Welcome back, fellow Dreamers. As promised, we once again carefully recorded our expenses for the month. One of the questions that we are asked is “How much does it cost to live in the Philippines?” As previously stated, the short answer is “It all depends.” If you are expecting that you will be able to take your nice slice of Western life and transpose it onto the Republic, you are going to be spending nearly as much as you did in the West. Imported food, electricity for constant aircon, fuel for your SUV, high rent costs for Western-standard homes and apartments…… it all adds up. If – however – you are willing to make some compromises and live a simpler life, the cost of living here is quite low.
Michell and I live pretty well. We have a solid home with screens, window grates, air conditioning, nice paint, a nice little yard, garden and whatnot. We have a truck – a Pajero 4×4 – but we really don’t use it all that much. We have also learned to mitigate our “eating out” expenses by mixing in low cost places like Food Net, Mang Inasal, and some really groovy street BBQ places.
Anyhoo, our total expenses for August totaled $906 US dollars (39,502 pesos), compared to the $1,038 that we spent in August. All of our basic living expenses stayed pretty much the same – except for electricity which went up a bit due to the unseasonably warm weather during that month. Our eating out expenses. You also have to factor in that I paid $62 for setting up the website and $80 for ten pounds of protein powder to try and mitigate the muscle loss I have experienced since moving here.
So, without any further ado, then, here is our monthly breakdown for August 2014:
BASIC LIVING EXPENSES – IN US DOLLARS/PESOS XCHANGE RATE 43.6-1
Rent $229/10000
Electricity $62/2700
Gym $28/1200
Internet $23/1000
Water $4/160
Grocery Shopping $170/7283
Eating out $120/5250
Diesel Truck $13/560
Gas Motorcycles $25/1100
Visa Fees$ 0
Cigarettes $31 /1350 (pack a day)
Laundry $5/200
BASIC LIVING EXPENSES TOTAL $670/29212
INCIDENTAL EXPENSES – IN US DOLLARS/PESOS XCHANGE RATE 43.6
Garden
Vermiculture $9/400
Seeds $4/156
Soil $5/200
Trellis $2/80
Other
Website $62/2700
Aircon Service $4/180
Flat Tire $3/120
Beggars $2/100
Curtains $30/1315
10 lbs Protein Powder $80/3500
INCIDENTAL COST TOTAL $236/10290
TOTAL COST FOR JULY $906/39502 [Note: We forgot to add $22/1000P for internet, $6 for a doctor visit, and $6 for phone load, so it’s around $940 total for the month.]
We are off to a bad start for September. I took two trips to two different doctors and was prescribed two different medications. The first doctor’s script was wrong (he was from Siliman Hospital) and the second doctors (from Holy Child) script was right for what I was diagnosed with. Siliman doctor was 400 pesos and the Holy Child doctor (Dr. Yee – thank you!) was 200 pesos. This showing that you don’t always get what you pay for. Medications weren’t too bad. There’s no insurance here but each doctor’s script (oral antibiotics and topical antibiotic) cost about 700 pesos. Those meds are over the counter here, by the way – you only really need prescriptions for opoid-based painkillers and the like.
One last thing – I don’t go out drinking or hitting girlie bars. If you are doing that, you are going to spend a lot more. A beer here costs about a dollar, which is cheap compared to bar drinks in the West, but if you drink like some guys here, it’s going to add up.
Hmmmmm – I might be buying a powerful desktop PC this month. My poor ASUS Republic of Gamers laptop just doesn’t like the heat!
Oh, yeah – and apologies for the phone call at the end of the video. It was Lazada.com trying to deliver another package. My ever inquisitive better half went to answer it and when the courier didn’t say anything (voice calls rarely work well here), I think she thought it was “another woman” or something and started rooting around in my phone, resulting in me having to “Ahem…. .well, THIS IS NED…..
🙂
Take care ya’ll and see you next time!
Thank you both for sharing your monthly expenses it helps put things in to perspective my army buddy and I are planning to move to the Philippines in 10 years we will both be 50 then and he will have money saved and I’m already retired from the military I’m just waiting for my youngest boy to turn 18 and save some money my buddy mario and i watch your youtube show everyday it keeps us informed on what to expect we are from iowa and can’t wait for tropical weather I’m tired of the winters thanks again and keep making videos take care
Ooooo- military pension. Nice! That gives you lots of time for more research and extended visits. Is there any way retired military can take advantage of “free” flights? Flying “standby” on military transports?
I hope you dont mind, but thought I would post on here for my family, so people would know the expenses for two and expenses for a larger family per month.
Rent $162\7000
Electric $93\4000
House Water $23\1000
Propane $16\700 X 2 Buy a bottle every 2 months that cost $23\1000
Cellphone $27\1200 1 hour of international calls will double your bill
Internet $30\1300 Internet and a landline phone
Household Help $69\3000
Cable $10\450
Gaisano Mall $139\6000
Open Market $209\9000
Rice $32\1400 Buy Rice every 2 months, a sack of Rice cost 2100
Eggs $20\900
Bread $16\700
Potatoes $8\600
Drinking Water $16\700
Now if my math is correct that is a total of $963\3794 for myself, my wife, my two kids, my mother-in-law, and our house keeper………..I am in the process of buying this home so in 13 months there will be no rent
Thanks so much for this, Donald. And if anyone else wants to post their monthly expenses, feel free!
Sorry 37950 Pesos
Congrats on the website and the great videos. It looks like you two are such a nice couple, not like most of those May-Dec marriages we hear about in the states.
Wow! $62 to set up your website? It looks very nice I like the color scheme and overall layout and simple easy to use buttons. What about the monthly hosting cost? I have a lot of websites for businesses that contract me to build them, host and maintain them, (99% of them are simple WordPress sites), but as you know in the USA “who doesn’t have a website!”. Your looks very nice. You don’t have advertising so that makes it easier to scroll around.
Thanks, Tina. It’s still a work in progress as I am learning WordPress as we go.
I see you have “gym” as an expense. I’d like to see a video on where you go. The last time I was there I worked out in a little place in a beauty parlor next to Panie’s.
Here is a link to the video I did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=One8B_WNX_I
It’s the best gym in Dumaguete IMHO.
How fast is your internet speed to sites outside of PH?
We have 3 MB DL/.5 MB UL on the regular. It’s not too bad considering the internet infrastructure is pretty messed up.
Ned, what internet service do you use?? How is it for downloading steam games??
We have SkyCable 3MB DL/.5MB UL. I don’t know about Steam, but I DL PS3 games all the time with no problems. A buddy of mine has Steam and he also says he has no problems. Our internet costs about $22 a month.
Ned,
Just found your videos on YouTube and love them, I am 58 years young currently live in Spain for the last 2 years. From the UK originally what what my chances of finding a beautiful wife like yours should i move to the Philippine, also is there anything else I would need to relocate.
Thanks
Hi Jim. There are beautiful, nice and educated women all over the Philippines. As for moving here, MAKE SURE you visit first. The Philippines isn’t Spain, and it’s not for everyone. Thanks for checking out our site!