Monthly Expenses

[Tatoosh]

Rent: 15,000 (3 bedroom plus with covered protected parking)Electricity: 4,400 - 5,200 (too many electrical items: TVs, computers, freezer and 2 refrigerators)Cable TV Bill: 750Computer Access 512k speed down: 1,500Food 12,000 - 15,000 (I'm a foodie and we experiment - ice cream/BBQ/smoking/sous vide/pizza making - feeds five)School Tuitions: 2x 5000, though not every month, but they are on a trimester so it happens on most months.Water: 2000 (both tank water and drinking water)Misc: 5000 stuff that pops up from school projects to new shoesIf I kicked everyone out except my wife and we moved to a simple 2 bedroom, we could probably get by on 45,000 a month easily. If I started living on pancit canton, hot dogs and beans, supplemented with the local popcorn, we'd get the food bill under 4,000 easily. That happens occasionally. :mocking:

[Bundy]

Here's an interesting site to compare living costs around the world. You'll note on the map, Australia, Canada, and Japan are all at the high end whilst Philippines is at the low end. www.numbeo.com

[Jake]

.....I always ate native and loved it!

I love catching you guys off balance with my usual off topic, off the wall remarks -- now Bob, pleaseexplain to the boys and girls about the natives you ate and how you loved it.....he, he.Bundy, you're the man! Excellent website that you provided for comparing cost of living world wide.I can readily see that Australia is through the roof in just about in every category. Respectfully -- Jake

[Mike S]

Actually I kind of like it done over the year.... Not every month in our lives are the same so it shows these variances quite nicely! At today's exchange it's around $12,500 (Canadian ... :hystery: ) so we can all get an idea if we can live this life! And since that's pretty close to what I'm trying to live on now in Canada (not that I have to), I think I can do it there too! When I travelled, I always ate native and loved it!

Sir Bob ...... your wish is my command ...... this is for Jan.1 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011 ........ now I know some of these categories are not going to make sense to some of you but they do to me and quite frankly I don't have the time to explain each and every one ..... so bare with me ..... I understand them ......... :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: ........ this is for 2 people and I am on a 13a visa ..... you can see my other post to explain a little more on SOME of the expenses ...... the rest you will have to use your imagination a little ...... by the way this is pretty damn accurate as I do all my expenditures weekly from actual numbers ...... no guessing ..... all receipts slips are entered in as they appear on the slip ...... enjoy ..... :nudie:Bills:Bottled Water.................................2,440.00Bills:Cellular...........................................4,455.00Bills:DSL & Phone...............................14,282.00Bills:Electricity.....................................23,350.33Bills:Gasul.............................................3,246.00Bills:Rent............................................126,915.32Clothing:Accesories...............................8,869.79Clothing:Clothes....................................9,646.20Computer:Hardware.............................39,841.46Computer:Misc......................................4,388.58Entertainment:Books................................810.00Entertainment:Misc................................2,344.00Food.......................................................1,603.25Food:Eating Out...................................51,012.45Food:Groceries...................................130,489.06Food:Market.........................................14,585.55Goverment:Paper work............................890.00Goverment:Related costs.........................936.00Goverment:SSS......................................2,808.00Goverment:Visa costs...............................860.00Healthcare:Insurance..............................1,300.00Healthcare:Prescriptions...........................195.00Healthcare:Supplements.........................9,558.58Household.................................................728.00Household:Furnishings...........................6,984.00Household:Hardware..............................9,762.72Household:Kitchen...............................1,055.00Household:Tools.................................31,644.09Miscellaneous.......................................2,226.50Miscellaneous:Gifts................................700.00Miscellaneous:Shipping.........................449.00Miscellaneous:Supplies.......................17,757.02Personal:Other.....................................19,598.95Support.................................................22,495.20Transportation:Airlines.........................5,574.00Transportation:Taxi.............................22,194.64Total.................................................547,581.74547,581.74p divided by 12 = 45631p per month or 45631p divided 43p = $1061.20 per month US Edited January 29, 2012 by Dave Hounddriver
Amended per member's request in post 35

[i am bob]

Actually I kind of like it done over the year.... Not every month in our lives are the same so it shows these variances quite nicely! At today's exchange it's around $12,500 (Canadian ... :hystery: ) so we can all get an idea if we can live this life! And since that's pretty close to what I'm trying to live on now in Canada (not that I have to), I think I can do it there too! When I travelled, I always ate native and loved it!

