[Mike S]

Maybe this will help you out to kinda get an idea on what it costs us per year to live in Cebu City ...... now some will say you can't do it for this amount and that we (my asawa and me) are paupers .... but it isn't so .... we started in a 1 bedroom apartment and just recently moved 2 months ago and upgraded to a 2 bedroom ..... 1 bedroom was 7800p per month including water ..... 2 bedroom is 10,300 including water ....... I am now on a 13a temp. resident so there is no longer the cost to the BI ...... nor the government costs you see below as that included all the costs of getting married and the 13a plus ACR I card ...... some will also say that some of the categories are misleading and can't be true ...... but I assure you that I keep detailed records and ALL bills and receipts are entered into a computer budgeting program and accounted for ...... no guessing ..... even Thirsty Drinks are accounted for ....

Now in all fairness we do not drink ... smoke .... party or eat at the Lighthouse Restaurant everyday (just for you Billie ... hahaha) but that is by choice not because we can't afford it .... I eat and enjoy native foods so having to buy the prime-rib at Ayala Gaisano's deli is not a necessity for me .....

We also don't use the aircon ... it's there we just don't need it ..... I lived in central and south Florida for over 30 years

Anyway ..... this is just us ...... yours will be different ....... DON'T COME HERE WITHOUT SUFFICIENT MEANS TO SUPPORT YOURSELF ...... or you better darn well be able to adapt ....... IMHO


Spending by Category

10/1/2008 Through 9/13/2009


Subcategory ...........................................................Total

Income Categories
Retirement Income - Unassigned ...................................0.00
Total Income Categories ..............................................0.00

Expense Categories

Food : Groceries .................................................119,615.81
Bills : Rent ...........................................................99,920.00
Food : Dining Out ..................................................48,910.44
Personal Items & Care : Other ..................................40,765.00
Transportation : Taxi ..............................................23,560.00
Government Related : Visa costs................................21,317.00
Household : Appliance .............................................18,932.75
Health-care : Prescriptions .......................................18,114.39
Bills : Electricity ......................................................17,612.18
Household : Hardware ..............................................16,527.04
Household : Furnishings ............................................15,194.46
Food : Market .........................................................13,889.55
Bills : Online/Internet Service and phone ......................13,052.75
Government Related : Certificates & Forms .....................9,870.00
Miscellaneous : Odds & Ends ........................................8,884.84
Clothing : Clothes ......................................................7,140.88
Miscellaneous : Computer ............................................5,736.50
Household : Kitchen ....................................................4,835.02
Health-care : Supplements ...........................................4,042.70
Clothing : Shoes & Accessories ......................................3,584.15
Health-care : Hospital ..................................................3,535.00
Government Related : Visa Related costs. ........................3,360.00
Support .....................................................................3,210.00
Bills : Cellular ..............................................................2,650.00
Personal Items & Care - Unassigned ................................2,357.00
Entertainment : DVD Movies ..........................................2,319.00
Bills : Water drinking only ..............................................1,840.00
Transportation - Unassigned ..........................................1,426.32
Miscellaneous - Unassigned ...........................................1,268.29
Personal Items & Care : ................................................1,006.80
Bills : Natural Gas/Oil cooking only .....................................994.00
Health-care : Doctor .......................................................800.00
Clothing - Unassigned ......................................................662.85
Entertainment : Books ......................................................249.00

Total Expense Categories ............................................537,183.72

Grand Total .............................................................(537,183.72)

[tropicalpenpals]

Mike S, on Sep 13 2009, 07:05 AM, said:

Maybe this will help you out to kinda get an idea on what it costs us per year to live in Cebu City ...... now some will say you can't do it for this amount and that we (my asawa and me) are paupers .... but it isn't so .... we started in a 1 bedroom apartment and just recently moved 2 months ago and upgraded to a 2 bedroom ..... 1 bedroom was 7800p per month including water ..... 2 bedroom is 10,300 including water ....... I am now on a 13a temp. resident so there is no longer the cost to the BI ...... nor the government costs you see below as that included all the costs of getting married and the 13a plus ACR I card ...... some will also say that some of the categories are misleading and can't be true ...... but I assure you that I keep detailed records and ALL bills and receipts are entered into a computer budgeting program and accounted for ...... no guessing ..... even Thirsty Drinks are accounted for ....

Now in all fairness we do not drink ... smoke .... party or eat at the Lighthouse Restaurant everyday (just for you Billie ... hahaha) but that is by choice not because we can't afford it .... I eat and enjoy native foods so having to buy the prime-rib at Ayala Gaisano's deli is not a necessity for me .....

