moving to the phils

[stevewool]

has anyone sat down with pen and paper and worked out the cost of living over there , buying your own place, renting a place living in a province or city and so on , i have tried but its hard, everyone says its cheaper but is it, yes we have all so called luxurys over here, but i am sure they are the same with out the motorcar, so come on guys and girls, we are not poor , but again not rich so how much living in both places would cost per month, food, utilities, rent, oor like i say own :xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Terpe]

Steve, I don't think it's easy to document the costs of living. That would apply in Phils and also here in UK. We all have a different view of what we need to live and be happy.
This thread is a great idea, by the way.
We will not get to any defined costs but we will surely get an informative spread. (depending where and how you live)
Some ex-pats I know live very cheaply, especially in the provinces with no A/C and no western style foods and hardly any travelling around.
Others demand a western style house with all mod cons, A/C blasting, plenty of imported foods or eating out etc.
Probably best to start with your own individual minimum amount of cost to live here in UK and say, can I live on that in Phils on a like for like.

[KeithD]

Don't forget hidden charges like charging the whiteman 'extra' and medical costs, flights back to the UK to visit family, etc.

[subseastu]

I think it depends on where you want to live, some areas are more expensive than others. The standard of construction of the building you want to live in and whether you build it or buy already constructed. Basically its the same in principle as living anywhere.

I think its the initial setting up that costs the most obviously after that then its up to the individual on the standard of living you want to have. Generally I think living will be half of that here in the uk. But as mentioned its going to be very difficult to put figures to this.

I'm looking at shipping all our gear over when we move in 18 months or so. a container is £3000-4500 depending on size, £1200 or so for the dog, £1400 ish flights, then finding a rental property for a start I'd say 8000 - 10000 quid to get over there and set up. After that its all about finding your perfect place to live.

[stevewool]

so true what many have said , there will not be many flights back to the uk for me, i do live here very wisely to wisely i am told, but i dont starve and with emma here its even better, my biggest outlay is my mortgage , then running the car, so with both of those gone i am sure i could get by on very little here, with trying to buy a lot very soon we are thinking that may be wise so when we are ready to move out there and its not the right place then its a investment, emma seems to think that is the best to do , me still thinking hard, finding the right place first but that could take ages

[subseastu]

Sounds like a plan steve. In a perfect world I'd like to go over and have a couple of weeks in the area I want to live. Mainly to see if it really is suitable (shops, malls, resturants etc). and to find either a house or ideally a lot to build on. A lot will depend on exchange rates but if you keep holding on for it to improve then its likely that the move will not occur.

I sat and worked out what I would save by moving out to the phils and its a substanal amount. I intend to keep our house here and rent it so most of our mortgage will be covered.

[Terpe]

I really think could become a very informative thread for lots of people.

Lets try and do the best we can do to document some useful stuff.

As a start, I found a site that looks interesting. There are a number of cities that can be selected (Just look at the drop down menu at the top). The currency base can also be changed.

Take a look here :-
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Philippines

[fred]

Steve..
Make a list of things that you need to know the cost of..But Itemise them so there is a unit cost//Also give the area that you wish to move to as prices do vary from area to area etc..
I and others that live here will be able to put a unit price to each item on your list (or an educated guess depending on province or town)and then you can start to do your own math..
Thats about the best suggestion that I can make in regards general cost of living expenses...Depends very much on your individual consumption and requirements...
Cheers,
Fred.

[aposhark]

Some people get lonely and isolated within six months of living in a foreign country, especially if they have not lived abroad before.
Alcoholism can very quickly be a crutch that can eat into the savings quickly :yikes::NoNo:

[fred]

I agree and that's why for some a 6 month to one year test run is in order..
No matter where they decide to live..If all they have ever known is the UK and the odd bender to Benidorm or Blackpool then things might get a little rough!

[fred]

Heres a guy that really has developed a passion to live over here...Its been very slow going and fraught with difficulty and sacrifice but looks like he is finally getting there..
Its a shame he`s not a member here..Perhaps we should invite him!! Tons of good info on his blogs as he travels to and from the UK to realise his dream of the good life in P.I without a UK pension..(A bit like me!)
http://cebuexpat.com/

[Alan]

Steve,

Here are some figures for you for Hanna and I.

2 bed apt. Cebu - P8000
Electricity (Don't use aircon) - P1400
Cable - P675
Internet - P999
Gas bottle - P840 (Every 2 months)
Water - P160
Motor Bike - P4000
Food, bottled water, fuel, brandy and cigs - P8000
Going out for a nice meal once a month - P1500

Now, as a teacher of mathematics, I'd better not get this wrong - err.....about P25000 @ 68 pesos to the pound = about £370 a month.

