tomaw Posted October 1, 2014 Posted October 1, 2014 (edited) Wow thats incredible i know Orange oCounty well one of most expensive areas in the US . ihave never heard of anyone living on $1,000 a month . i think the norm is about $6000 a month. i here some amazing things on this site. even living on a $1,000 in the Philpiines i dont see as possible. I see surviving but not really living. I dont live there now but soon will hopefully by December my budget there will be $3,500 per month which i think i can pull off. Here in Scottsdale it is around $7,000 per month. I think too many guys read about the Philippines but have not visited there or mabybe have been there once and think they have it figured out. I suggest many visits differnet times of the year and even plan to visit in the rainy season , give your self a chance to see if you can rerally handle it. i am going back on the 30th of this month which will be my second visit this month and my 4th since the begining of the year and 10th overall, two weeks at a time. i am still learning alot about the country from you guys on the forum and thanks for that , but nothing beats being there to actually get the feel. The thing i do know is that there is no way i can live there on $1,000 a month. I have 6 of my ex employees that have retired there and they all spend well over $1,000 a month. One of them turned me on to this site and first thing he told me was forget about that $1,000 a month idea. later poker mike As I said, I could easily live on $1,000 a month in Orange County IF I didn't have to spend money on rent or gas. $6,000 a month is NOT the norm. That's way more than most people make. I may not know The Philippines that we'll but I've lived in OC the past 5 years and California all my life. As for cost of living in The Philippines I guess it will all depend on what life style you want. My wife is from Cebu and her whole family lived on way less than $1,000 a month. For an interesting comparison let's compare two real places that have homes on a hill overlooking the ocean, gated subdivisions with 24/7 security, community pool, tennis courts parks and other amenities. The two places are: Newport Coast California, the other Crown Heights Compostela, Cebu Philippines. This should be a real eye opener! :-) By the way, even the upper class Filipinos live on less than a $1,000 a month. Engineers, nurses and teachers only average $400 a month. Once again , it depends on your life style. If we were talking about vacationing in Cebu you might only be thinking of places like Shangri La and someone else thinking of something comparable to Motel 6. Edited October 1, 2014 by tomaw 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokermike Posted October 2, 2014 Posted October 2, 2014 I am hoping that i can learn to live with less and i know i will be doing that if in the future. If i can get down to $2,500 a month it would be great. Then i could sock away a lot of money. From what i have seen its my rent thats going to a big bite in my budget. I dont want to have to deal with the up keep of a property, so no house for sure. I think my best bet would be a condo with cameras and good security if there is such a thing. Ideally near a beach and a decent mall. I wont be going clubbing much, maybe once a week at the most. I dont smoke and dont drink much maybe three drinks a week. One of my hobbies , serious hiker so that wont cost much . My travel and water sports will cost me, planning to travel at least a few times a month. My lodging when i travel does not have to be first class , three star is ok. So keeping that in mind and all the times i have been there i think i am very close to that $3,500 mark. i dont see that as crazy , i just want to really have a good time while i can and travel all over the PI and maybe get lucky and find my $1,000 a month spot, but i see that as being almost impossible,, because of having ants in my pants. later poker mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert k Posted October 2, 2014 Posted October 2, 2014 Mike, if you lease somewhere for a year, it's not irreversable. You may yet have a house in your future. I like the beach but I am not absolutely nuts about it. I can see where it might be nice to vacation on the beach but it's also the hottest stickiest elevation to live at. A day pass to a resort doesn't cost much. To me, living within 20-30 minutes of the beach would be awesome convenience. You don't have to pay rent on a sunset or sunrise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokermike Posted October 2, 2014 Posted October 2, 2014 i am good with that actually up to an hour away from the beach i am good with. want security , good shopping and modern condo or apartment, i have no problem with a long term lease. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomaw Posted October 2, 2014 Posted October 2, 2014 (edited) I am hoping that i can learn to live with less and i know i will be doing that if in the future. If i can get down to $2,500 a month it would be great. Then i could sock away a lot of money. From what i have seen its my rent thats going to a big bite in my budget. I dont want to have to deal with the up keep of a property, so no house for sure. I think my best bet would be a condo with cameras and good security if there is such a thing. Ideally near a beach and a decent mall. I wont be going clubbing much, maybe once a week at the most. I dont smoke and dont drink much maybe three drinks a week. One of my hobbies , serious hiker so that wont cost much . My travel and water sports will cost me, planning to travel at least a few times a month. My lodging when i travel does not have to be first class , three star is ok. So keeping that in mind and all the times i have been there i think i am very close to that $3,500 mark. i dont see that as crazy , i just want to really have a good time while i can and travel all over the PI and maybe get lucky and find my $1,000 a month spot, but i see that as being almost impossible,, because of having ants in my pants. later poker mike It looks like your travel expenses are where you're going to blow a lot of money. Otherwise you could easily live on half of $2,500. Are your expenses for just yourself or gf/wife or someone else too? Edited October 2, 2014 by tomaw 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cebu rocks Posted October 2, 2014 Posted October 2, 2014 My last couple trips have been in your budget range Mike but I am on 3 month holidays once a guy settles down in a decent place I would find it hard to spend 3000/month without drinking and lots of nightlife . It does seem your budget for renting is the killer for your budget . I am amazed at what rent for some high end condos costs in Cebu . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeB Posted October 2, 2014 Posted October 2, 2014 There's one point that was made earlier (or maybe in another of the many threads on this subject) that bears repeating. The first year is expensive. No one can completely anticipate all the costs of relocation to the other side of the world. Since a lot of guys who move here "permanently" don't make it to the 2nd or 3rd year that may be something to consider. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert k Posted October 3, 2014 Posted October 3, 2014 I bleed money for a few months even if I just move to the other side of the city. Moving internationally will be same, but more of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pokermike Posted October 3, 2014 Posted October 3, 2014 Mike B and Robert K , i agree with you , i think the first year is costly thats why i am figuring in a total like $3,500 a month and yes my cost of my rental unit and traveling will cost me most of my budget. After that first year i think my budget will start dropping when i find some bargins. So , i think that first year or two is a make it or break it for most guys. I also think the guys that move there the first year hoping to get by on $1,000 a month are going to fail at a lot higher prcentage than those with a good nest egg. I am expecting my budget to finally settle in at about $2,500 per month once i get settled in. Guys that will be a budget for two i got married there November 2012 my wife just passed her interview about three hours ago. we submitted our application in December of 2012 so it took alomost two years for our K1 visa. There were no problems i make good money and sublitted everything in a very timely manner. later Poker Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i am bob Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 Hey, Mike! Where are you finding the places you are basing your rent on? Are you finding these online? :mocking: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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