent. Additionally, 65 percent of respondents within the country say they’re satisfied with their financial situation, in comparison with 54 percent globally, in response to the report.

In addition, 68 percent of respondents said their disposable household income was good enough to live a snug life, in comparison with just 41 percent worldwide, the survey shows.

Life here is stress-free for me and is an excellent change from my on a regular basis work life, which was very demanding and hectic.

British expat living in Vietnam

Not only is the associated fee of living low, expats also are inclined to earn higher salaries in Vietnam.

“Almost twice as many as the global average report a gross annual income of USD 150,000 or more (19% versus 10% globally),” says InterNations.

In addition, overall job satisfaction amongst expats within the country could be very high. Vietnam jumped from 24th Rank last 12 months at 3rd in 2024 for this factor, which is an element of the subcategory “work culture and satisfaction,” Chudoba said.

In general, in Vietnam, “work-life balance is more important than career advancement,” the report says. Notably, lower than half (46%) of the country's expats work full-time, in comparison with the worldwide average of 57%. About one in five expats (21%) work part-time, and about 18% of expats are retired.

“Life here is stress-free for me, it is a wonderful change from my working life, which was very time-consuming and hectic,” said a British expat within the report.

The InterNations Expat Insider study not only measured expats’ satisfaction with their personal funds, but in addition collected data on the perfect destinations for expats around the globe.

This more comprehensive list looks at how expats feel about other facets of life abroad, using five indices: overall satisfaction, quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, and their “Expat Essentials” index, which relies on administration, housing, digital life, and language.

Out of 53 travel destinations worldwide, 4 Asian countries made it into the highest 10 list this 12 months: Indonesia (third overall), Thailand (sixth overall), Vietnam (eighth overall) and the Philippines (ninth overall).

image credit : www.cnbc.com