Comparisons Thailand/philippines

[mogo51]

Utilities Elect/Water                                                         1500  

 

Our utilities average about 10,000 pesos a month, water (including purified water from vendor as needed) electricity, cable tv, phone, internet. Just to give you an idea

 

The other categories I cant really help you with as I don't monitor them. (wife takes care of all that stuff) I just know those because I either go to the water vendor or walk to the bill paying center and hand over the cash.

 

 

Yeah big difference there Scott.  We do not use the a/c, fans are fine for us, plus breezes through the glass sliding doors.

In very hot months though, it will get used, will take that to 200-2500, water is very cheap 300bht. If you owned a home there, would solar be an option or don't they give you credit for electricity generated and not used?

[Jack Peterson]

But so far my attempts to get too venturous into Filipino food has not been all that successful.

 

 

Hmmmmmmmm I never try,  They are getting used to Shepherds Pie, Steak and Kidney and proper Liver and Onions.

the one thing I can't fathom out, is why on earth neither of my two like a good old fashioned salad but life is EH?

 

Jack :lol:

[Huggybearman]

Hi Mogo51

Many, if not all of the cost of living expenses here vary from region to region and city to city. So much of what you are likely to spend here will depend very much on where you want to live. Some things are cheaper, others are more expensive. I can give you a breakdown of our major expenses, and, because I lived in Jomtien (near to Pattaya for those unfamiliar) for several years can give a comparison there. Firstly the rent. My first rental property there was a 48 sm studiio in a very nice block and that was 16 k thb per month. For the last 3 years I moved to a lovely 105 sm one bed apartment and the rent was 23k. Here in CDO we rent a really nice 3 bed bungalow on a secure, very green, gated sub-division with car port for four cars, a/c throughout and a total area of 240 sm. We pay 18k php which is around 14k thb.

Electric costs here are way higher than I was paying in Thailand. There we were all electric, did a lot of cooking at home, and the last place was averaging around 2000-2500 thb per month. Here its around 4000-5000 php per month and we cook by gas. We also don't need to use the a/c so much as we have a nice breeze and lots of shade. Gas though is very economical.

Food I find is generally cheaper, but the western items I could purchase in Thailand and, if they are available here, are about 30 to 50% more expensive. Soda water, which I drink a lot of, I could buy in any 7-11 for 8 thb (10php) is 28.5 php here).

Electrical items such as fridges, tv, household appliances and such are a lot more expensive. In some cases I noted were double the Thailand price. I guess that is because most of the retailers here are a cartel and seem to be very closely linked. There are also a lot of very poor quality stuff on the market which is more priced for the local market. If you want quality, and recognised brands, you certainly pay for it.

For transport I use metered taxis which are plentiful and cheap. But it does add up. I have not used the jeepneys at all. They are usually overcrowded, often laden with goods and livestock as well. Not at all like the much better baht bus system you are used to. I think costs though are about the same.

Your other costings seem to be similar to ours, but of course they may in reality be quite different. 'Home Tippling' for example could well be very different! Mine doesn't often lead to a hangover the following morning, yours might. :)

Internet is considerably more expensive for less speed. 3BB were 999thb for 13mb. Here I pay 4000php for up to 8mb. But more often than not the speed is much less.

Cable TV is less than Truevisions for a similar package, but seems to feature a lot of repeats. However I brought over my ThaiExpat TV internet package which I find much more suited to my tastes as it is a large selection of UK tv channels. That works out a lot cheaper than cable.

Medical costs seem to be a lot cheaper than Thailand, however I did use Bangkok Pattaya Hospital which I always found outstanding....but of course at a corresponding cost. For something similar I would need to travel to Cebu or Manila. The medicines I get here are the same price as in Thailand.

Other costs you need to consider are those associated with extending your visa. I haven't a total figure so far, but they are a lot more than Thailand. My Thai retirement visa was 1900 thb plus 1900 thb multiple entry and a UK Embassy pension confirmation letter of 2400 thb. That was it. 6200 thb total. (Around 8k php). I pay more than that for three months here including the ACR-i card which has to be renewed every year.

Hope that helps.

Ken

Edited for phat phingers.

Thanks Ken for taking the time to respond.

Yes there seems to be a lot of each way or parsip parsip as they say here. I live on the edge of Jomtien, south side of hill near Sth

Pattaya but lived in Jomtien prior to that.

I was aware of difference in electric costs and will have to get used to cooking by gas when the time comes. I was in a 2 storey house before this, electric 1700bht but if you are an a/con freek, many pay 4-5k mth.

Rents have dropped here, we have a large 93sq mt here, very close to everything but it was 27k bht until I offered 18k and they took it as there are so many vacancies.

I am a bit horrified if imported food goods are worse than here, they are very expensive here especially things like cheese, cereal,

just our general day things, like my beloved Vegemite, which I bring from OZ.

