Cost of Living In The Philippines

[Jake]

May I suggest that it be done in Philippine Pesos? This way, it is the actual primary cost of living here and all one has to do is divide the peso figure by their respective exchange rate for their currency and voila. Just a suggestion.

Thank you Steve! I have edited the original post to include the conversion factor.

[phildiver]

ALL AMOUNTS ARE IN PHILIPPINE PESOS

While this is probably one of the most commonly asked questions on moving to the Philippines it is also one of the easiest to answer. Some of the considerations are:

How Many: Single, Couple or Family Where: City or Provincial Town

Aside from influences such as a relationship, job, health needs, interests, etc. your budget is certainly a very important if not the major factor in where and how you live. There are many individuals living on less than 42,000 a month and some I hear living on 21,000 (personally never met anyone here doing this) while others live without any regard for budget. For the purpose of this article I will first focus on the actual expenses and costs people will encounter living in both urban and suburban areas. Second, I conducted a survey of people living in various areas and will show what their actual expenses are as they relayed them to me.

Whether you are single, a couple or have a family there are basically three types of places expats tend to live. In a major city like Manila, in a Provincial City like Davao or Cebu or a Provincial Town or Small City like Dumaguete, Bacolod or Iloilo. Of course there are some that live in the middle of nowhere and mostly off the grid. We hear about these folks but rarely if ever see them (but they do exist). However, we won’t address that demographic for this study.

After conducting the survey, I found there was not a tremendous deviation in expenses from one living area to another EXCEPT for Housing Costs and for those with children, a Private School Education.

Housing Costs was a major expense variable and was especially relevant to those living in a city like Manila where rent can be at least two to three times as much as anywhere else. This impacted overall expenses by 42,250 - 126,000 plus. There are of course many expats that own their own housing so we will show that cost but, we will also show the rent they would be paying in the same building for the benefit of those that won’t be buying and only renting.

For those families sending their children to International Private Schools in the Manila area would be shocked to learn that tuition averages 420,000p annually and can go up to 840,000 after all fees.

MONTHLY EXPENSE BREAKDOWN

Housing – This obviously depends on the kind and size of the place you will stay. Following is based on a central location close to Shopping, Schools and Hospitals.

Major City

One Bed - 25,200 – 126,000

Two Bed - 42,000 - 126,000

Small House (1-2 BR) - 42,000 - 126,000

Large House (4 BR) - 168,000 - 420,000

Provincial City

One Bed - 12,600 - 84,000

Two Bed - 21,000 - 42,000

Small House (1-2 BR) - 21,000 - 42,000

Large House (4 BR) - 42,000 – 84,000

Provincial Town

One Bed - 8,400 average

Two Bed - 12,600 average

Small House (1-2 BR) -16,800 – 25,200

Large House (4 BR) - 21,00 – 84,000

Internet – Most of the providers are fairly competitive in pricing. Generally you will pay more for higher bandwidth but figure on spending for all carriers about 1,302 for up to 2mbps. 4200 for up to 10mbps monthly

Cable –Like Internet, provider pricing is competitive so for all the channels figure on about 1,050 monthly. There are specialty packages available that can push the pricing up

Schools – 4200 - 8400 monthly for a Private School based on ten months when you factor in all fees. Following are Annual Tuitions for Pre-School through High School for some of the Best Schools in the Philippines. Most of these schools are non-sectarian. The Schools in the Provinces tend to be lowest in Tuition and Fees.

British – Manila - 268,380 – 701,274

Chinese – Manila – 203,784 – 377,748

Brent – Manila - 237,342 – 684,474

Ateneo – Province - 46,536 – 64,050

Kings – Manila - 361,326 – 738,066

Singapore – Province - 76,314 – 139,146

Electricity – is very expensive in the Philippines. The price is a whopping 10.5 cents per KWh. Depending on residence size, monthly bills can range between 2100 for a small apartment to well over 21,000 and higher for a larger house and that is by not using the Air Con 24/7 but only when at home and in occupied rooms. I made the mistake a little while back of running my air con most of the time (even when we were out) and found our bill was more than twice our 21,000 monthly house rental cost. Ouch!!!

Manual Labor – Almost any skilled labor needs you may have (plumbing, electrical & carpentry) will run between 336 - 504 (plus materials) for the job assuming it can be done the same day. Anything longer will require some discussion.

