Lets Compare Prices Of Items In Different Countries

[chop]

I'm looking for a good school for my 4 year old. The costs are outrageous. Can't seem to find a good school in Manila for less than $10k per year. In the US you have plenty of good public schools for free.

[twostrokes]

I'm looking for a good school for my 4 year old. The costs are outrageous. Can't seem to find a good school in Manila for less than $10k per year. In the US you have plenty of good public schools for free.

Public schools in the states, at least here in Texas are not free....unless I guess if you also live in public housing....about 70% of my property tax bill is to pay for those "free" public schools that I have not had kids in since 88. Home ownership about 30 years, average school tax $1500 per year, which means my two kids to go through high school is up to about $45000 and counting. Not sure what part of that is free. For me though, I still think it is probably cheaper for me living here in Texas. Electric monthly average $150Water 60internet 25....(3meg download 1 meg upload)Phone (family plan) base 80...(At&t family plan) cheapestFood $500 (for two plus lots of visits from kids and grandkids)Gas 500..(closest anything 15mi. I live in the country. That That should drop drasticly as purchased a 09 Kia instead of driving my GMC sierra crew cab as a daily driver.) Also have 3 motorcycles I do a lot of pleasure riding around the country on, just burning gas for the ride.eating out 100 we seldom eat out..usually just fast food or a buffet somewhere. 3-4 times a month.car and bike insurance 200 That is for 4 cars and 3 motorcycles...4 of the 7 with full coverage. I like my toys.car payment none....paid cash for all of them.except the GMC and paid that off before retiring.Total..................................$1615.... Add another $400-1000 as misc expenses (toys break) or need bling...our travels, cost for motels, meals on the road, camping in RV parks, motorcycle rallys and a few other things that keep showing up each month. So for my expenses and things I like to do for recreation...none of that is available in the Philippines. The things that I would do in the Philippines for entertainment would lead to divorce, or death, or both....granted it would be fun while it lasted but heavy price in the end. Besides, been there done that for about 15 years living there already.

[Art2ro]

For me though, I still think it is probably cheaper for me living here in Texas.Electric monthly average $150Water 60internet 25....(3meg download 1 meg upload)Phone (family plan) base 80...(At&t family plan) cheapestFood $500 (for two plus lots of visits from kids and grandkids)Gas 500..(closest anything 15mi. I live in the country. That That should drop drasticly as purchased a 09 Kia instead of driving my GMC sierra crew cab as a daily driver.) Also have 3 motorcycles I do a lot of pleasure riding around the country on, just burning gas for the ride.eating out 100 we seldom eat out..usually just fast food or a buffet somewhere. 3-4 times a month.car and bike insurance 200 That is for 4 cars and 3 motorcycles...4 of the 7 with full coverage. I like my toys.car payment none....paid cash for all of them.except the GMC and paid that off before retiring.Total...........................$1615.... Add another $400-1000 as misc expenses (toys break) or need bling...our travels, cost for motels, meals on the road, camping in RV parks, motorcycle rallys and a few other things that keep showing up each month. So for my expenses and things I like to do for recreation...none of that is available in the Philippines. The things that I would do in the Philippines for entertainment would lead to divorce, or death, or both....granted it would be fun while it lasted but heavy price in the end. Besides, been there done that for about 15 years living there already.

Yup! You can't do those kinds of things here in the Philippines! Your $1,615 a month budget is truly affordable there in Texas, but inflation and the freeze on U.S. COLAs do hurt! Yeah, the P.I. isn't for you then unless you really want a different lifestyle from what you have now!

[Mugs]

i can see many different lifestyles with different costs. why when we retire should we have to give up the good things in life to live for less. not me.

