#9. Thailand
Thailand is the highest-placed Asian country and the entry where the cost difference becomes dramatic rather than incremental. Life runs on simplicity here, and budgets that would be tight in southern Europe stretch a very long way.
Private hospitals in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket are internationally accredited and draw substantial medical tourism, which means the standard of care available to a self-paying foreigner is high while remaining a fraction of American pricing.
The retirement visa is available from age 50 with a deposit or income requirement, and it must be renewed annually with proof maintained. Coastal options split between the developed resort economies of Phuket and Hua Hin and quieter alternatives on the eastern gulf coast.