Some people come to the Philippines because everything is cheap. EVERYTHING is cheap.
Is it really?
Actually, not everything is cheap in the Philippines. Truth is, you might come here and find out that a lot of the things you love are very, I mean VERY expensive.
Truth is, some things are very cheap in the Philippines, other things are very expensive. You can live here on the cheap, or you can live here and pay out the nose. It is up to you to decide which is the way that you will live.
If you are like most expats, you will live somewhere in the middle.
Lets take a look at a few classes of items and see how the low end and high end compare.
Paying through the nose
As I said, some things are cheap, and some are expensive here. Let’s start out by looking at things that are expensive.
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Good Quality Mouse Technology. Things have gotten better over the years, but tech is still generally expensive in the Philippines. Even simple things like a good quality mouse or keyboard. You will pay at least double what the US price is for this kind of thing. In the USA, and I presume other western countries to some extent, prices for things are generally discounted. There will be a manufacturer’s suggested price, and then there is the price the store actually charges, which is usually much less than the MSRP. There was a time when I would actually buy tech stuff from the USA and have it shipped here, pay shipping and customs, and still save significant money. Those days have gone, though. Now, you will still pay more for tech in the Philippines, but if you were to order from overseas, ship it here and pay the customs, you will be on the losing end. The prices here are low enough that buying abroad and shipping will cost you more than the local price. However, it is still significantly more expensive to buy tech stuff here than in the USA. Because tech items are my “tools” for work, I am a slave to the market, and I spend a fair amount of money in this arena, more than most readers would.
- Internet. Again, this is an area that is very important to me. The Internet is where I earn my income, so I need to have a good Internet connection. In addition to income, the Internet, in one way or another provides entertainment for my family and I. I don’t skimp on Internet. Over the past 6 months or so there was a survey/news article that went viral. It said that the Internet in the Philippines is the slowest in Asia. Overall, yes, the Internet is very slow here. But, fast Internet is available here, if you are willing to do what it takes to get fast Internet. What does it take? Well, I will be writing an article about that later this week, so if you want/need fast internet in the Philippines, stay tuned!
- Food. You can get good, high quality food here in the Philippines and pay a very low price, or you can pay a LOT. The choice is really yours. You may be wondering… why would anybody pa a lot if you can get it cheap? Well, I didn’t say you can get the same thing in each case, fact is if you want the same foods, same brand names, etc. that you enjoyed “back home” you are going to pay a lot of money. I have seen so many expats who insist that they have to get the US brand, or the Aussie brand, or whatever, even when a comparable Filipino brand is available, and heck, I’ve been one of them at times myself. But, the longer you live here the more you get used to local options. But, it takes time. You can literally pay 3 or 4 times the price, maybe even more in some cases, for comparable products if you insist on the imported option. One thing that will play a big part in how much the foreign brand will cost is the exchange rate. If you are from a country where the currency is currently weak, you may be able to get some fair deals on the brands from your home country. If the currency is strong from your country, though, then get ready to pay big money.
- Girls. If you are the type who wants to chase girls in the Philippines, which probably includes a fairly large number of readers of this site, even the type of girl you choose will determine how much it will all cost you. I am not talking about any kind of illicit transactions now, I am talking about just general costs of food, shelter, entertainment, etc. If you are single and like to enjoy female company, there are costs involved, just as with any country. If you choose a super hot girl that is into the whole party scene and such, well, you can expect that it will be expensive. She will want the best. A lot of times that type of girl will figure out ways to drain your wallet as much as she can. On the other hand, you can find a girl who is not a party girl, a simpler type personality, maybe a girl from the province, and the costs would be much less. It’s all up to you and what kind of tastes you have.
Some things are very cheap
Some things here are super cheap! In fact, I would argue that most things here are very cheap. When I talk to people back in the States they tell me that they are paying $149 or even $199 for cable TV. It shocks me. I remember back when I lived in the States, 16 years ago, cable TV was a $20 a month expense. I just can’t imagine paying that kind of money for cable TV. Here in the Philippines, you can get basic cable for as low as P250/month, about $5.50 per month! Of course you can get higher packages, but nothing near $100 or more per month.
