700 quid

[fred]

Lets make a list!!
I`ll start and others can add and amend or correct the costs to what they think is more realistic.
These costs are based on living in Bohol at today's exchange rate. (for 2 people wishing to live comfortable lives)

1. Rent. Fully furnished one bed bungalow/studio or apartment..250.00 Quid a month.
2. Power and gas bills ....................................................... 50.00
3. General weekly shopping bill............................................ 200.00
4. Motorbike/scooter fuel bill ............................................. 15.00
5. Eating out say 3/4 times a week ......................................100.00


Of course..As others have said,if the Pound dives to 30.00 Pesos then simply double the total so far.
I have a feeling that the UK pound can go much lower as the truth comes out about the real mess that Britain is in.

[Terpe]

Lets make a list!!
I`ll start and others can add and amend or correct the costs to what they think is more realistic.
These costs are based on living in Bohol at today's exchange rate. (for 2 people wishing to live comfortable lives)

1. Rent. Fully furnished one bed bungalow/studio or apartment..250.00 Quid a month.
2. Power and gas bills ....................................................... 50.00
3. General weekly shopping bill............................................ 200.00
4. Motorbike/scooter fuel bill ............................................. 15.00
5. Eating out say 3/4 times a week ......................................100.00


Of course..As others have said,if the Pound dives to 30.00 Pesos then simply double the total so far.
I have a feeling that the UK pound can go much lower as the truth comes out about the real mess that Britain is in.

I think that's a good suggestion Fred and a good start.

Well I for one would like to keep it going and it will be a good guide for other too I suspect.
I know it's gets asked plenty of times so hopefully it could be a good 'base'.

We all have different ways to spend our lives and we'll all have different costs but I think it'll be a good starting point for living in Bohol or similar.

Fred, what's included in the 'General weekly shopping' apart from food for 2 people?
Is it maintaining a western diet for breakfast, lunch and dinner ? or Filipina style or a mixed bag?

Do we need to include any costings for:-
Mains water
Drinking Water
Telephone (landline)
Cell Phone
TV Standard
TV Satellite
Internet
How about Health Insurance - PhilHealth?
Medical costs - Doctor/check ups/Pharmacy/Dentist/ etc
Visa Updating costs - Associated transportation
Personal care - Cosmetics, Hair care/Hairdresser,toiletries
Clothing Allowances

For me, despite being generally self-sufficient in terms of recreation/amusement/hobbies etc I still would like to think I can enjoy and explore the Paradise Islands.
I'm not suggesting to add anything costwise to this, but just to say for me this is important and any kind of activity will need to be funded and will add to the overall 'cost-of-living'.
Even here in UK we like to enjoy day's out, weekend breaks, visiting friends etc so I also want to continue that when I eventually move over there.

[fred]

Fred, what's included in the 'General weekly shopping' apart from food for 2 people?
Is it maintaining a western diet for breakfast, lunch and dinner ? or Filipina style or a mixed bag?

Well 3k for us covers just about everything we need for one week and we are a lot more than 2 people!! Really only includes food and household consumables though..
I make my own ham and bacon,bread,scones,Pizza bases,pickles,Chutney,pies etc so I can eat as western as I wish at a fraction of the cost on the international isle.. I can get stuff like Brazilian fillet steak for 600 per Kilo here for example which pushes up the expense just a little bit but who cares!!

OK.. Back to the list!!

1. Rent. Fully furnished one bed bungalow/studio or apartment.. 250.00 Quid a month.
2. Power and gas bills ....................................................... 50.00
3. General weekly shopping bill............................................ 200.00
4. Motorbike/scooter fuel bill ............................................. 15.00
5. Eating out say 3/4 times a week ...................................... 100.00
6. Mains water ( 10 Peso per cubic meter in our Barangay) 3.00
7. Drinking Water.. Local purified water 5 Gallon container
we pick up ourselves at 15 Pesos each..Consume 1 per
day but for 2 people it will last 3/4 days?.................................. 2.00.
Telephone (landline).. Not sure as we all use cell phones............... ???
Cell Phone.. We load as needed as do not like contracts here.. 12.00
TV Standard.. Plug and play.................................................... 0.00
TV Satellite Depends on package but for us.............................. 6.50
Internet (Smartbro dongle) .................................................. 16.00
Health insurance... Wife pays all that sort of thing so dont know!!
Medical costs - Doctor/check ups/Pharmacy/Dentist/ etc ?
(we have all stayed remarkably heathy so I`ll let someone more
knowledgeable answer that)
Visa Updating costs.. For me..................................................... 5.00 per year.
Personal care - Cosmetics, Hair care/Hairdresser,toiletries
Clothing Allowances... Take UK costs and call it about the same amount accept for
clothing and hairdresser which are cheaper.. Barber in Tag charges 50 Pesos for hair cut.

[grahamw48]

Air conditioning ? Pah !

[Arthur Little]

... think twice, though, about the lack of free (at source) Healthcare and the possible implications of that ...

