Retiring overseas when you rent in Australia

Rent is the big number: what happens to Rent Assistance, and how you'd get back

A woman in her early 70s on the balcony of her rented flat, thinking about retiring overseas as a renter

Checked 20 October 2026, re-checked monthlyBy the Retirees Abroad teamGeneral information only, how we check

The short answer

If you rent, rent is a large part of your costs at home. On a trip, Rent Assistance continues for up to 26 weeks, but only while you still pay rent in Australia. If you move overseas it stops from the day you leave. Move for good and the single Age Pension is A$29,520.40 a year (from 20 September 2026).

What is different for you

  1. Rent Assistance on a trip

    It continues for up to 26 weeks of temporary travel, but only while you still pay rent in Australia and get your main payment.

    Read: The 6, 12 and 26-week rules

  2. Rent Assistance if you move

    If you leave to live overseas, Rent Assistance stops from the day you leave. So do the Pension Supplement and Energy Supplement, and your Concession Card is cancelled.

    Read: Moving overseas for good

  3. Two rents on a trip

    On a winter away you keep paying rent at home while you pay for a let overseas. Short furnished lets usually cost more than the long-term rent in our estimate.

    Read: What it really costs

  4. Coming back means finding a home

    If you give up your lease and later return, you'll need a new rental. A payment that stopped while you were away can generally be restored if you return within 13 weeks.

    Read: Pension and Medicare when you return

  5. The visa may ask for money you don't have

    Thailand's retirement visa needs a bank balance of 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) or an income of 65,000 baht a month (about A$2,900). Malaysia's MM2H Silver tier needs a US$150,000 deposit (about A$217,000).

    Read: Retirement visas by age

The order of decisions for you

Two small houses joined by a coin, the two rents a renter pays on a long trip when retiring overseas
On a trip, a renter may pay two rents.

If you rent, the sums can look simple: rent in an Australian city against a whole month somewhere cheaper. It gets harder once you add Rent Assistance, the visa and the question of coming home.

  1. Know your real monthly costs now. Start with rent, add everything else, and set the total against the overseas estimates, which include rent.
  2. Decide between a trip and a move. On a trip you keep your lease and Rent Assistance, and you pay two rents. If you move, you give up the lease, and Rent Assistance and the supplements stop. Our guide to moving overseas for good explains what changes the day you leave.
  3. Plan a move on the base rate. If you move for good, the single rate is A$29,520.40 a year, about A$2,460 a month. A couple both eligible get A$44,506.80, about A$3,710 a month. Our guide to living overseas on the Age Pension has the numbers.
  4. Check the visa’s money test early. A long-stay visa can need a bank deposit or a monthly income, so check it before you give notice on a lease.
  5. Count health cover as a cost. Medicare never pays for treatment overseas, and Smartraveller says international health insurance can be costly.
  6. Plan the way back. Where would you live if you came home? Finding a rental again takes time, money and references, so think about it before you leave. Our guide to coming home: your pension and Medicare covers the rest.
  7. Shortlist places where the base rate covers a month. These fit (our estimates):
    • Penang: about A$1,750 a month for one, with 90 days on arrival for a trial first.
    • Da Nang: about A$1,810 a month for one, on an eVisa of up to 90 days.
    • Chiang Mai: about A$1,950 a month for one, though Thailand’s visa money test is high.
    • The Philippines: the SRRV Classic deposit is US$15,000 (about A$21,680) for people aged 50 and over with a qualifying pension.

A worked example

A woman in her early 70s viewing a furnished apartment overseas, a renter thinking about moving for good
Renting overseas is a different kind of lease.
A woman in her early 70s looking at photos of the Philippines, Da Nang and Penang, a renter weighing a move overseas
In this example, a winter away is weighed against a move.

An example, not a real person.

Jan is 72 and single. She rents a unit in Sydney and gets the maximum single rate of the Age Pension plus Rent Assistance, and her rent takes a large share of her income. She’s weighing up a winter away against moving to Penang.

Winter away (11 weeks) Move for good
Her Age Pension A$1,237.70 a fortnight, about A$2,680 a month Base rate: A$29,520.40 a year, about A$2,460 a month
Rent Assistance Keeps paying, while she pays rent in Sydney Stops the day she leaves
Her Sydney rent Still due Gone, once the lease ends
A month in Penang for one, rent included (our estimate) about A$1,750, more with a furnished short let about A$1,750

Pension rates 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 = 2.80 ringgit, for example). Health insurance isn’t included. Numbeo’s Penang page was last updated 15 October 2026. The estimate uses a long-lease rent of about A$590 a month, and short furnished lets usually cost more than that.

What Jan sees:

  • The winter costs her more than staying home, because she pays two rents for 11 weeks.
  • The move leaves about A$710 a month between the base rate and the Penang estimate, before insurance and flights.
  • The visa: Malaysia gives 90 days on arrival. Living there for good needs a long-stay visa, and MM2H’s deposits are beyond her savings.
  • Coming back would mean finding a Sydney rental again at 73 or 75.

She decides to talk it through with a licensed financial adviser before she gives notice on anything.

What to ask a professional

A man in his early 70s who rents asking a financial adviser what moving overseas would mean for his pension
Coming back is part of the question.
  • Licensed financial adviser: “If I move overseas, what will my pension be, and what happens if I come back after a year?” “Can I meet the visa’s money test from my pension?”
  • Registered tax agent: “If I move overseas, how is my Age Pension taxed?”
  • Insurance broker: “What would health cover cost at my age in this country, and does it include getting me home?”
  • The country’s embassy or a licensed visa agent there: “Which long-stay visa could I meet on a pension alone?”

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

Places that can suit

  • PenangAn island city with a heritage old town and street food, where English is widely spoken.
  • Da NangA long city beach, with the old town of Hoi An about 30 km away.
  • Chiang MaiCooler evenings, temples, mountains nearby and a slower pace.
  • PhilippinesEnglish is an official language. Day-to-day costs are lower, and the retirement visa starts at age 50.

Stories from people like you

Guides for you

  • Moving overseas for goodMoving overseas permanently on the Age Pension: from the day you leave it is base rate only, A$29,520.40 a year single. What stops, and the 2-year rule.
  • Living on the pension overseasLiving overseas on the Age Pension: what it pays a month from 20 September 2026, set against our cost estimates for Penang, Da Nang, Chiang Mai and more.
  • Pension and Medicare when you returnReturning to Australia after living overseas: what happens to your Age Pension and concession card, the 2-year rule, and the 5-year rule for Medicare.
  • What it really costsWhat retiring overseas really costs: one A$ figure a month for a couple and one person in 10 places, set against ASFA and the Age Pension. October 2026.

Sources

General information only, not financial, tax, legal, migration or insurance advice. Rules change: check the official source before you act, and talk to a licensed professional about your own situation.

Questions about your own situation?

Every situation is different. Tell us about yours, and we will help you plan your time overseas on a free Zoom call.

No pressure and no card details. You decide what comes next.