How about cellular phone service? Cellphones themselves are expensive here, but the service itself is dirt cheap. On my cellphone, I have two different SIMs, one for Globe and one for Sun. I use the Sun for most of my calling and texting. For a flat fee of P200/mo (a bit over $4) I get unlimited texting for Sun to Sun texting (all of my family has Sun), I can text several hundred texts per month to other networks, and I get (I think) 240 Minutes per month of calling. I forget how many minutes exactly, because I never use my quota. I have the Globe SIM because I prefer to use the Globe network for my mobile Internet access. Because of my business, it is important for me to have Internet access as much as possible. When I am out and about, though, I don’t surf, I mostly just check email. I get a package from Globe that costs P199 per month, and I get 30 days of Internet usage. During those 30 days, I can use up to 500 MB of data plus I get free (not data metered) use of Spotify (I like to listen when I do my walking routine), and unlimited data for a few other services like Facebook. Like I say, I mostly only use it for checking email (and Spotify while exercising), so I don’t really run out of data availability. It works well for me. So, in all, for all of my texting, calling and data, I pay P399 per month, that is less than $10 per month. What kind of cellular plan can you get for $10 per month in the USA? None.
Another thing that is very cheap in the Philippines is rent. I feel that purchase prices of many houses are very high here compared to the “real value” but rent is very cheap. That is one reason why I choose to rent, even after all of these years.
I mentioned food in the “expensive” part of this article, mainly talking about imported foreign items. But, there are so many great local foods available, especially things like fruits and veggies. There is good meat that is relatively inexpensive. There is also meat that is inferior and not worth the money (like most beef in the Philippines). But, overall, you can enjoy a very nice diet in the Philippines without spending much at all.
In the end, it’s all about the balance
I pay more for a few things, and I pay less for most things, when comparing to the prices back in the States. When it all comes down to it, though, I pay less for my overall life, and I feel that I am living a more enjoyable and stress free life here than I did back in the USA. A lot of expats will complain if a nice steak is double the price they pay back home, but they don’t take into account that 80% of the things they buy are half the price they paid. So, what I suggest is to enjoy your life! Buy the things that you want and enjoy. Some will be more expensive, some will be less. If you don’t like the quality of local beef, buy imported beef! Yeah, it is 4 times the price, but the money you saved on all of the other things in your shopping cart will more than make up for that extra that you paid on the beef that you enjoy.
So, all in all, you will be able to live in the Philippines for MUCH less than you are living in any western country. You will pay more for some things, but you will pay way less for most things. In the end, it is cheap to live here. Don’t sweat it if you have to spend more for some things, just think about how much you are saving overall.
Maybe this is one reason why a lot of long term expats, like myself, really hate all of the “cost comparisons” that readers always want to read! They really are fairly meaningless in the long run.
I always say that booze, cigarettes, labour, houses and land are cheap in the Phills, everything else is the same as UK or even dearer!
You don’t need much else!
I found on my last trip here that booze cost varied a lot depending on where you bought it. I was buying gin in La Union for less.than 100,but the same bottle at 7-11 in Manila was around 800!
Hi Jeff – I am not a drinker, so I don’t have experience or knowledge on liquor prices. Thanks for sharing, sounds like people should watch out where they are buying!
Hi Malcolm – I feel the opposite about land. I feel that land here is very expensive… overpriced in fact.
Yes, your right, land is way over priced here. Especially when compared to the services provided.
Imagine, for example, paying $100 a square foot for waterfront property in the US and not having water available/services. We paid $100 a square foot back in 1990 so one knows that the true piece is more now.
It sure is more now. I know of land here selling for as much as $500 per square foot.
I agree on the price of land but you can make it up the home construction.
Yes, the construction is much lower here, but the land itself is quite hight.
….Yes Bob.. , but not compared to UK its not ! (:-))..probably about one fiftieth of the price…
Wow, land is REALLY expensive there!
