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talktome
Joined: 26 Jun 2010
Posts: 45
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 Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:15 am Post subject: Cost of Living in the Philippines. |
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Hi
What is the cost of living in Manila compared to other cities?
Can an expat get by on $1200 a month in a city like Manila?
What's the housing situation and other costs like for expats? (I mean, on average, how much do you spend a month if you are a single man?)
Finally, how much does a person REALLY need to start-up in the Philippines? |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:03 am Post subject: Re: Cost of Living in the Philippines. |
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| talktome wrote: |
Hi
What is the cost of living in Manila compared to other cities?
Can an expat get by on $1200 a month in a city like Manila?
What's the housing situation and other costs like for expats? (I mean, on average, how much do you spend a month if you are a single man?)
Finally, how much does a person REALLY need to start-up in the Philippines? |
US$1200 will give you a very comfortable lifestyle in Manila and you can live like a king out in the provinces.
In the NCR you can rent a nice 3 bedroom condo for about $300-400 per month. You can also rent a decent house for about the same price.
Restaurant meals run about p200 per person (sans alcohol).
Fast food is about 1/2 that (McD 1/4 pounder meals for p129.
If you go local you can get grub at the local Pinoy street restaurant for about p40 per person.
Fresh food varies with season and availability.
Rice is in the range of p35.kilo.
Potatoes can be as high as p80-100/kilo. Similar prices for carrots, broccoli, etc.
Apples are about p12-15 each.
Bananas vary with type, location and season.
Meat is about p200/kg for beef, p175 for pork and p150 for chicken.
Prices will be higher in the "foreigner" supermarkets and may be lower or vary in the wet markets.
IF you are NOT of Filipino decent or married to a Pinay you can add $500 per year for your visa extensions. As an alternative to that you can consider either the investor visa (not worth it) or the SRRV (special retirement residential visa).
If you are living in the city you can get by with $1500 for startup costs and your $1200 per month in income. If you are out in the province you may need a bit more for your startup and less for living.
Personally, I would suggest Cebu over Manila as a retirement or long term vacation location. You get all the benefits of Manila (except the bombs and protest marches) and far fewer of the problems (pollution so bad that it can ground aircraft), typhoons, flooding, high prices for everything).
One BIG CAVEAT:
The cost of ladies (casual dating or a G/F) were NOT included in the above. Ladies are ALWAYS expensive (doesn't matter what country you are in).
IMHO.
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gelynch52ph
Joined: 15 Feb 2011
Posts: 132
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| Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:00 am Post subject: Philippine COL |
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I live in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, which is a province on Mindanao. My 2 BR house costs me P3500 or about $85/mo. Your food prices are about right but I would say that you can cook very healthy and very cheaply if you shop mostly only in wet markets. If a person is LEGALLY employed by a school in the country they will usually pay the cost of a work visa and if illegally employed as are most ESL teachers they will often pay those fees for you also.
If a person expects to earn anywhere in the area of $1200/mo. he is going to get a rude awakening indeed because he would expect around $7.00/day if he is lucky.
The cost of (legal) sin such as booze and cigarettes has just gone up effective New Years Day but since I am without sin my budget has not been affected. The cost of rental (hooker) company varies by location and is probably the most expensive in Manila and Cebu. People of both sexes and of all persuasions can find all the free company they wish in this country so there would seldom be any need to break the law paying for said company. I live here with my wife and infant child so you can just take my observations as you wish, but on any given day I get propositioned on numerous occasions.
A blonde woman would be in brown skinned man heaven here as long as she was willing to foot the bill for meals & entertainment etc. The average working man here earns around $5.00/day so nobody is getting rich except the politicians and Manny Pacquiao. |
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JohnD47
Joined: 31 May 2016
Posts: 10
Location: Quezon City
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:38 am Post subject: Re: Cost of Living in the Philippines. |
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| talktome wrote: |
What is the cost of living in Manila compared to other cities?
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What do you mean cities? Is it the other cities here in the Philippines or in other countries? If you mean, here in the Philippines, they are almost the same. Compare to the provinces of this country, the cost of living in cities will be higher.
| talktome wrote: |
Can an expat get by on $1200 a month in a city like Manila? |
Of course! That would be a lot. If you are solo, earning that much would be great.
| talktome wrote: |
What's the housing situation and other costs like for expats? (I mean, on average, how much do you spend a month if you are a single man?)
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Here in the Philippines, I can only spend $500 - $600. Actually, this is a costly lifestyle already.
| talktome wrote: |
Finally, how much does a person REALLY need to start-up in the Philippines? |
Your monthly income would be fine. |
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