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Thailand vs Indonesia

The real split here is how each country tests your money: Thailand's DTV asks for a cash cushion of around 500,000 baht (roughly 14,000 US dollars) but sets no income floor, while Indonesia's E33G wants proof of roughly 60,000 US dollars a year in foreign income but far less cash in the bank. One rewards savings and a long five-year runway, the other rewards a solid remote salary and a simpler one-year permit.

Thailand vs Indonesia

Side by side

Thailand Indonesia
Digital nomad visa Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) E33G Remote Worker Visa
Income requirement No monthly income floor. The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is a lump-sum test: about 500,000 THB (~$14,000) sitting in your account across the 3 months before you apply At least USD 60,000/yr in salary or income, shown through a bank account (E33G remote worker visa)
Tax residency Tax-resident once you spend more than 180 days in a calendar year in Thailand. Foreign income earned from 1 January 2024 is taxable when you remit it, even if the remittance lands in a later tax year; income earned before 2024 stays outside the net You are a resident taxpayer once you spend more than 183 days in Indonesia within any 12 months, counted in one run or in pieces, with any part of a day counting as a whole day. Residents are taxed on worldwide income. The 4-year territorial regime for foreigners with certain expertise is reserved for foreign workers in listed job positions and for approved researchers, so E33G remote workers cannot use it.
Cost of living Low Low
Currency THB IDR
Healthcare There is no reciprocal healthcare agreement, so foreigners pay upfront; private hospitals in Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai are high standard but expensive, making comprehensive health insurance essential. There is no reciprocal public healthcare agreement for foreigners, so comprehensive travel or expat health insurance including medical evacuation is essential.
Driving An International Driving Permit alongside your home licence is required to drive legally, and police checkpoints do ask for it. A foreign licence alone is not enough; carry an International Driving Permit together with your home licence to drive legally.

The bottom line

For most nomads with savings, Thailand quietly wins on paper: the DTV runs five years with unlimited entries, and the cost of living from Chiang Mai to the islands is low, though where you land matters as much as the country. Indonesia suits high earners better, since the E33G's roughly 60,000 US dollar income bar is the gate, and Bali's comfortable solo month of about 1,000 to 2,500 US dollars can creep up fast once Western food, villas and coworking desks add in. On tax, the two differ in kind: Thailand makes you resident once you pass 180 days in a calendar year and taxes foreign income you remit into the country (tighter since January 2024), while Indonesia does so once you pass 183 days in any twelve months and then generally taxes worldwide income, softened only by treaties, because its narrow four-year regime is reserved for listed job positions and approved researchers and is not open to E33G remote workers. Both are non-EU and low-cost, so the honest deciding factors are your cash versus your income, and how long a runway you want. Treat every figure as an estimate and confirm the current rules with the consulate before you commit.

Pick Thailand if you have a solid cash cushion but no fixed high salary, and you want a five-year visa with unlimited entries and a mature, easy-to-plug-into nomad scene.

Pick Indonesia if you comfortably clear the roughly 60,000 US dollar foreign-income bar, keep less cash on hand, and want Bali's remote-work crowd on a one-year permit you can usually renew.

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