Compare · Singapore vs Vietnam
Singapore vs Vietnam for Australians leaving home
The regimes are genuinely different: Singapore is a territorial tax system while Vietnam runs worldwide tax, which of your income streams each one actually touches matters more than any headline rate.
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 Singapore's 110% (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 | SingaporeSingapore | VietnamVietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | ||
| Regime | territorial, worldwide income not taxed | worldwide, taxes worldwide income |
| Income tax on salary | Progressive 0, 24%. A S$250k salary pays roughly 18% effective. | 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 capital gains tax for individuals. (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 | Singapore dividends tax-free (one-tier); foreign dividends generally exempt for individuals. | Flat 5% on dividends and bank interest, one of the lowest investment-income rates anywhere. |
| Interest | Generally untaxed locally | Taxed locally around 5% |
| Crypto | No CGT: investment gains untaxed. Trading as a business is taxable income, frequency and intent matter. | 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 | CPF applies only to citizens/PRs, most expats on passes pay no CPF. | 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 | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Family on visas | Dependants covered on main pathways | Dependants covered on main pathways |
| Fastest timeline | ~2 months on the quickest pathway | ~0 months on the quickest pathway |
| Money | ||
| Rent (family home, monthly) | $9,500/mo | $2,200/mo |
| Rent (couple, monthly) | $5,200/mo | $1,200/mo |
| International school (per child/yr) | $45,000 | $20,000 |
| Health cover (family/yr) | $8,000 | $4,500 |
| Cost of living vs Sydney | 110% of Sydney (ex-rent) | 40% of Sydney (ex-rent) |
| Relocation one-off | ~$30,000 | ~$12,000 |
| Flights home (return, pp) | $1,400 | $1,200 |
| Life | ||
| Timezone vs AEST | 2h behind | 3h behind |
| Flight from Sydney | ~8 hours | ~9 hours |
| English | 10/10 | 4/10 |
| Safety | 10/10 | 8/10 |
| Healthcare | 10/10 | 5/10 |
| Schooling | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Climate | Equatorial, 31°C and humid every single day. | 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?”
Singapore
- No general nomad/retirement pathway: without a job, a business or serious capital, there is no way in.
- The world’s most expensive city on several measures, school fees and rent will eat a big share of the tax saving.
- A 4,000-a-year national day-count habit: many Australians in Singapore drift over 90 days back home. The treaty helps, but only if Singapore residency is solid.
- Employment Pass renewals are policy-sensitive; your long-term security is COMPASS points, not a right.
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 Singapore: $14,200”, not a range.