Sir Bob ...... your wish is my command ...... this is for Jan.1 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011 ........ now I know some of these categories are not going to make sense to some of you but they do to me and quite frankly I don't have the time to explain each and every one ..... so bare with me ..... I understand them ......... :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: ........ this is for 2 people and I am on a 13a visa ..... you can see my other post to explain a little more on SOME of the expenses ...... the rest you will have to use your imagination a little ...... by the way this is pretty damn accurate as I do all my expenditures weekly from actual numbers ...... no guessing ..... all receipts slips are entered in as they appear on the slip ...... enjoy ..... :nudie:Bills:Bottled Water.................................2,440.00Bills:Cellular...........................................4,455.00Bills:DSL & Phone...............................14,282.00Bills:Electricity.....................................23,350.33Bills:Gasul.............................................3,246.00Bills:Rent............................................126,915.32Clothing:Accesories...............................8,869.79Clothing:Clothes....................................9,646.20Computer:Hardware.............................39,841.46Computer:Misc......................................4,388.58Entertainment:Books................................810.00Entertainment:Misc................................2,344.00Food.......................................................1,603.25Food:Eating Out...................................51,012.45Food:Groceries...................................130,489.06Food:Market.........................................14,585.55Goverment:Paper work............................890.00Goverment:Related costs.........................936.00Goverment:SSS......................................2,808.00Goverment:Visa costs...............................860.00Healthcare:Insurance..............................1,300.00Healthcare:Prescriptions...........................195.00Healthcare:Supplements.........................9,558.58Household.................................................728.00Household:Furnishings...........................6,984.00Household:Hardware..............................9,762.72Household:Kitchen...............................1,055.00Household:Tools.................................31,644.09Miscellaneous.......................................2,226.50Miscellaneous:Gifts................................700.00Miscellaneous:Shipping.........................449.00Miscellaneous:Supplies.......................17,757.02Personal:Other.....................................19,598.95Support.................................................22,495.20Transportation:Airlines.........................5,574.00Transportation:Taxi.............................22,194.64Total.................................................547,581.74547,581.74p divided by 12 = 45631p per month or 45631p divided 43p = $1061.20 per month US

Nice! So to compare with my other calculations, you are spending $16,404.82 yearly or $1367.07 a month. FYI - these amounts are Canadian $ as the last time I did the breakdown, I used Canadian $. Also the money conversion app on my phone is set for Canadian $. What is the dif to American $ ? Not sure but the rate was updated yesterday from the Bank of America AND both Canadian and American $ were at par - so probably within pennies. Sorry to you Australians out there... Got no idea!For all you out there who have not done the move yet - don't be discouraged by seeing costs in pesos! I was looking at the prices listed there at first and thought "Oh my God but I can't afford this"!!! But then $1300 a month? Sure looks different when you see it that way! Now for another word to the wise... Don't get used to converting back to your home $ but do your pricing in pesos... If you want to understand your budget, you have to get used to seeing it in the proper form! And this way, once you are here, that $10 tip won't feel so small when you realize it's 427.80 in pesos! Edited January 29, 2012 by Dave Hounddriver
The quote was changed to reflect changes to the quoted post

[i am bob]

.....I always ate native and loved it!

I love catching you guys off balance with my usual off topic, off the wall remarks -- now Bob, pleaseexplain to the boys and girls about the natives you ate and how you loved it.....he, he.Bundy, you're the man! Excellent website that you provided for comparing cost of living world wide.I can readily see that Australia is through the roof in just about in every category. Respectfully -- Jake

Let's see... There was the two young chicks where you get lots of white meat and dark meat, there was that red crab that was a real b*tch to swallow, the yellow... Did I mention that my ex was from Taiwan? I may have been Air Force but I ended up working Naval Air for 15 years... I could have turned into Jake! :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: :hystery:

[Art2ro]

Actually I kind of like it done over the year....

Sir Bob ...... your wish is my command ...... . this is for 2 people and I am on a 13a visa ..... by the way this is pretty damn accurate as I do all my expenditures weekly from actual numbers ...... no guessing ..... all receipts slips are entered in as they appear on the slip ...... enjoy ...Total...........701,800.66 a year in pesos!divided by P43 = $16,320 divided by 12 = U$D 1,360 a month

I had to get the calculator out to figure what it was a month in dollars! Approx: $1,360 (P43 peso rate)! Not bad Mike considering those large numbers! You see why I prefer it listed on a monthly basis? Those big numbers looks intimidating!I always convert pesos into dollars because my pension is in dollars and I like to see what my monthly budget is in dollars! I don't always think in pesos! Well, each to their own money management! Edited January 29, 2012 by Art2ro

[Higg-num]

This cannot be true. To freaking good to be true more like. Ya'll are telling me that a man could live fair to good for under $1700 USD ! ? ! ?

[Old55]

This cannot be true. To freaking good to be true more like. Ya'll are telling me that a man could live fair to good for under $1700 USD ! ? ! ?

Yes and No. We all have different needs and expectations. A single guy wanting to live a simple basic life could do so under $1000.00 a month. It would be more survival than living. $2,000 or more would be a reasonable amount for a comfortable life.

[Bundy]

This cannot be true. To freaking good to be true more like. Ya'll are telling me that a man could live fair to good for under $1700 USD ! ? ! ?

Don't get too carried away. Mike lives a simple but enjoyable life (to him). Now, if you happen to drink and smoke, like going to the clubs and travelling new places every week you can expect the costs to skyrocket.As he pointed out previously, these are HIS costs and can't be applied to just anyone but it sure does give you a good starting point for formulating your own budget.