Lets Compare Some Known Costs Of Items

[Mr Lee]

I realize items may cost less in different areas of the PHL as well as different areas of the world, so I thought I would post a few items that I know costs of and try to compare. Let me start with pizza at Pizza Hut in Cebu, a large 14 inch pizza cost p519 which is about $11.79 whereas a pizza in Florida cost around $10.99 at Pizza Hut US and they do run them on deal for as low as $5.99 at times. Then McDonald's in the US sell a double cheeseburger for $1.00 and the last time I bought any in Cebu it was p99 if I remember correctly, which is over $2. Then I just bought a pair of Hush Puppy shoes in Florida for $74.95 and I had bought the same exact pair in Cebu last year for quite a bit over $100 because the shoes I had left in our condo fell apart from the heat and humidity of leaving them in our condo. As I said in another post, we run the air 24/7 in our home in Florida during the hot weather, which happens to be very much like Cebu's weather, and our highest bill was $130 in Florida whereas it would be much higher than that in Cebu and in a unit that is about half the size of our Florida home. Now cable TV is much more expensive in the US but there are plenty of regular free channels available if one does not wish to pay for cable, I am not able to get any local TV at our condo in Cebu but I know there are a few channels but far from the many free channels available in the US, or at least in places that I have lived and visited. Next comes cell phone service, in the US they offer TMobile 1000 minutes of talk time for $100 for the year and they also offer 300 free minutes on special at times, and it is good for the whole year or until you use up your minutes, whereas in the PHL we pay p500 per load card which is $11 and change US, and usually use more than one a month when making phone calls and if not then the card would last 4 months, of course if we would just text then it would cost less but I am trying to compare apples and apples, so even at p500 a month, then it would cost more per year for less time because it cost p6.50 a minute to make calls the last time I bothered to look, so that is about 15 cents per minute compared to 10 cents in the US. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong on anything and feel free to add your own cost comparisons of anything you think would be good to know about for readers and members of this forum.

[Jim Sibbick]

In Cebu City, I eat out for every meal. I can eat a filipino size meal for P32 at Golden Crust. l can be as full as as a fat girls sock for P120 on nice Filipino foods at Pete's Kitchen. For people looking for better quality establishments, I notice that Golden Peak hotel is still advertising lunch time special of eat all you can for P160. So that is 75c to be comfortably fed at lunch. $3 to be full and $4 to be full in nice surroundings. I can't get anywhere close to that in Australia. SML is P35 at Sesame on Pelaez Street. SML is P40 at Our Place bar on corner of Pelaez Street and Sanciangko Street. So that is about 75 cents and $1. Depending where you go, it costs minimum of $4 in the clubs and pubs I frequent in Australia. The cheapest beer is about $30 for 24 from the supermarket.When in Cebu City, I live at the Cebu Century Hotel. If I live there permanently, It is P18,000 per month for a family room the size of a double garage which they set up to my specifications. They have free local telephone calls, free wifi, private bathroom with hot water in the morning and evening, cable TV and aircon. So, it is about $400 per month, all included except for food. So for $400 per month, some one cleans my room every day, I have my rent, electricty, land line, cable TV and internet paid for. In Australia, I would pay $400 for the maid service for some one to clean the equivalent sized space every day.In a taxi, for the distance I can travel for P100 or about $2.50, it costs $18 in Australia.My girlfriend is just about to sign a lease for a place for us to live in Palompon Leyte. It is P2500 for a 1 bedroom apartment with Sari Sari store. So, about $60 per month. There is no eqivalent building in Australia but a corner store with residence would be hundreds of dollars per week.Waitress, bartender for our very very small karaoke bar in Palompon Leyte and bbq stand in the jeepney terminal.. P1000 per month plus meals plus accommodation. All up, probably P2000 per month. About $45 per month. For a waitress bartender in Australia, $45 would not even pay wages for 3 hours. Regards: Jim

[Dave Hounddriver]

I think Lee is right on all counts, including his other posts about condos in Florida being available at less cost and more quality in Florida.What that illustrates is, if you want a US lifestyle it is cheaper in the US.I don't like talking on the phone or texting so I am quite happy to pay 115 pesos for all the texts I can use in 6 weeks. My wife is always texting and calling so she pays 115 pesos every week and buys unli text or unli call when she wants to do that. Total phone cost for two people, 2 cell phones, (we don't have or use a landline but I will phone internationally on Skype from time to time), is 7K pesos over 1 year or $13 a month.I mentioned in a previous thread that my rent is 10K. Add 5 K for water and electric each month, (one room air-conditioned 24/7). Satellite tv is included in the rent but SmartBro is additional 1K per month. So total accommodation and utilities is $360 a monthFood can be all over the map. For example, a snickers bar will cost you about 40 pesos but the local equivalent, a cloud 9, is 7 pesos. Bottom line for me is food costs about $300 a month to feed two adults and two dogs. That is half what I used to spend when I ate more western foods.Anyway, the conclusion is to live as native as you can is you are on a low budget. You sacrifice in having less than western quality but that quality comes with a high price tag.

[Jake]

I think Lee is right on all counts, including his other posts about condos in Florida being available at less cost and more quality in Florida.What that illustrates is, if you want a US lifestyle it is cheaper in the US.I don't like talking on the phone or texting so I am quite happy to pay 115 pesos for all the texts I can use in 6 weeks. My wife is always texting and calling so she pays 115 pesos every week and buys unli text or unli call when she wants to do that. Total phone cost for two people, 2 cell phones, (we don't have or use a landline but I will phone internationally on Skype from time to time), is 7K pesos over 1 year or $13 a month.I mentioned in a previous thread that my rent is 10K. Add 5 K for water and electric each month, (one room air-conditioned 24/7). Satellite tv is included in the rent but SmartBro is additional 1K per month. So total accommodation and utilities is $360 a monthFood can be all over the map. For example, a snickers bar will cost you about 40 pesos but the local equivalent, a cloud 9, is 7 pesos. Bottom line for me is food costs about $300 a month to feed two adults and two dogs. That is half what I used to spend when I ate more western foods.Anyway, the conclusion is to live as native as you can is you are on a low budget. You sacrifice in having less than western quality but that quality comes with a high price tag.

Hey guys,I would kill for a box of Cloud 9's right now! Thank you Lee, Dave and Big Jim for "boots on the ground" report about current local prices.San Magoo Lite is still around 75 cents or less? Wow.....!Thirsty -- Jake