Foreigners living in the Philippines

[baby38]

Just reading comments of foreign men living in the phills for a number of years,some i can guess around 40 to 50 years,I was wondering how you survive financially,i can understand at retirement age you can get a foreign pension ,i am on a disability pension it OK to leave the country for 3 months,or I loose my pension,but even at retirement age in my country of Australia you have to come back to Australia once a year.
Sure it a lot cheaper to live in the Phills ,but on my 7 visits to the phills you seem to end up spending lots of money.
Even if you had a job in the phills the pay not great for our standard of living,I have meet many foreigners living in the phills all they seen to do is drink a lot,also I lived there for 3 months after awhile i got bored,I would say you would have to be kept busy working or doing volunteer work,also I would be concerned about the getting medical help up to the standard of my country, especially with men getting on with age.
Maybe many men living in the phills are very well off financally.

[RickyR]

There is a wide variety of expats in the Philippines, living all over. Some who spend the winters here, some who work here, some who have retired here with money and some who have retired without money and then there are quite a few like me who work at sea or offshore.
You can live very cheaply here, and some people do live off a few hundred pound a month quite successfully. The bare essentials are quite cheap, and in the province you can live comfortably with a maid to help the day to day lifestyle.
If you want to live well, the costs do go up. I sometimes feel that it costs more for our lifestyle here then it did in the UK. Our electricity bill this month was 240 pounds, attributed to our air con and jacuzzi pumps.
As for high standard medical facilities, there are a few, but only in the major cities of Manila and Cebu (possibly Davao as well). But this isn't cheap, so you would be well to have insurance.

There are quite a few people who live life looking through the bottom of a san mig glass here, but many people live life to the full, whether its diving, boat trips, running businesses etc.

[joebloggs]

Our electricity bill this month was 240 pounds, attributed to our air con and jacuzzi pumps.

£240 for a month
i just got our gas/electric bill and that was £250 for the last 3 months, and at least 1 pc is on 24/7 everyday , tv on most of the time, lights are left on, etc..

[malditako]

when i was still in phils i used to pay 100 to 120 pounds on electricity a month..

[stevewool]

and heres me thinking off going to a warmer place , aircon was it all going on grace

[Steve.r]

I guess it all depends on why you are going there and what the expectation is of both yourself and the people you are going to live with.
A simple life with no frills is what I am after, I have just spent 3 weeks without aircon, it's not so bad. What I would need is a small tv and an internet connection, thats about it. We have both agreed that being rich, living beyond our means is not really what we need or want, leaving all the modern trappings of western life behind will be bliss. We have a business growing which will create an income, plus looking for more oppertunities all the time will keep me active.
Like I first said, decide why you want to live there, plan around that reason and live within your means. It is not the 'west' so life will be different.

[stevewool]

wise words steve , a simple life is what is needed after working and living here for years, i too was there for a month and i enjoyed the warmth yes the odd day sitting in a taxi the aircon was welcome , but i am sure its not needed if you pick the place well to settle, its great to here that the business is growing , myself i am still looking for that place emma says lets just buy a lot for now and hopefully by the time we go there it should be worth more and if we dont like it sell and move on , who knows ????, just for now its save save save

[junior02]

There is a wide variety of expats in the Philippines, living all over. Some who spend the winters here, some who work here, some who have retired here with money and some who have retired without money and then there are quite a few like me who work at sea or offshore.
You can live very cheaply here, and some people do live off a few hundred pound a month quite successfully. The bare essentials are quite cheap, and in the province you can live comfortably with a maid to help the day to day lifestyle.
If you want to live well, the costs do go up. I sometimes feel that it costs more for our lifestyle here then it did in the UK. Our electricity bill this month was 240 pounds, attributed to our air con and jacuzzi pumps.
As for high standard medical facilities, there are a few, but only in the major cities of Manila and Cebu (possibly Davao as well). But this isn't cheap, so you would be well to have insurance.

