Retiring overseas on your own: costs, pension and going solo

The order of decisions for you

On your own you get to choose everything, and you carry all of it too, from the budget to the paperwork. So start with the big questions.

1. Work out your monthly number for one. Rent barely changes for one person: in Penang a one-bedroom in the centre is about A$590 a month on a long lease, whether one or two live there. So use the single figures rather than halving a couple’s. Our guide to what retiring overseas really costs compares places.
2. Decide who at home is your contact. Pick one person to hold your itinerary, insurance policy, doctor’s letter and a spare key, and agree how often you’ll check in. Our guide to talking to family can help.
3. Try a stay before a move. A winter away or a long stay shows you how the days feel when nobody else is there. Our guide to trying it before you move sets out the steps.
4. Ask how a policy covers getting you home. Ask an insurer how it handles evacuation, or a flight home if you’re ill. Smartraveller says to declare everything upfront, or you may void the policy.
5. Know the pension points. After 6 weeks the Energy Supplement stops and the Concession Card is cancelled, and after 12 weeks the Pension Supplement stops. Services Australia says you must tell it if you’ll be away more than 6 weeks.
6. Subscribe to Smartraveller alerts. Smartraveller no longer runs trip registration, so you subscribe to email and SMS updates for each place instead.
7. Shortlist two or three places where it’s easy to meet people. These suit someone going alone:
   • Penang: 90 days on arrival covers a long first stay, at about A$1,750 a month for one (our estimate).
   • Chiang Mai: Thailand’s retirement visa starts at 50, and a month for one is about A$1,950 (our estimate).
   • The Algarve: Portugal has a social security agreement with Australia, and Schengen allows 90 days in any 180.

If you are a woman going alone

• Money. The HILDA survey found the median super balance at retirement was just under A$191,000 for women and A$310,000 for men (2023). If your balance is smaller, your plan may lean more on the Age Pension or on rent from a home. That’s a question for a licensed financial adviser.
• Where you live. Choose a building or neighbourhood where you’d feel safe walking at night. A short trial stay lets you check that in person.
• Your contact plan. Give someone at home your address and travel dates, and keep the Australian embassy’s number in your phone.
• Company. Clubs, classes and volunteering are ways newcomers meet people. You can be alone without being lonely, though it’s worth planning for loneliness anyway. Before paying anyone you meet online or on arrival, read our guide to overseas retirement scams.

A worked example

An example, not a real person.

Margaret is 68 and single. She owns her home in Toowoomba, gets the maximum single rate of the Age Pension, and plans an 11-week winter in Penang.

	Per month
Her Age Pension, single maximum (A$1,237.70 a fortnight)	about A$2,680
A month in Penang for one, rent included (our estimate)	about A$1,750
For comparison: the same month for a couple (our estimate)	about A$2,540

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 = 2.80 ringgit, for example). Health insurance isn’t included. Numbeo’s Penang page was last updated 15 October 2026. Short furnished lets usually cost more than the long-term rent in our estimate.

Margaret pays the same rent a couple would, so her share of the costs is higher. Eleven weeks keeps her Pension Supplement, though her Concession Card is cancelled after 6 weeks. She also still pays rates and insurance on the Toowoomba house, and the Penang figure leaves those out.

What to ask a professional

• Licensed financial adviser: “On one income, how long could I live overseas each year, and what happens if I need to come home suddenly?”
• Registered tax agent: “If I spend part of the year overseas, does my tax residency change?”
• Insurance broker: “Does this policy cover a flight home if I’m ill and travelling alone?” “Are my conditions covered once declared?”
• The country’s embassy or a licensed visa agent there: “Which visa suits a single person for this length of stay, and what money do I need to show?”

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