... would be MY BIGGEST worry - NEXT in line to the possible consequences of being completely cut-off from any direct contact with my immediate family.

[jake]

I hate lists!!

Peter, we should keep it going as the figures are going to vary dramatically. Especially from members who have lived in the Philippines in the past.
Will post mine tomorrow if i have a internet connection

[Terpe]

I hate lists!!

Peter, we should keep it going as the figures are going to vary dramatically. Especially from members who have lived in the Philippines in the past.
Will post mine tomorrow if i have a internet connection

Yes Jake, I know there's never going to anywhere near a definitive list.
Even 3 couples living in the same town will have 3 different 'costs-of-living', but for me anyway it's a good exercise in thinking through the possibilities.

Whatever the basic cost for a simple life happens to be, I will always be making regular spends on travel and adventure.
Besides which we have family spread from Laoag to Davao and many points between.

It's all good fun as long as it's made clear it's just a general information.
Also help to think about just all those things that go to comprise our day-to-day spending budget

[Moy]

we have our own house back in PH and 200 pound is plenty with 3 kids and bills no rent though

[Iani]

Retiring abroad = great whilst you're healthy/until your health goes

Then again, retiring in this country it seems you will have least to worry about if you spend spend spend, and end up with nothing - then the government will pay your bills, otherwise it's penury

[Michael Parnham]

Out of £700 you should be able to save £300, We saved £400 per month in philippines out of approx £800

[jake]

Out of £700 you should be able to save £300, We saved £400 per month in philippines out of approx £800

WOW Michael, can you be our budget officer
It is possible to live on 400 a month as we have done it. Wouldn't want to do it again as you miss out on so many things.
Did you go out on a regular basis?

[jake]

Our current monthly expenses are probably more than they would be in the UK if i included private schools, transport and cell phones.
The vehicles and cell phones are tied in with our business so i don't count them on the monthly budget.

We used to live a very filipino lifestyle with regards to food, electricity etc but after a few years you begin to tire of the initial this is fun! If you wish to eat western foods your shopping bill doubles/ triples overnight. Lettuce can be 350 pesos per kilo at certain times of year


The following costs are based on a family of 4 living in the southern most part of Laguna about 2-3 hrs from Manila depending on traffic! We own our own home so i will include monthly rental prices in our area for a decent house.
Pounds not pesos!



Rent....................................................................150
Electrcity and Gas (varies at certain times of year).70
Mains water ........................................................1
Bottled water ( Wilkins).........................................5
Satellite TV ( Dream).............................................10
Internet (Globe dial up!)........................................25
Food and personal care. ( revised)...........................400
Going out.............................................................100
Clothing...............................................................100
Dental (kids have braces)......................................100
Medical we pay Philhealth for what its worth...........10

Like Uncle Fred my wife takes care of the medical insurance and again it is tied in with our business. If you wanted a very good health insurance it could cost you up to 300 quid a month and even then would it cover everything

[Michael Parnham]

Hi Jake your monthley expences are a lot more than we are living on in the UK, in fact £381 more than our monthly income, WHY? Our rent for a brand new two bedroom apartment £121, gas & electric £12.87, bottled water £2, mains water£1.50, TV & internet (Sky cable) £14, food & personal care £150, going out £12, clothing £20, Dental and Philhealth £5. I don't know how to define "going out" I've assesed it on an odd ferry to inlaws at Siquijor and eating out once a month, regarding clothes we only occasionally bought clothes because when I first arrived there I kitted both of us up so that we should last a couple of years before needing to buy any more, also I spent £5000 on furniture TV ect:. Total=£338.37. Any more questions Jake don't hesitate to ask. All this is based on living in Dumaguete!

[jake]

Michael, you are correct.
Our monthly expenses are probably about 1,000. We do have two teenage girls and they are expensive!
Looking at the figures again i probably over estimated the food bill as we feed or sales staff at lunch time and that probably works out about 200 a month. They all seem to gain weight when they start working for us
You will find even in the last two years prices have risen in the Philippines as inflation i think is about 7% per year.

What i meant by 'going out'. Leisure activities?

Philhealth is okay until someone has a serious medical problem. I also think it the most important thing people should be aware of before they move here.

[lordna]

Not meaning to steal Steves topic but this is related....How much annual property taxes would one pay (as a percentage of value presumably) if you own a house and lot in the Philippines?

Very interesting topic this one for me as next year i will get a pension of £833 a month (before UK tax) and just wondering the same as Steve...could i live there comfotably? The wife says not really as we also need to support her family, which we currently do from here. So thats worth thinking about Steve.

[jake]

Not meaning to steal Steves topic but this is related....How much annual property taxes would one pay (as a percentage of value presumably) if you own a house and lot in the Philippines?

Very interesting topic this one for me as next year i will get a pension of £833 a month (before UK tax) and just wondering the same as Steve...could i live there comfotably? The wife says not really as we also need to support her family, which we currently do from here. So that's worth thinking about Steve.