Appliance costs there are certainly more expensive, I have noticed that, this is no doubt the reason they charge a good bit more for furnished accommodation which is what we would look for.

Cable can be expensive here, but if you steer away from Truvision it is better. TMN is 350bt mth and not really all that worse than True.

Bkk/Pattaya Hospital is exhorbitant and not much better than some of the better general hospitals like Chonburi, it is a very large hospital, but it is like a bee hive during the day!

I have retirement visa here and you are correct with costs, if you get that special RV there, you have to put 10kUS into the bank which is a lot. But once you have it, the costs are not too bad as I understand? Is that the one you have? You can use that 10k$ if you are buying a property there (for your partner) unless it is a Condo as I see it?

The military are really flexing their muscle here and showing their anti farang traits. They are not leaving in the short term and this country is really struggling financially - only they don't admit it, much like the Chinese.

So as I see it, cheaper rent and some foods (as you say depends where you live), are offset by more expensive things there like electricity, visa costs, etc. This tends to come to the conclusion I made when I was over there, it is parsip/parsip!

Cheers

I don't have the 10k USD visa option, Though it is something I may well consider. Savings interest rates here are paltry so it would effectively be a good investment return rather than keep extending my stay each time. The other disadvantage of extension of stay, unlike Thailand with the re-entry permit, once you leave the country you lose any remaining validity. You start the process over again when you return. And of course you need the Exit Clearance Certificate if your stay exceeds six months. I don't know if there is a charge for that or not as I have never been here long enough each visit.

I would say that, once you have established yourself here, and your one off start up costs have been taken into account then, on balance my monthly expenses are considerably cheaper than Thailand. Especially if you can find alternatives to the western foods you miss. And, as you visit Oz twice a year then you could bring back many of those items with you. When we travel back to the UK once a year we go with empty suitcases and bring back our luggage allowance of 60 kgs with those not so easy to obtain items. We also send over a few BB boxes with stuff as well, quite cheaply. Once you are here, I am sure you will find ways round life's little challenges. For example, my soda water plight I resolved by shipping over a Sodastream, now I can make soda water about half the price I was paying even in Thailand. Just a few pence a litre!

It's the little things that can make such a huge difference.

Ken

Edited November 28, 2015 by Huggybearman

[chris49]

Yes mate, I recall discussing a lot of this over some Cognac that went down well but resulted in a very unhappy Gina!!! haha.

 

Yes, but it showed a new level of compassion as she was genuinely concerned about me.

 

The brandy was one of the finest I have had in a few years.

 

What is the Tony story now?

 

I do not know. His business is still there, not sure about him. For many reasons, including his suspicious mind, I don't want to get close to an overstayer.

 

I like to mix with westerners (all types) and discuss what is happening in the world, go and have a few beers once or twice a week

 

As you have seen Ron, we don't have that around here although a bit more in Laoag. That's the sacrifice of living far north, there are not that many around, just 2 that I might talk to now and then.

 

I would go nuts in most of the towns up Nth Luzon, maybe it would be ok at Laoag but not sure

 

Yes it would be very quiet for both of you. Good to keep looking. Much cheaper though, that's the offset. But if you notice forum member Paul B, who will live up here, still vacations outside the region, that tells you something. Living standards do drop as to reasonable facilities like hotel rooms at decent prices.

[RBM]

Great thread, lots of interesting input guys.

Having just spent extended time motor cycling Thailand and some surrounding countries cannot expand to much on what has been written.

Immediate positives which come to mind is Thailand infrastructure is far superior to here, roads, organization and services. Here basic services in every respect are lacking, we just went through a drama which takes incompetence to a whole new level. After which it's not my fault syndrome kicks in. Basic services which I have experienced inThailand were excellent compared to here. Hotels, pensions one cannot compare either, Thai is streets ahead with comparable prices, same with food.

For me to live there would be difficult in spite of the pluses, language would be number one. Also if one is city living it would take time to accept the sheer number of tourists, even smaller towns of the beaten track seem to have tourists, no escape.

Have several friends here whom have lived years in Thailand previously, in spite of the pluses they are more contented here.

[Thomas]

Rent/Mortgage 18000

Utilities Elect/Water 1500

  Pesos?

Rent can be lower than that (depending what we find ok)

Have that low for Utilities is hard.

 

The Philippines have "punnishment" very high custom fees at some types of products e g imported vehicles and what they count as "luxury".

 

Salaries are much lower in Phils, but costs depend much of how effective people we find too.

 

Visa costs depend much of situation and location. They can be almost zero in Thailand if living close to a border, but Phils cost less to get long time solutions without needing to travel any often. (At least it was like that when I compared some years ago. That was one of the reasons I changed my mind from Thailand to Phils.)

Edited November 29, 2015 by Thomas