Living overseas on the Age Pension: the 2026 numbers for Australians

How much is the Age Pension a month if I live overseas?

About A$3,710 a month for a couple who are both eligible, or about A$2,460 for a single person. That’s the base rate, and once you live overseas (or have been away more than 12 weeks) it’s all Services Australia pays.

Before tax	Single, a fortnight	Single, a month (about)	Couple combined, a fortnight	Couple combined, a month (about)
Maximum rate in Australia	A$1,237.70	A$2,680	A$1,866.00	A$4,040
Base rate (living overseas, or away more than 12 weeks)	A$1,135.40	A$2,460	A$1,711.80	A$3,710

We got the monthly figures by multiplying the fortnightly rate by 26, dividing by 12 and rounding to the nearest A$10, using rates from 20 September 2026. They’re maximums: the income and assets tests still apply, and after 26 weeks away your rate can be lower if you lived in Australia less than 35 years between age 16 and Age Pension age. Our guide to moving overseas for good explains what stops on the day you leave.

Can you live overseas on the aged pension alone?

It depends on the place, your health and what else you have. Here’s how it looks for a couple who both get the maximum base rate.

Place	Our estimate, a month for a couple, rent included	Couple base rate, a month	Left over (or short)
Da Nang, Vietnam	A$2,470	A$3,710	A$1,240
Penang, Malaysia	A$2,540	A$3,710	A$1,170
Chiang Mai, Thailand	A$2,790	A$3,710	A$920
Hua Hin, Thailand	A$3,280	A$3,710	A$430
Bali, Indonesia	A$3,970	A$3,710	A$260 short
The Algarve, Portugal	A$4,570	A$3,710	A$860 short

How we built the estimate: Numbeo’s living costs for one person (without rent), plus a one-bedroom city-centre rent, plus 30% for eating out, local trips and extras. For a couple we multiplied the living costs by 1.8. We converted everything at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s average exchange rate for the 12 months to September 2026 (A$1 = 22.44 baht, for example). Health insurance isn’t in there, and the Algarve figure uses Numbeo’s page for Faro. Use these as a starting point for your own budget. They aren’t a promise.

Numbeo’s rent for Bali is far above its rent for Denpasar, so the Bali figure may be on the high side if you’d live somewhere quieter. Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs breaks each figure down.

For one person, our Penang estimate is about A$1,750 a month, against a single base rate of about A$2,460.

What do the cost estimates leave out?

Several things that can cost a lot in one go:

• Health insurance at older ages. Smartraveller says Medicare does not pay for treatment overseas. Our guide to international health insurance by age lists what to ask about age and price.
• Visa money. Some retirement visas ask you to show savings or a monthly income. You don’t spend it, but it has to sit there.
• Flights home for family events, health checks or emergencies.
• The exchange rate. Your pension is paid in Australian dollars, so if the dollar falls, every local cost goes up.
• A move home later, if your health or plans change.

Since 20 September 2026, the overseas rate is the base rate only. Services Australia says the Pension Supplement now stops after 12 weeks away, and on the day you leave if you move. Budgets you saw before that date may include an amount that is no longer paid.

How many Australians live overseas on the Age Pension?

Data released by the Department of Social Services under freedom of information in September 2026 shows 1,734 Age Pension recipients located in six Southeast Asian countries at 31 December 2025.

Country	Age Pension recipients, 31 December 2025
Thailand	730
Philippines	659
Indonesia	134
Vietnam	103
Cambodia	56
Malaysia	52
Six countries in total	1,734
Portugal, for comparison	1,218
All countries	77,432

The data only counts people away more than 26 weeks or paid under a social security agreement, so anyone on a winter away is missing. It also records where people were, which isn’t always where they live. Spread across the 730 people in Thailand, the total payment comes to about A$969 a fortnight each. That’s below the maximum single rate, so at least some of them are probably on part or proportional rates.

What does this look like for a real budget?

An example, not real people. Sue is 70 and Alan is 72. They rent in Brisbane, have about A$40,000 in savings and both get the maximum Age Pension. Penang is the place they’re looking at.

A month, about	In Brisbane	Living in Penang
Age Pension, combined	A$4,040	A$3,710
Rent Assistance	Paid while renting in Australia	Stops when they move
Our cost estimate, rent included	Not estimated here	A$2,540
Left for insurance, flights and emergencies		A$1,170

The pension drops by about A$330 a month when they leave, and Services Australia says Rent Assistance stops on departure if you move overseas. Whether A$1,170 a month covers their health insurance, flights home and the unexpected depends on their ages, their health and the cover they can get. Their savings are their only buffer. Our page for renters retiring overseas covers the rest of their decisions.

What this means for you depends on

• Whether you are single or a couple, and whether both partners are eligible.
• Your years of Australian residence, which can reduce your rate after 26 weeks away.
• Your health, and what insurance you can get and afford at your age.
• Your other income: super, a defined benefit pension or rent from a home.
• Where and how you live, and what the exchange rate does.
• Whether you keep a home in Australia, which can change your pension.

This is general information, not advice. Services Australia and a licensed financial adviser can work out your own figures. If you want to talk it over first, book a free planning session on Zoom and we’ll point you to the right person.