It is..and in central London, about 60 miles from us, a plot of land big enough to build a large family home will cost you about $5,000,000. Its cheaper in the provinces , maybe about $1,000,000. (:-))
Aren’t you comparing NY, in your case London, prices to the Philippines? It really can’t be done.
Rusty
Hi , thank you for the information, was told that one hundred USA dollars here is over four thousand dollars there , is that true or is that just a lie ?
The exchange rate changes constantly. Right now, you get 46.7 Pesos for every dollar, so you would get P4670 for $100.
To get up to the minute monetary exchange values, you can always check here:
http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1.00&From=USD&To=PHP
This assessment matches my experience pretty well.
My internet and cable were packaged together and I think I paid 1,500p/month–not too bad. And the internet speed was reasonable (though not as fast as here in the States).
I usually waited until I visited the States if I wanted to buy a new laptop, etc.
Hi Kevin – Glad to hear that it matches up with your experience.
very good article Bob. Will be moving to Koronadal on the 16th of April. Hope to meet you after I arrive.
Thank you Jeff. Good luck on the move, it is coming up fast! Hope to be seeing you.
Yeah tv and Comcast internet is 125 a month in Cali
Cell phone 150 for two phones
I just left Costco it cost me 200 bucks that will last me and my wife 2 weeks if we’re lucky
Wages have not caught with inflation and it’s getting worse
Hopefully one day I can leave this behind and lay back in some province where things are cheaper
Hi Ben – Thanks for sharing your costs and experience. Sounds expensive!
Sure that’s just for basic tv service
No HBO ect , heck half the channels are in Spanish
I just switched to Verizon sprint was tacking on extra charges
Food seems the same price anywhere you go Safeway Luckys Costco
Not really a big haul in groceries 4 bags that’s it
Yup getting pricey in Cali
Hi Ben – Yep, it sure sounds pricy! 🙂
Food is very cheap here compared to the USA, but it all depends on what you are buying and whether it is local or imported.
By the way, I have a question. You keep mentioning “Cali”. Are you talking about California, or expat living in Cali, Colombia?
Houses and land are “cheap” if you buy/build away from anything. If you want to live in/near a city, it’s just as expensive.
My thoughts exactly, Doug.
Hi Bob, we just came back from a 2 months trip to the RP. We visited some 10 Islands and I have to agree with you. Prices vary a lot from one islands to another but generally it is cheaper to live in the RP. As you say it also depends on your lifestyle but again that is true anywhere. It can be very expensive if you live high on the hog in the USA or Canada.
Hi Jmc – Yes, each person’s lifestyle is different, and some people can’t understand why the costs are not identical for every person… well, lifestyle is a big reason for that! You are right, that is true no matter where a person lives!
As i experience life here, i can live for less than i would be able to “back there” (can’t call it back home anymore – my home is here). Some things need a compromise, but i can get used to far most things.
I don’t compare prices anymore, since i live here – that’s what it costs. Electricity…expensive – was that in your list Bob ? 😉
But there’s things here that is priceless, when it comes to choosing where to live i also need to have other aspects: Nature, people, atmosphere – my surroundings. The feeling i get, when i go out, the feeling i get, when i’m surrounded by family and friends, the warm heart that meet me almost all the time, the feeling of belonging to something special. The smiles i meet every day, the friendliness i meet all over.
Not forgetting: I can drive my motorcycle all year round 😀
I think i could go on and on with that list.
So yes, some things are expensive and some cheaper, but all in all it’s cheaper here.
Add the values of all the free things we can have here – a winner.
Ha ha Axel – I love the “back there” part of your comment.. I feel exactly the same way.
You are right about electricity here, it is very expensive. My article was not really about choosing where to live this time, but about the constant cost comparisons that people make. I feel that they are unnecessary and really fairly worthless to say “a bottle of vinegar is x in the USA and y in the Philippines…” Who cares? Overall it is cheaper in the Philippines without a doubt. Beyond that, people should just enjoy life and stop worrying about it. 🙂
Great article Bob! I think it was long overdue really. I’m glad that you laid out expectations to the reader along with some options.
