Expats Living In Philippines Having Second Thoughts......

[Gratefuled]

On 21 February 2016 at 0:13 AM, Old55 said:

Living in the Philippines on a very tight budget with late night drunken karaoke, barking Roosters and any number of curious challenges?

has it all become too much. Wanna just quit? What would you do? Even if you have a "backup plan" can you truly go back? 

That seems to be the problem with many expats. Living on a tight budget and unable to go back. 

It reminds me of a conversation I had with one a while back. He is "stuck" in the Philippines because he cannot afford to go back. He is married to a good woman, he says but besides that, the only thing he has to look forward to is a good bowl movement. 

We would have coffee and chat whenever we met at the local coffee shop back in the PI. It's sad because he is a good guy and a good sense of humor but appears to be unhappy. Just living out his remaining years in the Philippines. Good that he is married to a good woman.

[Old55]

If an Expat had a choice of leaving even with very modest funds remaining it would provide peace of mind. In your friend's case he has a wonderful wife maybe if he had a choice he would be happy living there.

[ITGeek]

There is no way I'd be able to afford to raise a family of 4 back in California.  Eggs were $5 / dozen last winter, bread and milk prices have risen over 200% in past 5 years.  Don't even get me started on meat prices.  I remember going to Costco and buying 5 lbs of top quality ribeye steaks for $12-15.  Cost of housing, auto, utilities and medical just not worth the stress trying to maintain a good quality of life in the states.  Besides, the direction of the country is headed towards that of 3rd world status anyway.  I felt like a foreigner in my own country.  At work (Intel who just announced layoffs of 12,000 - code word for replacement by H1B foreigners) and at apartment complex I felt like a foreigner in my own country.  You would Indian families of 5-7 people living in 1 bd apartments.  I thought I was living in Bangalore or Mumbai instead of Sacramento.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

The cost of living is pretty good in Texas, and in Dallas jobs were a dime a dozen.  But... who wants to work?  I can stay in the PI's with no job. That got my vote.  

[mogo51]

6 hours ago, ITGeek said:

There is no way I'd be able to afford to raise a family of 4 back in California.  Eggs were $5 / dozen last winter, bread and milk prices have risen over 200% in past 5 years.  Don't even get me started on meat prices.  I remember going to Costco and buying 5 lbs of top quality ribeye steaks for $12-15.  Cost of housing, auto, utilities and medical just not worth the stress trying to maintain a good quality of life in the states.  Besides, the direction of the country is headed towards that of 3rd world status anyway.  I felt like a foreigner in my own country.  At work (Intel who just announced layoffs of 12,000 - code word for replacement by H1B foreigners) and at apartment complex I felt like a foreigner in my own country.  You would Indian families of 5-7 people living in 1 bd apartments.  I thought I was living in Bangalore or Mumbai instead of Sacramento.

Cost of living is much worse in Oz than the States.  I have just left Oz after 3 weeks and spent a small fortune whilst there.  No matter how expensive it is in Phils and I have just had a good look at Supermarket prices, it is nowhere near the cost of living in Oz.  A few items are equal or maybe a lilttle worse, but the majority of products are far cheaper.  Imported goods get the same treatment here as they do in Thailand.  It is a rob but what do we do.

[Sander Martin]

1 minute ago, mogo51 said:

Cost of living is much worse in Oz than the States.  I have just left Oz after 3 weeks and spent a small fortune whilst there.  No matter how expensive it is in Phils and I have just had a good look at Supermarket prices, it is nowhere near the cost of living in Oz.  A few items are equal or maybe a lilttle worse, but the majority of products are far cheaper.  Imported goods get the same treatment here as they do in Thailand.  It is a rob but what do we do.

I guess it depends on where you shop in Aus and what you eat. I did my shoping in Spudsheds in Perth and most the stuff i bought there was cheaper compared to supermarkets in Iloilo. Quality was much better in Aus. Transport, rent and hotels (even the sh&ty motels charge you 70aud per night) are superhigh tho. Wages are high, so its not to bad when your living and working there.

Transport and rent are the two things that are cheap here. Food is cheap if you eat like a Filipino.

[mogo51]

Just to add to my previous post, rents in Australia are off the planet.  My mate just went back to Oz and is paying $350 week, not monthly.  I am living in a nice Apartment in Pattaya 92sqmts views of city and bay of Thailannd,18k month $110pw, big difference.

Yes I am one that cannot afford to go back, but don't really  want to, not at this stage anyway.

[Jack Peterson]

1 minute ago, Sander Martin said:

Food is cheap if you eat like a Filipino.

 Well on this I would have to have a little disagree,  I can eat a Full style English Breakfast for about 300 peso including Coffee, (4.54 pounds) A friend in the UK pays 10/11 pound for more or less the same thing.

 I know it can all be relative but ............................

[Sander Martin]

28 minutes ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Well on this I would have to have a little disagree,  I can eat a Full style English Breakfast for about 300 peso including Coffee, (4.54 pounds) A friend in the UK pays 10/11 pound for more or less the same thing.

 I know it can all be relative but ............................

Is that restaurant prices? I'm not supriced. A restaurant worker in UK and Aus probably earns 2-3 time more in an hour then what an Filipino worker earns in a day. Meal for one in a random pub (main+Pint of beer) in Australia will cost you 30+ aud (1000pesos). Cook the same meal at home and I doubt its cheaper here compared to UK.

[Jack Peterson]

1 minute ago, Sander Martin said:

Is that restaurant prices? I'm not supriced. A restaurant worker in UK and Aus probably earns 2-3 time more in an hour then what an Filipino worker earns in a day. Meal for one in a random pub (main+Pint of beer) in Australia will cost you 30+ aud (1000pesos). Cook the same meal at home and I doubt its cheaper here compared to UK.

 Oh yes I was just saying, Cooking this at Home would be far Cheaper but I am not a lover of the way it gets cooked and too f...g lazy to do it meself