Can I Really Live On $1000 A Month In The Philippines

[Thomas]

Perhaps it would be interesting to look at the average budget of expats living in the Philippines.

Yes. COMPARED to the budget and situation they had earlier in their home countries.  That's worth an own topic  :)    so I start one.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I think we are sometimes sending the wrong message saying we can retire there for $1,000 per month

 

I agree totally.  People who read threads like this and have never lived in Philippines might read "can retire there for $1,000" and believe that is something commonly done.

 

If people read it the same as:  I CAN run a mile in 6 minutes.  I CAN get 55 mpg on my motorcycle.  I CAN live here without aircon.  Then they may realize that I CAN live here on $1,000 a month is not the same as:  Most people only spend $1,000 a month.  I believe, as I stated in my recent post, that:  Most people spend about $1,800 a month but you CAN live here on $1,000 a month as Thomas suggests.

 

COMPARED to the budget and situation they had earlier in their home countries.

 

I do not find it useful to compare my budget here to my budget in Canada.  Heating bill here is non existent.  Transportation costs here are not comparable.  Medical costs here are not comparable to free healthcare in Canada.  Tax payments are totally different.  Groceries, well the food you will eat here may be totally different than what you are used to in type and/or cost.  I was single in Canada and being single here is almost impossible. etc etc.   At first I tried to compare but now I realize its like comparing apples and shaving cream, totally unrelated in my opinion.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Dave Hounddriver

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Well I live on $800 USD a month.... I would be happier with $1,200!  :tiphat: 

[frosty (chris)]

I keep on reading here, you can't live like a king on a grand a month, well geez I could never live like a king in my home country on 5 grand a month, what does a king live like. It is really up to to individual as far as I can see. I would really like to have 3 or 4 grand a month but I haven't so I live on a thousand and you can do it, easy peasy. if you want to go clubbing, banging and drinking every night forget it, but for me I go out here so much more than in my home country on a thousand p.m. I think when you come here you really have to get past the tourist thing and just do what you did in your home country, go out occasionally, enjoy your life, but I can tell you one thing I never had back home, is a sweet, gorgeous, sexy, filipina g/f to wake up to every morning, money can buy loads but can never ever buy that.

Breakdown in pesos

Rent 8000

Water 300

Power 600 (no A/C, now is really cool here)

Internet PLDT 1400 pm (very good)

Food around 3000 pesos

The rest is spent on going out.

 

I will add, that when I lived in my home city, I would go out for dinner and or drinks maybe once a week, I find that living here is much more enjoyable, not only for the people but the above mentioned g/f. Anyway to each there own, me I am happy to have the chance to live out my days with the above mentioned young lady who is very happy as well. As the Nike add said, JUST DO IT, what have you got to loose.

[Thomas]

 

 

COMPARED to the budget and situation they had earlier in their home countries.

 

I do not find it useful to compare my budget here to my budget in Canada.  Heating bill here is non existent.  Transportation costs here are not comparable.  Medical costs here are not comparable to free healthcare in Canada.  Tax payments are totally different.  Groceries, well the food you will eat here may be totally different than what you are used to in type and/or cost.  I was single in Canada and being single here is almost impossible. etc etc.   At first I tried to compare but now I realize its like comparing apples and shaving cream, totally unrelated in my opinion.

Yes. But in Phils you can have COOLING costs instead   :)

 

My thought with the COMPARING is to see which living standard different oppinions about minimum costs in PHILS have. If each one write too what they get at their budget, then we can get a hint too how good/bad each are at being economic - Being economic can cut a lot of costs WITHOUT losing life quality...

 

(E g TV showed "Wife swap" reality show where one wife live luxury life

and the other live ok, although they earned NO money!!!  (They have an old big boat laying still somewhere rural in Spain, where they had some land they grow food for own use. Home schooling for the kids.) These kids had much BETTER mood than the rich ones...

When one of the rich daughters got spending money the "No money" wife thought:

-That's was a pig cost!!!

So different people are different economic...    :)

[BrettGC]

Rent 8000

 

Just out of curiosity Frosty, what's the standard like at that price on Mactan.  I'm only interested because I want to make the comparison with Negros.  SAO is making noises about moving to Cebu/Mactan area to be closer to her sister.  Not saying it's going to happen but be good know prior.  

[JJReyes]

Can I Really Live On $1000 A Month In The Philippines?

 

The title for this topic comes from an expression by some Filipinos, "If you have $1000 a month, you can live like a king in the Philippines." The origin refers to how many Philippine families have less than P20,000 a month. Some survive on less than P10,000 a month. Double or quadruple the amount and you must be wealthy.