Omg I’m especially pleased and amused about the “girl chaser ” expat lol. As a former military veteran once told me ” If you’re a girl chaser, remember that the faster they are, the more gas you burn”. Lesson learned!
Hi OpaoPhil – Ha ha…. your military veteran friend was spot on! Let me just add one thing to what he said.. the more gas you burn, the more money will are spending! 😉
Yup women there like ants there everywhere
Glad I’m married now
Yup them beautiful party girls are gas guzzlers
Nothing to do with the subject here but letting you know Paul had a second operation yesterday and his Doctor says all is well and Paul should be back in action next week.
Loren, thanks so much for the update! I have been wondering, and I really thought that Paul was already home. Sorry to hear that a second operation was needed! I will pass that on to a friend, because he was thinking of visiting Paul at the hospital and I told him that I thought Paul was already out. He will be interested to know this.
An average trip to the hardware store or grocery store for me, when I visit, and want the things I need for the house there, or the foods I want to eat, will cost me $40 to $60 for each, the hardware store and grocery store. Not cheap, if you get bored like I do, and like to go out to shop. On the other hand, a trip to jolibees for 8 or 9 people may only cost $20 to $30 if that
Hardware, quality hardware and tools are one thing that is extremely expensive here.
The only things I have found here that cost the same as Australia is electrical goods and motor vehicles.
Alcohol and food prices are 100 times cheaper here.
Water and Electricity is also way cheaper.
My family always question me about how I survive here. Very easily the way the costs are here.
I see in Adelaide, South Australia there has been a big increase in the amount of people arrested for begging for money on the streets. Australia is the “lucky country”? No more.
Give me the philippines any day!
Hi Adam – I have never lived in AU so I can’t make the comparison. Electricity here is reputedly some of the most expense electricity in the world, I didn’t know that AU was also so high!
My electricity here equates to $120 Aus dollars a quarter.
In Australia if you have one or two children and similar appliances on as I do here, your bill would be $500-$800 per quarter. Big difference.
This has been calculated with the poor exchange rate of 35 as well, instead of 43 like it was twelve months ago
Ha ha… I can only wish my electricity cost was that low! 🙂
Bob over the last couple of months I have really been watching what I have been spending on stuff here in the USA.
And when you said can you get cell phone service for $10 a month. Well I get away for the company I had been with for 16 years. I guess I have spent 50k with them over the years. They got really bad about making mistakes and it was always to their advantage. So I started looking around the net for better deal. And Bob I spend $10 a month for myself and $10 for my wife. Now I had to buy my phones. And they use a VOIP when you are around wireless (like at my home or office) and it works if I was in the Philippines as long as I had good wireless Internet. I would rate the service as B- but I am spending 10% of what I was before.
Now if I could find a way to get rid of my business land line/internet that has doubled from $80.00 month to $150 in the last two years.
Maybe someone here knows a way to port the business line to some VOIP service.
Well Bob liked the article.
Wow, James! $10 a month for a US cell plan, that is great! I have never heard of a US plan being that low! Congratulations on that.
Glad you enjoyed the article!
I have found my expenses here average out about 30% to 40% less here than where I came from in up-state NY. I guess if there is anything I tend to over-spend on it would be foods. There are really good substitutes for some things here though. For example I always would buy Hellman’s real mayo in the states.. I have found Best Foods to be just as good and Fita crackers are to me exactly like Ritz crackers. I buy most of my fresh foods at the public markets but a couple times a month will go to a mall grocery like SM hypermarket for some of the imported items I want.. like good cheese or decent frozen beef or some spices.
I looked at houses to rent in and around Angeles city and they were anywhere from 5000p ($107) – 30k ($645) a month. I found a nice 3bm 2 bath house about 45 minutes away from Angeles for 50K a year.. at the exchange rate at the time that came out to $89 a month The same house back there would cost me well over $1000 a month.
BTW… good to hear Paul is on the mend.
