Yes, I find the cost of living in the Philippines is way less and I personally thing the lifestyle is way more relaxing too. The medical issues are a concern since you can't have a private doctor who has office hours you can book an appointment with but when you do get services, they are considerably cheaper.
You are correct when you say that the opinion regarding the cost of living in the Philippines depends on who you are asking. For those of us whose source of income are in US dollars, the expenses you had mentioned are really cheaper than what we spend here in the U.S. But for Filipinos who are living in the Philippines and whose income are in Philippine pesos, those expenses can be significantly high and expensive for them.
True! being a dollar earner whatever the prices as marked in the shopping center, groceries & in the marketplace still much cheaper compared in the USA prices but for those who earned pesos and get paid just enough to buy cheap foods can’t afford to pay because its beyond their budget And also look at those buffet meals terrible prices! Only who works abroad can afford for the buffet meals ranges from P599 to 3k. As I observed when i went home last month, only abroad family came in the buffet restaurants but not a poor family who earned just a minimum wages a day. Beyond the high rise condo and hotels with illuminating lights yet there are so many Filipino people are in poverty. On the news one man a became a bad guy and hold up people around due to his poverty. Napasubo lang daw sya dahil sa kahirapan ng buhay niya!Without realizing that it puts him in big trouble. It’s been 12 years that i went home again so i travelled between two cities to get home i looked like locals without wearing flashy bag , shoes , jewelries. I took a ceres liner, city jeepney and tricycles like locals and i was very comfortable being like that because no eyes are looking at me because of my looks but i had large amount of cash but they were inside my belt pocket. The best things i did was, i went to the market instead of going to SM grocery but i went to the market to buy vegetables, seafoods, it was a great experiences for me and those people buys foods and selling foods and everything in the market. I went home carrying with a heavy bag full of foods to cook and i took a tricycle home ohh the bad experience i had… was riding at the back of the tricycle and it was too bumpy lol but anyway i get used to it because that was the only means of transportation to go to the market in my hometown.
@@SusanaAvenida-vr5pr great all we needed is adapt n blend into d local cultures/norms or practices.if u wanna live a high profile lifestyles the l recommend stay in d city less prying eyes. Humility is always practiced by wise people ...bragging is scorned upon by d locals .so if u r a foreigner and u wanna be accepted by d locals stay humble
I spend 16,000 PHP ( about $290.00 us) every month with the whole house air con, refrigerator, big screen tv, electric robot vacuum for both floors. I was paying $450-500 in the us. So I’m not complaining
@@livemina without a doubt it is still cheaper in the PI but inflation is definitely creeping in and I’ve noticed many items have increased in costs but still cheaper then US that’s for sure. I was paying between $450-500 every month just for electric, water and sewer was about $150.00, trash about $38.00, auto insurance around $150.00, internet and phone $125.00, satellite tv $130.00. House payment about $1250.00, no car payments plus food prices through the roof. Yes it’s definitely cheaper in the PI. I am renting a small two bedroom house from a friend for $80.00 a month lol 😂
Baguio commute is very relaxing. If you will take the midnight sched, 5 hours, you’re in Baguio. You will enjoy the stop-over to experience different food.
It's of course where you live both in the USA and Philippines. I live in Cebu City and my cost for Electricity PER KWH is .29 cents(16 pesos per KWH) vs where I lived in Oregon where it was .11 cents KWH. This includes taxes and fees=your total bill divided by KWH used. Most people do not include all items on their Total bill which skews the cost per KWH. Our water bill here in Cebu city runs according to your use(ours about $20). The more you use, the more it cost you. In Oregon, when I rented, it was included in my Rent as much as I wanted to use. Food, here in the Philippines if you buy foreign food items, is way higher. When you buy local food products and wet market items, much cheaper. Medical here in Cebu City compared to my Oregon doctors is 90% cheaper, however, there are nuances to this. Drugs here are expensive(my cost in Philippines for wife and I are $200 a month) because I had insurance in the USA, the cost for most of my drugs were free, with a small deductible. My health insurance in Oregon under the ACA was $50 dollars a month for my wife and I. Here in the Philippines, for just me, it was $3000 a year(for a quote). My house hold helper, Philippines, very cheap=$125 a month live in. Can't afford it in the USA. Gas here in the Philippines($5 a gallon) is much higher than Oregon($3.75) where I use to live. House taxes(my ex wife's place) is $2500 per year where as my house in the Philippines for the same SQF is $190. The main 3 highest bills here in Cebu City would be 1. housing/renting=0 for me because the house is paid off. 2. would be electric. very expensive. bill here cost about $175 in Oregon about $70 for the same KWH usage. 3. Food here is about $600 to $700 a month, in Oregon before I left was about $300. Food could be a lot more expensive in the USA now because of huge inflation. Here in the Philippines, we have a VAT tax(like 12%) on a lot of things. In Oregon, we didn't have a sales tax at all, just income tax. According to how many people live in your household can also effect your budget big time of course.
I live in surigao del sur I only keep the air conditioner on in the bed room running all the time on low and, I pay 7 thousand pesos a month a small one bedroom tiny house, and a thousand pesos on water. I live in las Vegas one bedroom apartment and I only pay $55 a month for electric there I feel it has gone up a lot here in the philippines 🇵🇭 property taxes agree with you it is low. God bless 🙂🙏
For many balikbayan, the cost of retirement in the Philippines is more than if they retired in the US. I for one do not intend to live less when you can live more for les$. Why not if you can afford it!?!?!? Enjoy the fruits of your years of labor, and the harvest of your successful investing. You live in Manila, very close to some of the very best healthcare in southeast asia. A couple of my siblings constructed beautiful mansions in the province, but healthcare has now become an issue for them. I've done enough cost/benefit analysis to know that each person will need to weigh their retirement desires with the options available to them. Yes, the cost of living can be lower in the Philippines, but if your in that tight of an income budget you might be better off staying in the US and taking advantage of social support programs.
I agree with you about that facts living in the Philippines and in the USA. For me all of us are very secured living in the USA when our health deteriorates because its not free in the Philippines although the phil health is there but the government itself can’t help you unlike in the USA you will survive by all means just live simple then you are fine.
I think Filipinos from the US can really say it’s cheaper in the Philippines. Rent here in California is now $2,000 and up while in BGC, for example, is only $800 and up a month. Food is also cheaper compared to the cost of food here like if I buy restaurant meals it will cost more than $50 for 3 per meal. Gas is now $4.50 to $5.00 per gallon. Depending on the choices and where you buy will really make a difference. It’s really cheaper in the Philippines.
Just live in the province because the rent is much cheaper which are ranges from 6k-10k a month but not in Manila even in Cebu city the whole house is only 12k in Labangon Cebu
Your videos are always good and informative. I spend max 60 bucks a month for AC on all the time except when in not in the apartment. Food isnt much either, healthcare in Manila is super cheap and you can talk to your DR more than five minutes for whaterver time you want. Like you say theres a budget for all most everyone.