Help – This also depends on where you live (Major City versus Provincial Town) but will range as follows:

Helper – 1,680 – 2,940

Yaya (Nanny) – 1,680 – 3,570

Driver - 4,200 – 126,00

Gardener – 2,100 – 4,200

Gasoline - 214.20 a gallon. Fortunately, in the Provincial Cities and Towns the distances are not that great and fuel consumption not that drastic. Remember most Expats are retired and use their vehicles mostly to go shopping, on trips or taking their children to school. Many opt for Public Transportation.

Public Transportation –

Taxi – 40 Drop and 3.36 per km

Jeepney - 8 Drop and 1.30 per km

Pedicab – 6.75 per trip

Dry Good Shopping – You will find clothing and shoe prices are very reasonable here, but electronics very expensive as most are imported and subject to high customs duties. LCD prices can be more than double than in the U.S.A. Cigarettes and Alcohol are very, very cheap.

Movies – 100 - 150 Digital 3D - 255 - 300 Popcorn - 40 - 90

Building Construction – When it comes to building your own house figure on between 1,180sqf (low end) to 2,525sqf (high end) for construction. Therefore a very high quality 2000 sqf house will cost you about 5,040,000. These higher end or more expensive houses usually reflect better indoor fixtures and treatments i.e. tiles, cabinetry, lighting, windows, doors, bathroom fixtures, etc.

Club Membership – Fitness - 840 – 1,680 Golf – 5,040

Restaurant Food – For the most part I find restaurant food to be quite affordable in the Philippines. I know a number of guys that eat out 2-3x daily at good restaurants for less than 630 Most Full Dinners in quality restaurants (regardless of location) will run about 504 This includes an appetizer (soup or salad), the main entrée and a Drink. Entrees alone will cost about 210 to 336. A whole pizza for example is about 231 Meat or Chicken Entrée dishes were about the same. Soft Drinks 42

Sample Restaurant Prices

Moon Café – Baby Back Ribs - 350

Canvas – Cream Dory – 235

Gustavian – Ceasar Salad – 120

Gustavian – Beef Stroganoff – 330

Pizzeria Michelangelo – Pizza Margarita -250

Home Food - Much of your expense will revolve around how much imported food you eat. If you sick to local foods it will save lots of money. For example a pound of Sushi quality Sword Fish or White Marlin is only 170 a pound. Boneless Chicken is 91 a pound. Vegetables are pretty anemic here but are fairly cheap and local fruits are very, very cheap and incredibly delicious. I recommend Mango, Papaya and Banana.

Item Quantity Price

Apples - Fuji 1 lb. 60

Beef - Ground 1 lb. 100

Beer - Local Can 30

Beer - Heiniken Bottle 58

Bread - White Loaf 56

Butter 8 oz. 134.40

Cereal 12 oz. 160

Cheese - Cheddar 8 oz. 199

Cheese - Cream 8 oz. 126

Chicken Boneless 1 lb. 90

Chicken Breast 1 lb. 65

Chicken Thigh 1 lb. 60

Coffee - Folgers Bean 1 lb. 398

Coca Cola 1.5 Quart 45

Cream Cheese 8 oz. 130

Eggs 12 59

Ice Cream - Local 1.5 Quart 214

Ice Cream - Haagen-Dazs 1 Pint 475

Lettuce 1 lb. 40

Marlin Filet 1 lb. 168

Milk Fresh or Uht 1 Quart 67

Mustard 8 oz. 114

Olive Oil 1 Quart 486

Onion 1 lb. 45

Oranges 1 lb. 59

Peanut Butter 16 oz. 159

Pear 1 lb. 60

Pepsi 1 Quart 45

Pork - Chops 1 lb. 89

Pork - Ground 1 lb. 79

Ragu Spaghetti Sauce 26 oz. 91

Red Grapes 1 lb. 118

Rice 10.5 lb. 199

Rum - 12yr. Old 700 ml. 124

Spaghetti 1 lb. 67

Steak 1 lb. 178

Steak Sauce - A1 15 oz. 240

Sugar 1 lb. 23

Swordfish - Filet 1 lb. 168

Tomato 1 lb. 30

Toothpaste 89

Tuna - Yellowfin Filet 1 lb. 109

Tuna Fish - in Oil 6 oz. 30

Water 1 Quart 23

Survey of Actual Expats Living in the Philippines

Single Man (in Provincial Town)

Rent – 12,138 (furnished and includes cable, internet, electricity)

Food – 16,884 (eating out 3x day at places like Moon Café)

Gas – 1,218 (motorcycle)

Cell Phone Load – 1,218

Entertainment – 4,956 (your imagination)

Misc. – 4,956 (medical, travel, etc.)