Hi Richard – Interesting. Like you, we enjoy imported cheese, but rarely buy beef anymore. From time to time, but not often.
Wow 50k per YEAR! That is way cheap!
That’s because Hellman’s and Best Foods are the same company/product
Bob:
You may not agree with me on this point, but there is one thing that I personally noticed:
Until I lived here a few years and started thinking in terms of Pesos, rather than $$$, just about everything seemed cheaper.
It is true. Nowadays, I think in Pesos first, and am completely reversed, even with the amount of heavy travel that I do, and as often as I am out of the country. (Also, since the last three companies I worked for were in Europe, I tend to think EURO / Peso first). Things that I used to think were cheap no longer seem as cheap as they once did.
Sure, I could live cheaper. I live within my means, though. I think my biggest savings are with rent, local food, and anything relying on labor. A lot is also made up by higher costs on electricity (aircon), imported food, and the wonderful “miscellaneous” category.
Hi John, most of my earnings are in US dollars, so I tend to think equally in dollars and pesos. I think one of the things is the longer somebody lives in the Philippines, the more they start considering how they can live cheaply, or cheaper than they used to. Usually the first few years most expats live much more expensively than needed. Don’t you think so?
Perhaps… I think that a lot of the perception is due to the fact that hotels and restaurants (tourism stuff) tends to be much cheaper here, as do “sins”.
I think I live about the same, but my job also has a big influence in that I am in and out so much. For instance, much clothing I will pick up when I go to Australia, and electronics in Hong Kong.
I will note that we recently placed one of our French engineers here permanently in Cebu. He has a very nice flat in an upscale part of town, around P50K per month (furnished). He commented how a similar flat (ocean view, high floor) in the south of France would be much more expensive. However, he was in complete shock when he received his first electric bill (the building has central air in the units… I warned him to turn it off when he left for work in the AM).
Oh yeah, if he was running central air all the time.. I can only imagine how much that bill was! Ouch!
I have only been here a little over 10 months.. and I think economically I walk a different path than some here. I think I actually live BETTER here on, as I said, 30-40% less than I could in the USA.. but I never was a “high-end” resort type person anyway, and spending 50K a month to me would seem very excessive. There are amenities I like to have yes… I do not want to live in a nipa hut out in the jungle and carry my water in a bucket.
The simple truth is that, while on my retirement income I COULD live in the states?.. Here I can live WELL.. Back there I could struggle by. Here I can SAVE money, I can take trips, I can help family. Back in the states I would struggle to keep my nose above water. The added absence of money stress is welcome also.
Having read other forums and talked to many expats here, the perceived needs often exceed their means. Fortunately I do not find that to be the case.
Hi Richard – I have often told people, I did not come here to live cheap, I came here to live good. Sounds like that is what you did too.
Hi Bob,
” I did not come here to live cheap,I came here to live good.” That is an awesome quote ! Well stated my friend 🙂
Financial independence and geographic arbitrage will provide the leverage to live a fulfilling life on your own terms wherever one desires to live 🙂
Thanks, Bobby, I feel exactly the same!
Anything involving labor, as you say, is correct, which includes the labor to grow and get food to your table. I find that an excellent rule of thumb. Anything without Pinoy labor is steep.
For sure on the labor, John. Labor is a huge savings here, so anything that uses a significant amount of labor will be much cheaper here.
Bob,
Why do you think land is so expensive in the Philippines? How can your average Filipino afford to purchase it?
Hi Tom – Hard to say, and I never really thought about that much.
A few reasons off the top of my head?
1. Any land transaction that you or I would be involved in will instantly become way overpriced, because if there is a foreigner involved that will happen.
2. In some cases, the wealthy might inflate prices specifically to keep land out of the hands of the masses, make it more exclusive for the wealthy.
Anybody else have thoughts?
Bob,
M thoughts on home prices. I could say land prices.
We see ads for homes, mainly in Manila, that sell for 1 million dollars. I’ve seen the ads for 3 years. Do the homes ever sell for $1 million? Do the people even care if they sell their home?