[sjp52]

I for one like to travel and love white sandy beaches and sitting around the pool with a few cold ones. I like to see different scenery and waterfalls and cities. I like a laid back atmosphere to escape the grind of the western rat race and I love to look at all the pretty Filipina and their looks at me. I can do all this in the Philippines for a lot cheaper than I can in the west. I would go for a vacation back home and pay 400 or 500 US for a flight and 80 to 120 for a hotel and 4 or 5 dollars for a drink. Sure the arches were made of gold and their rooms were nice but you only sleep in those rooms and the real pleasure is the scenery and ocean.We all have choices to make in what life we want for our selves. If i could have all my choices in the west I would have to be rich. So we make compromises. I will give up my clean streets and organizational society for beautiful beaches and maids and care free life in the Philipines. But only for about 4 months out of the year. I have my home in Canada and my place in Florida and will continue to live in those places too. Its kind of nice that when you get a little tired of one place you just fly to the other. It really makes you appreciate the good in each place and the bad.I,ve only been involved with the Philippines for 3 years and in that time the prices have risen but so have they in the west at least in Canada they have ( i think more so than Philippines )Choosing between the west and the Philippines is like choosing between a 3 star hotel room and a 5 star hotel room. If you want a happy life just make sure you get out of that room and enjoy the positive things that they have to offer and don,t concentrate on the negatives.

[Mike S]

First chance I had to read this topic and find it very interesting ...... especially those complaining about the cost of electricity here sure it is ..... want to know why ..... it's no secret they will tell you ..... you are paying for all the stolen electric service being used by non-paying customers ..... there are so many illegal taps here that if they cut the cost of electric service they would be broke ...... same with the cable tv companies as well as the internet companies ...... this all gets pasted down to those that can pay ..... not a strange philosophy for this part of the world ...... take a look at the way many things are done here ..... if someone has something with in the family it belongs to everyone ..... if I have $200 dollars I should distribute it to the other family members ..... those that have should give to those that do not ..... (same difference as in the US except there they make it a law and it's OK) .... so if you neighbor living in a squatters hut has no power he should have the right to tap into yours cause you can pay for it ...... (not my sentiments) ...... now in all fairness not all Filipinos fell this way but enought do that it drives up the cost of most utilities .....As for food costs it depends on what you buy .... fresh fruit and veggies are cheaper here year round ..... fresh fish pork and chicken is cheaper here ...... buzz word here is FRESH ...... beef is more expensive because it is imported ..... all imported food stuffs are higher because of the shipping costs where as most food products in the US are prepared and sold there ...... if you compare MM's in the US with MM's here they are more expensive here ... again imported ..... they do have local MM's but they taste like poop ....... if you shop around and go to local markets you can and will eat healthier and better for less cost here in the Phils ...... but if you only want to eat Libbie's .... Jolly Green Giant ..... General Foods or other favorites you are going to pay through the nose if you can find it ......As to coupons ... stamps or special sales ..... you are paying for all those things in the long run they ain't free ..... they gott'um here ... buy one take one ..... but the stuff is getting old or close to out of date or they are over stocked or they are discontinuing the item ..... no different than in the US ..... coupons are mostly designed for you to try their product and once you do you will notice the cost going up in a few weeks ..... and who says they don't give coupons here ....... got one in a package the other day here for $1.00 off on 2 packages of the same item next time I bought it ...... any bets on if they will take it in SM ....... hahahahahahaha ...... product was from the US just in case you were wondering ....... and it is a good example of how coupons work ..... I bought one package of their product and now I have to buy 2 more to get $1.00 off a $4.00 item ...... but wait it ain't $4.00 no more but now it is $8.00 ..... so I saved $1.00 but it cost me $7.00 ....... anyway ..... not picking on anyone ..... just IMHO .... :thumbsup: :hystery: :hystery:

[Bundy]

i can see many different lifestyles with different costs. why when we retire should we have to give up the good things in life to live for less. not me.

