the cost of living in the phils

[stevewool]

i think this has been asked many times before, and the answers are so hard to pridict too, but there has to be some answers to the qestions, most know my dreams and plans and if all goes well i see no reason why we will not be living over there one day, Bohol area is the place i would like to live, anyway back to the question. There are lots of differant sites claiming this and that and you need so much to live like a king and so on, but i want to live just nice and comfortable, i will not need a car and the way we live here i am sure that between 350 and 500 a month would be the right figure for me, yes i could be totaly out by hundreds, do i buy the house outright so no rent to pay lots of things to talk about here so whats your thoughts, i will be adding to this thread from time to time to add more of what i find out,

[imagine]

i think cost of any health care, and or health insurance costs, must be taken into account,

i think if you live within modest means, you would manage and be quite happy,

remember you wont be working,so no income, only savings and pension, pensions ect,

as last i looked into it, you can have your uk gov pension in the phils, i heard it will now increase as it does here , but not certain of that fact,

your main outlay is a place to live, if rented how long can you afford to rent for before savings start to dwindle, or buy in emmas name , good idea to always know you have an emergency fund, for urgent flights back to uk, or if needed for any billed medical costs,

though iv never been, i do believe its possible to live there quite well as long as you dont try live like a king, one thing for certain its getting more expensive to live here , did you remember to turn down the heating , if its what you want, you got nothing to loose, live your life enjoy

[stevewool]

turn down the heating, its not on, yep savings, pension, and my home i have to rent out, lots to think about, i am looking a few years time, so more to save, and my intensions are never to come back to england,

[stevie c]

A very good point regarding health bills as we all know the older we get the more ailments we get & a long stay in a phils hospital for a foriegner with medications or operations can turn very very costly

[imagine]

i think its well worth giving it a shot, at worst you can always return home

[stevewool]

i have emailed a few insurance companies for quotes, not holding my breath, but to me i am fit and yes we dont know what may happen in the future, but i am sure, no work no stress, warmer weather feel better, that to me must be a very large part of being healthy and feeling great too, that i know should put on a few years extra, rather then living here

[stevie c]

Steve it is something that as always crossed my mind whether to move to the phils in the future.

I need to weigh up thr pros & cons ie health insurances cost of living comfortably.

Are there any tropical diseases that foriegners are more prone too, natural disasters ie mudslides, volcanoe eruptions , earthquakes it may sound silly but these things can & do happen.

But in the plus side a better quality of life as you say warm weather on your back no work less stress so for me a lot of thinking before i make a decision

[imagine]

i have emailed a few insurance companies for quotes, not holding my breath, but to me i am fit and yes we dont know what may happen in the future, but i am sure, no work no stress, warmer weather feel better, that to me must be a very large part of being healthy and feeling great too, that i know should put on a few years extra, rather then living here

i understand you can also get phil care, which pays a little of some med costs,
i have heard that hospitals want paying imediatly , insurance companies take their time,
if its not an emergency, i would think you could negotiate costs and payment arrangments,(agreement in writing)
i do believe good quality of life is heathier than the stress you get here in uk,
and even if it meant 2 yrs less of life rather than 2 extra, id rather have 2 less and be content and happy with the good life

[stevewool]

mudslides and earthquakes do happen steve , but floods and earthquakes happen here too, all depends on where you want to be, like i said bohol, panglao seem to me the place i want to be, but who knows where i will be, all i know is i dont want to be in a built up area,its a case of reading and looking at places that you are intrested in, insurance, well what do you pay and for what, that a tricky one to me, have to wait and see what emails i get back

[stevie c]

Well good luck with whatever you decide steve.

I may well end up there myself one day

[ilang]

i think this has been asked many times before, and the answers are so hard to pridict too, but there has to be some answers to the qestions, most know my dreams and plans and if all goes well i see no reason why we will not be living over there one day, Bohol area is the place i would like to live, anyway back to the question. There are lots of differant sites claiming this and that and you need so much to live like a king and so on, but i want to live just nice and comfortable, i will not need a car and the way we live here i am sure that between 350 and 500 a month would be the right figure for me, yes i could be totaly out by hundreds, do i buy the house outright so no rent to pay lots of things to talk about here so whats your thoughts, i will be adding to this thread from time to time to add more of what i find out,

I have not posted on here for quite a few months now.The reason I came on here now...is I'm planning to come back to the UK.
Your figure of 350-500 a month is way out.If you're going to live like the average Filipino..then yes you could manage.Food here is very expensive now..plus the peso-pound rate is low..its not cheap to live here anymore.
Remember one very important fact when coming to live here.Do not expect legal affairs to be the same as in the UK.Especially when purchasing a house..land or car etc.

Good luck

[Stephen550]

Don't leave it to long, if you wait till you can afford it you will never go, rent your house out and ' Go For It '. if it all goes wrong you have your house to come back to in the UK, saying that what is there in this country to come back for,,,, yes I think once you get there you will not wish to come back,,, do it sooner rather than later.

[stevewool]

thanks guys wise words there from you all

[andy222]

I would not hesitate steve if I had that income. Go for it mate. If it doesnt work out your only a plane ride away.