How many foreigners walk around with a million dollars in their back pockets? If one were to invest a million dollars in a home would one do it in the Philippines or their home country?
Why buy a home for a million dollars when one can build a brand new home, if they want to, for a lot cheaper?
The average local cannot. I think the land is the supply and demand issue. There isnt a lot of land, and there are approx 100,000,000 citizens. We paid quite a bit more for land in Davao than we would have in most areas of Canada.
Land prices are also much higher than they were 10 years ago.
Bill,
There is so much available land in the Philippines. Maybe not where you want it but there is a lot of land.
Want land for 25 pesos a square meter? It is here on the island we live on. It is very far from stores and hospitals. But it has beautiful views.
From my own observations from visiting and from a countless amount of reading on the internet I would sumerize by saying The Philippines offers ” The Opportunity ” to live for less cost than in many parts of the USA and most likely many other countries. The deciding factors are up to each and every individual.
I don’t have a cell phone here in the USA as I have no need for one and I don’t want to pay the cost. I do have a nice Samsung one that I use on my visits to PH for voice and txt. Brand new it cost me 800 Peso, best part of all is no account needed just pay as you go. If we had that here in the USA I would probably buy a cell phone. I try to avoid things that are subscription and monthly bills. Cable TV I am paying $27 USD ( bottom line including tax, network fees etc. ) for Basic service ( no premium channels ). I spend most of my time on the internet anyway. Verizon fiber optic landline and 50 /50 speed internet which I recently changed to I am on a promotional price of about $50 per month for the next 2 years. It will probably double after that.
On my visits the past couple of years or so I have noticed the cost of dining out seems to have increased there in PH. I don’t keep track of exact amounts and I usually have friends with me ( I pick up the tab LOL ). On my earlier visits I remember paying mostly with 500 and 100 Peso bills. Now it seems I am paying more with 500 and 1000 Peso bills.
From my ” very limited ” look at housing some of the newly constructed budget housing developments I have seen, at a close look I was not overly impressed. The housing units looked ” pretty and cute ” on the outside but construction quality to me, left a lot to be desired. Once again though, these were budget housing built to be affordable to the average employed Filipino. It is not totally fair to make a direct comparison to USA housing standards and requirements. On my most recent visit however I finally was able to see some neighborhoods and visit in what I would call ” nice house ” although like most homes in PH that I have seen, no hot water. For the most part that seems to be the standard there.
Thanks for the update on Paul in the Hospital. I hope he will be well enough to go home soon.
Hi Bob – The “opportunity to live cheaply” is a perfect description! If you want to live cheaply here, you can certainly do it.
Bob in NY,
Great Post. Your exactly right comparing prices of land/ apartment buildings in NYC, or London or probably Queensland/The Gold Coast, etc., can’t be done. There is just no comparison.
Rusty
When i am in Wadab, i walked and go to public market where fresh produce are abundant and inexpensive. I carry a 500 peso cellphone and able to buy fifty peso of san miguel. I own a place, paid off and everything and i got chicks wherever i go. My retirement and 401k is more than enough because i know my way around.
As usual Bob, a good read. I live next to Resorts World across from the airport in Manila in a newly constructed condo, 60 sq. 1 br., 3 pools, new gym, gated with security at each bldg entrance, quiet, safe, clean, EVERYTHING is within walking distance, so I don’t need a car. Rent is 18000 a month for bare (25000 fully furnished), Meralco is about 3500, Internet and phone 1500. I could never find this type of living in the US for what I have here.I’m quite happy here.
Hi Bill – Everything sounds great, very convenient. Feyma and I have talked that in the future when we are a bit older and want to retire, getting a condo unit near the mall would be a nice life.
Thanks, Bill!
Bob,
Overall things are cheaper here, but there are places that are not so expensive in the US. My parents who live in Ohio, have a bundle of high speed internet, cable with nearly 1000 channels and home phone for $79.00 per month. You can get a cell phone with unlimited text, calling to any network, unlimited data for $30.00 per month w/o a contract. Here they really gouge you for calling out of network, even only one call.
