How Cheap Can You Live in the Philippines?

I've lived in the Philippines for over a year now with my beautiful Filipina wife of over ten years

. Tired of the rat race back in America, tired of all the stress and the daily commute, and frankly, tired of my boss, I made the radical decision to retire after almost 30 years on the job, invest my lump sum payment from my company, quit the rat race for good, and make a radical lifestyle change and move to a little slice of paradise, the Philippines.

I spend my time writing a blog about my experiences in the Philippines, and often I'm asked just how cheaply can a person live here. Well, that depends, first of all, on a couple of things. Number one is location, location, location. If you prefer the big city, and the traffic jams of a metropolis like Manila, then it's going to cost you a lot more to live in that kind of environment. Number two, what kind of lifestyle do you want? Do you want a Western lifestyle that you are already accustomed to? Then you might as well stay where you are. Sure, the Philippine peso is currently hovering around an exchange rate of 44 to 1 US Dollar (been 48 to 1 recently, and up to 55 to 1 in the past.) But you if you want a more relaxed, laid back lifestyle in one of the provinces, such as I live, then you could save yourself a lot of money.

I have no vehicle. Don't need one. I can ride a jeepney, the mainstay of Filipino transportation, for as little as 15 cents and travel anywhere in the big city of Iloilo where my wife and I shop and get to via a 28 cent scenic pump boat ride from our rural island. What about a place to live? Fortunately, the home my spouse and I live in has already been bought and paid for by my wife's years of working overseas before we were married. But you can rent a nice furnished apartment or house here for 200 USD or less. Or rent a boarding room for 15 dollars a month.

My wife and I support five people in our household (including ourselves) for under 700 dollars a month. You can do the same. We have cable television, high speed internet service, air con (air conditioning), and even a modern flush toilet and shower. Plus, I'm surrounded by warm, smiling people and beautiful Filipinas. What more could I want? So how cheap can you live in the Philippines? Well, if we can support five people on about 700 a month, a single person or couple should be able to live a comfortable lifestyle for 500 dollars or so. Will you have all the comforts of home? No, but you won't have to make that daily commute or shovel snow in the winter if you're from the Midwest, like I am. Can you adjust? If a 58-year-old guy stuck in his routine like I was can do it, so can you. Move to the Philippines and live a good life on a limited budget? Why not? I'm doing it now.

How Cheap Can You Live in the Philippines?

By: Dave DeWall

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