South Korea or Thailand
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| South Korea | Thailand | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 61 452 | — |
| Citizenship | 5 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | difficult | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 5 | no limit |
| Quarantine | 10 days | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 999 · estimate | $ 863 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 40,9 | $ 34,2 |
| Life expectancy | 83.63 | 76.56 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.49 | 4.79 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 6 | 5.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: South Korea — 91, Thailand — 65. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment, startup, talent, repatriation and working holiday. South Korea adds: job seeking. Thailand adds: remote work and retirement.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
South Korea: fees range from 60 to 90 USD. Routes stating an income threshold: 1; the lowest is 1,500,000,000 KRW a month. Thailand: fees range from 80 to 400 USD. Routes with no fee: 1. Routes stating an income threshold: 46; the lowest is 5,000 AUD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 10; the shortest is 28 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: South Korea after 5 years, Thailand after 3 years. Citizenship: both after 5 years.
South Korea in brief
South Korea combines a developed technology economy and low violent crime with a formal points system for long-term residence (E-7 → F-2-7 → F-5) and substantial restrictions on dual citizenship and on a spouse working. Parents, your own or a partner's, can only get the temporary renewable F-1-15 visa with no right to work. Natural hazards are moderate — seasonal typhoons and monsoon floods, earthquakes rare; the notable problem is air quality, the worst among OECD countries.
Thailand in brief
Thailand is a Southeast Asian country outside the EU with a well-developed system of long-term visas: the DTV for 5 years for remote workers and freelancers (a balance of THB 500,000 in the account), the LTR for 10 years with a digital work permit and a preferential income tax rate, the SMART Visa for up to 4 years without a separate work permit, and the Non-B with a work permit for local employment. Suits those who receive income from abroad and are not counting on quick permanent status. Limitations: permanent residence and citizenship are hard to obtain and are decided at discretion, naturalisation requires 5 years, the Thai language and a declaration renouncing the previous citizenship; parents are not among the dependants under the DTV and LTR; a visa in itself does not grant the right to work; foreigners are prohibited from owning land. The cost of living is lower than in Singapore and Europe; no verifiable data on the salaries of IT specialists with 5+ years of experience could be found. The main risks are monsoon flooding in Bangkok, seasonal smog in the north, tsunami on the Andaman coast and a high level of perceived corruption.
Other comparisons
South Korea or… Taiwan · Japan · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia · Azerbaijan · Philippines
Thailand or… Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China · Sri Lanka · Singapore
More on each: South Korea · Thailand. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.