No argument from me. I have a good friend, American, who used to live here for a fairly long time. Several years back he moved back to the States, to rural Illinois. He tells me all the time that it is actually cheaper for him to live there than Davao. So, it can certainly be done.
Hi guys
I am constantly reading in forums how expensive utilities can be in the Philippines
Just some costs here in Brisbane Oz.
Origin electricity 22.238 cts kw/hr + supply charge 116.398 c/day
+$1.75 charge if you receive a paper bill and not email bill
Origin natural gas supply charge 39.31cts/day
I have IINET NBN fibre broadband which is monthly quota 250gb including netphone with speed 25/5 costs me $A74.90/mth + Fetch TV which is IPTV for $29.95 includes settop box rental, monthly charge, 33channel entertainment pack
Additional is $8.99 for Netflix and $15 for TFCTV via internet.
Private hospital and medical insurance you are looking over $3600 pa to cover a family properly. Private cover is due to increase on average 6% come April
House rent is around $350-$600/wk depending how far outside Brisbane you want to live.
Thanks for sharing the AU costs.
Absolutely whole heartedly agree! If less expensive is what you are after you do not need to move to the phils. Just move to North Dakota, or Montana, or Wyoming etc. The cost of living in these places is way cheaper than if you live in one of the major cities in America. On the other hand if you choose to live in Makati you can expect to pay close to western prices ( in some cases more) more housing, clothing, electricity…etc.
Ha ha… North Dakota has actually become a very expensive place to live since the oil boom there. A lot of that has shut down, though since the bottom fell out of oil prices.
I live 20k from Kalibo in the province. We run 2 refrigerators, 3 fans, one water cooler, lights for 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, CR and living room, nippa hut lights and outside lights, plus 2 TV’s, stereo and much more like computers, and phones, and yes we never unplug or turn down the appliances and electric bill this month was 2017 pesos, it avg’s 2000 a month, water 500p a month, PLDT net 1300p a month, I have the best package of cignal dish tv for 999p a month, insurance and renewal on 2 cycles and truck is dang cheap, we refill 2 gas tanks for cooking, 1 in nippa hut and one in kitchen maybe every 2-3 months and refill is avg 700p a tank, Phil health avg 2500 ayr, we eat allot of veggies from the market and it is cheap, I drive to ILOILO once a month and yes we buy beef there, for chili, cost avg 200p per kilo, pork chops avg 200p per kilo, chicken 160p avg, things like peanut butter, kidney beans, cheese, baby milk, diapers, spices, barbecue sauce, hot peppers, hot sauce are very pricey. I can’t just eat rice and fish daily especially for breakfast, we do eat rice but I have found ways to make differnt types of homemade gravy (ofcourse the wife will use one tbl spoon on her rice, she said she don’t like rice soggy) she just likes cold or hot rice plain. I have learned when you buy beef it is best in morning at SM and you have to smell it first, so you don’t get a few days old beef, Gas seems a little steep, but we drive cycles allot instead of truck. I have adapted to no aircon even though we have one, we used to pay 5000p a month in electric for air use, just in bedroom. I have experimented using differnt products here to substitute imported ones, for exampl we use Italian spaghetti sauce here for chili, I also have tried the differnt veggies I have never seen and it is good, took a while to experiment. The Shampoo here is damn expensive if you buy a normal american size, and ofcourse the special soaps and face washes for wife. It is much better to have a province wife who has never had so many options of differnt things she never had. Most here just use the basics rice, tons of salt, soy sauce, and little packets of everything. When the family comes around they are amazed to see a 1 gallon of soy sauce and 1 gallon of cooking oil, and a stock of 4 toothpaste in CR, they are accustomed to buying things daily as needed only, no reserve supplies of anything, they go to the kitchen and see 25 bottles of spices and are just amazed, or to see 2 joy dish soap in reserve on counter. We tried one time to not do he normal monthly grocery store shopping and just trying like locals to buy daily at market, that was not for me lol. The worst thing I think here for an american is boredom, very unhealthy to just sit around daily on net or in front of tv, so entertainment or traveling can get costly, but much needed to keep serenity here. Overall it is still much cheaper here, I just did a pew research here on a income of 100,000p a month and it showed I am upper middle income here along with only 3.2% of the population here. In America I would be in the poor category. I will postlink here for all to find out what kind of income bracket you are in.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/16/are-you-in-the-global-middle-class-find-out-with-our-income-calculator/
Hi Jerry – It sounds like you have a nice and relatively inexpensive life going there! Congratulations to you on that.
