How's this for a pensioner lifestyle: rent for a four-storey house, $275 a month? An electricity bill that's never more than $20? A high speed internet connection for the same? All satisfyingly washed down with a bottle of beer for 50 cents?
If that sounds like paradise, well, that's the experience for many Australian pensioners flying the domestic coop for offshore lifestyles that stretch their dollars so much further.
Ray's Rant reader Allen Wilde emailed after Thursday's column on Perth's high cost of living. The former Melbourne-based writer/producer of musical theatre moved to Vietnam some five years ago – and has never looked back.
The active 70-year-old said the "clincher" in him making his dramatic move to south-east Asia came after his local traffic speed limit was decreased by 10km/h.
"In one week, I got $1000 in fines and that was it. I'd had enough," he said.
"I couldn't afford cabs if I wanted a drink, couldn't afford a night out and couldn't afford anything."
Mr Wilde said that he had lived in Danang for the last two years and loved it. The city is about half way between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Aside from the affordable costs of rent, utilities and connectivity, he said it was cheaper to eat out
"A great breakfast including a coffee and fresh juice is $2. Dinner might be $5 including a beer. I just bought a bottle of Vodka for $3.10.
Mr Wilde said costs could be higher close to the beach where most of the ex-pats lived. They could pay up to four times more for rent.
"Another factor is how safe you feel. I never worry about walking out at any time of the day or night."
"My quality of life is free of financial stress and I'm leading a life of luxury on the aged pension," Mr Wilde said.
Meanwhile, Perth pensioners are living a more frugal existence.
Mr John Essex, 75 and his wife Billie 83, live in a subsidised flat in East Perth. The retired hospitality worker said the couple were on a strict budget and their rent, phone, electricity and gas chewed up much of their pension.
"We worry about the cost of heating and turn it off once the room warms up. We can't afford to run an electric blanket – we warm up a wheat bag in the microwave," he said.
And the cost of food was another concern - with meat now a luxury.
"I last had a leg of lamb four years ago," he said.
Mr Essex said that his wife often made cauliflower pickles for charity sale but the cost of a whole cauli was now nearing $7.
"You get five jars from a cauliflower but it's hard to still make a profit for charity," he said.
A Curtin University academic said the movement of Australians to developing countries in the Asia Pacific region was a trend that echoed one where residents from the UK and northern Europe were moving to high amenity, warmer regions of southern Europe.
"Australians (like the European movements) tend to move to areas that have established 'western oriented' tourism infrastructure. They often move to areas they have visited a number of times for holidays," said Dr Amanda Davies of the Department of Planning and Geography.
She said most who moved had health insurance (usually a requirement of their visa conditions), and had thought about what they might do when they were not able to look after themselves.
"Some plan to get in-home help, some will move into purpose-built retirement communities, others will return to Australia," she said.
More than 10,000 Australians are now living in Bali. A third of them are estimated to be over 60 years of age and not working. Bali is one of the more popular destinations, but Thailand, Vietnam, and the Pacific Islands are growing in popularity.
A recent survey of Australians living in Bali by Dr Davies and Dr Aileen Hoath found people aged over 60 moved to Bali because they were able to access high quality housing in a desirable natural environment and access affordable in-home help, all for a much lower cost than Australia.
It is thought that the majority of Australians moving to Asia-Pacific for their retirement were "self-funded" retirees. However, a number of countries in the Asia Pacific are actively targeting wealthier retirees – including Australians.
