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Living Expenses: Expat in the PH
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What is your cost of living like as an expat in the Philippines?
rodneyrocks
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What is your cost of living like as an expat in the Philippines?
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When I lived in the Philippines, depending the area I was living in, I could life in 600 US$, more or less. Sometimes less and I could save some, other times a little more due to higher bills. I drove a Kawasaki Dominar 400 (400cc) and I rented a house on a cliff overlooking the Bohol sea for 18000 pesos per month, all in. You can safe money by renting less, but I like certain features in a house, so it was by choice I spent a little more on housing costs. I wrote a lot of articles on the cost of living in the Philippines during my stay between 2015–2019. And I made some videos on the subject as well. And on my FB page there is an album: Cost of living in the Philippines that includes lots of (photo) information on prices and budget. The links are in my bio. Now one can live like a king of that amount, I went out for lunch or dinner almost every day, travelled a lot and had to pay for a tourist visa every 6 months. I paid my occasional medical bills from it as well. I lived on the Island of Siquijor, mostly, but also in Puerto Galera, Dumaguete, Cebu City, Iloilo to name a few places. Just to give you an indication.
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House – rent can fetch as high as $1,200 while you can find one (unfurnished) for under $200. Two month deposit and one month advance is usual here. A condo unit (yes you can buy them) will set you back $25,000 easily depending on the location. Clothing, Appliances, Gadgetry – almost the same in your country though it is much cheaper because of lower retail overhead. Try the local online shopping too for cheaper deals. Food – if you do your cooking then you can allow for $200 monthly stipend which is more than generous for me. We operate on half of that but I am a local and can eat what ever edible my GF can serve on the table. If you prefer to eat out then you should up the stake from $10 for meal for two. BigMac by the way cost $4 including soda and fries. Add another $1.5 for Double BigMac. Internet – a 5 Mbps plan will cost you $20 a month including basic cable channels. Add another $8 to double your browsing speed. Electricity – I own a ref, LCD TV, front loading washing machine, induction cooker and 1 HP inverter air condition unit. Monthly bill is under $80. Water – our monthly bill is under $20 for a family of 4 with occasional 2 weekend visitors. Immigration fees – last time I check it is $160 for non- work visa. $190 for work visa. Airline Fare – spend at least $800 for a direct one way trip to San Francisco. Add another $200 for Toronto. Flight with stop overs is cheaper though. I guess I answered the same question few months back. Hope this help. If you want a tourist guide, I will do your weekend travels for free. Sorry I will be working on weekdays. Stay away from the Government (system) because everything will rack up more thousands for every transaction. We are a haven for expat, retirees and the likes because of the relatively cheap cost of living. Every one can speak English. Western influences in music, movies and many others will keep homesickness at bay. You will be pretty safe here and getting your personal transport will multiply it by hundred fold. We drive on the same side of the road as you. Obtaining a driver license is a walk in the park even for expats. Just do not expect high from local drivers when it comes to road courtesy.