Is It Really Cheaper To Live In The Phils

[Old55]

This topic "Is it really cheaper to live in the Philippines"? IMHO, it's a yes and no answer depending on one's lifstyle and what one's financial status is! My wife and I have lived in the Philippines since 1998 and been here since except for a few vacations back in California every 2 yrs just to visit old friends and family! We don't like the hustle & bustle "rat race" pace in California, I grew up there so I know what it's like! We enjoy our laid back, comfortable and quiet lifestyle here in the Philippines! Anyways, we are some what financially stable and can live in the U.S. if we want to, but we won't since we're already settled down here in the Philippines all these years and set in our ways! We're here to stay through thick or thin!

Replying to; “Is It Really Cheaper To Live In The Philippines” Your experiences put the question in perspective. We have forum members residing in da Providences’ in traditional housing, condos in the city and like you a nice home in the suburbs. For many people it is cheaper to live in Philippines. Housing is kinda the wild card but in most cases yes it is cheaper even living in a major city.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Guys lets keep it to the subject of, Is it really cheaper to live in the Philippines, I understand the current housing or economy situation is not as it should be in other places but thats a topic for the world events forum.

[Inspector]

I can live cheaper from place to place in America, the USA...as some do when they retire from a big city with a nice pension, and move to lower taxes, lower house cost places such as Florida and the Southwest. You can likewise, do the same in the Philippines, moving either to Makati, where the Smith and Jones live and drive new BMW's.... or some province where you can befriend a monkey and look at all the bra-less pinays that can be yours if you decide to accept the hundreds of family members that come with her...yet declare to all "newbies" that you must adapt to THEIR culture, oh...except that helping the family out in that inter-dependent culture part...as that might interfere with your weekly case of whiskey budget. :lol:This is too hard to compare, as you can never really compare apples to apples.Can you live on a small social security pension? Sure...and you can also live here on 4 grand a month. It all boils down to the woman. IF...they took away the woman, there is nobody that would be living here no matter WHAT they made...period. Telling me likewise is a bold faced lie. Married, sexpat...whatever...it's the woman. No woman, and the foreigner is back living in the west, or another third world country where woman are also pretty, not westernized, and younger....and most importantly...willing to go with your grumpy old arse.Let's take a few cost comparisons, and see exactly how you can not compare apples to apples.Television. Alright, I am sure many will say "I don't watch television"...."read a book". That's fine, and for those I say, you are better then us TV watchers, so go have your nose bleed on the next comparison. Now I happen to enjoy some TV....entertainment, and learning. News with bears falling on trampolines, ratboys scaring gay PETA workers, as well as sporting events. I even enjoy fiction TV, and some of those crime shows such as criminal minds, CSI ect. I also enjoy good comedy...South Park ect. Now, say you compare Sky Cable and what you get vs the USA....say Cox Communications. Yes, I said Cox, and nothing like hearing your mother talk to a bank accountant discussing Cox..."I am not pleased with Cox"..."Oh, I love Cox". Try and not giggle while THAT conversation is taking place. Anyway...for about the same price, or directv, you get MORE channels, but this is the main part...you get HIGH DEF. 100's of channels....in the Philippines, except a few areas of Manila, with a "few" channels...nothing. So, for the money, you get a LOT more in the USA...as well as Cinemax, which shows naked simulated sex late at night, thus allowing you to never have to tell your woman men are usually not THAT big...well, except for Mr Lee. :10001:Water? Please. I can drink the tap water in the USA...nuff said. Unless you watched Erin Brockovich....and live near a chemical plant. Then, it's all up to you. At least in the Philippines, after a water mistake... I just take a wet crap, sure with the exact same force as Hurricane Katrina, trying to not his my head on the ceiling.... but, if I wear my motorcycle helmet, it's far safer then you might expect, and a lot safer then growing a third arm. Buying a house, condo...whatever. House taxes are low, but at least in the USA...you get insurance and they will generally honor any issues. Here?...you live in mother nature's torture chamber. Water boarding, shaken baby syndrome and being buried alive just a few. Add in the fact you stand out like a German tourist in NYC, and trust me...all the poor ones are licking their chops at a chance at you. Is there any wonder why expats just hang with expats? You can listen to some "experts" telling you to respect the culture, but do you ever see them having social gatherings for filipino's. Only "family" members make it to these events...oh, and the "woman". So, do you really want to buy a house where the it aint in your name, or a condo where a sudden shake will take it down with no trusted insurance to pay you off....in a country that I would say is too dependent on OFW's? Rent...rent and rent. At this moment, rents and house prices are low in the USA...and for those collecting secure pensions....I am sure you can buy a house or condo in the USA for the same price as a apple to apple place in the Philippines. IMHO...the Philippines is vastly overvalued at this time. Cars? Why do you need one? Taxi's are cheap, and they can carry all your groceries. IMHO, this is the biggest cost saver.Electric? More expensive in the Philippines versus many states, but again...this is Philippines and need of air con, vs state by state, area by area of western places. The Philippines is humid, sticky and hot. If you don't mind sweating a little and your body odor is limited to just the previous nights whiskey oozing through your hairy pores, then you might get away with having other smelly friends, cause smelly people never can smell other smelly people, it's from the book of stink, section 12. If you want to smell fresh as a baby's powdered butt, then put on the air con, for at least when you are sleeping, with many showers during the day. I choose my friends three ways....smell, drunken ratio versus control of their minds, and how cute his ass is. If you smell, are a drunken fool and have a crack in your ass that if photographed, can be mistaken for a dingleberried grand canyon..then we probably will not get along. Remember, if you smell wonderful, and are a happy drunk...I can get by with the big ass as long as you can cover that disgusting thing up while sitting....remember, you are not wearing a tool belt, so there is no reason to have people put up this sign in a bar to protect possible falling in.Notice the dingleberries? Food? Sure, not a good topic to start after we discuss dingleberries, but that is what you will be eating when you come here. This is where a lot of foreigners make a mistake with cost of living. Despite those who suggest Filipino food is acceptable, it is not. If you are not a world traveler, and lived in a big city somewhere, you will NOT like the food. Even those who have spend years traveling and lived in a rural area will more then likely not like it. It is loaded with sugar and God know what else. The chickens look as if they were starved, and even Milk is loaded with sugar. Now, you CAN locate good western food, and live healthy by eating raw foods...after all, this is a tropical growing paradise, and you can live off the land in many sections of these Islands. However, most foreigners head to the city areas and locate those foods they enjoyed...however, the cost of these foods is MORE then what you would pay living in the country you came from. So, in closing....rent, eat local and smell bad....you will then save money. :558:And avoid the 'hole. :541:

[oldutot]

inspector. I need to make a trip to Davao city. I hope you did not fired the poor maid yet

[Dave Hounddriver]

. . . So, in closing....rent, eat local and smell bad....you will then save money. :558:And avoid the 'hole. :541:

A hilariously well written post. I only hope a few of them 'would - be' expats change their mind and move to another country, then the prices will start to come down again.

[Jake]

Dingleberries -- haven't heard that in a long while. But coming from you, your application of the word is appropriate and quite funny, as usually. Your other comments made me nod my head agreeing to most of your bullets. On thing though, the Filipino food in general, whether it's home cooked or from a local restaurant is still pretty good in my book. Of course being Filipino, I can say that but then again, being Americanized I need to spoil myself with some nice juicy fat burger or some greasy spoon pizza every now and then. Can we agree that a nice cold San Magoo is still the best in town for around six bits (75 cents)?Your one big bullet is profound: It all boils down to the woman. IF...they took away the woman, there is nobody that would be living here no matter WHAT they made...period. Most of the members here have either a wife or girlfriend that motivates us to visit/explore/work and then decide to live there. We all know the issues with the extended family but most of us either learned how to deal with it or just tolerate it to some extent. In the meantime, there will always be two sides justifying cost of living in the Philippines, Panama or Mars. Without any women involved (no matter where you live), I believe one could easily get up and look for more greenerpastures (cost of living). No need to analyze and compare anymore. Unless, of course there is a another "brown sugar"walking down the street to hold you back (again). And then we're stuck comparing apples to mangoes again, just to satisfy our reasoning to stay and tolerate all the misgivings of our decision. And sometimes, that decision is based on a one night quickie. OK, I said my peace and welcome any comments -- respectfully, Jake

