Could You Live On Just $32,000 Per Year?

[Jack Peterson]

1 hour ago, scott h said:

As has been mentioned, it all depends on what you expect from your retirement years.

 Well for me , When in Rome comes to mind. Sorry but.................... WTF do some people actually want.

[Sander Martin]

4 minutes ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Well for me , When in Rome comes to mind. Sorry but.................... WTF do some people actually want.

People are different Jack. In most cases it depends what we can afford...

[Jack Peterson]

2 minutes ago, Sander Martin said:

People are different Jack. In most cases it depends what we can afford...

Exactly. we should as I  often say, Live to the budget 32.000$ is way above the earning of locals. Move on and find a cheaper country If you can I would like to hear about it

Edited July 15, 2016 by Jack Peterson
Cos I know you all missed my Edits

[AlwaysRt]

1 hour ago, Jack Peterson said:

Move on and find a cheaper country If you can I would like to hear about it

I was living in Panajachel Guatemala last year spending US$600 per month all in, eating all meals out. At 5,000 feet above sea level it is always warm enough to not need heat and cool enough not to need aircon (my aircon was open the window and heater was close the window). Also nice scenery (landscape only for the most part) as Pana is on Lake Atitlan surrounded by 3 volcanoes.

Cheaper doesn't mean better though.

[Jack Peterson]

8 minutes ago, AlwaysRt said:

Cheaper doesn't mean better though.

 Granted but that is not the issue with regards to the PI 

[Happyhorn52]

The average social security benefit for 2016 is only $1,341 per month so a large portion of US retirees are living on far less than $3,200 per year. Many US citizens are also discovering that there are places in the world where your small SS check can go a lot further than in the US and that's why you are seeing an exodus from the continental united states. 

[robert k]

2 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Well for me , When in Rome comes to mind. Sorry but.................... WTF do some people actually want.

Some people expect permanent vacation. If one could afford it, fine. It seems that people think that even though they never could afford permanent vacation elsewhere that because it's the Philippines, they now can. They expect their first world amenities to be available at the usual cost and all else to be developing nation cost. They don't realize that you give something up to get something else or you pay through the nose to keep the accustomed standard in internet, dining, transport, fuel, accustomed foods and that in the end it may well balance out or be more expensive than the home country. But if you can do with less in some things it can be cheap. It all depends on what is important to you. People forget the hidden costs.

I was watching a youtube vlogger who has been jetting around the Philippines for a couple of years and he complained that he was raped at the terminal because his baggage was overweight. He knows his baggage is overweight, has paid $100 US before because his and his wife's baggage was overweight but he won't pay ahead of time (when buying the tickets) for the overage when it would cost a lot less. I told him he was raping (his term) himself because he already knows better. But he still expects the baggage allowance he has in his home country. Some people just can't adapt.

[Dave Hounddriver]

36 minutes ago, robert k said:

Some people just can't adapt.

Triple like, Robert.  I think you said all that quite well.

[davewe]

17 hours ago, chris49 said:

One stumbling block, yeah sure most of us live on less than that, would be an annual trip home to USA. Which most of us don't have, but the better of people esp the husband and wife retirees, do tend to do. Visit kids and grandkids mostly.

$2666 a month is well over 100k in pesos and there's something wrong if you can't live on that.

Like most of the conversations about "how much does it take to live" it depends on how you define your expenses. If we are talking about monthly expenses (rent, food, utilities, etc.) then that's a pretty large amount. But if you factor in non-monthly expenses (travel, medical insurance, etc.) - well then it's still a pretty nice amount but not quite as hefty.

[Hey Steve]

Always a popular topic across the net and everywhere with very subjective answers . Each person, I believe, can only answer this question (be it 32k or whatever amount) on their own. If someone is making a decision whether or not to make a permanent move to the Philippines-only they personally can decide by balancing out their income stream/assets with their wants and needs that the Philippines can offer. Each person has to research prices based on their location and expected amenities they expect or need. I always answer this question simply with "it depends" and leave it to them to fill in all the blanks with follow up questions.