I really believe what you say about your in laws being shocked to see the 1 gallong sizes of soy sauce, vinegar or whatever. The people here, mostly anyway, purchase a daily supply. I hate that, I want the stuff available without having to run to the Sari Sari store! 🙂
Personally, I have no boredom problem, if anything I don’t have enough hours in the day to accomplish the things on my to-do list. 🙂
great article, keep up the nice work and thank you for sending me a join link. Love reading this type of stuff, and love to help and assist my experiences here.
Thank you Jerry! I’m glad that you liked the article. I really appreciate your kind words!
Take care, and I’m looking forward to seeing your continued participation on the site.
Hi Bob, good article I think it’s better to think in pesos when your buying stuff,
I know a lot of the stuff that you buy here is expensive like shampoo imported items
But generally it’s cheaper to live here than back home England,
The point is you have to have a good income and be sensible with your money
I’ve got it easy here ,but it took a lot of work to get it that way ,Derek in pasig.
Hi Derek – Nice to hear from you, hope you are doing well and that you had a nice Easter.
For me, I tend to think pretty equally in Dollars or Pesos. My first thought, though is usually dollars, because nearly 100% of my income is in dollars. It works out fine.
Yeah, a few things are expensive here, but in general most things cost less and the overall cost of living is less, so you can hardly go wrong! 🙂
Great article Bob, I bought a Basket ball goal that is $99.00 at wallmart and I paid 3 times that Much here, and a cheap lawn mower maybe 5 times is much, but I am learning as I go, like you said cable tv and internet is very cheap, and my water bill is $7 .00 a month, we can chicken and unlimited rice for for $2.00, our land very expensive I bought 1 Acre for the price of 5 acres in Florida, but my house very nice and roomy and if you plan it well you can save a lot of money on construction, my hilux with the diesel, it was up there and price,
so like you said its all a matter of preferences and making adjustments.
Hi James – thank you! Glad you liked the article. Yeah, your examples really show that prices can be higher or lower, just all depends on what you are buying! 🙂
Hi again,
Thanks for the wonderfully helpful article here once again. Last time I posted I believe it was on Jason’s article and I mentioned that the wife and I are preparing to move there sometime in the next couple of years. Articles like this are defiantly helpful for me.
I always knew the technology was expensive there, I learned that the first time I went to buy a basic electric fan to sleep with at night that cost me about double and it was used out of the box then I would pay in the states at Walmart.
I will need a very high-end laptop when we do move there, actually, I will need 2 plus an additional monitor for what I do online for income.
I noticed someone mentioned they buy their laptops in the US than bring them over there, do you have to pay a tax on the laptops when you go through customs over there? Or do you just tell them it’s for business? Just curious if anyone has any experience on that.
Thanks,
James
Hi James – If you brought in a commercial quantiti of laptops, say a dozen laptops, then you would have to pay a tax. If you bring in one or two, just tell them that it is your personal laptop and no questions will be asked. Don’t bring them in the box, just carry like you would the laptop that you use.
Good article Bob. Yes, there are so many variables.
Electronics have always been expensive in countries like the Philippines. I first learned about how expensive electronics were when I lived, and taught, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
Have you noticed. I’m sure you have, since smart TVies became popular that regular TVies, even 55″ TVies, have come down greatly in prices.
But we didn’t move here because one can pay a plumber/quality laborer $5 a day to complete a job. In my opinion do move here because one believes they are saving money isn’t a good reason.
If your not happy here it doesn’t matter how much money your saving. I liked to post from the poster who bought a condo near a mall.