Of course, as people have said, it depends how you want to live. Some months it might be a little less, sometimes more if we buy clothes, medicines etc....

Hope that is a small help to you!

Al.:)

[stevewool]

all great adive from you all, i do beleive that the figure you have said Alan is closer to what i thought , but time moves on and so does money, i am not counting my pension because at this rate i might not see it or what would it be worth, also now emma is working she may enjoy it here but all those are in the distance, for now i have bills to pay here and try to save too, keep the advice coming please and like terpe says we could all use this advice,by the way alan i would love a motorbike out there, emma says to dangerous but we shall see

[RickyR]

Heres our monthly costs in central Cebu. We will in a 5 bedroom house with a Jacuzzi, in a non secure subdivision.

House Rental: 590.00 Pounds
Electricity: 220.00 Pounds
Broadband 3mbps: 38.00 Pounds
Maid: 73 pounds
Drinking Water: 11 pounds
Kids Schooling: 150
Car Fuel: 58.00

Second Hand Cars are expensive to buy here, they cost about 25 % to 50 % more then in the UK. New car prices for Asian cars are fairly similar to the UK prices.

Visa extension costs are around 60 pounds a time. Medical costs are something that you really need to insure for, and that can cost you about 2000 pounds a year for something decent with repatriation.

General going out, eating and drinking isn't anywhere near as cheap as it used to be because of the exchange rate, but its still a bit cheaper.

Our costs are high because we have air con and a family house, when we lived in Marikina we rented a beautiful 3 bedroom apartment for 150 pounds a month which had a communal pool.

House prices in Cebu are slightly inflated, but you can still find some excellent deals. You can get a beautiful seafront house in a subdivision outside Cebu City (around 30 minutes) for 170,000 pounds.

On some of hte other islands, and plaes like Bohol where Fred lives, your money will go much much further.

[tomboo]

im near mall of asia. my approx costs

nice 2 bed condo 45000 a month
electricity 10000
water 400
internet 2000
food 20000
not replcaed gas yet
cable and phone 995
travel (no car as close to work) 5000

[aposhark]

Hi RickyR,

An American showed me houses in the province of Cebu not far from the sea.

I was amazed at the huge size of the homes for approx £40,000 :Jump:

Of course that was just his estimation of the price.

My wife will look into this over the next two years, but it will be a long term plan for us.
I will keep away from any viewings she will make, I just wonder if they will want her family name and see that it is not Filipino :rolleyes:

[RickyR]

If you want to know more about buying in Cebu, get in touch with forum member David House, he's got a beautiful place in Talisay by the sea.

[mattwilkie]

Heres a guy that really has developed a passion to live over here...Its been very slow going and fraught with difficulty and sacrifice but looks like he is finally getting there..
Its a shame he`s not a member here..Perhaps we should invite him!! Tons of good info on his blogs as he travels to and from the UK to realise his dream of the good life in P.I without a UK pension..(A bit like me!)
http://cebuexpat.com/

Thanks for the introduction Fred .. I actually joined in 2008 but noticed the site is generally the opposite way I am working (people inbound to UK not going to RP).

As regards costs of living it all depends on your budget and what your looking to do. My cost of living currently for :-
6 adults (including one yaya)
2 children
1 internet cafe
Sari-Sari store
1 scooter + 1 motorcycle
1 Jeepy
Apartment and 2 houses is currently around P35,000 - P40,000 per month.

Main issues on a monthly basis can be food though as the novelty of chicken and rice wears off rather quickly. So can say without a doubt your food budget will no doubt grow over time as you will want some of those imported goods that are often overpriced.

Rentals in Cebu - I rent one house for P3,000 per month and I know of 3 newly constructed for P11k a month not sub division although the area is safe (i live here) there is also a French national and a Japanese American in the same area.

Online prices are way over the top and advise if looking for property is rent first prices always go up when someone asks a price better for them to offer it. Currently I have a block of apartments I am interested in which currently they are thinking P1.5m+ and I value at P600k (they are in a sad state of repair) his wife is sick and no doubt will lower the price next year (nope not feeding off poverty the guy is a compulsive gambler and has spent 10 years building these apartments from the bits and pieces of cash he has left over as an OFW).

Rentals are cheap and it may pay to way up the cost of investing the same money you would buy a property for into something else and just rent it out long term. That way you keep the cash and get free rent from the interest.

[fred]

Matt.. Are the units in a good location with good transport links etc??Rentable to foreigners after refurbishments?? Are you talking about 1.5 for a unit or the whole building??

Our units are in Imus Cavite BTW..
www.apartmentinphilippines.blogspot.com