Moving to the Philippines

[Freebie]

Low cost of living... hmm having just returned from 2 months in UK Id say our food and drink costs are the same these days. Electricity same water costs similar. Running a car more exp there same as petrol costs. 

Cleaner air.. well up in the hills of Northern Pennines, Lake district , Yorkshire dales etc air quality significantly better in UK.

Traffic... in the larger cities really bad in Manila where I live.

Way of life.. expect to see thousands of security guards with guns who basically sit and play candy crush all day, whislt sometimes poking a little drumsticks in folks bags as if that provides a deterrence to anything.

People.. they are as you find them.. some scammers here same as UK.. some sweet honeys here, perhaps not same as UK.

Prepare to find and examine the differences to see if they work for you.

Oh PS, cash still used here 90% of time !

[jimeve]

And back in the UK we have NHS health-care, free. Paid by the Brits who pay NI. So not free.

I can't use that anymore. 

[stevewool]

3 hours ago, Freebie said:

Low cost of living... hmm having just returned from 2 months in UK Id say our food and drink costs are the same these days. Electricity same water costs similar. Running a car more exp there same as petrol costs. 

Cleaner air.. well up in the hills of Northern Pennines, Lake district , Yorkshire dales etc air quality significantly better in UK.

Traffic... in the larger cities really bad in Manila where I live.

Way of life.. expect to see thousands of security guards with guns who basically sit and play candy crush all day, whislt sometimes poking a little drumsticks in folks bags as if that provides a deterrence to anything.

People.. they are as you find them.. some scammers here same as UK.. some sweet honeys here, perhaps not same as UK.

Prepare to find and examine the differences to see if they work for you.

Oh PS, cash still used here 90% of time !

So did you enjoy your 2 months back here in Blighty 

[hk blues]

4 hours ago, Freebie said:

Low cost of living... hmm having just returned from 2 months in UK Id say our food and drink costs are the same these days. Electricity same water costs similar. Running a car more exp there same as petrol costs. 

Cleaner air.. well up in the hills of Northern Pennines, Lake district , Yorkshire dales etc air quality significantly better in UK.

Traffic... in the larger cities really bad in Manila where I live.

Way of life.. expect to see thousands of security guards with guns who basically sit and play candy crush all day, whislt sometimes poking a little drumsticks in folks bags as if that provides a deterrence to anything.

People.. they are as you find them.. some scammers here same as UK.. some sweet honeys here, perhaps not same as UK.

Prepare to find and examine the differences to see if they work for you.

Oh PS, cash still used here 90% of time !

I reckon a broadbrush approach would say that here (Philippines) things are cheaper IF you live like more like a local and not a middle-class one at that.  Once you start to live more like the middle-class here you are probably going to spend as much if not more than you would in the UK. 

Probably the only thing we would all agree on is the weather - it's hotter here!  And that's not necessarily a positive for everyone.  

Also, whilst spending a few days here. or even weeks, is better than nothing, it cannot really prepare you properly for living here.  Things which are not a big deal in the short term can become one, and vice-versa, once you are living here permanently.  

[stevewool]

4 minutes ago, hk blues said:

I reckon a broadbrush approach would say that here (Philippines) things are cheaper IF you live like more like a local and not a middle-class one at that.  Once you start to live more like the middle-class here you are probably going to spend as much if not more than you would in the UK. 

Probably the only thing we would all agree on is the weather - it's hotter here!  And that's not necessarily a positive for everyone.  

Also, whilst spending a few days here. or even weeks, is better than nothing, it cannot really prepare you properly for living here.  Things which are not a big deal in the short term can become one, and vice-versa, once you are living here permanently.  

This is it , what suits one does not suits others , I bet there’s lots who spends loads on the food they are missing from back home , I miss my cheese , I miss my steak , I miss my marmite, no one misses marmite I’ll take that back , anyway back to me I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t eat much meat , what’s put on my plate in front of me I’ll try so maybe my living cost could be cheaper or the same as I pay now.

The weather well I do like to be warm but like you say after awhile it can become to hot but it would be nice to experience it for a while not just for the odd day .

Anyway the plans going forward are still in place and looking forward to it too, keep the conversation coming it’s good to hear from folk living there and telling it like it could be 

[jimeve]

2 hours ago, stevewool said:

The weather well I do like to be warm but like you say after awhile it can become to hot but it would be nice to experience it for a while not just for the odd day

It's more that hot, it's humid too and sometimes hard to stop sweating. As I don't have AC  in the house only ceiling fans I sit underneath a fan to cool down.

Nice to go shopping in a AC cooled mall just to cool off.  

[Snowy79]

On 10/30/2023 at 3:06 PM, craftbeerlover said:

that is quite the range for "Great", can you elaborate a little more on that?

For 25k you can get a 44sqm condo on the hillside with two pools a jacuzzi, landscaped gardens and nice views about 15 mins from the centre. Right in the centre you can get an ultra modern 44sqm condo with a jacuzzi in the middle of the room but only 200m from all the nightlife for 180k. A slighly less luxurious one is about 65k per month plus utilities. The best I saw for location was a very modern room about 35sqm, 500m from the centre but 50m from the beach.

[stevewool]

2 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

For 25k you can get a 44sqm condo on the hillside with two pools a jacuzzi, landscaped gardens and nice views about 15 mins from the centre. Right in the centre you can get an ultra modern 44sqm condo with a jacuzzi in the middle of the room but only 200m from all the nightlife for 180k. A slighly less luxurious one is about 65k per month plus utilities. The best I saw for location was a very modern room about 35sqm, 500m from the centre but 50m from the beach.

Starting at the 25k is that with a kitchen too, plus would there be any other charges like service cost , plus is there a time weather wise not to be in borocay 

[MotorSarge]

13 hours ago, Freebie said:

Way of life.. expect to see thousands of security guards with guns who basically sit and play candy crush all day, whislt sometimes poking a little drumsticks in folks bags as if that provides a deterrence to anything.

I always enjoy this one when there are two security guards for the larger places.

One Female & one Male.

I always go to the female guard (bag checker since she never has the shotgun).

Me Asawa always states "Daddy that is for girls & women only".

Not one time have I been stopped or questioned by any of them..

[Mike J]

5 hours ago, MotorSarge said:

I always go to the female guard (bag checker since she never has the shotgun).

I will sometimes say; "You look very nice in your uniform".  That is when I am shopping by myself of course.