[Inspector]

Oh, speaking of maids...that is another HUGE benefit of living here. Once I was divorced, I had a 2,500 square foot house and no furniture as is the western woman's plan, catch for the wedding only, destroy your confidence and nag you every football Sunday until you run away....Well, I did have a daybed and little TV and computer, as well as some plastic forks and one old pot that I fried in as well as boiled. Even without all that ...an empty house, I had to clean the sucker, which was a pain in the arse. Here, for 3,000 pesos, some dried fish/rice.... and a computer, you can attract many maids to clean your house. Maids become part of the family, and before too long you will learn what makes them laugh, work harder....and what type of porn turns them on...My maid loves the third hole, blond haired guys that are young and good looking (not like me), Japanese and two men with one woman...even more men. :th_thholysheep:Yes, they will not only STOP working when you leave, but be on a computer with porn doing God knows what...but they sure do take a lot of showers when you get back....and we do have a shower massage :89:So, that is a HUGE plus in the Philippines cost wise, and convenience ... porn addicted maids. :541:

[Inspector]

Dingleberries -- haven't heard that in a long while. But coming from you, your application of the word is appropriate and quite funny, as usually. Your other comments made me nod my head agreeing to most of your bullets. On thing though, the Filipino food in general, whether it's home cooked or from a local restaurant is still pretty good in my book. Of course being Filipino, I can say that but then again, being Americanized I need to spoil myself with some nice juicy fat burger or some greasy spoon pizza every now and then. Can we agree that a nice cold San Magoo is still the best in town for around six bits (75 cents)?Your one big bullet is profound: It all boils down to the woman. IF...they took away the woman, there is nobody that would be living here no matter WHAT they made...period. Most of the members here have either a wife or girlfriend that motivates us to visit/explore/work and then decide to live there. We all know the issues with the extended family but most of us either learned how to deal with it or just tolerate it to some extent. In the meantime, there will always be two sides justifying cost of living in the Philippines, Panama or Mars. Without any women involved (no matter where you live), I believe one could easily get up and look for more greenerpastures (cost of living). No need to analyze and compare anymore. Unless, of course there is a another "brown sugar"walking down the street to hold you back (again). And then we're stuck comparing apples to mangoes again, just to satisfy our reasoning to stay and tolerate all the misgivings of our decision. And sometimes, that decision is based on a one night quickie. OK, I said my peace and welcome any comments -- respectfully, Jake

Jake, if it wasn't for my extremely high sex drive and the thought of woman, I would be living in a Turkish bath house watching sports 24/7. :541::541:

[sjp52]

I have to agree with the inspector too. A lot of things in the Philippines do not come close to the quality of the west but are the same price or even more. But there are somethings that are better. The women are the best in the world in my eyes and they don,t expect as much as western women. The beer is cheap and good. The laid back atmosphere is perfect for me as I start my retirement. I,m tired of the rat race and a new and different country and way of life is something I am interested in. I just hope I don,t get tired of all the inferior things in the Philippines as time goes on. For now its an adventure and I am enjoying it.

[Jake]

I have to agree with the inspector too. A lot of things in the Philippines do not come close to the quality of the west but are the same price or even more. But there are somethings that are better. The women are the best in the world in my eyes and they don,t expect as much as western women. The beer is cheap and good. The laid back atmosphere is perfect for me as I start my retirement. I,m tired of the rat race and a new and different country and way of life is something I am interested in. I just hope I don,t get tired of all the inferior things in the Philippines as time goes on. For now its an adventure and I am enjoying it.

Couldn't agree with you more, SJP52! Retirement should be stress free, after all we worked our butts off to get there.I'm also looking forward of enjoying my adventure in the tropical Paradise. To me, maintaining a healthy lifestyle isPRICELESS.Respectfully -- Jake