Living on $800

[Dave Hounddriver]

Here's a thought, how many of those living on 800 will be unable to do so come Jan 1 . . . when the Sin tax is applied to the beer :th_unfair:

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I don't drink beer.... so I will survive it. :cheersty:

[Mike S]

Well here is my take .... if you are going to tax something ..... tax things that people don't need ...... :attention: :mocking: ........ beer & cigarettes come to mind and if you are a Filipina ..... junk foods ..... :hystery: :hystery: ........ sorry Dave just couldn't resist ..... :lol: ...... yea I know I'm hanging on by a thread :help56:

[nor cal mike]

tax things that people don't need

Just don't include haircolor in that. hehehe

[oldutot]

800 dollars a month won't get you too far in Manila, But then that 800 a month is a lot of money for a common Filipino lifestyle

[GregZ]

800 dollars a month won't get you too far in Manila, But then that 800 a month is a lot of money for a common Filipino lifestyle

Since I am moving to Manila next week I'll try $800 a month and let you know how I do. :no: :89: I've made up my budget and it comes to $765 a month without a life... Can I get a life for $35 US dollars there? :565: I'll bring my karaoke I guess!

[Old55]

Let us know how it works out GregZ.

[Thomas]

800 dollars a month won't get you too far in Manila, But then that 800 a month is a lot of money for a common Filipino lifestyle

Since I am moving to Manila next week I'll try $800 a month and let you know how I do. :no: :89: I've made up my budget and it comes to $765 a month without a life... Can I get a life for $35 US dollars there? :565: I'll bring my karaoke I guess!

Sure you can. 35$ is almost 1/3 of a common Filipin LIVING budget, and many of them are happy anyway :)

Yes, karaoke is one of the type* of entertainment I support.

*=Hobbies, which can cost some to get, but cost (almost) nothing to use, so it's cheap in the long run.

[joeatmanila]

as i have stated before, living and survival is two different things. There are cheaper countries than Philippines when it comes to survival issues...better look that direction.

Here where i live is middle to low income filipino families. Even the low income they do make more than 25000p/month per household=700$/month.

If you think you will come here, you will find a beauty pinay to marry and live with you while she her father, mother and brother are all working and you all live in one house sharing the bills....800$ will be more than enough for you. See the picture:

You bring your "youth, wisdom and manners" plus 800$/month, they accept you as such, they all work while you seat enjoying the sun...So surealistic not even Salvador Dali could not paint...

Then again you can go to Vietnam and make it just fine on 800$, young girls, great pot, better local food, great beaches, all kinds of sports etc, name it what your heart desires Vietnam can give it, but NOT Philippines!!!

[i am bob]

Joe, we gotta get you out of Manila! :mocking:

I'm not saying that people are going to live on $800 a month but they can live for a lot less outside of Manila or even Cebu... And the more provincial they go, the cheaper it gets! There are a lot of people who are living in other countries for not much more - and I'm talking the developed countries like Canada, US, France, England, etc. If they can handle that in their home country, why can't they do the same in the Philippines? I know of people less than an hour's drive from Cebu who are renting their homes for less than $20 a month. And the places aren't too bad looking either... Not an estate but a normal duplex or house. With a yard... And a vegetable garden... And some even have pens for the future Lechon... Isn't that a major expense looked after right there? And for some people, this would be a dream come true! I know this isn't everybody's cup of tea.... Some people need to live in the city. Some people need to go out every night. Some people need to eat in restaurants for every meal. These people are not going to live on $800. In fact, if they were to go back to their home country, I doubt they could afford to do this once a week - and most probably once a month would be the limit. It all comes down to options and choices and location. :tiphat: