World Economy,the Expats Downfall?

[CebuAndy]

I'm living in Thailand and seen many expats leaving last 1-2 year, due to bad exchange rates and higher cost of living.Some move back home, most move to Cambodia or Laos. Many on fixed pensions, that don't get adjusted for yearly inflation. Many can't afford medical insurance (USD 500-1.500), and a few without valid visa (USD 860 year). Number of expats are declining fast here.Personally I keep a close look at my expenses and saving for the future.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I'm living in Thailand and seen many expats leaving last 1-2 year, due to bad exchange rates and higher cost of living.Some move back home, most move to Cambodia or Laos. Many on fixed pensions, that don't get adjusted for yearly inflation. Many can't afford medical insurance (USD 500-1.500), and a few without valid visa (USD 860 year). Number of expats are declining fast here.Personally I keep a close look at my expenses and saving for the future.

I sure wish the Philippines would let us get a 1 year tourist visa. We have to renew every two months. The total for 12 months is only about 24K pesos (under US$600) but when you add the cost of getting to a BI office every 2 months (unless you live close to one) then US$860 a year sounds good.

[Art2ro]

When I was still in the military in the late 60s, I was stationed in the Clark air base, Philippines for 4 yrs and at U-Tapao, Thailand for 2 yrs! I enjoyed both places and Thailand was my 1st choice whenever I retired because of their low cost of living and beautiful women suited me, but it didn’t turn out that way since I got married to a Filipina! Just as well though, because I probably wouldn’t have lasted in Thailand for too long due to their immigration policies, the language barrier since I couldn’t pick up their difficult language and the lay of the land didn’t appeal to me very much because it was kind of flat and back in those days the roads and infrastructures were pretty bad! Today Thailand has improved considerably, but still their immigration polices hasn’t changed much! Since I’m a Fil/Am, immigration polices here in the Philippines is more to my liking where I can use their 1 year BB stamp and 6 month extensions up to 2 yrs until the time when I decide to get my “Dual Citizenship” which I can stay in the Philippines indefinitely without anymore further immigration hassles! So, we're here to stay for the long haul, because we like it here and it's our country of origin, our roots and I've learn to speak the Tagalog language again fluently and can even write and text in Tagalog, but hey, I'm a Fil/Am and in it's my blood! So Jake, my SS Buddy, get with the program and do as I did and besides, you have Judy to tutor you!

Edited August 21, 2011 by Art2ro

[twostrokes]

As I had said on another thread, where cost of living was the subject, I have also given up the idea of moving back to the RP unless things really get bad here in San Antonio area. I had recently recalculated my expenses here and at $1615 for all necessities that is pretty cheap. This is mainly because my house is paid for and is a very nice 3000 sqft house on one acre in the country. I blow another 400-1000 on my toys and my mini vacations. I go to a lot of motorcycle rallys around the country and support 4 autos and 3 motorcycles, some of which are money pits. But they are my toys, thus justified. All my pensions totals about 3100 a month. So I don't have much room for major inflation and I will have to start giving up things (toys) and trips. The other problem is that my lifestyle and interests have changed greatly since I last lived in the RP. I left there in 93. I spent 15 or so years living there between 65 and 93. A lot changed, and I know a lot more has changed since I left. The things i enjoy and spend my time doing now is just not really available in the RP. Yes there are places to ride motorcycles, but lets face it, safety is even a larger problem there than it is here. It is bad enough here. I was just rearended the first of june on my Goldwing trike which totaled it and nearly me. It has been replaced with another Goldwing, 10 years newer but no longer a trike. Never really fell in love with the trike, even though the wife liked it better for cross country travel. She will get over it, as she has been cross country before with me on my other 2 wheel wing. But back to the point, lifestyle is just different and the RP can't provide much opportunity for it. I might enjoy a couple months visit, but don't think I could live there again for the long haul. There are a number of other reasons but they involve saying something negative about Filipinos, so I will leave that alone. The last time I did that on another popular forum my posts were deleted. So, with such little tolerance for the truth about some conditions in the RP, I am now posting on this forum again and have eliminated my bookmark for the other. I do hope to make at least one more visit within the next couple years if I am still around that long. As others have mentioned, major medical issues is another reason for staying here. Now if inflations continues to eat at my income, I may re-evaluate moving to RP since I won't be able to afford my present recreation, so can readjust back to RP lifestyle. I did really enjoy living there hence the reason I spent 15 years there. Anyone in the military would understand the work and string pulling it took to get three tours with extentions over a 10 year period over there. Not an easy feat. I then went back as a civilian contractor working for a civilian company with government contracts at Clark AB. Job was in Tarlac working in Crow Valley.

[Art2ro]

Twostrokes, As long as you are happy with what you are doing, there’s nothing wrong with your lifestyle in Austin, Texas permitting the dust and heat or in other parts of Texas I hear smells of rotten eggs due the oil refineries, but I‘m sure you don‘t have that problem where you live!If we could affordable to live in the U.S. and in the Philippines we would, but trying to maintain two households would drain my income leaving us without any savings each month! Here in the Philippines, with our home paid off, we only spend 40% of my U.S. Governments pension for our monthly living expenses and the rest is extra cash that we just save up for emergencies or for whatever comes up unexpectedly! Anyway, if for any unexpected reason that we have to return to the U.S., at least we could probably afford to do so, but as of now we are content and pretty much settled in our ways where we live presently for the past 13 years now since 1998. “KNOCK ON WOOD”!