She couldn’t afford to retire in New Zealand. Now she eats out three times a day in Vietnam

Wednesday, 13 May 2026

67-year-old Dianne Sharma-Winter couldn’t afford food or rent in Aotearoa. She moved to Vietnam, where her monthly costs — including food, accommodation and healthcare — are now around $600.

Dianne Sharma-Winter has no regrets about leaving New Zealand for Vietnam.

This story was amended on May 13 to show Dianne Sharma-Winter's monthly accommodation, food and medical costs were around $600 and not $300. The visa runs were also every three months and not six months as reported.

A Kiwi pensioner who couldn’t afford to eat or rent a house in Aotearoa now dines out three times a day in a country where New Zealand butter is “cheap”, and calls herself an “economic refugee from New Zealand’s insane cost of living”.

Dianne Sharma-Winter, 67, originally from the Bay of Plenty, has moved to Vietnam, where her monthly costs, including food, accommodation, and health, amount to around $600.

“I budget $10 a day for food, and eat three healthy meals in local cafés. You can sit as long as you like, using their wi-fi, air conditioning. They don’t mind - it’s encouraged.”

Groceries are “a fraction” of the New Zealand cost, she says.

Since January, Sharma-Winter has been living in Da Lat, an inland mountain town.

“I sent a friend a photo of my big basket of fresh fruit and veg I got for a few dollars. She said it would be $60 there. I checked prices online and it was more.

Sharma-Winter used to have her own travel business but “Covid put a stop to that”, and she lost her income source. She applied for social housing, and was only offered a home in Nelson.

“With rent, food and other costs, you can’t survive on a benefit or super. I wanted to work, but then my payments reduce.”

Vietnam offered the cheapest cost of living at what she says is a higher standard than New Zealand.

“I looked at Bali and Thailand, but they are overrun with people, prices have shot up.”

Since January, Sharma-Winter has been living in Da Lat, an inland mountain town, less expensive than Vietnam’s more well-known tourist destinations, with a milder climate.

Her apartment costs $250 a month, including electricity and high-speed wi-fi.

In her building, there’s a mix of locals and people from overseas, she says.

“I don’t want to call them expats. That makes it sound exotic when what we are is economic refugees. I’m really conscious of what we are giving back to the country that is hosting us.”

She doesn’t need a car.

“I’m super-fit from walking everywhere, or get a Grab motorbike, like Uber but just $2.”

A dentist visit costs $15.

“I’m too scared to go to the dentist in New Zealand, not of the tooth extraction but the bill. I don’t have health insurance because everything is so cheap here.”

With everyday basics so affordable, her budget allows treats that she was “too poor” to consider, such as a beauty treatment costing over $100 in New Zealand.

“I had a facial - the works - for just $12.”

Vietnam does not have a retirement visa, so her main costs are “visa runs”, flying in and out every three months to Kuala Lumpur or Thailand.

‘Single people are especially vulnerable’

Almost 120,000 Kiwis left to live overseas last year, including 271 over 65.

New Zealand’s superannuation is close to the poverty threshold defined for OECD countries, according to the United Nations. There are concerns about poverty for a large number of older Kiwis - around 60% of singles and 40% of couples - who have little or no additional income, making them “very vulnerable”.

New Zealand citizens over 65 eligible for superannuation payments in New Zealand can apply to keep these payments going if they move overseas, unless the destination is the UK.

As the cost of living rises, there’s increasing recognition from financial experts that for people without savings, super is no longer enough.

Brittany Goodwin, social policy and advocacy lead at Good Shepherd, says older women in particular are vulnerable to New Zealand's rising living costs.

Many older people lack savings or KiwiSaver as they enter retirement, the policy and advocate lead at the Good Shepherd charity, Brittany Goodwin, told Stuff.

“Single people are especially vulnerable because they can’t share costs, and if they’re solely reliant on super, then they’re really going to struggle.”

Recent research by Good Shepherd shows that many single older women in particular are struggling with the cost of living.

“Older people are finding it hard to retain affordable, appropriate housing when they’re on limited incomes, and many are using over half of their weekly income on housing costs alone. Because housing costs are fixed, single older people are forced to limit costs in other areas, like food and power,” Goodwin said.

“We’ve heard stories of women not heating their homes in winter or being unable to afford nutritious food because there’s simply nothing left in their budget to spare, and this is only going to get worse as we see prices of food and energy continuing to rise.”

‘Struggle street is real’

Salvation Army director of housing strategy Mark Limmer.

MoneyHub founder Chris Walsh says “struggle street” in retirement is real.

“While NZ Super provides a foundation, it's barely enough to cover basic living costs, let alone healthcare emergencies or family support. NZ Super gives you about $28,000 if you're single and $43,000 as a couple. Try living comfortably on that when your rates bill alone is $5000, and your power bill hits $4000 annually.”

The Office for Seniors’ He Oranga Kaumātua strategy document predicts “increased numbers of financially vulnerable older people needing extra support, including housing support”.

Mark Limmer, Salvation Army director of housing services, told Stuff it’s helped 54 people aged 65 and above find housing in the past year, up 15% from the previous year.

This story was amended on May 13 to show Dianne Sharma-Winter's monthly accommodation, food and medical costs were around $600 and not $300. The visa runs were also very three months and not six months as reported.