Retiring in the Philippines depends on how much you will be getting after retirement.You have to have take in consideration also health care.It is expensive in the Philippines if you get sick and need really specialized care.The best hospitals are found in Manila and if you live in the province it can be a problem.Good for those who wants to retire in the Philippines since they will be able to afford it with their retirement.I prefer to stay in the US instead of retiring in the Philippines even if we built a house in Baguio city 20 years ago.Most of my family is in different parts of the US .I am a widow now and most friends and family are no longer in the Philippines,I enjoy my retirement here in New York City,everything is walking distance ,library,grocery stores,hospitals and doctors offices..senior citizens center where Zumba classes for seniors,yoga,strengthening,and field trips to museums.My children and grandchildren are always visiting on weekends. So decisions will depend on your financial status and family.Good luck!
The hard part in the Philippines is the commute. Terrible!!! Take the bus, you need to climb the stirs several times. Kapag mahirap ka, hirap bumiyahe. Kahit may sasakyan ka, traffic kalaban mo. Maganda sana ang bus at mabilis but the climbing of the stairs is what i complained about.
Also, to mention dental procedures it is way much cheaper too. The cost of a procedure in the US is as much as round trip flight to the Philippines and the dental procedure. That’s the reason why I have all my dental procedures done in the Philippines. Vacation is included.
Agree with ur assessment things are cheaper in the Philippines compared to living in California where we live. Our rent for 1 month in a bedroom house is $500 in Cavite, The only problem is our cousins think Americans are rich and keep asking for handouts which make my wire and I upset but that's the way it is. 😢 Bus trip to Manila is cheaper about 1 dollar from Cavite. Taxi you can make an offer or hire a driver for the whole day too.
Try to live in Bacolod city maybe you can find much cheaper, where some areas in Bacolod city to rent is only 6k a month for one apartment but I would say that is probably outside of the city center. i was surprised that is cheap my friend paid 6k a month rent
I'm from Texas. I agree with your assessment of the traffic. (In Taiwan the motorcycles are crazy too.) Parking can be a big problem even in a provincial city. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to park close to the store where you want to go. Also, the street signs may be few and far between, so it's hard to navigate in a city. That's why it's nice to have your own driver. We have a driver for about $200/month.
We just retired Dec.2022. came to Cebu last Jan. but had an accident, I slid and had surgery of my ankle,was hospitalized for 7days. The plan was to stay till April but it looks like we are going to spend Christmas here. But anyway it seems that we have the same observation, the crazy traffic is our no. complaint, although my husband drives here. But so far we are enjoying our stay in our house in a suburban community.
Speaking about rentals, here in California the local condo complex for 1 bedroom 600 sq ft unit run $2,000 a month. The 750 sq ft 1 bedroom, $2,150. My son is looking for a house in his area, average price $1.25 Million. He and his Indonesian girlfriend make a combined income of $27,000 a month, but that's not enough monthly income to qualify unless they put $250,000 cash down. So they continue to rent their 900 sq ft condo which is $3,000 a month. The brand new 2,400 sq ft house I bought in 1995 for $200,000 is valued at $1.1 million, Real Estate is CRAZY expensive!
The main issue I see about retiring in the Philippines is the cost of healthcare. U can easily get a P1-2M hospital bill. U can go bankrupt easily or end up having to sell yur hard earned house
I agree with you with the food. I ate a lot in the retaurants. 11 of us at Tata Celo Palaisdaan, only $100, 11 of us and we had take out pa. And the drinks were, all that they want. The only thing expensive restaurants i went to were Las Casa De Filipinas and the one in Cebu, La Vie.
Of course if u compare with US then Philippines is hands down.With ur USD 2k u can live a comfortable life in Philippines whereas in USA 2k just for a 1 bedroom Apartment
Thank you Grandpa for this very informative video! Keep it coming ! Here in California at 53 and want to work till 58 or 60 then retire in mindanao . No house yet but had a small property lot where to build a retirement home maybe 1 year before we retire. And thank you for the video about deed of sale….helps a lot
May be low but the cost of utilities is everyone’s dilemma. Investing in solar power is very worthy. I’m retiring in a few months and that’s the route I’m going to take. I’m building a house in the province on the rural side of the city.
For me I don’t want to retire in philippines even it’s cheaper. Im always thinking about my health. In Philippines its not free hospitalisation and here in uk is free..
I'd say if you can live the local "Filipino way of life", you will be able to survive with a $500 monthly budget. But if you are that socialite - only american standard type of person, you will find that you will be spending almost the same as what we spend here in the US. As far as Health Insurance... I am only 61 and will not have Medicare till 65. I will therefore self-insure myself there in the Philippines. I will buy the local insurance they offer there but will just have to pay out of pocket for anything not covered by the insurance. It will still be cheaper than the 800 dollars they are asking me to pay monthly here in CA, way cheaper!
ObamaCare or Covered California based on my income last year and this year! For private Insurance, almost the same. And that's just for myself! With my wife... 1300 dollars! I can't wait to leave California where everything is taxed or expensive!
I am only 57 and retired becsuse inhad s stroke in. 2016. So I am now in Medicare , in addition to thstni aldo have TriCare prime and VA becsuse I am a retired army fromUS army and the hospital in Clark the hospital city would snd to accept TriCare prime or TriCare for life.
5:38 - Would that be tap water you're using for cooking and coffee? If so, I admire your braveness. Heck, I don't even use commercially bottled supposedly spring or filtered water for my personal consumption let alone tap water (not even filtered tap water) in the US. I wash dishes and kitchen utensils with tap water but then I rinse them with filtered tap water. I also use a shower filter. But that's just me.
One reason many Americans complain about the cost of electricity is because it varies widely in the USA depending on location and local power provider. Also it varies depending on residential and commercial etc etc. There are some places that still pay under $.13/kwh and others that pay far more.
yes my heating bill electric during winter in massachusetts is 300 orr 400usd thats why i come over here during winter and our electric in our house 40 usd wow i didnt know you get 30 percent grab discount she is 64 andhas her senior card but we neer knew that
The Victory Liner bus is ok from Pasay to Baguio, but makes a few stops on the way. We took the Joy Bus back this time. It was much nicer and didn't make extra stops. Book your ticket online or you might have to wait at the terminal.
Thanks for the video, If you decide to go from MNL to Baguio when you go back to the Philippines, I highly recommend you take Joybus, very comfortable - make sure you book your seats in advance though.
im retired now but i was a truck driver for 32 years here in the us and i can tell you california has the same issue with motorcycles INSANE but that is the way it is so i already knew about the traffic in the orient. i was a soldier fo0r 20 years before i retired from the military and learne3ed some of the different things different countries have haha anyway i agree when you consider the cost of living here in the us it is less in the pi when compared to same in the us..,
If you look at the total cost per kwh in the PH compared to US the PH is more expensive per kwh. In the PH you have over a dozen extra fees and charges on the bill compared to the US electric bill.
