Arrival May 2013

[Dontrunup]

What Iam looking for is someone already there in the Philippines to mentor my move. I was also wondering would 1400$us a month be good enough to live on. Meaning, Internet , apartment, food eat local I'm open to that totally. And transportation before I leave I would like to find someone to correspond with and meet up once I arrive to assist me.

[Jollygoodfellow]

What Iam looking for is someone already there in the Philippines to mentor my move. I was also wondering would 1400$us a month be good enough to live on. Meaning, Internet , apartment, food eat local I'm open to that totally. And transportation before I leave I would like to find someone to correspond with and meet up once I arrive to assist me.

Hello and welcome

The how much a month has been beaten to death several times on the forum, this might be a good read,

It has to do with where you will be living and life style.

On that point you don't say where you would like a mentor, members live all over the Philippines so some have more knowledge of certain areas than others. Can you give us more info on your plans? :cheersty:

[Dontrunup]

Well I've read alot about Cebu I'd like somewhere fairly inexpensive but a few things like Internet and cable tv. One of my concerns is bringing my god she has to be with me. And I would like to make voyage summer of 2013. I have a vehicle but read a few post bringing a car is a hassle. That I can live without or send for at a Peter date !!! Passport and visa issues I've read up basically I'm coming alone and would prefer like a buddy system till get going. Where could I live that is affordable and safe and good for a guy from Seattle, Wa. Would 1400$ US In say Cebu provide me with a comfortable life ?

[Old55]

Feel free to ask questions here but please look over some of the past topics first there is a lot of useful information there.

The budget question is the most common. Everyone on the forum including me has an idea of what would work for them and no one agrees to an exact amount because we each have our own needs and expectations. If you ask “could I survive on $1400.00 a month total in Philippines” the answer from most members would be most likely be yes. Many members live on less than that amount now. The average Filipino on much less.

[Dontrunup]

I've read alot about Cebu and other surrounding areas not to sure where to really move to but I'm ready to make this voyage. I'm 38 single guy just my dog and living abroad had always interested me being a former soldier I've been around the globe. So where could I live on 1400$US but once I was setup I'd like to pay up all bills say 5 months is that possible there also? And what about taking my dog I have to have her with me!!! I'm just trying to figure this all out and there's so much to know ....

[tiger31]

yes is it city or province will make a big difference on your ability to live comfortably but my guess is that 1400 is good enough IMHO .If its cebu your heading to I would stay in mactan until you find your feet which is close to the airport so if you want to explore other islands then local flights from cebu would be handy for you .I,m 10 minutes from airport and pay 5000 pesos for a 2 bed appartment so it won,t break the bank lol

[tiger31]

yes forget about bringing your car the tax on imported cars are horrendous plenty of cheap travel here .

[Old55]

Keep in mind once your dog is in Philippines with you it would be very dificult to return it to the States.

[Dave Hounddriver]

A single guy living on 1400 gives you some options, but having a dog takes a lot of those away. Is the dog an outside do or an inside dog. Makes a huge difference as very few places in downtown Cebu have a yard. Very, VERY few if you want them to let you bring a dog and you have a moderately low budget. What do you do for entertainment? If you say chase girls and drink beers then you have a dilemma You will want to save transportation costs by being close to the nightlife but you will be hard pressed to find an outside dog friendly place near downtown. And so begins the vicious cycle of compromise. In addition, inflation is a living thing here. 1400 a month is today's equivalent of 1000 a month a few years back. What will that buy in 10 years? So worst case is you stay and have fun for a few years then have to go back to the west to earn a living . . but as mentioned, you will be committed to staying here until your dog dies as its a one way trip for poochie.

So what's the good news? If you want to stay about an hour's drive away from the nightlife, either to the north or the south of the city, you will find what you are looking for. Then it becomes all about what you do for hobbies and what those cost you.

[Okieboy]

Local food in Cebu might be McDonalds, but in the provience where $1400 you are rich Americano, you can live very good ,and don't worry about the dog , but keep an eye on it, after you have been here a while you will get the hang of it, i grew up my dad a butcher so we ate everything no one else wanted, calf brains, hearts and so on, my favorite here is (esow) chicken intestine on a stick deep fried only 5 piso you can get 4, rice and cola 37 piso, as far as night life don,t think in the provience there is none, there is a lot , and very cheap, my wifes aunt has a place where she has videoke, beer and food, my wife won't let me go without her, mostly girls from the provience and too young, you just need to take it easy and get the hang of it.