There are quite a few people who live life looking through the bottom of a san mig glass here, but many people live life to the full, whether its diving, boat trips, running businesses etc.

£240 a month for electric, are you sure, my electric bill in are 3bed house is never more than 3000 peso per month with aircon on most of time also tv and other things on more than 12 hours a day. and my tubig bill is never over 600 peso a month, and we use a lot of tubig..

[malditako]

£240 a month for electric, are you sure, my electric bill in are 3bed house is never more than 3000 peso per month with aircon on most of time also tv and other things on more than 12 hours a day. and my tubig bill is never over 600 peso a month, and we use a lot of tubig..

he probably live in a mansion with centralized aircondition, a nice garden to run with electric fountains etc, eelctric water pump,..etc..etc..etc...

[malditako]

and heres me thinking off going to a warmer place , aircon was it all going on grace

12 to 16 hours of aircondition, oven, microwave, electric pot etc lol...cant stand without aircon or my son will get sick (asthma)

[junior02]

he probably live in a mansion with centralized aircondition, a nice garden to run with electric fountains etc, eelctric water pump,..etc..etc..etc...

maybe he has, but i still cant see that it would cost £240or around 16500peso per month for electric, unless you have a big business premises to run..

[rani]

maybe he has, but i still cant see that it would cost £240or around 16500peso per month for electric, unless you have a big business premises to run..

most of my friends spend that big in electricity coz aircons are "on" simultaneously every night and sometimes during the daytime when its really hot... my monthly bill is more than 6k a month for just one aircon bedroom condo unit here in pasig

you can save on electricity if you live outside manila where you can still get "cooler" air at night... i spent 4k a month when i lived in cainta (2 storey with 3 bedrooms) coz we rarely used aircon

[stevewool]

well here soon we shall have the heating on , but between all off my friends on here i have told emma that its tradition that heating is better started on xmas eve so for now a nice woolie hat is tradition

[junior02]

most of my friends spend that big in electricity coz aircons are "on" simultaneously every night and sometimes during the daytime when its really hot... my monthly bill is more than 6k a month for just one aircon bedroom condo unit here in pasig

you can save on electricity if you live outside manila where you can still get "cooler" air at night... i spent 4k a month when i lived in cainta (2 storey with 3 bedrooms) coz we rarely used aircon

thank god i didnt buy a house or condo in manila or cebu, its so much cheaper in the province and also so much cheaper here in england. i can understand now why hotels that are a very low standerd even the top hotels in rp are more expensive than a lot of countries around the world...

[Steve.r]

well here soon we shall have the heating on , but between all off my friends on here i have told emma that its tradition that heating is better started on xmas eve so for now a nice woolie hat is tradition

I think I can hear the squeak from here steve

[stevewool]

that was no squeak steve remember you are in dorset the noise was a crack on the back off my head emmas reading just what i put and the heating is going on sooner then later

[rani]

thank god i didnt buy a house or condo in manila or cebu, its so much cheaper in the province and also so much cheaper here in england. i can understand now why hotels that are a very low standerd even the top hotels in rp are more expensive than a lot of countries around the world...

you've made a right decision junior

its better to invest in tagaytay and baguio probably... cool air and away from the harm of floods

davao is a nice place too!

[junior02]

you've made a right decision junior

its better to invest in tagaytay and baguio probably... cool air and away from the harm of floods

davao is a nice place too!

i didnt buy in tagaytay or baguio, our house is in guimaras, its prob more init ther but electric seems to be much cheaper compared with what you and rickyr posted about the cost in manila and cebu, so aircon on most 24hrs a day, well thats wen im ther.. wife likes it more init..

[junior02]

most of my friends spend that big in electricity coz aircons are "on" simultaneously every night and sometimes during the daytime when its really hot... my monthly bill is more than 6k a month for just one aircon bedroom condo unit here in pasig

you can save on electricity if you live outside manila where you can still get "cooler" air at night... i spent 4k a month when i lived in cainta (2 storey with 3 bedrooms) coz we rarely used aircon

hi rani, cgaro u need malaki kwarta to live in manila, cuz the bills pinkaka mahal dba..