We have 4 more years till we can retire in Iloilo. We set our budget in the Philippines at 50% of what our California budget is. Really though one's working budget and retirement budget is an orange to apple comparison.
In my province the cost per KWH is around $0.15 but last month the number of KWH on the bill jumped by 50% even though the weather was about the same. Therefore the cost of electricity jumped 50%. They may not read the meter every month so the (estimated) bill may be relatively low for two or three months and then it jumps to catch up with the actual usage. Note that in the Philippines, the weather doesn't get nearly as hot as it does in Dallas. 🙂 I grew up in Texas w/o AC and it was very uncomfortable in the summer. Here, I can get by with a fan for a few hours when the power goes off. A fan is adequate, but AC is nice 🙂
The coolest month in PH is January, and that is the only month that the temperature averages out to Dallas' year round temperature average, else PH has year round well into the 80s, I am down here in Austin now, maybe just maybe, the peak temperatures here exceed peak PH temps, but the consistency of higher temps in PH and south east asia is definitely alot hotter than the US other than maybe hawaii and guam
Another good video thanks i would love to you someday soon im married to a Pina and have been to Philippines twice before I'm thinking about retiring soon like in a couple of months
I was renting a condo only 28sq metres in Manila 6 months ago and electric was 2-2500 a month. To live a like for like life style in uk compared to Philippines in a non premium area (mactan Newtown BGC etc) I would say it’s half the amount probably 1 third to the US. I would say to live somewhere like Dumaguete as a single guy you can live well for 75,000 pesos a month living a semi western lifestyle that’s renting somewhere for 15-20,000 a month. That’s including health insurance visa renewals. Obviously if you got dependents it’s going to be more. BGC Mactan Newtown you need probably 100,000.
Try to sit near the front of the bus for the smoothest ride. Electricity seems to cost more in the Philippines because insulation is usually much worse.
Im retiring in 9 months and planning to stay in the Philippines for good. During my vacation in the Ph last month I keep my 2 aircon on in my two bedroom all night all day for whole month except when we were out. When I return I received my electric bill cost me 7k
I agree with you except for buying vehicles. If you buy brand new vehicles that cost well over 50k+ in US the import tax rates are SUPER EXPENSIVE. For example a 2023 Toyota Supra is 53k in US but in Philippines it’s well over 75k.
My main concern with cost of living is housing and car cost especially if you want to live in metro manila, I feel you get more bang for your buck here in the US, everything else is arguably cheaper in Manila.
Yes and No... in some area like provinces the cost of living is low. But if you live in big cities like Manila, Cebu city etc. of course expect your dollars will not go a long way.
HEALTH CARE IS very expensive in the Philippines 😊😊😊 Now if you leave in the city it’s different.. In the USA,people retiring later age because of health insurance 😊
Also sir, I would like to add that if you go to Baguio,get the 1st class/deluxe Victory,Joy bus or One north buses. I can only attest to Victory coz that’s the one I take due to it’s proximity to our place,it also has covered bus station for when it’s raining when you arrive in Baguio.(Solid north bus not one north)
I'm not worried about the traffic. I'm most worried about getting shot in the 🇺🇸. Mass shooting, boring, loneliness, sadness,homelessness, in the 🇺🇸. Philippines is the best.
Honestly, I went home after 12 years and living in the USA for 34 years is a big difference compared when living in the Philippines that everything is very cheap if you earned dollars. I stayed in my hometown and their electricity bill is less than 200 pesos because they have a solar power and the rice is 45 pesos per kilo, buying for 50 kilos still is very cheap to compare when buying a sack of rice for 25 lbs for $26. Also the vegetables its really very cheap in my hometown. Even its a small place but the prices are very low. But for the local just making 570 a day or less and having a children to support then their pesos earnings are not enough to feed the whole family.
It gets expensive if you go out and you pay for every Relatives!!! I pay 20 pesos a month for water. I spend $8 a day for my food if I will cook just for my self!!! Cheaper
Respectfully, I disagree with you on the electricity costs. I was in Surigao City in Mindanao to visit family for the entire month of June. Temps are very similar to the temps in North Carolina where my asawa and I live. My electricity bill in the Philippines for about a 1000 SF home for 4 weeks was well over $400 for two split-type units and a window AC in our bedroom - we turn off the split-type units in the evening and run the bedroom AC. Our home in the US is 2600 SF. My electricity bill for the month of July was about $100... larger homes and the temps here in NC have been running between 90 degrees (F) and 100 degrees (F). Agreed on the property taxes and rentals, but I have a big issue with the effort and time that it takes to get a title - for a CLEAN title purchase. We own 3 properties. We are still waiting on titles two years later using an attorney. I would argue that the costs for titling are more in the Philippines and much longer to actually get the title. The process for titling is a mess in the Philippines. Food costs will vary depending on what you buy. Filipino food is cheaper as you noted, but if you buy Western food, you'll pay more. It depends on your food purchasing habits. Public transportation is cheap. I found airfare (traveling in-country) to be high on some recent travel. Flying from Surigao City to Kalibo in Panay, we paid about $700 (2 people). It took us about 12 hours of travel time (hard to believe). Cebu Pacific canceled one of our flights outbound and inbound without reason. Crazy! I love the Philippines, but some aspects are not as low as we might expect.
If you add up all the expense to live a solid middle to upper middle class life in The Philippines, you better have a $2,500./$3,000. minimum pension check each month! I have 8 years of experience in The Philippines.
Regarding health insurance, you mentioned it's much cheaper in the US if you have insurance. Did you consider the monthly premium of health insurance. Me and my wife is paying $750 a month and still not 100% covered Other point is about senior discount, I think it's 20% is given to senior citizen and not 30%. Keep safe and more update pls. Thanks
I only pay $170 for part b and zero for the advantage plan. You must have Supplemental plan. Senior discount is 20% plus waiver of 12% VAT. It is equal to about 30%.
Batangas electric is very expensive ( Batelec) to many charges . If the kilowatt usage is 3K the total bill will be more than 6k. Meralco is cheaper compare to Batelec
sadly, Phils is a stressful country. not just cost of living to consider but how to blend with anxiety, stress, way of living. think thrice if youre planning to retire in the Phils.
In the Phil. we live in comforts of how much your money or status we live in a subdivision where our house facing the park can do exercise walking around good environment 🇸🇽🇺🇸
Cost of living in the Philippines is cheaper may be true if you are a dollar earner person. If you ask the common peso earner person it will be the opposite answer.
Here in the UK we can drink tap water so we don't have to buy bottled water. Your calculations don't seem to take that into account. Maybe worth considering adding the cost of this per person. I personally drink 4 liters of water per day and in hot climes more
The best way to do it is dont retire permanently in the Philippines stay like 5 to 8 months then go back to US to spend time with your family and do your medical activities..
