Compare · New Zealand vs Vietnam
New Zealand vs Vietnam for Australians leaving home
New Zealand 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).
Vietnam is the cheaper place to live day to day, roughly 40% of Sydney's basket against New Zealand's 90% (indicative, ex-rent), which can outweigh a thinner tax saving over a full household budget.
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 | New ZealandNew Zealand | VietnamVietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | ||
| Regime | worldwide, taxes worldwide income | worldwide, taxes worldwide income |
| Income tax on salary | Progressive 10.5, 39%. No tax-free threshold at all (the first dollar is taxed) but effective rates at middle incomes land close to Australia's. | 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 general CGT: long-term share gains untaxed. Exceptions: traders, property inside the bright-line window, and the FIF deemed-return regime on non-ASX foreign shares over NZ$50k. (0% 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 | Dividends taxed at marginal rates. NZ imputation works like franking; Australian franking credits are NOT usable in NZ, a long-standing trans-Tasman sore point. | Flat 5% on dividends and bank interest, one of the lowest investment-income rates anywhere. |
| Interest | Taxed locally around 33% | Taxed locally around 5% |
| Crypto | No CGT does not mean crypto-free: IRD treats most crypto as bought with intent to sell, making gains taxable income at marginal rates. The onus of proving otherwise is on you. | 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 | No social security tax; ACC earner levy (~1.6%) applies to employment income. KiwiSaver is opt-in for migrants. | 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 | 10/10 | 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) | $3,300/mo | $2,200/mo |
| Rent (couple, monthly) | $2,300/mo | $1,200/mo |
| International school (per child/yr) | Free / local system viable | $20,000 |
| Health cover (family/yr) | $3,000 | $4,500 |
| Cost of living vs Sydney | 90% of Sydney (ex-rent) | 40% of Sydney (ex-rent) |
| Relocation one-off | ~$12,000 | ~$12,000 |
| Flights home (return, pp) | $500 | $1,200 |
| Life | ||
| Timezone vs AEST | 2h ahead | 3h behind |
| Flight from Sydney | ~3 hours | ~9 hours |
| English | 10/10 | 4/10 |
| Safety | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Healthcare | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Schooling | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Climate | Temperate maritime, Auckland is mild and wet; the South Island does real winters. | 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?”
New Zealand
- The tax saving is thinner than it looks: no CGT is real, but income rates are Australia-like, there is no tax-free threshold, and salaries are 15, 25% lower for the same role.
- The ATO treats a hop to Auckland with scepticism, same time zone, 3-hour flights, easy return; your "permanent departure" evidence needs to be stronger, not weaker, than for Dubai.
- Auckland housing rivals Sydney for unaffordability, and the cost-of-living basket is not meaningfully cheaper.
- Earthquake and weather-event risk is priced into insurance, and the economy is small, career ceilings arrive quickly outside a few sectors.
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 Auckland: $14,200”, not a range.