[rani]

hi rani, cgaro u need malaki kwarta to live in manila, cuz the bills pinkaka mahal dba..

well, it really depends on how comfortable you wanna live... but yes, its kinda expensive here considering that you get all the pollutions... and the crazy robbers are everywhere

[junior02]

well, it really depends on how comfortable you wanna live... but yes, its kinda expensive here considering that you get all the pollutions... and the crazy robbers are everywhere

maybe u should get a bodyguard cgaro 8000 per month ther in manila

[Steve.r]

the crazy robbers are everywhere

You are right, i just had a call from my mahal, she tells me the police are at her house right now as her mother disturbed a thief who has stolen her sari sari store money 10000 piso and all her jewelery. I think an inside job as the dogs apparently never barked and the thief knew exactly where to look. He never took the laptop or video camera though or hurt her mum thank god!!

[rani]

maybe u should get a bodyguard cgaro 8000 per month ther in manila

hahahaha i don't need a bodyguard junior as i am a simple citizen of the country

[rani]

You are right, i just had a call from my mahal, she tells me the police are at her house right now as her mother disturbed a thief who has stolen her sari sari store money 10000 piso and all her jewelery. I think an inside job as the dogs apparently never barked and the thief knew exactly where to look. He never took the laptop or video camera though or hurt her mum thank god!!

another bad news
flashbacks running on my mind again

[stevewool]

soooooooooooooo sorry to hear the news steve , no one hurt that is the most important , yes alot of money but that can be replaced over time , no barking dogs just cash taken like you say could be someone from the inside

[Steve.r]

soooooooooooooo sorry to hear the news steve , no one hurt that is the most important , yes alot of money but that can be replaced over time , no barking dogs just cash taken like you say could be someone from the inside

Yes, thanks Steve Rani, I also think inside job. maybe some jealous neighbour/family who know/think she has money lying around because I have just been visiting Makes me mad. I'll be buying her some method of self defence soon, the type that goes bang, if you know what I mean

[stevewool]

get her to ware them gloves you gave the kids

[Steve.r]

knuckle dusters more like.

[JimOttley]

£240 for a month
i just got our gas/electric bill and that was £250 for the last 3 months, and at least 1 pc is on 24/7 everyday , tv on most of the time, lights are left on, etc..

Electric is the killer Joe, we have one small aircon unit in the bedroom only, electric bill is 80 quid a month in summer and that is 7 hours night time usage of an 800 watt unit, last month was still 65 quid. The generation companies in the Phils made some very bad contracts and decisions around 10 or 12 years back cant remember exactly when but the entire country has been paying for it ever since.

My UK bills in England for a flat are much worse than they used to be for a whole house in Scotland but still nowhere near as bad as the phils.

In the Phils we have 3 fans 1 fridge, TV, all low enegry lights and 1 aircon unit, the bills are ridiculous, but it's the law of the market place I guess.


Jim

[RickyR]

£240 a month for electric, are you sure, my electric bill in are 3bed house is never more than 3000 peso per month with aircon on most of time also tv and other things on more than 12 hours a day. and my tubig bill is never over 600 peso a month, and we use a lot of tubig..

Yes, unfortunately. We have a 5 bedroom house, and because of the children we have 3 air con units running thorughout the night, and normally 1 or 2 running all day. The jacuzzi pumps are run every few days, the water cooler, reefer and computers are running pretty much continuously. Water heaters running quite a lot of the time.

VECO Bill 15,323 PHP

Usage this month 1810 kWh
Avg kWh/day 58.39

To be honest, if your retired and have no family with you, you can probably live for a lot less. I'm here with my family, we need to live within a reasonable distance of an Accredited International School and I expect a certain standard of living wherever I live, and thus we live very comfortably. Generally most of the outgoings aren't excessive, but the electricity bill is the killer with the air con. There are options such as solar panels, ceiling fans etc.