I love your videos Grandpa, I am a senior and want some peace and quiet, a location not too hot, and decent healthcare close by. How would you compare Dumaguete to Baguio, living expenses, etc. Which other locations are there where the climate is a little cooler? Thank You
Condo are much cheaper on electric because there much small area to kool over all it much cheaper in Philippines $2000 especially with 4 people is about average
Is the cost of living in the Philippines low? Compared to what?? The US? Yes, very, very low. Compared to living in Camabodia where I live? No. The cost of living is 3 times MORE in the Philippines than it is here in Cambodia. It all depends on what you are comparing it to and what your individual lifestyle choices require.
No one covers the Philippines/ USA living like you. Bravo! I'm a city boy too and would like to shop in western stores. So, you live about 3-4 months in the Philippines and the rest of the year back in the Penn/Wash area. Can I ask you what months you are in the Philippines and where is your condo? just because I also had that in mind when I finally retired.
The plan is probably January through May for about 3-4 months. That's because I want to spend thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year with my family in the U.S. My condo is in Pasig City.
June to November is the rainy/typhoon season. December to May are the best months of you want to 50/50 PHL/US. You avoid the winter in the US and summer is just starting when you go back to US in June, thereby avoiding the typhoons in PHL.
@@mvescuadraThanks, this is helpful. Although, I'm from the Philippines but have been living in the US for 30+ years therefore I forgot season weather in the Philippines.
Example 1 kilo white onions 1 kilo lechon belly baboy 2 liters gasoline 1000 pesos Thats cheap to me ? NO And to average filipino ? 2 days sweldo 😢 Lata sardines 21 pesos 😊
Love your post Sir.. but we live here and Cebu, Manila, Tacloban etc hospital system is not up to par as you mentioned. The doctors are hardly in one spot because they bounce from hospital to hospital. You might find a doctor and his/her schedule is M-T 2pm to 4pm. Then at another hospital W-F 9am to 12 noon. We know as we have experience it may times. So finding a Good Primary Care physician is and can be challenging. Filipino are as you say, very friendly, but yes BOOM BOOM noise is ridiculous. No respect for anybody in the community. Play some reason they have to play everything at a thousand decimals so you can't even hear yourself think. The Provence is worst.. Driving here is do as you want.. No law to stop them.. They just weaver in and at all day and night. No discipline or respect for other drivers or people walking. Even the automobiles flys through small Brgys.. Crime is low thanks to the security guards almost everywhere Love that... Thanks for sharing this post. We always enjoy listening to you
Good video, stay active and keep the weight off and go to Manila or Cebu once a year for the best Executive Physical you can get much more thorough than USA. $550 give or take 10%.
Im Yemeni live and work in Saudi arabia ..im Married from Philipino woman and i have one daughter.. When i visit Philippine i find the live more expensive than saudi Arabia even more expensive than Yemen my country even yemen under a war from 8 years .. You can life in Philippine but not that good life .. And when i see how much salery they take .. always wondered how they can survive 😢.. I hope i see Philippine better in future.. Very good and honest people but very corrupted government in my opinion
@@livemina many people live in boarding houses, which is around 1500 pesos. They dont use aircon, just a fan. They eat cheap street food, or just cook and vegetables or little meat.
I think the best way is to divide your time between US and Philippines. I will be fully retired in less than 2 years. My plan is to spend 9 months in US and 3 months in the Philippines. Do your dental work in the Philippines as it's a lot cheaper. If you have health issues, US is still far better.
The only thing that holds me back from spending more than a few weeks or a month is healthcare. You never know when you might have an emergency. I have paramedics with-in 5 minutes and hospital with-in 10 minutes. I'm late 60's now and and my brother-in-law had a heart attack and is only a year older. If he would have been in the Phil's no way would he have survived. On the other hand I'm getting really frustrated with the political environment and current HIGH cost of living.
For longer or overnight trips, normal po sa Pinas ang car rental that comes with driver and gas. Even for overnight stays, I was even surprised that there was no obligation to either feed or provide accommodations for the driver.
@vloggergrandpa2707 on both times po hindi ako nag arrange pero I experienced it in both Manila and Bohol. I believe we paid 8K pesos sa bohol for a large van that can hold 7 ppl with baggage. Whole day with driver and gas. May mga legit online pero expensive po. Maybe you might find one na maging suki kayo through your friends and family . Keep up the great work.
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Yes, I find the cost of living in the Philippines is way less and I personally thing the lifestyle is way more relaxing too. The medical issues are a concern since you can't have a private doctor who has office hours you can book an appointment with but when you do get services, they are considerably cheaper.
You are correct when you say that the opinion regarding the cost of living in the Philippines depends on who you are asking. For those of us whose source of income are in US dollars, the expenses you had mentioned are really cheaper than what we spend here in the U.S. But for Filipinos who are living in the Philippines and whose income are in Philippine pesos, those expenses can be significantly high and expensive for them.
True! being a dollar earner whatever the prices as marked in the shopping center, groceries & in the marketplace still much cheaper compared in the USA prices but for those who earned pesos and get paid just enough to buy cheap foods can’t afford to pay because its beyond their budget And also look at those buffet meals terrible prices! Only who works abroad can afford for the buffet meals ranges from P599 to 3k. As I observed when i went home last month, only abroad family came in the buffet restaurants but not a poor family who earned just a minimum wages a day. Beyond the high rise condo and hotels with illuminating lights yet there are so many Filipino people are in poverty. On the news one man a became a bad guy and hold up people around due to his poverty. Napasubo lang daw sya dahil sa kahirapan ng buhay niya!Without realizing that it puts him in big trouble. It’s been 12 years that i went home again so i travelled between two cities to get home i looked like locals without wearing flashy bag , shoes , jewelries. I took a ceres liner, city jeepney and tricycles like locals and i was very comfortable being like that because no eyes are looking at me because of my looks but i had large amount of cash but they were inside my belt pocket. The best things i did was, i went to the market instead of going to SM grocery but i went to the market to buy vegetables, seafoods, it was a great experiences for me and those people buys foods and selling foods and everything in the market. I went home carrying with a heavy bag full of foods to cook and i took a tricycle home ohh the bad experience i had… was riding at the back of the tricycle and it was too bumpy lol but anyway i get used to it because that was the only means of transportation to go to the market in my hometown.
Precisely
@@SusanaAvenida-vr5pr great all we needed is adapt n blend into d local cultures/norms or practices.if u wanna live a high profile lifestyles the l recommend stay in d city less prying eyes.
Humility is always practiced by wise people ...bragging is scorned upon by d locals .so if u r a foreigner and u wanna be accepted by d locals stay humble
I spend 16,000 PHP ( about $290.00 us) every month with the whole house air con, refrigerator, big screen tv, electric robot vacuum for both floors. I was paying $450-500 in the us. So I’m not complaining
@@livemina without a doubt it is still cheaper in the PI but inflation is definitely creeping in and I’ve noticed many items have increased in costs but still cheaper then US that’s for sure. I was paying between $450-500 every month just for electric, water and sewer was about $150.00, trash about $38.00, auto insurance around $150.00, internet and phone $125.00, satellite tv $130.00. House payment about $1250.00, no car payments plus food prices through the roof. Yes it’s definitely cheaper in the PI.