Lordna, like a lot of things in the Philippines it is very difficult to give precise information about property taxes. Land rates vary considerably from province to province. For example you could be paying 10,000 pesos per year in Manila and i have a similar house just outside Manila and pay 2,000 or even less.

My wife's brothers have 2 concrete houses on some land we own and she pays roughly 50 pesos a year

In theory the tax assessor will determine the value of your property or land. In manila it is supposed to be 2% or less of the assessed value and in the provinces 1% or less of the assessed value. That if the assessor even bothers to look.

Unless you are in some major city or swanky subdivision it really isn't much and nearly always under valued.

[stevewool]

just got back so i cant add much to this just yet but wow thanks gang, so much intress, alll i can add is i dont spend as much here as many of you spend over there, so on that point my food bills and cost of living surely will be low, i too would want to tour so many places and enjoy what is out there, the figure i mentioned is what i will have coming in 5 years before i retire so no pension is included plus there will be a pot of saving just to use if we want,i will add more to this later but thanks to everyone so far

[lordna]

dont forget to include the cost of a return air fare every year just in case you want to bolt back home for a visit!

[Michael Parnham]

Lordna, you won't pay tax on your pension, I've never paid any tax!

[Terpe]

Lordna, you won't pay tax on your pension, I've never paid any tax!

There's a thread on this.
It's not just as simple as that Michael.
For example a UK State Pension is public funded and it is NOT included in any Tax Treaty with Philippines so it MUST be Tax Coded and Tax Deducted at source in UK. Period.

[Michael Parnham]

You mean when I lived in philippines I should have paid tax on my pension?

[Terpe]

You mean when I lived in philippines I should have paid tax on my pension?

No Michael. I'm not saying you should have paid tax.

What I'm saying is that when you lived in the Philippines the tax situation around your State Pension WILL have been assessed by HMRC.

The State Pension is an exception to the normal tax regime rules in that it is paid to you Gross by DWP.
DWP is prohibited from deducting tax at source with a tax code (as is normally applied to pension providers)

[stevewool]

shop wise and eat well i say, and if Ems cooks it and will eat very very well, there my food bill is down to very little already, i will just have to get use to chewing on chicken bones again, wow it shall be like growing up again in the family house, sunday dinner chicken and veg, sunday tea a fry up of the veg ie bubble and squeak, monday dinner, chicken soup with the carcass from sunday, may even live longer eating like this , so i may have to make the money last for a few more years

[stevewool]

the food cost to me seems a lot of money , and like what you say if you brought the ie western style food well it can double or even moor, well waht about growing what you want to eat, surely the bills come down,also remember if there is only the two of you most of the time the cost too should be less

[Terpe]

the food cost to me seems a lot of money , and like what you say if you brought the ie western style food well it can double or even moor, well waht about growing what you want to eat, surely the bills come down,also remember if there is only the two of you most of the time the cost too should be less

I've found that the cost of food varies a huge amount depending on where you live and where you shop.
Manila (and other big cities) is expensive. On the positive side the availability and range is good.
The provinces and local markets are mostly very cheap. The availability and range being much less.

I can't remember the name of some of the fish, but at the local market in the town of my wife the price per kilo was around P30-P50
In Manila for the same fish it was priced at P300 - P500

At one of the airport Hotels we stayed at in Manila, the very same fish was priced at P990 per kilo but included being cooked at your table. So that was alright then (NOT)

[jonnijon]

Remember the family Steve they turn up like locusts wanting to be fed

[Michael Parnham]

When I lived in the Philippines Steve, I found that I ate a lot less than in the UK because it was so hot, I lost 2 stone in two or three months and felt better for it ,I almost lived on Mango juice, cerial and fruit!

[jake]

This may not apply to any members of this site.
If you are planning to live in the Philippines the reason should not be that it is cheaper than the UK. If so i personally think you are making a very big mistake. Before anybody corrects me it can be cheaper!

Setting aside the financial and medical issues you have to ask yourself the most important question. Will i/we be happy.
The Philippines is not for every one.
Have met a few expats over the years that have saved hard to reach their final goal of living here and once the honeymoon period has finished they have realized they don't actually like it.

Just my scattered thoughts

[imagine]

This may not apply to any members of this site.
If you are planning to live in the Philippines the reason should not be that it is cheaper than the UK. If so i personally think you are making a very big mistake. Before anybody corrects me it can be cheaper!

Setting aside the financial and medical issues you have to ask yourself the most important question. Will i/we be happy.
The Philippines is not for every one.
Have met a few expats over the years that have saved hard to reach their final goal of living here and once the honeymoon period has finished they have realized they don't actually like it.

Just my scattered thoughts

if they came back to uk maybe they wish they were back in phil, perhaps uk wont be the way they remember it, people have a bad habit of never being happy whatever their situation, i guess its human nature

[sars_notd_virus]

If you are planning to live in the Philippines the reason should not be that it is cheaper than the UK.

I agree, its not cheap to live in the PH.
but it can happen, all you need is a good wife to budget £700 every month and grow your own food,..and the retired pensioner husband can sit beside his farm or by the beach drinking his tanduay