Can One Live Comfortably On The Australian Retired Pension

[Roz]

I am an australian female retiree, and am finding the cost of living is too expensive in australia. I currently live on the Gold Coast. I prefer not to live in the city, preferably near a beach as I swim every day. The australian pension is $715 per fortnight. I would look to rent to try out if I could live in the Phillipines.I am wondering are there any retirees from australia over there. How safe is Cebu for a single older woman? Also where would you suggest I stay and does anyone do home stays among the expats thanks

[Dave Hounddriver]

I am an australian female retiree, and am finding the cost of living is too expensive in australia. I currently live on the Gold Coast. I prefer not to live in the city, preferably near a beach as I swim every day. The australian pension is $715 per fortnight. I would look to rent to try out if I could live in the Phillipines. I am wondering are there any retirees from australia over there. How safe is Cebu for a single older woman? Also where would you suggest I stay and does anyone do home stays among the expats thanks

Lots of Australian retirees but mostly male. Absolutely no reason why a female retiree could not do the same but it would depend on how she would enjoy life without a peer group close by. Cebu is as safe for an older woman as for any of us, but is there any need to limit yourself to the city. I am in the process of setting up my house with two 'home stay' suites. Not in Cebu but in a quiet, island area that is a short walk from the 'beach'. I don't think you will find the beaches here as nice as the Australian beaches but there is water for swimming if you want it. Most locals do not swim.

[Roz]

I am an australian female retiree, and am finding the cost of living is too expensive in australia. I currently live on the Gold Coast. I prefer not to live in the city, preferably near a beach as I swim every day. The australian pension is $715 per fortnight. I would look to rent to try out if I could live in the Phillipines. I am wondering are there any retirees from australia over there. How safe is Cebu for a single older woman? Also where would you suggest I stay and does anyone do home stays among the expats thanks

Lots of Australian retirees but mostly male. Absolutely no reason why a female retiree could not do the same but it would depend on how she would enjoy life without a peer group close by. Cebu is as safe for an older woman as for any of us, but is there any need to limit yourself to the city. I am in the process of setting up my house with two 'home stay' suites. Not in Cebu but in a quiet, island area that is a short walk from the 'beach'. I don't think you will find the beaches here as nice as the Australian beaches but there is water for swimming if you want it. Most locals do not swim.

thanks I am not interested in Cebu really just used it as a reference would rather somewhere smaller your place sounds good

[Jollygoodfellow]

HelloWell first off,if your talking about the normal old age pension from Australia you will find that they will cut you off if you are living in another country permanently. Australians do not enjoy the same as like the Americans and other countries that pay a pension no matter where you live.There is a topic about it here some where and I will search for it later. My advice is to contact Centerlink and ask as things do change but I am sure that is not one of them at the present time. I do recall that there is information on their website but I am too tired to find it just now. :hystery:

[JJReyes]

The australian pension is $715 per fortnight.

Is AUD 715 per fortnight an average pension in Australia? I am preparing comparative numbers for a presentation in Manila next month. For the United States, the current Social Security average (2012) is USD 1,230.

[Jake]

The australian pension is $715 per fortnight.

Is AUD 715 per fortnight an average pension in Australia? I am preparing comparative numbers for a presentation in Manila next month. For the United States, the current Social Security average (2012) is USD 1,230.

I believe that's 1230 US dollars average per month and Roz's Australian pension is 715 every two weeks.Respectfully -- Jake

[billten]

I am an australian female retiree, and am finding the cost of living is too expensive in australia. I currently live on the Gold Coast. I prefer not to live in the city, preferably near a beach as I swim every day. The australian pension is $715 per fortnight. I would look to rent to try out if I could live in the Phillipines.I am wondering are there any retirees from australia over there. How safe is Cebu for a single older woman? Also where would you suggest I stay and does anyone do home stays among the expats thanks

Its all up to you Roz. How do you like to live? For example, have a wife, three kids, i own a house, have two cars, live a pretty wonderful lifestyle (IMO), eat great food all the time, and my monthly budget is a little less than P40,000 a month. But, i don't party much, i like a relaxed bukid lifestyle and that is just my thing. Setting up (buying land and building the house) was expensive and took a while, but once it was up it is very cheap to own a place. Rental costs are all over the map. My experience with lady expats is the ones that stay here a long time tend to end up in a smaller town with a large and decent expat community (like Moalboal or Carcar). They seem to do very well and seem to enjoy their lives much more than the guys that come here and get involved with young girls and all that drama.I also know several ex-pats who supplement their income by renting part of their house, they live in the city though so that might not be feasible. Anyhow, feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about my area (i live in the mountains near Carcar) or simply post more questions here...

[joeatmanila]

Dear RozWith 715$ a month here you can live a quiet but ok life. I live up in the mountains but an hour drive from the center of Manila. More and more foreigners keep on coming here. Quiet place, rather suburban i would say, with all the basic amenities close by.Now, whom do you know here? Can you live without friends or relatives or so? Just by your self and the new people you eventually will meet? 99.9% of the foreigners living here are males, retirees in their majority, married or with girlfriend (fiancee) or with humpa humpa young girls drying their wallet.Filipinos in their majority are nice people, try to have a conversation with them...you will find out that you have no common point almost anywhere, you will feel very alone.I do have here a Romanian girl on her mid 30's who has settled and living a happy life with a filipino husband. she is not relating to any of the foreigner and she prefers the filipino living style, i do not mind or judge it, what makes each one happy is the what we should do.Come for vacation first, spend some time here and then think what you want to decide.

[billten]

Come for vacation first, spend some time here and then think what you want to decide.

Great advice...

[bows00]

"$715 per fortnight" First time i ever heard that term "fortnight". Interesting. So based on current exchange rates, doesn't that equate to approximately $1876 US per month? And based on current threads (that I have read on this site) you could probably get by. And of course it also depends on how much of your western lifestyle you want to maintain. But based on my research so far, that is not enough to live an above standard western life style in Cebu. I am estimating you will need at least $3600 US per month. And if you want to live really nice, I would shoot for $4500. But thats just me. I still like to party.