I am renting a small two bedroom house from a friend for $80.00 a month lol 😂
Baguio commute is very relaxing. If you will take the midnight sched, 5 hours, you’re in Baguio. You will enjoy the stop-over to experience different food.
Thanks for the tips!
It's of course where you live both in the USA and Philippines. I live in Cebu City and my cost for Electricity PER KWH is .29 cents(16 pesos per KWH) vs where I lived in Oregon where it was .11 cents KWH. This includes taxes and fees=your total bill divided by KWH used. Most people do not include all items on their Total bill which skews the cost per KWH. Our water bill here in Cebu city runs according to your use(ours about $20). The more you use, the more it cost you. In Oregon, when I rented, it was included in my Rent as much as I wanted to use. Food, here in the Philippines if you buy foreign food items, is way higher. When you buy local food products and wet market items, much cheaper. Medical here in Cebu City compared to my Oregon doctors is 90% cheaper, however, there are nuances to this. Drugs here are expensive(my cost in Philippines for wife and I are $200 a month) because I had insurance in the USA, the cost for most of my drugs were free, with a small deductible. My health insurance in Oregon under the ACA was $50 dollars a month for my wife and I. Here in the Philippines, for just me, it was $3000 a year(for a quote). My house hold helper, Philippines, very cheap=$125 a month live in. Can't afford it in the USA. Gas here in the Philippines($5 a gallon) is much higher than Oregon($3.75) where I use to live. House taxes(my ex wife's place) is $2500 per year where as my house in the Philippines for the same SQF is $190. The main 3 highest bills here in Cebu City would be 1. housing/renting=0 for me because the house is paid off. 2. would be electric. very expensive. bill here cost about $175 in Oregon about $70 for the same KWH usage. 3. Food here is about $600 to $700 a month, in Oregon before I left was about $300. Food could be a lot more expensive in the USA now because of huge inflation. Here in the Philippines, we have a VAT tax(like 12%) on a lot of things. In Oregon, we didn't have a sales tax at all, just income tax. According to how many people live in your household can also effect your budget big time of course.
There's no place like home. Can't wait to retire in the Phils. 😊
I live in surigao del sur I only keep the air conditioner on in the bed room running all the time on low and, I pay 7 thousand pesos a month a small one bedroom tiny house, and a thousand pesos on water. I live in las Vegas one bedroom apartment and I only pay $55 a month for electric there I feel it has gone up a lot here in the philippines 🇵🇭 property taxes agree with you it is low. God bless 🙂🙏
For many balikbayan, the cost of retirement in the Philippines is more than if they retired in the US. I for one do not intend to live less when you can live more for les$. Why not if you can afford it!?!?!? Enjoy the fruits of your years of labor, and the harvest of your successful investing. You live in Manila, very close to some of the very best healthcare in southeast asia. A couple of my siblings constructed beautiful mansions in the province, but healthcare has now become an issue for them. I've done enough cost/benefit analysis to know that each person will need to weigh their retirement desires with the options available to them. Yes, the cost of living can be lower in the Philippines, but if your in that tight of an income budget you might be better off staying in the US and taking advantage of social support programs.
I agree with you about that facts living in the Philippines and in the USA. For me all of us are very secured living in the USA when our health deteriorates because its not free in the Philippines although the phil health is there but the government itself can’t help you unlike in the USA you will survive by all means just live simple then you are fine.
I think Filipinos from the US can really say it’s cheaper in the Philippines. Rent here in California is now $2,000 and up while in BGC, for example, is only $800 and up a month. Food is also cheaper compared to the cost of food here like if I buy restaurant meals it will cost more than $50 for 3 per meal. Gas is now $4.50 to $5.00 per gallon. Depending on the choices and where you buy will really make a difference. It’s really cheaper in the Philippines.
If you're from California...just move to Texas. You'll save so much more.
Just live in the province because the rent is much cheaper which are ranges from 6k-10k a month but not in Manila even in Cebu city the whole house is only 12k in Labangon Cebu
@@darrylmonceller1669 I live in Texas and costs are skyrocketing because of all the Californians moving here. Please stay in California.
Your videos are always good and informative. I spend max 60 bucks a month for AC on all the time except when in not in the apartment. Food isnt much either, healthcare in Manila is super cheap and you can talk to your DR more than five minutes for whaterver time you want. Like you say theres a budget for all most everyone.
Yes, it is cheaper Sir! I went there last year but you have to budget what's your basic needs.
Still expensive
Retiring in the Philippines depends on how much you will be getting after retirement.You have to have take in consideration also health care.It is expensive in the Philippines if you get sick and need really specialized care.The best hospitals are found in Manila and if you live in the province it can be a problem.Good for those who wants to retire in the Philippines since they will be able to afford it with their retirement.I prefer to stay in the US instead of retiring in the Philippines even if we built a house in Baguio city 20 years ago.Most of my family is in different parts of the US .I am a widow now and most friends and family are no longer in the Philippines,I enjoy my retirement here in New York City,everything is walking distance ,library,grocery stores,hospitals and doctors offices..senior citizens center where Zumba classes for seniors,yoga,strengthening,and field trips to museums.My children and grandchildren are always visiting on weekends. So decisions will depend on your financial status and family.Good luck!
Depends on your lifestyle and where you live...
The hard part in the Philippines is the commute. Terrible!!!
Take the bus, you need to climb the stirs several times. Kapag mahirap ka, hirap bumiyahe. Kahit may sasakyan ka, traffic kalaban mo. Maganda sana ang bus at mabilis but the climbing of the stairs is what i complained about.
Phil is a little bit cheaper if you are earning dollars. But peso to peso, its expensive. That is why you cannot compare guavas versus the apples.
Of course you can, but be aware from whose perspective.
Also, to mention dental procedures it is way much cheaper too. The cost of a procedure in the US is as much as round trip flight to the Philippines and the dental procedure. That’s the reason why I have all my dental procedures done in the Philippines. Vacation is included.
True here my dentist charge me for root canal $1600 each
Agree with ur assessment things are cheaper in the Philippines compared to living in California where we live. Our rent for 1 month in a bedroom house is $500 in Cavite, The only problem is our cousins think Americans are rich and keep asking for handouts which make my wire and I upset but that's the way it is. 😢 Bus trip to Manila is cheaper about 1 dollar from Cavite. Taxi you can make an offer or hire a driver for the whole day too.
I SAVE $ 5000 US A MONTH HERE TO LIVE THE SAME.
YOU NEED A MINIMUM OF $1800 A MONTH TO LIVE HERE
DR.DONALD LEE GRIM
Try to live in Bacolod city maybe you can find much cheaper, where some areas in Bacolod city to rent is only 6k a month for one apartment but I would say that is probably outside of the city center. i was surprised that is cheap my friend paid 6k a month rent
I'm from Texas. I agree with your assessment of the traffic.