[jonnijon]

Phil Health is now available to foreigners if you have a residence visa

[stevewool]

I have not posted on here for quite a few months now.The reason I came on here now...is I'm planning to come back to the UK.
Your figure of 350-500 a month is way out.If you're going to live like the average Filipino..then yes you could manage.Food here is very expensive now..plus the peso-pound rate is low..its not cheap to live here anymore.
Remember one very important fact when coming to live here.Do not expect legal affairs to be the same as in the UK.Especially when purchasing a house..land or car etc.

Good luck

could you add more about the cost , about a house , car or land, tha will be in Ems name the lot of home, car i can do without

[stevewool]

insurance , well a few quotes are in and i have not gone into detail but, standard is around £950 a year and the one with bells on £4500 like i said i have not gone into details thats just a quote,

[stevewool]

the problem i here is getting no cheaper, and i have always said i will not be like my mum and dad wondering wether to put the heating on in the winter because they could not afford it, plus england is not like it use to be and will never be like that,to much for the european it seems but for me just dont feel like home, yes great if you are in work and are earning not to bad money,thats one reason we can do what we doing for our future

[Jimbojac]

Hmmmm.......... So many people ask these type of questions and being as we are all so different in what we expect from life your question is very very hard to answer.
As most people that have visited the Phils a lot will tell you Manila and Cebu are very expensive and the rip offs are rife........... deep, deep in the provinces you could live on a fiver a day but c'mon that is a real spartan existence, it's all about finding what suits you.
You need to get out there and weigh up your own costs, luxury to me maybe depravity to another etc etc, have a long vacation and check it.
Enjoy..............

[fred]

Steve.. List just about everything you can think of like this..
1. Water .. Php 200.00
2. Food (4-6 people) 8,000/10,000 per month
3. Electric bill for 4 bed house (no A/C use) 2500-3000 a month
4. Cooking gas.. 11 kgs last us 3-4 weeks.. 980.00
5 Best value fast food is Pizza hut Panalo..Good feed for 99.00 each.
6 Diesel. 50.PHP per liter.
7. Internet(if signal available) 999 PHP monthly (Smart bro wireless)
8.
9.
10.

etc..
Those of us that live here can fill out the latest costs..



We bought land on Panglao and built our own place so no rent..Rent here can be expensive but I know Americans that rent for 2.500 PHP a month!! My brother in law just rented a lovely little cottage next to our house for 6K.. Most other rentals start from the 10k mark for a one bedroom and 15-30k for a 2 bedroom property.. If you take the time to have a good look around you can find some real bargains.
We will be building some units for the 10k-15k rental range and may even lease 500 sqr meter lots to expats and foreigners..
Our usual living expences plus kids tuition is around 50K a month so 30K for two people is VERY doable if you have your own place..

BTW.. Panglao !! Great choice BTW!!

Cheers,
Fred..

[stevewool]

thanks Fred, a very good read nd from you who lives there its worth its weight in gold to me, we intend to buy a lot if we can find one there ar many about but being back in england its another trip out to see it then buy it, thanks again

[fred]

no worries...take your time..and ask if you need the price of stuff.. for me its still very cheap here..

[sparky]

can i just add a word of caution- i am sure you and mrs wool are deeply in love right now BUT things can change in any relationship.
because of Philipino law the house /land etc will be in the wifes name- if you happen to fall out you are the one with nothing.

if you rent you lose a few months rent and possibly a deposit if it all goes sour

just something to consider

[stevewool]

wise words there sparky, have to look at everything,

[sparky]

not just with filipinos mate- i lost a house with a british ex about 10 years ago now- we put the house in her name due to problems with my ex wife- i paid for the deposit - all the brand new furniture- all new bosch appliances in the kitchen etc and the mortgage every month- oh and a new fiesta for her as well-
we ended up on an IVF programme cos she had problems with her ovaries- she ended up shagging a parking warden at the council where she worked cos i was working weekends earning and then carried on the IVF with HIM and having a kid!!!!! a daughter actually which broke my already broken heart- and bank balance

we bought it for about £38 k - and guess what 2 years after we split up she sold it for £94k- what did i get- .... all

so it can happen mate

[stevewool]

been there done that myself, will not happen again, but who knows, anyway cannot live in the past , have to move on and so far so good

[imagine]

we cant live if we dont take risks, wouldnt it be dull

[Terpe]

....anyway cannot live in the past , have to move on and so far so good

Onwards and upwards I say.
Whatever I have is for my wife.
If she wants everything except me, that's the way it'll have to be.
I have no plan to make any fight for money. I will survive

[stevewool]

all i have is for our future, work hard and lets hope we shall have years to enjoy ourselves, Emma finds it hard when i say our house is for our future, she says its for the children, bugger them its my hard earned money i say,

[tone]

On a positive note I think if the sums add up I'd go for it, I'd so love to get out of the uk too. Loved living in Malaysia with nice warm weather everyday.

Good luck in the planning!

Ive been thinking I'd be free of the mortgage I could rent out my house which would give me £1k a month with my pensions I'd probably rent a place for 6 months and maybe try a few different islands... What do you think?
Tone

Tone