#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Philippine Forum >  >  Cost of Living in the Phils...

## Paddy Whackery

Silly season topic i know.....but what do you guys think a single guy would need for a minimalist existence in the Phils?  I have a neighbour from Davao City who swears that Eu300/month is enough for a middle class existence - maybe for him but us farangs need a/c round the clock.  There is currently an english guy on Youtube who is trying to live on a budget of USD$575/month.  (Not sure in what town).  

You can live out of town a little bit but then you'd need a moped i suppose.  A hot shower may not be a necessity but a flushing toilet is...

Any opinions on a minimum monthly budget - without resorting to eating street food?  No housekeeper, just the essentials of a/c, internet and access to a supermarket in a reasonable distance?  Quite happy to get quietly shit-faced at home, instead of listening to Yanks going on ad nauseum bout what an awful president Obama is... ::chitown::

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## chassamui

I believe the utility prices make it more expensive from a simple cost of living perspective. That and many areas suffer regular outages.  Moreso than you would be likely to experience in Thailand. It is possible to live without aircon and it does not hurt to do so.

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## Takeovers

> I believe the utility prices make it more expensive from a simple cost of living perspective. That and many areas suffer regular outages.  Moreso than you would be likely to experience in Thailand. It is possible to live without aircon and it does not hurt to do so.



But very nice to have. You don't have to run it at 23°C. I run it at 27°C and it is very comfortable, because it gets down the humidity. That does not cost a fortune. I don't live permanently in the Philippines, just extended holidays.

Hot water not needed. For water outages a container helps. Biggest obstacle in cheap areas is decent Internet. 

If you cook for yourself using gas 575$ or 500€ should be very doable. But canned food and western food is probably more expensive than in the West. Go native with food supply.

My biggest gripe is that there is no rye flour for baking decent bread. I need to bring that with me. At least I was not able to source it in Manila or Cebu.

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## stroller

> a neighbour from Davao City who swears that Eu300/month is enough for a middle class existence


If you own your place of residence, the car is paid for and you don't travel and don't go out much. Then, if you eat Flippo food, you'll have a middle class Flippo life.  :Smile: 



> - maybe for him but us farangs need a/c round the clock.


Do we?  


> A hot shower may not be a necessity but a flushing toilet is...


Is it? Anyway, that's a one-off expense which won't set you back much.
I'd be more concerned about safety against burglars and 'animal' invaders. Again an initial one-off expense.




> Quite happy to get quietly shit-faced at home, instead of listening to Yanks going on ad nauseum bout what an awful president Obama is...


Not many, if any, yanks in Davao leading a Flippo "middle-class" life.  :smiley laughing:

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## Paddy Whackery

Is there a concensus on whether it's (relatively) safe to drive a moped?  In a certain country i could mention, the boys in brown would just say "you know how that's people drive around here so what's your problem?"  Tough titty if farang gets run over...

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## stroller

Been driving a scooter in Thailand for 16 years, wouldn't dream of doing so in the Phils.

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## jazzmanblues

Not sure I love driving scooters in India..Take your Life in your own hands.
Thailand seems pretty safe compared to India

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## TizMe

Driving standards of the locals is far higher in Philippines than in Thailand.

I live in Makati and my girlfriend stays with me also, so my expenses are quite a bit higher than if I lived out in one of the provinces (or even somewhere further out, but still in Metro Manila.

My rent is 25,000 pesos per month. My last water bill was 132 pesos and last electricity bill was 1,077 pesos.

I don't run the air cond 24x7, but usually just turn it on when I come home for an hour or two.

I pay a lady to come in each week to clean and do laundry etc. I pay her 1,000 peso per visit.

I don't own a car here as my office is directly across the road from my condo. Just catch taxis when needed for short trips, and hire a car and driver for longer trips.

My total expenditure is about 100,000 pesos per month, but that includes a weekend away with my GF each month as well.

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## Paddy Whackery

> Driving standards of the locals is far higher in Philippines than in Thailand.
> 
> My rent is 25,000 pesos per month. My last water bill was 132 pesos and last electricity bill was 1,077 pesos.


Now here's the question:
Can you get BBC World Service?

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## Paddy Whackery

> Driving standards of the locals is far higher in Philippines than in Thailand.


I'm told they have some kind of emergency responders in the Phils (Cebu?).  Whatever it's like, it's better than tiger balm...

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## rickschoppers

> Driving standards of the locals is far higher in Philippines than in Thailand.
> 
> I live in Makati and my girlfriend stays with me also, so my expenses are quite a bit higher than if I lived out in one of the provinces (or even somewhere further out, but still in Metro Manila.
> 
> My rent is 25,000 pesos per month. My last water bill was 132 pesos and last electricity bill was 1,077 pesos.
> 
> I don't run the air cond 24x7, but usually just turn it on when I come home for an hour or two.
> 
> I pay a lady to come in each week to clean and do laundry etc. I pay her 1,000 peso per visit.
> ...