(In Taiwan the motorcycles are crazy too.)
Parking can be a big problem even in a provincial city.
It can be difficult, if not impossible, to park close to the store where you want to go.
Also, the street signs may be few and far between, so it's hard to navigate in a city.
That's why it's nice to have your own driver. We have a driver for about $200/month.
We just retired Dec.2022. came to Cebu last Jan. but had an accident, I slid and had surgery of my ankle,was hospitalized for 7days. The plan was to stay till April but it looks like we are going to spend Christmas here. But anyway it seems that we have the same observation, the crazy traffic is our no. complaint, although my husband drives here. But so far we are enjoying our stay in our house in a suburban community.
Speaking about rentals, here in California the local condo complex for 1 bedroom 600 sq ft unit run $2,000 a month. The 750 sq ft 1 bedroom, $2,150. My son is looking for a house in his area, average price $1.25 Million. He and his Indonesian girlfriend make a combined income of $27,000 a month, but that's not enough monthly income to qualify unless they put $250,000 cash down. So they continue to rent their 900 sq ft condo which is $3,000 a month. The brand new 2,400 sq ft house I bought in 1995 for $200,000 is valued at $1.1 million, Real Estate is CRAZY expensive!
The main issue I see about retiring in the Philippines is the cost of healthcare. U can easily get a P1-2M hospital bill. U can go bankrupt easily or end up having to sell yur hard earned house
I agree with you with the food. I ate a lot in the retaurants. 11 of us at Tata Celo Palaisdaan, only $100, 11 of us and we had take out pa. And the drinks were, all that they want.
The only thing expensive restaurants i went to were Las Casa De Filipinas and the one in Cebu, La Vie.
Of course if u compare with US then Philippines is hands down.With ur USD 2k u can live a comfortable life in Philippines whereas in USA 2k just for a 1 bedroom Apartment
Thank you Grandpa for this very informative video! Keep it coming ! Here in California at 53 and want to work till 58 or 60 then retire in mindanao . No house yet but had a small property lot where to build a retirement home maybe 1 year before we retire. And thank you for the video about deed of sale….helps a lot
May be low but the cost of utilities is everyone’s dilemma. Investing in solar power is very worthy. I’m retiring in a few months and that’s the route I’m going to take. I’m building a house in the province on the rural side of the city.
For me I don’t want to retire in philippines even it’s cheaper. Im always thinking about my health. In Philippines its not free hospitalisation and here in uk is free..
I'd say if you can live the local "Filipino way of life", you will be able to survive with a $500 monthly budget. But if you are that socialite - only american standard type of person, you will find that you will be spending almost the same as what we spend here in the US. As far as Health Insurance... I am only 61 and will not have Medicare till 65. I will therefore self-insure myself there in the Philippines. I will buy the local insurance they offer there but will just have to pay out of pocket for anything not covered by the insurance. It will still be cheaper than the 800 dollars they are asking me to pay monthly here in CA, way cheaper!
$800 in California? Where?
ObamaCare or Covered California based on my income last year and this year! For private Insurance, almost the same. And that's just for myself! With my wife... 1300 dollars! I can't wait to leave California where everything is taxed or expensive!
I am only 57 and retired becsuse inhad s stroke in. 2016. So I am now in Medicare , in addition to thstni aldo have TriCare prime and VA becsuse I am a retired army fromUS army and the hospital in Clark the hospital city would snd to accept TriCare prime or TriCare for life.
It's true, you get what you pay for.
5:38 - Would that be tap water you're using for cooking and coffee? If so, I admire your braveness. Heck, I don't even use commercially bottled supposedly spring or filtered water for my personal consumption let alone tap water (not even filtered tap water) in the US. I wash dishes and kitchen utensils with tap water but then I rinse them with filtered tap water. I also use a shower filter. But that's just me.
One reason many Americans complain about the cost of electricity is because it varies widely in the USA depending on location and local power provider. Also it varies depending on residential and commercial etc etc. There are some places that still pay under $.13/kwh and others that pay far more.
@Vlogger Grandpa This was another informative video about retiring in the Philippines. Thanks.
Grandpa, glad you finally got to make it back!
yes my heating bill electric during winter in massachusetts is 300 orr 400usd thats why i come over here during winter and our electric in our house 40 usd wow i didnt know you get 30 percent grab discount she is 64 andhas her senior card but we neer knew that
The Victory Liner bus is ok from Pasay to Baguio, but makes a few stops on the way. We took the Joy Bus back this time. It was much nicer and didn't make extra stops. Book your ticket online or you might have to wait at the terminal.
Thank you for the bus info to Baguio 👍🏻
Thanks for the video, If you decide to go from MNL to Baguio when you go back to the Philippines, I highly recommend you take Joybus, very comfortable - make sure you book your seats in advance though.
Thanks for the tip!
@@vloggergrandpa2707 YW sir 😎
im retired now but i was a truck driver for 32 years here in the us and i can tell you california has the same issue with motorcycles INSANE but that is the way it is so i already knew about the traffic in the orient. i was a soldier fo0r 20 years before i retired from the military and learne3ed some of the different things different countries have haha anyway i agree when you consider the cost of living here in the us it is less in the pi when compared to same in the us..,
in terms of salary Nurses in Phil $600 and US $6000, so x 10 difference or 1000, electricity in Phil .173 vs .23 is only 1.8x higher,
If you look at the total cost per kwh in the PH compared to US the PH is more expensive per kwh. In the PH you have over a dozen extra fees and charges on the bill compared to the US electric bill.
We have 4 more years till we can retire in Iloilo. We set our budget in the Philippines at 50% of what our California budget is. Really though one's working budget and retirement budget is an orange to apple comparison.
In my province the cost per KWH is around $0.15 but last month the number of KWH on the bill jumped by 50% even though the weather was about the same. Therefore the cost of electricity jumped 50%. They may not read the meter every month so the (estimated) bill may be relatively low for two or three months and then it jumps to catch up with the actual usage.
Note that in the Philippines, the weather doesn't get nearly as hot as it does in Dallas. 🙂
I grew up in Texas w/o AC and it was very uncomfortable in the summer.
Here, I can get by with a fan for a few hours when the power goes off.
A fan is adequate, but AC is nice 🙂
The coolest month in PH is January, and that is the only month that the temperature averages out to Dallas' year round temperature average, else PH has year round well into the 80s, I am down here in Austin now, maybe just maybe, the peak temperatures here exceed peak PH temps, but the consistency of higher temps in PH and south east asia is definitely alot hotter than the US other than maybe hawaii and guam
Another good video thanks i would love to you someday soon im married to a Pina and have been to Philippines twice before I'm thinking about retiring soon like in a couple of months
Thanks for this GranpKudos! Informative!Keep making more informative videos. Kuddos!🎉❤
We read that the Philippines has the Highest Electrical Rates in South East Asia, if you compare Singapore, Vietnam etc etc
tell you life here in the Philippines is less stressful . there's a lot of help.nice people.Dianna m Gonzalez Imus cavite Phil's Region 04
I agree with you but when u retired already what ur thinking aswell is your health. Philippines is not free here in UK free..