41,370 give or take

Single Woman (in Major City)

Owned – 6,930,000 (150 sqf 2 Bedroom Condo in Mid Range Makati Building)

Condo Fee – 5,964

Internet and Phone Landline –1,008

Electricity – 2,520

Cable – 1,008

Home Food – 9,954

Helper – 3,570

Transportation – 1,008

Entertainment – 1,512

Misc – 8,400 (medical, restaurant, cell, etc.)

Rent – 29,400

34,944 (actual out-of-pocket expense give or take)

64,344 (with rent expense if no-condo ownership)

Single Man (in Makati)

Rent – 33,600 (Studio)

Internet – 850

Cable TV - 850

Electricity – 4,200

Home Food – 4,200

Restaurant – 8,400

Helper – 2,100

Transportation – 4,200

Entertainment – 12,600 (dating, theater, events, etc.)

Misc – 4,200 (wine, club memberships, etc.)

75,200 (actual out-of-pocket expense give or take)

Couple (in Provincial Town)

Owned – 5,964,000 (3500 sqf 5 Bedroom House on 2.5 acre lot)

Electricity – 2,100

Cable – 1,050

Internet – 2,100

House Food – 12,600

Helper Food – 2,520

Motorcycle Gas – 1,680

His Spending – 8,400

Her Spending – 8,400

Helper – 1,680

Gardener – 2,940

Dining Out – 8,400

Misc – 16,800 +/- (shopping, repairs, medical, travel, etc..)

Rent – 39,900 (you can also find nice house to rent for less than half)

68,670 (actual out-of-pocket expense give or take)

108,570 (with rent expense if no-house ownership)

My Family of 4 (in Provincial Town)

Rent – 19,866 (furnished 4 bedroom house plus helpers area)

Electricity – 10,920

Cable – 1,050

Internet – 1,974

House Food – 19,866

Helper Food – 4,956

Car Gas – 1,008

Motorcycle Gas – 588

Other Transportation – 1,512

Daughter Pre-School – 3,486

Son College – 3,192

Son Spending – 2,982

My Spending – 4,960

Wife Spending – 4,960

Helper 1 – 1,512

Helper 2 – 1,512

Yaya – 1,974

Dining Out – 4960

Misc – 9,954 +/- (laundry, clothing, load, medical, travel, etc..)

100,800 give or take

Family of 3 (in Major City)

Owned - 17,895,000 (2850 sqf 3 Bedroom Condo in High End Makati Building)

Condo Fee – 28,350

Electricity – 12,600

Cable – 1,050

Internet – 2,100

House Food – 21,000

Helper Food – 6,300

Car Gas – 8,400

Other Transportation – 1,260

Daughter School – 48,300

Husband Spending – 16,800

Wife Spending – 8,400

Helper 1 – 2,940

Helper 2 – 2,940

Driver – 6,300

Dining Out – 16,800

Misc – 63,000 +/- (clothing, golf club, medical, travel, etc..)

Rent – 147,000

246,540 (actual out-of-pocket expense give or take)

368,340 (with rent expense if no-condo ownership)

As high as the cost of living in parts of Manila (Makati and Fort Bonifacio) as reflected in my example of a family living there, it is still about 1/4 to 1/3 of what the same lifestyle would cost living in a Major U.S.A. City like New York. Still, the costs for a family living in Manila are high and it is important to note that many of the Expats living in Manila are retired executives and those currently working for companies with high net worth or incomes. On the surface it sure seems better to own in Manila (if you can afford it) than rent as renting increases monthly costs dramatically. I will certainly be interested to see what the actual expenses will be for my family once we move there next year. I anticipate (since we will own) that they will fall in the 147,000 – 168,000 range due to the added expense for our daughter’s school and the need for a driver.

What I am seeing is a dramatic rise of expats making the move to the Provincial cities and towns where costs are more affordable. I would highly recommend this as well.

