Living cost where you live

[Tommy T.]

16 minutes ago, fillipino_wannabe said:

I've not noticed prices going up that much except for restaurants on grab/foodpanda. Used to be able to get something nice for around 200-250 pesos, now it's more like 400 pesos.

Our rent has stayed the same for 5 years
Electric up maybe 20-30%.
Diesel/gas is still up a bit but it's come back down a lot.
Fresh food seems to be as cheap as ever, just bought chicken for 170 pesos per kilo and tilapia for 120 pesos per kilo, I don't remember it being much cheaper than that in the last 5 years. Processed food has gone up a bit.

Try yellowfin tuna (bariles). I remember only a few years ago when it was about 400/kg. Now it is over 700/kg... and not always the best quality either...

[Mike J]

3 hours ago, hk blues said:

Pretty much in line with us - 10K a week for day-to-day expenses.  Like you, we own so no rent.  Clothes, travel, school fees, gifts etc etc etc are over and above the 10k.  

That is quite a few etc. and they can really add up.  For us the etc. is 24 by 7 care for mo-in-law, about 35-40K per month in salaries, food, medicine, ssan health insurance for workers, etc. etc.   Not complaining, just explaining, when you marry a Filipina there may be a time for some big expenses in the future.

[Jollygoodfellow]

10 hours ago, fillipino_wannabe said:

Our rent has stayed the same for 5 years

By moving to another unit in the same building during Covid my rent went down by P8k a month so if you paid the same amount for 5 years you probably missed out on some savings. I'm into the second year of a lease and the terms remained the same at P12k but I expect will rise at the end of this term. 

[hk blues]

20 hours ago, Mike J said:

That is quite a few etc. and they can really add up.  For us the etc. is 24 by 7 care for mo-in-law, about 35-40K per month in salaries, food, medicine, ssan health insurance for workers, etc. etc.   Not complaining, just explaining, when you marry a Filipina there may be a time for some big expenses in the future.

Indeed. The additional expenses for us with a10-year old son are probably close to 50% or likely maybe more of the initial 10k budget. 

As for future family expenses, I fully appreciate this is the case for many but not me.  My wife is fully onboard with this as are the family - 2 of them are working and they will and do pick up the expenses for the family.  My wife more than did her bit for 16+ years working in Hong Kong and this is fully understood and acknowledged.  I will say that it is fully understood and acknowledged because I made it so from the get go when the middle son hinted that the family home (which my wife had 100% sustained) still needed some additional costs to finish - I batted this right back to him by saying my wife was proud to have been able to provide for them to this point but was also happy to pass on the baton to the younger working family members.  Message received loud and clear!

Now, I won't say I'm not going to help ever - I already did last year - but that it is on my terms and nothing to do with my wife.  

[Nickleback99]

On 4/3/2023 at 1:28 AM, Mike J said:

That is quite a few etc. and they can really add up.  For us the etc. is 24 by 7 care for mo-in-law, about 35-40K per month in salaries, food, medicine, ssan health insurance for workers, etc. etc.   Not complaining, just explaining, when you marry a Filipina there may be a time for some big expenses in the future.

That's so true.  We paid out 465,000 php for Mom's hospital, angiogram and angioplasty with stents back Dec 2020.  She probably would not have made it 2 more weeks and we had to send money over in $1K increments on whatever service my Asawa was using.  She and Dad will be living with us starting now along with 2 nieces this summer; so, household doubles.  Still, love my family.

[hk blues]

15 hours ago, Nickleback99 said:

She and Dad will be living with us starting now along with 2 nieces this summer; so, household doubles.  Still, love my family.

That is the one red line I have.  I also wouldn't have any of my own family live with me either.

[ostrichmild]

On 8/22/2022 at 7:51 AM, stevewool said:

Just wondering what sort of increases has your everyday bills gone up since living in the Philippines, I know most bills go up each year but for some reason this year seems to be the worst and the threat of more price  increase in the near future where I live here in the UK , so just asking are you bills raising at a alarming rate .

Hello, In the Philippines, like anywhere else, the cost of living can go up for various reasons. Stuff like inflation, economic conditions, and government decisions can all mess with the prices of things. So yeah, it's possible that everyday expenses can rise over time. 

[Gustoko Lahat]

Hi. I "m very curious about prices. How much have they changed. I have not been in Ph. since 6 years. Before I went and so know prices, 10 years every year about 24-25 weeks (winter time) to Manila (Malate+Ermita).  We did not need to pay rent, we owned our condo. But because of its size we paid 200 USD maintainance fee each month. Now again we have our own place but it is a smaller house, we pay no rent and no maintainance fee. And in Bulacan. My most important fear is that I will not fit in the life in Bulacan and miss my daily visits to bars. Not for alcohol, I do not drink, but for talking with European and American, Australian men and the company from local women. The music and live bands who copy many old songs. Going round the corner listen to Freddy Aquilar with his song Anak, and too his son. I like / liked his songs and music, he remembered me at Jimmy Hendrix. Sometimes the mother from this young man was there too and food ewas tasty. Once in a while my friend and I went to Makati to Burgosstreet. where we once supported a young girl 18 years, giving her some tip but even more buiding her uo she was this good back ground dancer! And 5 - 6 years later she was a real adult and beautiful woman and the lead dancer in 2 bars! 

Staying uo long time, from saturday 18.00 till sunday 7 am. Enjoying this special atmosphere at sundaymorning at 6 am in the bar when everybody was almost broken including the waitresses and the "free-lancers". But not me, I did not drink, only coffee and cola. And at 6, most quite hour in the bar, there was a quick cleaningf with a broom in the bar. Disturbed by this a rat (and not a small one ! ) run throught the bar. I shouted (yes always joking haha) mumo mumo which means spook and the oh so superstitiones Pilipina's were awake and afraid at once. So I say ... biero lang, daga  lang. What means (more or less) only joking,  only rat! 

Oh, so many memories, in 10 x 25 weeks. In about 1700 days and specially nights LOL! So, maybe I will be very bored and go to Ermita and find a little condo (At Robbinson mall, or the Birch Tower next to Robbinson mall) and enjoy this life 24 hours a day lively, again. 

It is late and tired and I will not check my (English) text anymore. I"m not an native English speaker so I excuse for my mistakes ... 

[graham59]

Sounds like you need to be in Angeles City for those sort of  'games'.  I believe prices for goods and services have increased considerably there, post Covid though.

The Ermita bar 'scene' finished decades ago, of course.

I have a shack in the jungle, so expenses (no rent) are minimal...but there's a definite dearth of dancing girls and bars.

[Gustoko Lahat]

That is not a happy message. Everything much more expensive. Food but even the services? What a sad message. But thanks for your reply!