Amazing information! Maraming Salamat.
Another great video! Very informative! Thank you Grandpa vlogger!!!
There are tourist buses that go to Baguio. They’re very comfortable!
It’s very hard to find parking spots in the malls in Manila. Better to use grab than drive your own car
I was renting a condo only 28sq metres in Manila 6 months ago and electric was 2-2500 a month. To live a like for like life style in uk compared to Philippines in a non premium area (mactan Newtown BGC etc) I would say it’s half the amount probably 1 third to the US.
I would say to live somewhere like Dumaguete as a single guy you can live well for 75,000 pesos a month living a semi western lifestyle that’s renting somewhere for 15-20,000 a month. That’s including health insurance visa renewals. Obviously if you got dependents it’s going to be more. BGC Mactan Newtown you need probably 100,000.
Th a nasty for sharing the info.
Try to sit near the front of the bus for the smoothest ride. Electricity seems to cost more in the Philippines because insulation is usually much worse.
Im retiring in 9 months and planning to stay in the Philippines for good. During my vacation in the Ph last month I keep my 2 aircon on in my two bedroom all night all day for whole month except when we were out. When I return I received my electric bill cost me 7k
The will depend if you use the a.c . As we don’t like the air con, only use a fan.
I agree with you except for buying vehicles. If you buy brand new vehicles that cost well over 50k+ in US the import tax rates are SUPER EXPENSIVE. For example a 2023 Toyota Supra is 53k in US but in Philippines it’s well over 75k.
Over the years we've bought two Toyota Innova's.
This year we paid $33K.
My main concern with cost of living is housing and car cost especially if you want to live in metro manila, I feel you get more bang for your buck here in the US, everything else is arguably cheaper in Manila.
Yes and No... in some area like provinces the cost of living is low. But if you live in big cities like Manila, Cebu city etc. of course expect your dollars will not go a long way.
TOTALLY DEPENDS ON YOUR TASTE.
VERY REASONABLE AND LOVELY
DR.DONALD LEE GRIM
HEALTH CARE IS very expensive in the Philippines 😊😊😊
Now if you leave in the city it’s different..
In the USA,people retiring later age because of health insurance 😊
guess you barely have an understanding of what you are talking about.
Also sir, I would like to add that if you go to Baguio,get the 1st class/deluxe Victory,Joy bus or One north buses. I can only attest to Victory coz that’s the one I take due to it’s proximity to our place,it also has covered bus station for when it’s raining when you arrive in Baguio.(Solid north bus not one north)
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for the advice I’m Coming from calamba city to Baguio in July
I'm not worried about the traffic. I'm most worried about getting shot in the 🇺🇸. Mass shooting, boring, loneliness, sadness,homelessness, in the 🇺🇸. Philippines is the best.
I agree partially, but crimes and justice in the PH is a grey area. Be aware of your surroundings and people you meet.
Honestly, I went home after 12 years and living in the USA for 34 years is a big difference compared when living in the Philippines that everything is very cheap if you earned dollars. I stayed in my hometown and their electricity bill is less than 200 pesos because they have a solar power and the rice is 45 pesos per kilo, buying for 50 kilos still is very cheap to compare when buying a sack of rice for 25 lbs for $26. Also the vegetables its really very cheap in my hometown. Even its a small place but the prices are very low. But for the local just making 570 a day or less and having a children to support then their pesos earnings are not enough to feed the whole family.
Moreover, asian hate crimes are happening everywhere in states. Frightening!... Philippines is still the happiest place, money cant buy.
@@MBihon2000 you gotta do that anywhere in the world.
Obviously, you haven’t been in the US?
It gets expensive if you go out and you pay for every Relatives!!!
I pay 20 pesos a month for water.
I spend $8 a day for my food if I will cook just for my self!!!
Cheaper
It's true, if you go out to eat, almost like the whole barangay residents goes with you to eat out!
Respectfully, I disagree with you on the electricity costs. I was in Surigao City in Mindanao to visit family for the entire month of June. Temps are very similar to the temps in North Carolina where my asawa and I live. My electricity bill in the Philippines for about a 1000 SF home for 4 weeks was well over $400 for two split-type units and a window AC in our bedroom - we turn off the split-type units in the evening and run the bedroom AC. Our home in the US is 2600 SF. My electricity bill for the month of July was about $100... larger homes and the temps here in NC have been running between 90 degrees (F) and 100 degrees (F).
Agreed on the property taxes and rentals, but I have a big issue with the effort and time that it takes to get a title - for a CLEAN title purchase. We own 3 properties. We are still waiting on titles two years later using an attorney. I would argue that the costs for titling are more in the Philippines and much longer to actually get the title. The process for titling is a mess in the Philippines.
Food costs will vary depending on what you buy. Filipino food is cheaper as you noted, but if you buy Western food, you'll pay more. It depends on your food purchasing habits.
Public transportation is cheap. I found airfare (traveling in-country) to be high on some recent travel. Flying from Surigao City to Kalibo in Panay, we paid about $700 (2 people). It took us about 12 hours of travel time (hard to believe). Cebu Pacific canceled one of our flights outbound and inbound without reason. Crazy!
I love the Philippines, but some aspects are not as low as we might expect.
Just same to USA, , it only depends on way of living an individual is choosing to live of, , ,
😎👍🤿🇵🇭! Good information! Thanks!
Very well done Grandpa...
I heard electric bills are more expensive if you live in a condo compared to regular house
If you add up all the expense to live a solid middle to upper middle class life in The Philippines, you better have a $2,500./$3,000. minimum pension check each month! I have 8 years of experience in The Philippines.
HELLO >>
Add On such as 12% VAT, Supply Charges and a total amount is about 80 to 90% added onto the Generation System Charges
Regarding health insurance, you mentioned it's much cheaper in the US if you have insurance. Did you consider the monthly premium of health insurance. Me and my wife is paying $750 a month and still not 100% covered
Other point is about senior discount, I think it's 20% is given to senior citizen and not 30%.
Keep safe and more update pls. Thanks
I only pay $170 for part b and zero for the advantage plan. You must have Supplemental plan. Senior discount is 20% plus waiver of 12% VAT. It is equal to about 30%.
20 % senior discount plus 12 % VAt …32% senior discount
True grandpa I took an aircon bus to Bicol It was not comfy I rather drive even with a small car.
