Compare · Bali vs Vietnam
Bali vs Vietnam for Australians leaving home
Bali and Vietnam run the same headline regime, worldwide tax, so the decision turns on the details underneath: what each one does to capital gains, dividends and the Australian income you keep.
Both have a tax treaty with Australia, so either way you get a tie-breaker if the ATO contests your departure, and capped withholding (15%/10% vs 15%/10% on unfranked dividends/interest).
On day-to-day costs there is little between them, roughly 45% and 40% of Sydney's basket (indicative, ex-rent), so the money question is decided by tax and rent, not groceries.
Personalise this, enter your numbers once and every figure below becomes yours: “your estimated income tax: $14,200”, not “0, 22%”. Open the Country Comparison tool →
| 2 destinations | BaliIndonesia | VietnamVietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | ||
| Regime | worldwide, taxes worldwide income | worldwide, taxes worldwide income |
| Income tax on salary | Progressive 5, 35%. An A$120k income maps to roughly 27% effective, Indonesia is not a low-tax residence on paper. | Progressive 5, 35% on worldwide employment income; the 35% band starts around A$58k/year equivalent, high earners hit the top rate fast. |
| Capital gains | No concessional CGT: foreign gains are ordinary income up to 35%. Indonesian-listed share sales instead pay a 0.1% final tax on proceeds. (30% typical) | Securities: 0.1% of gross sale proceeds (final), cheap if you win, painful if you sell at a loss. Private company stakes: 20% on the gain. Property: 2% of proceeds. (0% typical) |
| Dividends | Domestic dividends: 10% final (0% if reinvested in Indonesia under conditions). Foreign dividends: progressive rates unless the reinvestment exemption applies. | Flat 5% on dividends and bank interest, one of the lowest investment-income rates anywhere. |
| Interest | Taxed locally around 20% | Taxed locally around 5% |
| Crypto | Crypto traded on Indonesian platforms carries small final transaction taxes (income tax of ~0.1% of value plus VAT). Gains realised offshore by a resident are, strictly, worldwide income at progressive rates. | Crypto sits in a legal grey zone: not recognised as an asset or payment means, with a regulatory framework legislated to take effect from 2026 (pilot exchanges, expected transaction taxes). Today, taxation of personal crypto gains is untested in practice. |
| Australia tax treaty | Yes, AU withholding capped at 15% dividends / 10% interest, tie-breaker available | Yes, AU withholding capped at 15% dividends / 10% interest, tie-breaker available |
| Social security | BPJS health and employment schemes apply to formal employees; foreign remote workers typically fall outside them. | Compulsory social insurance applies to employees on Vietnamese labour contracts (foreigners included, ~10.5% employee side, capped); remote workers for foreign employers are outside it. |
| Visa | ||
| Best pathways |
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| Visa ease | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Family on visas | Dependants covered on main pathways | Dependants covered on main pathways |
| Fastest timeline | ~0 months on the quickest pathway | ~0 months on the quickest pathway |
| Money | ||
| Rent (family home, monthly) | $2,500/mo | $2,200/mo |
| Rent (couple, monthly) | $1,500/mo | $1,200/mo |
| International school (per child/yr) | $15,000 | $20,000 |
| Health cover (family/yr) | $5,000 | $4,500 |
| Cost of living vs Sydney | 45% of Sydney (ex-rent) | 40% of Sydney (ex-rent) |
| Relocation one-off | ~$12,000 | ~$12,000 |
| Flights home (return, pp) | $1,100 | $1,200 |
| Life | ||
| Timezone vs AEST | 2h behind | 3h behind |
| Flight from Sydney | ~6.5 hours | ~9 hours |
| English | 6/10 | 4/10 |
| Safety | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Healthcare | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Schooling | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Climate | Tropical, 30°C year-round; wet season roughly November to March. | HCMC: hot year-round with a May, November wet season; Hanoi adds a genuinely cold, damp winter. |
Costs, rates and visa figures are country-module data marked indicative until individually verified; FX and rental markets move constantly.
Honest downsides, side by side
Every destination hub on this site carries its downsides in the open. Here are both lists together, because the right question is rarely “which is better?” and usually “which set of problems would you rather live with?”
Bali
- Healthcare on the island is adequate for small things and inadequate for big ones, serious cases get evacuated to Singapore or Australia, so insure accordingly.
- Indonesia taxes worldwide income at up to 35%: done legally, Bali is often a worse tax outcome than staying in Australia at middle incomes.
- Infrastructure strain is real: traffic between Canggu and anywhere can be brutal, and rainy-season flooding, power cuts and construction noise are routine.
- Foreigners cannot own land freehold, leaseholds and nominee structures carry genuine legal risk.
- Enforcement culture is unpredictable: long tolerance, then sudden crackdowns (on visas, on unlicensed business, on tax).
Vietnam
- No digital nomad visa and no retirement visa: unless you have a job, a company or a Vietnamese spouse, there is no compliant way to live here long-term.
- The 35% top band arrives at a low threshold, a good Australian salary earned as a Vietnamese resident is taxed harder than in Australia.
- Banking and moving money is bureaucratic: the dong is not freely convertible and repatriating funds requires documentation.
- Healthcare below international-clinic level is poor; anything serious means Bangkok or Singapore.
- Air quality in Hanoi ranks among the world's worst several months a year.
Make this comparison yours
The table above shows the general figures. Enter your income and family once and the tax rows become your numbers, “your estimated income tax in Canggu: $14,200”, not a range.