Your total expenses are very close to my number here in Thailand per month, but I am paying for a new Toyota TRD and private school for my 5 year old son. So all things considered my actual living expenses are close to half of yours Tiz me. I have no house payment and only pay the utility bills. It can be worked several different ways depending on ones lifestyle. I know I am not really talking apples to apples here, but just a comparison.

It also depends on how much it cost you to reach a stable monthly cost of living. Since I have three cars and two motorbikes along with a 200 sq meter house that is free and clear, my total investment is probably quite a bit higher than yours.

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## TizMe

The 100k per month includes every purchase I've made since arriving here.
I've been here since March this year, so it includes rental deposit of 100k, purchase of washing machine and all the kitchen appliances (except refrigerator).
It also includes our trips away, one was a 66K package deal to Palawan for 5 days.
Another was a 3 day trip where we hired a car and driver, maybe that was about 30k.
I expect my average spend will reduce in coming months, especially there will be less traveling until the wet season ends.

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## Storekeeper

Have had this memorized for years:

HOME | live and retire

Great blog source for living in the Philippines.

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## Davis Knowlton

> Driving standards of the locals is far higher in Philippines than in Thailand.
> 
> I live in Makati and my girlfriend stays with me also, so my expenses are quite a bit higher than if I lived out in one of the provinces (or even somewhere further out, but still in Metro Manila.
> 
> My rent is 25,000 pesos per month. My last water bill was 132 pesos and last electricity bill was 1,077 pesos.
> 
> I don't run the air cond 24x7, but usually just turn it on when I come home for an hour or two.
> 
> I pay a lady to come in each week to clean and do laundry etc. I pay her 1,000 peso per visit.
> ...


Dirt cheap rent for Makati, Tiz. Where? Also you must only turn on one lamp at night for an electric bill like that!

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## TizMe

I'm in Valero Street, just a stone throw from the Ayala Triangle.

My place is only small, but it's big enough for me and my girl. 

The lamps are low energy  :Smile:

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## Paddy Whackery

> Have had this memorized for years:
> 
> HOME | live and retire
> 
> Great blog source for living in the Philippines.


I found it to be a little top heavy with ads for ebooks etc but still has some good basic info.  There's no such thing as doing too much research imho, even if any potential move to the Phils (even on a part-time basis) may well be years away...I worked with Flippers for about 20 years in nyc and feel i understand them to a degree.  They are notoriously clannish but that's a whole other discussion.  Thanks for the info. 

I'd buy you a white russian if i was over there. 

The Dude abides... ::chitown::

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## Paddy Whackery

> Have had this memorized for years:
> 
> HOME | live and retire
> 
> Great blog source for living in the Philippines.


I spent a few hours last night on this forum:
Living In Cebu Forums

It's got an awful lot of information about life in the Phils and it's a "warts-and-all" view of life in the Phils...unlike certain Youtubers who present a somewhat (imho) sanitized view of life in the Phils...

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## chassamui

Some very positive news from your link Paddy:

Philippines becomes regional star as gloom descends around Asia - Chicago Tribune

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## Paddy Whackery

> Some very positive news from your link Paddy:
> 
> Philippines becomes regional star as gloom descends around Asia - Chicago Tribune


Very interesting...ta very much.  The flippers' resourcefulness and and ability to make-do with what they have stands to them...If only they could improve their infrastructure?  (My neighbour from Davao says it was politics NOT the hurricane that closed Clark - reakon it would take them a loooooooong time to to replace that kind of earner)...

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## stroller

> (My neighbour from Davao says it was politics NOT the hurricane that closed Clark - reakon it would take them a loooooooong time to to replace that kind of earner)


A combination of the two, actually. Subic/Olongapo as well.

US forces have come back to the Phils in various forms and agreements since.

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## chassamui

Despite the protests of special interest groups, the US and Japan will continue to press for a significant increase in troops rotating through PI military facilities. In mutually beneficial moves both sides are keen to augment the current VFA with an increased presence in the Pacific.
The US can keep an eye on perceived threats from China and the PI gets big brother to support claims for sovereignty of disputed maritime regions.

U.S. negotiating to rotate troops to 8 Philippine bases

Japan and U.S. to establish military bases in the Philippines

Once the ladyboy killer is jailed, and the Phils supreme court rules on validity of VFA, things will move quickly I suspect.

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## Paddy Whackery

> Originally Posted by Storekeeper
> 
> 
> Have had this memorized for years:
> 
> HOME | live and retire
> 
> Great blog source for living in the Philippines.
> 
> ...


