Singapore 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
| Singapore | Thailand | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 91 040 | — |
| Citizenship | — | 5 years |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | not allowed | no trouble |
| Pet limit | 3 | no limit |
| Quarantine | 10 days | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 3 186 | $ 863 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 52,7 | $ 34,2 |
| Life expectancy | 83.35 | 76.56 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.17 | 4.79 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 1.1 | 5.9 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Singapore — 23, Thailand — 65. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment, startup, talent and working holiday. Thailand adds: remote work, repatriation and retirement.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Singapore: fees range from 35 to 20,000 SGD. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 8; the lowest is 3,000 SGD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 21; the shortest is 1 days. 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: Thailand after 3 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Thailand after 5 years; the other country publishes no term.
Singapore in brief
The pet limit is 3. The income threshold for reuniting with a partner's parents is twice a typical senior salary.
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
Singapore or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia · Azerbaijan
Thailand or… Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China · Sri Lanka
More on each: Singapore · 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.