frosty (chris) Posted November 7, 2013 Posted November 7, 2013 Hi Michael, Well I am moving there January 2014 and plan on a $1000 a month, gee I don't spend that much here in Oz, when I was last there I looked at a 2 b/room unfurnished place in a gated area with security at the gate in Mactan, was 7500 pesos a month starting price so with a little haggling maybe a little cheaper. I have a friend there, a girl, only friends no relationship and I found with her help I have learnt heaps about what and where to buy the necessities I need and when the locals see a long nose coming gee the price goes up, so she does most of the haggling. I hope every thing works out for you, when I get there I will do some posts on the local prices and expenses, good luck 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred & Mimi Posted November 7, 2013 Posted November 7, 2013 Living costs can blow out from time to time when someone in the family gets sick. Not to mention birthday parties that the foreigner always seems to pick up the tab. Living as a single person with a small place $1000 is a no brainer if you don't indulge too much in western style luxuries. Its the other costs that you can incur being in most cases the bank of the family and the bigger the family, the bigger your budget.needs to be. On the plus side, you will become a popular member of the family 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted November 9, 2013 Posted November 9, 2013 This question comes up all the time. And no one can really answer it for anyone else because there are so many lifestyle choices only you can make for yourself. Need aircon? Hot water? Western style house? Bamboo house? Here is a link to a thread where I detailed one month of actual expenses for me. (It strayed off topic and got locked ha ha) http://www.philippines-expats.com/topic/16826-my-actual-spending-for-july-2013/ But I just tracked it again for October. Real pain in the but to write down every peso... but for October I had to pay my regular expenses plus a lot of extras: visa extension, p2,830, our PhilHealth p900, and 2 trips back to the province to visit in-laws (Dunkirk all over again). I have not totaled the 2 trips yet but it was probably about p6,000. And still only spent p29,000 total. So... I can live on under $1,000 a month. Your mileage may vary. Thank you for the budget, well done. Wish I could keep my expenses down to 30K. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootleultras Posted November 9, 2013 Posted November 9, 2013 I'm saving for a visit back to the UK next March for Me and my wife, so we are experimenting trying to stay on a budget of less than 40k per month, given our rent with all electric and such is 20k and she does the shopping, I even have left overs for a few beers in front of the TV each night...... If you're here for the simple life the answer is definitely yes.....I'm staying in Makati by the way, if you're single living around here you might just find it too tempting and you could probably blow your budget in a few crazy nights I would think so plan carefully. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tukaram (Tim) Posted November 9, 2013 Posted November 9, 2013 If i were single I probably could not do it. I would be chasing girls too much ha ha. And that gets expensive (dating or renting) . :tiphat: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMEL Posted November 16, 2013 Posted November 16, 2013 Hi. I've traveled Thailand and Phils for 3 years now on SS Disability. You can do this. While many will comment on 'lifestyle' being the main factor, let me expand on that based on my extensive life coaching experience and personal struggles over the last 3 years. What do you like to DO? Have you been retired long and are familiar with the freedom of time but lack of resources? Being realistic about who you are and what fulfills your day is the first thing to plan out. You may be feeling like I did before I left the USA... I will make a life wherever I am. That turned out easy for me in Thailand, and is proving harder here in Phils, but manageable. Without trying to put down Phils, I wonder if you have considered some other factors. These don't matter to some people, but are important to my lifestyle: Do you realize that medications are about the same price as in the USA but Thailand they are 1/5 the price? You mentioned that nipahut is not your thing, but are you willing to pay $400/mo for a quiet, tiny, clean, nice studio room? Myself, I like to pay $166/mo. Here in Phils that gets me a dirty, old, roosers crowing, dogs barking room. In Bangkok or at the beach, that amount gets me a very nice room. Save up or finance a condo? Twice the space in Thailand for the price with more ammenities. I could cite a thousand reasons why Thailand is better,but yet I am in the Phils. I will remain here most likely, but I get far less health and comfort for the money. These things and many more are what are important to me as the foundation of my lifestyle and I trade a lot to be here. It is worth it for my wife and for the service I do with my church. Initial costs being what they are, you will need to have a round trip or outward trip air ticket to enter so they know you will leave. For Thailand, I obtained a visa before I left USA so only paid one way. For continuing visas for the first 16 months, Phils is dead easy, cheap, and FAST eapecially in smaller cities like Bacolod, where Thailand you take a $60, 7 hour van trip to the border every 30 days. After 16 months in Phils, you will have to buy 3 air tickets to get out, come back, and have an exit proof. Before I left the USA, I found worldwide statistics on costs of living then crunched it in a spreadsheet to get the best 6 options. THEN I read extensively in travel and expat sites. I found out all of the above and chose Thailand, then life brought me here. Cool! Others who did the same wanted a country mostly Christian with rural beaches of English speakers so chose Phils. I and everyone here are here to help you figure it out, comiserate, show you the ropes, etc. You can do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettGC Posted November 16, 2013 Posted November 16, 2013 Having spent a lot of time in Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines over the years I chose PI. I didn't find the cost of prescription medicines any more expensive than here in Australia and in fact, most cases they were cheaper in all 3 countries. But I guess that depends on what you need. Cambodia has the easiest visa regulations, then PI, with Thailand being a very poor third (particularly since I'm under 50 and can't obtain a courtesy visa in Thailand due to my age). Accommodation I'd have to disagree with you JMEL, I've found Cambodia the cheapest and Thailand and PI about the same, for clean, quiet rooms for that are very comfortable. Buying in either country I didn't really look at, but I know in recent years they've relaxed the foreign ownership laws in Thailand to some extent - or is that business ownership only, I have friends that had most things in their wives names but no longer have to in Thailand. Christian? Meh, I describe myself as a semi-convinced agnostic with Buddhist tendencies so not an issue for me. English speaking factor I understand, but get out in the provinces of PI and I challenge anyone to have a colloquial English conversation with the local population but yeah, by and large it's much easier in PI. So after all that why PI for me? Cheap, I love the place, wonderful values and I met the woman of my dreams there. She'll read this and be on my back about her being third but hey.... Honey, I love you.... $1000 a month in any of the countries mentioned is doable. Just have a reserve fund, and the discipline to leave it alone, in case anything goes wrong. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tukaram (Tim) Posted November 16, 2013 Posted November 16, 2013 Outside Iloilo finding English speakers can be a challenge! But being farther from tourist centers the prices are cheaper. So it is a trade off. The whole visa run nonsense in Thailand really helped push me to the PI's. Never did look at Cambodia... well I am young, there is time... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettGC Posted November 16, 2013 Posted November 16, 2013 Outside Iloilo finding English speakers can be a challenge! But being farther from tourist centers the prices are cheaper. So it is a trade off. The whole visa run nonsense in Thailand really helped push me to the PI's. Never did look at Cambodia... well I am young, there is time... LOL I love you Tuka, always the options man! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frosty (chris) Posted November 16, 2013 Posted November 16, 2013 Good to read all the posts here, has taught me a lot, the $1000 a month seems do-able it seems as long as your not a drunk or a skirt chaser, lucky I am too old for either of those, maybe a quiet beer at a local restaurant with a pretty lady seems the way to go. Just to remind myself of the price difference, today I bought a packet of 30 cigs here, costs in pesos 820, no wonder I don't smoke too often. Looking forward to the adventure, have a good one 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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