I came across a guy in their archives (Cebu forums) who's income didn't match up to the expectations of his teeruk's family, a common enough experience i believe.  He thought he had been clear from the start about his financial situation, until they told him they had to tell the neighbors that every new purchase had been paid for by him "just to save face".  This all-important saving face seems to be the be-all and end-all for Flips as well as Thais.  The last straw came when they told him they were constantly being humilated on front of their neighbours because he doesn't make 3 x times his girlfriend's salary...

This really struck a chord with me and the very first flipper girl i ever got to know in my first job in nyc in the 90's.  She had a nice, new Toyota Camry, co-op apartment out on Long Island.  The usual three jobs to send all those $$ back home...I used to go by her desk to chat her up at lunch time and she'd pull out her last three pay cheques from the drawer and start fanning herself with them, just to show me she hadn't needed to cash them...Eventually a friend pulled me aside and told me that unless i made three times her salary, all her friends would just laugh at her.  So, basically i'd have a better chance of angels flying out of my arse...

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## callippo

> Been driving a scooter in Thailand for 16 years, wouldn't dream of doing so in the Phils.


ridiculous statement. If you have what it takes to drive a scooter in Thailand you have what it takes to drive a scooter in the Philippines as well. Have you got a problem with driving on the right hand side of the road, or something?

Philippines is probably a little bit more problematic drive-wise than Thailand (not anything to do with on which side they drive) but not all that much more. Both are quite challenging, but Philippines is just a touch more challenging. I've driven all round the Philippines island-to-island, on and off ferries, with all my stuff and usually at least one girl and her stuff on the back for years. Thailand is easier because the roads are better and there is better traffic regulation in cities. Thailand is easier because it is less densely populated with fewer people this also means less animals that can run out in to the road and F*ck you up. Thailand is easier. But it's not all that much easier.

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## stroller

Compare Manila with Bangkok.

How many fellow bikers do you see driving in Manila?

 :rofl:

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## Exit Strategy

Strange thing is that Philippine people have the right attitude and they have the skills and the country is beautiful but then it fails. Police and bureaucracy. Stayed there briefly before relocating to Indonesia. Once upon a time.

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## Paddy Whackery

> Originally Posted by stroller
> 
> 
> Been driving a scooter in Thailand for 16 years, wouldn't dream of doing so in the Phils.


The no.s are somewhat perplexing, for instance Thailand ranks #2 on Livescience.com's 25 most dangerous countries to drive in, whereas PI doesn't feature AT ALL, in either best or worst 25 countries...

The WHO's figures put Thailand with 44 road deaths per 100,000 persons/year and PI's as 1.8.  Is it possible that PI's record keeping is so shitty that records aren't kept?

I know this is way off topic but nobody reads my threads anyway...

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## Iceman123

^
Who said that?
 :Smile:

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## callippo

[quote=Paddy Whackery;3094954]


> Originally Posted by stroller
> 
> 
> Been driving a scooter in Thailand for 16 years, wouldn't dream of doing so in the Phils.


The no.s are somewhat perplexing, for instance Thailand ranks #2 on Livescience.com's 25 most dangerous countries to drive in, whereas PI doesn't feature AT ALL, in either best or worst 25 countries...

The WHO's figures put Thailand with 44 road deaths per 100,000 persons/year and PI's as 1.8.  Is it possible that PI's record keeping is so shitty that records aren't kept?

I know this is way off topic but nobody reads my threads anyway...[/quote


there is a myriuad of sources but I have usually used the WHO list here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ted_death_rate

I think the Thailand's death rate per 100,000 inhabitants is 38, whereas the Philippines is only 9, however this should be set against the rate of car ownership, with cars being the deadlier vehicles especially for pedestrians. And car ownership is SIX TIMES higher in Thailand than the Philippines. I don't know what proportion of Filipinos will never go inside a private car even once, in their entire lives, but it is high. Probably not much short of 50%. Only a handful of cities have taxis and even then the fares are too high for nearly all Filipinos to use them regularly.

on a motorbike, and I've driven a lot in both countries, they are in the same ballpark but the Philippines is definitely a touch more hazardous than Thailand. In the Philippines there's more people, more children, more bad roads, more animals, worse weather, and less traffic regulation.

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## callippo

> Compare Manila with Bangkok.
> 
> How many fellow bikers do you see driving in Manila?


not many, but then I never saw all that many if any farang motorbikers in Bangkok either. I have never driven in Manila however I have driven in a lot of other crowded cities in the Philippines like Cebu, CDO, Iliolo, Bacolod, Tacloban. 

I wouldn't mind driving a motorbike in Manila actually, although I am yet to do it, the last few times I've been there I was sizing it up. Conditions for motorbike driving in Manila are not so bad as say Cebu. The streets are far, far wider and there is much more room. It would be a nightmare in a car but not so bad on a motor.

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## AntRobertson

I almost got arrested in Manila.

And by arrested I mean shook-down by the po-po.  :Very Happy:

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## chassamui

> I almost got arrested in Manila.
> 
> And by arrested I mean shook-down by the po-po.


