The Philippines placed eighth among the world’s top retirement destinations in the 2026 Rumavi Global Relocation Index, with the country scoring particularly high in affordability and housing costs.
The Singapore-based relocation advisory firm ranked the Philippines No. 8 among 192 countries and territories in its retiree category.
Malaysia topped the list, followed by other countries, while Thailand ranked fourth. The Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand were the only Southeast Asian countries in the index’s global Top 10 for retirees.
Rumavi gave the Philippines a score of 95.1 for general affordability and 91 for housing affordability, among its strongest indicators in the 2026 index. The firm described the country as a “particularly strong option” for retirees because of its affordability and housing costs.
The index evaluates 192 countries across 24 metrics and reweights the data for different relocation profiles, including retirees, digital nomads, families, entrepreneurs and tax focused movers.
For the Philippines, Rumavi’s other indicators included a 67 score for healthcare quality, 64 for healthcare access cost and 72 for digital infrastructure. The country received lower scores for climate risk, at 42, and rule of law, at 46.
Retirement visa
The Philippines also offers the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV), the Philippine Retirement Authority’s program for qualified foreign nationals and former Filipinos seeking to reside in the country.
The SRRV provides multiple entry privileges and indefinite stay in the Philippines. Holders may also access discounts and other privileges through Philippine Retirement Authority accredited merchant partners.
Rumavi’s methodology gives the Philippines a retirement visa program bonus in its retiree ranking, alongside countries with established retirement residency programs.
The latest recognition follows another international retirement ranking earlier this year.
The Expatriate Group’s Retirement Abroad Index 2026 named the Philippines the world’s top retirement destination, giving the country a score of 78 out of 100 and placing it ahead of 19 other countries assessed in that index.
That ranking considered healthcare quality, visa accessibility, health insurance requirements, cost of living, and expat community and integration.
The two rankings use different methodologies and country sets, with Rumavi assessing 192 countries across multiple relocation profiles while the Expatriate Group’s retirement index assessed 20 countries.
Photo courtesy of Vetty Mata
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