Retiring overseas as a couple from Australia

The order of decisions for you

A couple’s plan has to suit both of you, and both your health, for the whole time you’re away. Start with what you each want, and leave the numbers until after that.

1. Each say what you want, separately. Write down how long you’d each like to be away and what you’d miss. If the answers are far apart, start with the shorter plan. Our page for when one of you is keen and one is not sure goes further.
2. Check both ages against the pension. If you’re both 67 or over, the couple rate applies. If one of you is younger, plan where that partner will be when it’s time to claim, because Services Australia generally needs you to be in Australia on the day you claim.
3. Get an insurance quote for each of you. Insurers quote one person at a time, with conditions declared. Whoever is harder to insure often ends up setting the length of the trip.
4. Pick a length that suits the rules. If you’re home within 12 weeks, you both keep the Pension Supplement. Services Australia says you must tell it if you’ll be away more than 6 weeks. Our guide to the 6, 12 and 26-week rules explains each point.
5. Check the visa for both of you. Some visas add a money test for a spouse. Inside Europe’s Schengen area, each of you gets 90 days in any 180.
6. Decide who does what at home. Sort out who looks after the mail, the bills and the house, and give each of you a contact in Australia.
7. Shortlist two to four places you’d both enjoy. These suit couples:
   • The Algarve: about A$4,570 a month for two (our estimate), with 90 days in any 180 across Schengen.
   • Penang: about A$2,540 a month for two (our estimate), and 90 days on arrival.
   • Hua Hin: a beach town at about A$3,280 a month for two (our estimate), with Thailand’s retirement visa from 50.
   • Bali: about A$3,970 a month for two (our estimate), with 30 days on arrival that can be extended once by 30 days. Numbeo’s Bali rent is far above its figure for Denpasar, so this estimate may run high.

Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs compares more places.

A worked example

An example, not a real person.

Chris and Anne are 70 and 72. They own their home in Ballarat, get the maximum couple rate of the Age Pension, and plan 12 weeks in the Algarve from early January.

	Per month
Their Age Pension, couple maximum (A$1,866.00 a fortnight combined)	about A$4,040
A month in the Algarve for a couple, rent included (our estimate)	about A$4,570
For comparison: ASFA “comfortable” for a couple in Australia	about A$6,580

Pension rate from Services Australia (20 September 2026). How we worked out our 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 multiply living costs by 1.8. We converted at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s average exchange rate for the 12 months to September 2026 (A$1 = 0.5957 euros, for example). Health insurance isn’t included. We use Numbeo’s Faro page, last updated 15 October 2026. ASFA’s figure is A$78,998 a year for homeowners aged 65 to 84 (June quarter 2026).

What they worked out:

• The calendar fits. Twelve weeks is 84 days, which sits inside Schengen’s 90 days in any 180 and inside the 12-week Pension Supplement rule.
• The pension falls short of the month. It’s about A$4,040 against about A$4,570, so roughly A$530 a month comes from savings, and that’s before flights and their costs at home in Ballarat.
• Two quotes, different prices. Her insurer asked more questions about her heart condition, and her premium is higher than Chris’s.
• The card. After 6 weeks both Concession Cards are cancelled, so they filled prescriptions before leaving.

What to ask a professional

• Licensed financial adviser: “If one of us is younger than 67, how does that change our income while we’re overseas?” “How are our income and assets assessed as a couple?”
• Registered tax agent: “If we spend part of each year overseas, does our tax residency change, and could it differ between us?”
• Insurance broker: “Can we be covered on one policy with different conditions, or do we need two?” “What happens if one of us has to fly home early?”
• The country’s embassy or a licensed visa agent there: “What does a couple need to show for this visa, and is the partner’s application separate?”

Book a free planning session on Zoom. Once we know your situation, we can tell you which of these people to start with.