Is it becos you is ginga? That can be quite disconcerting for those who are not familiar with it.  :Wink:

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## AntRobertson

Haha, no and fock you gingaist!  :Very Happy: 

It may have involved drunkeness and peeing in public though.

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## chassamui

> It may have involved drunkeness and peeing in public though.


And here is me having framed you as a shining beacon of abstinence and righteous virtue.  :Smile:

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## AntRobertson

I am now. Back then I was on rugby tours and getting asked to pay on the spot fines or spend the night in jail  :Very Happy:

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## james777

HI Tiz Are you saying it costs you only $2,500 USD a month to live comfortably in Manila. I would have thought you'd need much more than to live comfortably in the Philippine capital !

QUOTE=TizMe;3083334]Driving standards of the locals is far higher in Philippines than in Thailand.

I live in Makati and my girlfriend stays with me also, so my expenses are quite a bit higher than if I lived out in one of the provinces (or even somewhere further out, but still in Metro Manila.

My rent is 25,000 pesos per month. My last water bill was 132 pesos and last electricity bill was 1,077 pesos.

I don't run the air cond 24x7, but usually just turn it on when I come home for an hour or two.

I pay a lady to come in each week to clean and do laundry etc. I pay her 1,000 peso per visit.

I don't own a car here as my office is directly across the road from my condo. Just catch taxis when needed for short trips, and hire a car and driver for longer trips.

My total expenditure is about 100,000 pesos per month, but that includes a weekend away with my GF each month as well.[/QUOTE]

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## Jools

"Minimalist existence" is a very bad idea...
It's gets very old in a hurry.
I live in Thailand on 2400 US dollars a month. That isn't much in the USA but it
really is quite a bit here in the Kingdom. I certainly wouldn't advise trying to live 
on less than 1500 dollars US in the Phil.

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## forreachingme

Count roughly 3000 monthly for immigration in your budget, just renewed 2 month for 4150 php but soon renewal of ICR card that a 5 k or so... 3k average month if you stay as tourist, over 50 you might apply for permanent resident, no idea so far what that would cost, google shall know.

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## TizMe

> HI Tiz Are you saying it costs you only $2,500 USD a month to live comfortably in Manila. I would have thought you'd need much more than to live comfortably in the Philippine capital !


Yeah, USD 2,500 sounds about right.

Bear in mind that I'm working here as well, so for my days in the office expenses are less than if I wasn't working.

Also all my immigration costs mentioned in the post above are paid by my company.

I moved here from Singapore. In Singapore I was spending about SGD 8,000 per month.

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## stroller

^
2.5k - yeah, in Makati...

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## Takeovers

> 2.5k - yeah, in Makati...


I agree but then I would not want to live in Manila unless for an expat job where I make more than 2.5k. For retirement I would live somewhere else for sure and won't need 2.5k.

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## kingwilly

I don't think he was talking about what he is earning, rather what he is spending.

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## stroller

I don't think I ever spent 2.5k/month anywhere, though I made a lot more than that when I lived in Manila (not Makati). It really isn't necessary, considering the standard income bracket for most Flippos, it's a fortune.

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## Mas Gib

if you have the internet get a program hide my IP set it to the UK and you can have BBC iplayer and all that in delivers, I would recommend hotspot shield works perfectly well for radio and TV.

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## TizMe

> I don't think he was talking about what he is earning, rather what he is spending.


Yes, that's what I spend, not what I earn.

Also, my girlfriend isn't a drain on finances at all. She contributes, but I have no idea what she is spending. So the 100K that I spend is only what I spend.

I pay for most expenses, but she isn't the long pockets with short arms type like some previous Thai &'Singaporean girls were.

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## Takeovers

> Originally Posted by kingwilly
> 
> 
> I don't think he was talking about what he is earning, rather what he is spending.
> 
> 
> Yes, that's what I spend, not what I earn.



I did not want to imply it's your earnings.

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## ThaiMassage

I think when considering expenses in Philippines, it's worth considering that it is an island country which adds to the cost of any imports. Also travel expenses if visa runs are necessary.

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## Takeovers

> I think when considering expenses in Philippines, it's worth considering that it is an island country which adds to the cost of any imports. Also travel expenses if visa runs are necessary.


Shipping is the cheapest mode of transport. Being an island country will hardly add to import cost.

BTW responding to long dormant threads is usually regarded as necrophilia.  :Smile: 

A frequent mistake by forum newbies who respond to threads after forum search.

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## Jonno51

100000 peso a month.... I lived there for six months 2008-2009 on a 10000 peso a month  budget. 
Last holiday (4 weeks) I spent 160000 for two ppl including the tickets to the Philippines. That also included lots of pasalubong and a despedida with around 40 ppl. You guys must be high maintenance..

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