In Conclusion: I have no doubts that some of you reading this may have differing experiences with the cost of living here. Of course we all have different priorities in our spending. It would be great if you could share yours as well. My overall conclusion based on my own experiences and with those of people I interviewed is: in the overall scheme of things it is far, far cheaper to live in the Philippines than in the States especially if you take advantage of the labor factor. In the Philippines you can have maids, nannies, chauffeurs, gardeners, masseuses and entertainment for a fraction of the cost in the U.S.A.

Single Man/Woman – 42,000 – 84,000

Couple – 50,400 – 134,400

Family (4) – 84,000 – 420,000

I hope this article and any follow-up comments will help those of you looking for answers about the cost of living in the Philippines. Thank you

http://mylifeinthephilippines

Edited May 16, 2012 by phildiver

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Great post. Too bad it turned into such a cluster #$%@...

But I, for one, thank you for the great info.

Edited May 17, 2012 by Tuka Ram

[Ashanti]

Thank you Phil …………. Great post!

Im glad you changed your currency to Pesos. Not because this is a Phil forum but its much easier and understandable to have one variable than so many to worked on. So people from different currencies will be able to do just simple calculations.

I find your research helpful even to Filipinos who live abroad as they sure do visits PI and their families. Its nice to be able to have a workable budget to work on. Well, for me anyway as I always like to know how much things cost before I dip my toes. Don’t want to have a heart attack! When I visit PI, I always work out a daily expenses and do a spreadsheet which cover all eventualities, even the jeepney rides, etc so its nice to know how some basic stuff cost. Once I got my daily budget, I can easily work out to go over or under and not to be totally shocked at the end of holiday as I would know exactly where I stand and where the money goes ………… and throughout the holiday, I would know if I could afford to splash out or not …………

So again, thank you for your hardwork, im going to copy and paste your research in my Phil info folder.

Great stuff!!!

:thumbsup:

[sjp52]

so I guess from now on if I list a currency amount I must do it in 186 different currencies ...... in your dreams ....... the OP put a lot of work into his post TRYING to help other people and all it seems he got for his effort is to be criticize ...... do I see somethings wrong YES ..... but not significant enough to pitch a fit over

On a Philippines forum, it should be Philippines Pisos.

Since you want to make this a board just for Americans, I will now take the owners advice and move on.

Good bye

Regards: Jim

You know Jim you surprise me. With all your knowledge and experiences with the Philippines I thought you would have a thicker skin. Don.t let a few words get to you. Unless your having a bad day. Ive learned a lot from your writings and videos and a few words from a person should not make you want to leave. Hope you have a better day tomorrow and looking forward to hearing more of your stories and experiences on the Philippines.

[Higg-num]

I dislike everything being in the P.I. pesos :unsure: . I have to keep breaking out the calculator...Yes, it was a bit selfish. Take heart my forum friends...I'll get over it.

Mr. Jim, I concur with Sjp52's post above. I was really looking forward to not only your threads & info but perhaps of meeting you soon.

[i am bob]

Thank you Sir for this great post!

I know we started you off a little rough but it's not always like that here... In fact it's pretty rare! And I for one (and many others too) are very glad that you are here!

Once again - thank you!

[Bundy]

I for one have now totally given up on this topic because there is just NO correct answer. All one can do when this subject comes up and comprehensive posts are made is to pick out what may or may not apply to the individual concerned.

If someone asks me "Can i live in the Philippines on $500 a month?" my answer is YES!

If someone asks me "Can i live in the Philippines on $1,000 a month?" my answer is YES!

If someone asks me "Can i live in the Philippines on $10,000 a month?" my answer is YES!

Philippines is no different to any other country, if you want to live cheap then you can do that, if you want a lavish lifestyle then you can do that too.What may be of more interest to the individual concerned is the living cost comparison between the Philippines and his or her own country for the lifestyle he or she is comfortable with and the only person who can tell you what the difference will be is YOU.

As for us, well if you put housing and associated costs aside, we live quite well here in Bundaberg on less than $250 a week.So if someone is going to tell me we need more to live in the Philippines than we do here...........sorry but i'm just gonna laugh at you.

[Jollygoodfellow]

As for us, well if you put housing and associated costs aside, we live quite well here in Bundaberg on less than $250 a week.So if someone is going to tell me we need more to live in the Philippines than we do here...........sorry but i'm just gonna laugh at you.

Is that US dollars or AU :hystery: :dance:

[Bundy]

Is that US dollars or AU

Who the hell cares? :mocking: :hystery: :hystery: :hystery: You want me to post it in Ringit maybe?