So How Much will it cost for everyday living ?

Live like a King for less than you think

Few people in the UK take holiday's in the Philippines, and because of this, they know very little about this jewel in South East Asia, Thailand is more publicized and is a well known holiday destination, but the costs of a holiday in the Philippines, are so much better value, if you know the country, you might be surprised to know how far money goes in the Philippines if you know how to manage the money you have,


A grand a month now should give you a decent lifestyle, or about P2000.00 a day, should give you the essentials you need to live on but if you want a maid, depending on which province you live in, that should cost you anywhere from P4000.00 to P6000.00 and a driver if you need one should cost you P250.00 a day or about P1500.00 a week, your driver can double as your protector and companion, and also as a general helper when he is not driving you around.


Tourists who arrive in the Philippines for their first visit tend to stay at the 1st class hotels, they eat at the most expensive restaraunts, thats because they are used to spending heavily on holiday's ! (whats that British Phrase oh its ok, wer'e on holiday, you only do it then, but I wouldnt do it at home !)


When you retire in the Philippines or simply want to go there to live ahead of your retirement, thats a fine goal to have, but remember,you will not be staying at 1st class hotels, you will not be eating at the best restaraunts, life will be different, because you may be having to manage on a budget, unless you are fairly wealthy, money will soon go from your grasp, there are reports of Americans who live in Davao City area, who cannot afford to put on the Aircon, they sit around all day sweating, or end up going to the shopping malls to keep cool, imagine that, there is a report of an American who arrived in Manila, and now sleeps on the streets at night, obviously his retirement didnt work out, but remember, many people totally mis-understand what is required to live like a King.

Its for the things we do not think of or take for granted, that have to be budgeted for, for example, healthcare, yes its cheap in the Philippines, but not free as it is in UK, a typical Doctor visit will cost around P500.00 about £7.50, then there is prescription charge, now if you need a course of anti-biotics, Augmentin a very good well known non generic drug is around P80.00 per tablet, if you need 3 a day for 7 days, thats 21 tablets at 80pesos, that's P1680.00 or at today's exchange rate £21.00, so a Doctor's visit has cost you £28.50.

So what about hospitalization and serious illnesses, if you need to spend time in hospital because you have been infected or caught a serious disease, and there are plenty of those to be had from Dengue fever through to black water disease, it can be expensive, ok, you might be able to claim some back from Philhealth, if your wife or partner has you in on her membership, but to get out of hospital you will have to pay the bill, and that could be £375.00 to £1000.00 depending on the length of stay, treatment received and care.


Living in the Philippines is simply so much different to what youre used to at home, Learning to budget money is an art form, best put to good use by your Filipina companion, most of them are excellent money handlers, which is why you can live like a King for around £1000.00 to £1300.00 a month thats around P80,000 to P100,00 a month at the current exchange rate (Aug 2009).


Metro Manila the capital city is more expensive, the provinces, like Visayas, or Mindanao are much less expensive to live in, some have been known to live on less than P60,000 a month, thats around £750.00 per month.



Have you any idea's what things cost in the Philippines ? well as of (August 2009) first let me give you a short run down on the vices and other things you feel you should have. Beer, the local one is San Miguel is UK 70p a bottle and its a quality beer. There are other brands too. Rum is still around 65p per liter, can you believe it ? gin and Vodka a little more. There are also local kinds of liquor, like Tanduay and Emperador, and this is 45 pesos for a small bottle and 65 to 80 pesos for the larger bottle, So you can get drunk as a Judge on £1.00 a night, if thats your thing.

Some more vice for you, smoking - a pack of 20 costs around 30 pesos, the bars stay open all nights, but most close up at around 3am, there is snooker, pool, videoke, a kind of kareoke, but much better, with scenic pictures of swiss railway journeys for some reason, you can hire a private videoke room, if you want a private party.


Living in the Philippines, and making our life there needs some planning and thought about your budget, but the above information will help you to start thinking about your life there, I hope this article has helped.