Thank you great information
Batangas electric is very expensive ( Batelec) to many charges . If the kilowatt usage is 3K the total bill will be more than 6k. Meralco is cheaper compare to Batelec
Philippines energy cost is NO 1 in ASIA.just a 2 AC a fridge ,washing machine can go up to 10k peso.monthly .
its far as i can tell.....>>> i live in bohol ...panglao island ,,,,its at least 50 % percent cheaper than orlando florida>>USA
Why does cost of living matter . If you broke from payday to payday . No money =no money in USA or Philippines .
sadly, Phils is a stressful country. not just cost of living to consider but how to blend with anxiety, stress, way of living. think thrice if youre planning to retire in the Phils.
also to consider is the health system which is too expensive.
It depends on where you live in the Philippines and how much money you have. If you live in Manila, yes it is stressful.
In the Phil. we live in comforts of how much your money or status we live in a subdivision where our house facing the park can do exercise walking around good environment 🇸🇽🇺🇸
Cost of living in the Philippines is cheaper may be true if you are a dollar earner person.
If you ask the common peso earner person it will be the opposite answer.
Here in the UK we can drink tap water so we don't have to buy bottled water. Your calculations don't seem to take that into account. Maybe worth considering adding the cost of this per person. I personally drink 4 liters of water per day and in hot climes more
I just received my electric bill here in Davao. The total including all taxes and fees came to 10.2 pesos/khw.
Thanks for sharing.
True. Motorcycle riders are mostly undisciplined
The best way to do it is dont retire permanently in the Philippines stay like 5 to 8 months then go back to US to spend time with your family and do your medical activities..
It could also be the uneven roads po that makes the rides so bumpy. 😝
Electric in the province is much chwaper because meralco is charging all the the free juice used by squatters in poor reas
We have had an increase of 4,ooo piso per month over the same number of months in Las Piñas
I love your videos Grandpa, I am a senior and want some peace and quiet, a location not too hot, and decent healthcare close by. How would you compare Dumaguete to Baguio, living expenses, etc. Which other locations are there where the climate is a little cooler? Thank You
Look into Tagaytay. Cool, lower cost of living and near enough to Manila if you need serious medical care.
Condo are much cheaper on electric because there much small area to kool over all it much cheaper in Philippines $2000 especially with 4 people is about average
My bills jumped 60% in electricity and 50p increase on water bill plus extra environmental taxes suddenly and monthly. What is happening here?
Foreign products = expensive, local products, cheap.
Have you compared this with the present cost back in America?
True
Is the cost of living in the Philippines low? Compared to what?? The US? Yes, very, very low. Compared to living in Camabodia where I live? No. The cost of living is 3 times MORE in the Philippines than it is here in Cambodia. It all depends on what you are comparing it to and what your individual lifestyle choices require.
Hi Blogger grandpa! I hope to see you at megamall again. 😀
Yes, we'll be there early next year.
No one covers the Philippines/ USA living like you. Bravo! I'm a city boy too and would like to shop in western stores. So, you live about 3-4 months in the Philippines and the rest of the year back in the Penn/Wash area. Can I ask you what months you are in the Philippines and where is your condo? just because I also had that in mind when I finally retired.
The plan is probably January through May for about 3-4 months. That's because I want to spend thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year with my family in the U.S. My condo is in Pasig City.
@@vloggergrandpa2707 gotcha! Salamat po. My wife and I agree. We will probably live part time in the Philippines. The USA will still be the home.
June to November is the rainy/typhoon season. December to May are the best months of you want to 50/50 PHL/US. You avoid the winter in the US and summer is just starting when you go back to US in June, thereby avoiding the typhoons in PHL.
@@mvescuadraThanks, this is helpful. Although, I'm from the Philippines but have been living in the US for 30+ years therefore I forgot season weather in the Philippines.
Thanks for the tip.
No it’s higher than in Austria think about some price the same onions here 100 there 500 peso meet same chicken same beef more expensiv there
Example
1 kilo white onions
1 kilo lechon belly baboy
2 liters gasoline
1000 pesos
Thats cheap to me ? NO
And to average filipino ? 2 days sweldo 😢
Lata sardines 21 pesos 😊
Mahal din ang sardines, believe it or not.
For now but it’s going to get expensive due to influx of foreigners.
Love your post Sir.. but we live here and Cebu, Manila, Tacloban etc hospital system is not up to par as you mentioned.
The doctors are hardly in one spot because they bounce from hospital to hospital. You might find a doctor and his/her schedule is M-T 2pm to 4pm. Then at another hospital W-F 9am to 12 noon. We know as we have experience it may times.
So finding a Good Primary Care physician is and can be challenging.
Filipino are as you say, very friendly, but yes BOOM BOOM noise is ridiculous. No respect for anybody in the community. Play some reason they have to play everything at a thousand decimals so you can't even hear yourself think. The Provence is worst.. Driving here is do as you want.. No law to stop them.. They just weaver in and at all day and night. No discipline or respect for other drivers or people walking. Even the automobiles flys through small Brgys.. Crime is low thanks to the security guards almost everywhere Love that...
Thanks for sharing this post. We always enjoy listening to you
There have been massive increases in filipino electric costs. Secondly, installing new service
is filled with corruption.
Good video, stay active and keep the weight off and go to Manila or Cebu once a year for the best Executive Physical you can get much more thorough than USA. $550 give or take 10%.
Im Yemeni live and work in Saudi arabia ..im Married from Philipino woman and i have one daughter..
When i visit Philippine i find the live more expensive than saudi Arabia even more expensive than Yemen my country even yemen under a war from 8 years ..
You can life in Philippine but not that good life ..
And when i see how much salery they take .. always wondered how they can survive 😢..
I hope i see Philippine better in future..
Very good and honest people but very corrupted government in my opinion
@@livemina many people live in boarding houses, which is around 1500 pesos. They dont use aircon, just a fan. They eat cheap street food, or just cook and vegetables or little meat.
just calculated current electric bill in province - $.24/kwh
Thanks for sharing.
I think the best way is to divide your time between US and Philippines. I will be fully retired in less than 2 years. My plan is to spend 9 months in US and 3 months in the Philippines. Do your dental work in the Philippines as it's a lot cheaper. If you have health issues, US is still far better.
The only thing that holds me back from spending more than a few weeks or a month is healthcare. You never know when you might have an emergency. I have paramedics with-in 5 minutes and hospital with-in 10 minutes. I'm late 60's now and and my brother-in-law had a heart attack and is only a year older. If he would have been in the Phil's no way would he have survived. On the other hand I'm getting really frustrated with the political environment and current HIGH cost of living.
@@livemina same with healthcare, Thailand is very good
Grandpa :
Tks. much.
For longer or overnight trips, normal po sa Pinas ang car rental that comes with driver and gas. Even for overnight stays, I was even surprised that there was no obligation to either feed or provide accommodations for the driver.
Can you refer me to them? Who do you hire in Manila that is reasonable?
@vloggergrandpa2707 on both times po hindi ako nag arrange pero I experienced it in both Manila and Bohol. I believe we paid 8K pesos sa bohol for a large van that can hold 7 ppl with baggage. Whole day with driver and gas.
May mga legit online pero expensive po. Maybe you might find one na maging suki kayo through your friends and family .
Keep up the great work.