I take your point, but no two people are the same. The "Good things in life" can mean completely different things.For one person it may be absolutely free and yet for another outrageously expensive.I don't intend on giving up much at all and my life is FULL of good things. :7_4_17[1]:

[Tatoosh]

Sometimes the challenge is joy. In the States making good ice cream is easy. Same for pizza or whatever. Learn the technique and buy quality ingredients. In the Philippines it is an adventure. Quality what? Never heard of it or more commonly "out of stock" is a common phrase. Very good pork can be had here, but meat handling is very hit and miss. Butchers do not have the same cuts as common in North America, so finding real baby backs can be a challenge even if they are labeled as that. Want pepper bacon or maple smoked bacon ... heh heh ... you gonna be beatin' the brush for awhile. Which means if you find it, you feel a real sense of accomplishment. In the USA or most developed countries (like Australia), it is just a matter of having enough pennies to pay for it. Zero traditionally pasteurized heavy cream here, which means if you want thick sour cream, you are gonna be disappointed. UHT heavy cream won't culture so you can't turn it into sour cream successfully, at least not reliably. Same for creme fraiche, home made cottage cheese and so forth. But when you find some or figure out a good work around, the reward is a very pleasant sense of satisfaction. I don't mind giving up some of the "good things" if I end up enjoying the challenge. Occasionally, I find something even better.Note to Chop: Baguio City is too far from Manila to do you any good, but they have Academia de Sophia here which would probably meet most of your requirements, teaching primarily in English and costing slightly over $1000 bucks a semester, I think. Something around 40 to 45 thousand pesos if I remember correctly. Much less than Brent or similar high end schools.

Edited January 11, 2012 by Tatoosh

[Jake]

i can see many different lifestyles with different costs. why when we retire should we have to give up the good things in life to live for less. not me.

Hello Mugs,Let's look at the plight of one of our members, Art2ro -- a native born Filipino but grew up in California for mostof his life (just like me). It took him and his wife over 10 years to achieve his dream in the Philippines. Like mostof us, they went through just about every issues dealing with extended family, neighbors, cost of living and findinga good home. He now lives a life of retirement that I could only dream about. Many of us are still struggling from paycheck to paycheck. Many of us are embarking a 2nd life after a divorce andlooking for new companionship but with limited or fixed income. There was a general perception that retirement ina foreign country, our dollars will go a long way. That may have been true a decade ago and now cost of living,even in the Philippines will stress you out financially in some cases. I have lived in SoCal most of my life. I am solely dependent on my military pension and this coming June, my SSretirement will kick in. I still have a family of 4 teenagers and my wife Judy keeps me sane and happy. But thereis no way, I could maintain even a simple retirement if I stay in California. Financially, it's basically the lesser of twoevils. I can wipe my slate clean upon departure but only to tackle new set of problems returning back to my nativeland. I would like to think the Philippines will be my saving grace. It's like putting me out on a stud farm.....he, he.It's a matter of tolerance level while learning how to adapt in the Philippines -- during our golden years where old dogs refuse to learn new tricks, adjustments must be made even if we had all the money in the world. And I thinkgetting back down to basic and simple life is a good thing these days. As Tatoosh so eloquently said: a new challenge will keep your MoJo going for years to come. And finally, my good friend Bundy knows the secret -- hislife is full of good things, meaning non-monetary value.Respectfully -- Jake

[Art2ro]

That's a pretty good review of my and your history Jake and of our present day status in life! Couldn't have said it any better! But talking about comparing prices here and in the U.S., we're mainly concerned now about the fast rising medical costs in the Philippines lately! It seems that most of these doctors and medical administrators are becoming a bunch of money grubbers! Our military health care system (TRICARE) is not working too well here in the Philippines, not like our U.S. counterparts, we have to pay up front costs in cash and file for our reimbursements claims after the fact and if one doesn't have any savings or a high end credit card, one can go broke especially when sometimes the claims are denied for some screwed up reason! So, I don't know where our military health care system is headed, but there are a few organizations out there fighting for our military benefits all the time since the U.S. government and Congress are always trying to mess with our hard earned benefits! This is just my take on comparing prices here and in the U.S. that will affect everyone who decides to reside in the Philippines without adequate health care coverage!

Edited January 12, 2012 by Art2ro