 

It does not apply to expats who are accustomed to a different standard of living.  

[Jake]

Can I Really Live On $1000 A Month In The Philippines?

 

The title for this topic comes from an expression by some Filipinos, "If you have $1000 a month, you can live like a king in the Philippines." The origin refers to how many Philippine families have less than P20,000 a month. Some survive on less than P10,000 a month. Double or quadruple the amount and you must be wealthy.

 

It does not apply to expats who are accustomed to a different standard of living.  

 

Excellent point JJR!  I've been hearing that expression for a long time among my father's group of Filipinos

that retired from the US Navy.  Typically, after 20 years of active service, at the rank of chief petty officer

(pay grade E-7), he is labeled a pensionado with a monthly pension of at least 1,500 bucks.  Usually, the

1000 bucks is broadcast instead -- you don't want to reveal all your eggs, do you?  

 

So the new pensionado is contemplating about going back to PI because everyone is saying -- ooh, pare

you can live like a king ober der (over there).  Some actually do come back to the states, totally depressed

and disappointed that he was not a king after all.  Or that Filipino retiree was too Americanized or the fact

that extended family issues nearly gave him a nervous breakdown.  

 

That was me by the way.  Even with my monthly pension at nearly $1800 in the early 90's with the exchange

rate 24 to 1, one could say I could live comfortably in the Philippines.  Sorry, but my personal bubble burst at

end of the 1st year there.  I endured for another 6 yrs before I escaped back to US and yeah......I did have

a nervous breakdown.

 

And so the formula for finding the minimum amount to live-retire in the Philippines gets more complex.  You

need to add some more factors or variables like comfort, safety, fun factor, peace and order, neighbors and

most important.....the variable called extended family.  You can have a monthly $5000 but does the fun factor

or personal safety factor cancel that big dollar sign because you're having a heart attack almost every day?  

 

Is it really the choice between the lesser of the two evils -- your home country or all the new problems waiting

for you in the Philippines?

 

Respectfully -- Jake

Edited July 2, 2014 by Jake
spil chek

[frosty (chris)]

 

Rent 8000

 

Just out of curiosity Frosty, what's the standard like at that price on Mactan.  I'm only interested because I want to make the comparison with Negros.  SAO is making noises about moving to Cebu/Mactan area to be closer to her sister.  Not saying it's going to happen but be good know prior.  

 

I live in a gated community, very clean and safe, pretty quiet most times, security is good, never had a problem, night time they have a patrol that walks the area, occasional weekend loud music,10 minute walk to the mall ( 8pesos tryc ride). The house is a 2 bedroom upstairs, 1 room down, cr with hot water, smallish cooking area, both bedrooms are a good size, I have double beds in both and still plenty of room for extra furniture. The place is well maintained, if I have a problem the landlord always fixes it for me no questions asked. There is a sari-sari in the complex for the necessities and you only have to walk out the gate for anything else you want, it's just across the road. Not many expats here, locals are happy and friendly but keep to themselves, I find it ok for me, in fact I like it here, close enough for what I want and far enough away to be forgotten.

       At the moment the Roads Dept here are ripping up the main road into cebu and it's a right pain to use, but they seem to be making good progress and when finished will make the trip across the bridge a lot easier. They say another 5 months to complete.

Edited July 2, 2014 by frosty (chris)

[earthdome]

Yeah.  I have only lived here for 17 months.  So I can tell you how much I need to live on... I really can't make recommendations for others ha ha.  It is a popular topic.  I get a lot of hits on my blog from Google budget questions.  Every expat forum has this topic.  And it is good to read and compare what other people live on.  I just read the other day where a guy was happy his electric bill was down to p8,000 - and I have been freaking out because mine went up to p4,000!   :tiphat:

 

With the mild climate in Baguio and no need for aircon my monthly electric bills have been running around 800 pesos per month.

 

For all my utilities, DSL Internet, best Sky Cable HD package, water, electric and 2 cell phones; my monthly expense is less than 5000 pesos.

 

Health care is a big cost saver those times you need it.

 

My wife tripped and fell while out jogging. She hurt her chin very hard on a cement curb. Huge gash on her chin and there was a chance she hurt her jaw also. Took her to emergency at a private Baguio hospital. Total cost for treatment was 2250 pesos plus 328 pesos for meds. This included an x-ray for her jaw (250 pesos) and 1000 pesos of the cost was for a tetanus shot. A bit less than $60 USD total.

 

Imagine what all that would have cost in the U.S., even if you went to urgent care rather than an emergency room.