Retire abroad
Retiring in Thailand from Switzerland: budget, visa and risks
Thailand can cut your monthly budget to about CHF 1,800. What the retirement visa asks for, how foreign income is taxed and the risks that matter at 70.
Retire abroad
Retire abroad
Where you live is the second biggest lever after spending. See how a move changes your plan, and what leaving Switzerland involves.
Moving can lower your spending by a third or more, which brings independence years closer. But a move also changes taxes, health insurance, currency and what happens to your Swiss pensions. Staying in Switzerland, perhaps in a cheaper commune, is always one of the options; see downshifting.
Everything on these pages is research-grade until a cross-border adviser has reviewed it. Use it to ask better questions, not as tax, legal or immigration advice.
Your numbers in each place
The calculator’s default plan, run once per destination with an assumed comfortable budget. Change the plan in the calculator; these budgets are assumptions for comparison, not price quotes, and leave out taxes abroad.
Destinations
- PortugalMild climate, lower costs and EU free movement for Swiss citizens. The old tax regime for new residents has ended, so plan with ordinary taxes.
- SpainSun, good health care and EU free movement. Spain taxes worldwide income and, in many regions, wealth, so the tax side needs a careful look.
- FranceClose to Switzerland, familiar and varied, with lower costs outside the big cities. Taxes and health insurance follow French rules once you live there.
- ItalyCulture, food and lower costs in many regions. A special flat tax on foreign pensions in small southern towns can matter, if you qualify.
- ThailandLow costs and a warm climate, but outside the EU: visas need proof of money, health insurance matters, and leaving Switzerland has bigger pension consequences.
- Rules change logDated changes to rules that affect Swiss retirees abroad, with official sources.
Related reading
Retire abroad
Portugal, Spain, France or Italy: a Swiss retiree’s comparison
Four southern European options compared for an early retiree from Switzerland: visas, tax approach, healthcare and budget in francs. Facts to check.
Retire abroad
Retiring abroad from Switzerland: what actually changes
Lower costs are only part of it. What happens to your AHV, pension fund, Pillar 3a, health insurance and taxes when you leave Switzerland to retire.