We also don't use the aircon ... it's there we just don't need it ..... I lived in central and south Florida for over 30 years

Anyway ..... this is just us ...... yours will be different ....... DON'T COME HERE WITHOUT SUFFICIENT MEANS TO SUPPORT YOURSELF ...... or you better darn well be able to adapt ....... IMHO


Spending by Category

10/1/2008 Through 9/13/2009


Subcategory ...........................................................Total

Income Categories
Retirement Income - Unassigned ...................................0.00
Total Income Categories ..............................................0.00

Expense Categories

Food : Groceries .................................................119,615.81
Bills : Rent ...........................................................99,920.00
Food : Dining Out ..................................................48,910.44
Personal Items & Care : Other ..................................40,765.00
Transportation : Taxi ..............................................23,560.00
Government Related : Visa costs................................21,317.00
Household : Appliance .............................................18,932.75
Health-care : Prescriptions .......................................18,114.39
Bills : Electricity ......................................................17,612.18
Household : Hardware ..............................................16,527.04
Household : Furnishings ............................................15,194.46
Food : Market .........................................................13,889.55
Bills : Online/Internet Service and phone ......................13,052.75
Government Related : Certificates & Forms .....................9,870.00
Miscellaneous : Odds & Ends ........................................8,884.84
Clothing : Clothes ......................................................7,140.88
Miscellaneous : Computer ............................................5,736.50
Household : Kitchen ....................................................4,835.02
Health-care : Supplements ...........................................4,042.70
Clothing : Shoes & Accessories ......................................3,584.15
Health-care : Hospital ..................................................3,535.00
Government Related : Visa Related costs. ........................3,360.00
Support .....................................................................3,210.00
Bills : Cellular ..............................................................2,650.00
Personal Items & Care - Unassigned ................................2,357.00
Entertainment : DVD Movies ..........................................2,319.00
Bills : Water drinking only ..............................................1,840.00
Transportation - Unassigned ..........................................1,426.32
Miscellaneous - Unassigned ...........................................1,268.29
Personal Items & Care : ................................................1,006.80
Bills : Natural Gas/Oil cooking only .....................................994.00
Health-care : Doctor .......................................................800.00
Clothing - Unassigned ......................................................662.85
Entertainment : Books ......................................................249.00

Total Expense Categories ............................................537,183.72

Grand Total .............................................................(537,183.72)

Thanks for the info.. how many of you live on that income ? Also the fact you dont eat out or drink doesnt really matter as many of the items on your list people wouldnt do so the budgets could easily shuffle round. My personal most expensive month was P50,000 but generally we are around P25,000 a month and that includes trips to the beach etc. But everyone has different setups. Your right about making sure you can afford to live in the Philippines before coming but also people should be aware to "keep within budgets" as things first appear cheap when you arrive and overspending can happen so easily.

[Old55]

Quote

Thanks for the info.. how many of you live on that income ? Also the fact you dont eat out or drink doesnt really matter as many of the items on your list people wouldnt do so the budgets could easily shuffle round. My personal most expensive month was P50,000 but generally we are around P25,000 a month and that includes trips to the beach etc. But everyone has different setups. Your right about making sure you can afford to live in the Philippines before coming but also people should be aware to "keep within budgets" as things first appear cheap when you arrive and overspending can happen so easily.

If you don't mind my asking… roughly what are your housing expenses, rent and utilities included?

I would also be interested to know of others who live well on less than 50K a month.
Reading Philippines budgets is very helpful for those of us that only visit once or twice a year. It seems to me one would need at the very least 70,000 a month but many of you guys are doing well on much less. We live a fairly simple life here in the States so the idea 50,000 Peso would be doable is sweeeeeeeet!

This post has been edited by Boss Man: 16 September 2009 - 03:29 AM
Reason for edit: fixed quote tags

[TheMason]

Old55, on Sep 16 2009, 03:48 PM, said:

Quote

Thanks for the info.. how many of you live on that income ? Also the fact you dont eat out or drink doesnt really matter as many of the items on your list people wouldnt do so the budgets could easily shuffle round. My personal most expensive month was P50,000 but generally we are around P25,000 a month and that includes trips to the beach etc. But everyone has different setups. Your right about making sure you can afford to live in the Philippines before coming but also people should be aware to "keep within budgets" as things first appear cheap when you arrive and overspending can happen so easily.

If you don't mind my asking… roughly what are your housing expenses, rent and utilities included?

I would also be interested to know of others who live well on less than 50K a month.
Reading Philippines budgets is very helpful for those of us that only visit once or twice a year. It seems to me one would need at the very least 70,000 a month but many of you guys are doing well on much less. We live a fairly simple life here in the States so the idea 50,000 Peso would be doable is sweeeeeeeet!

I've been here for a year now as well. When I first got here, our monthly budget was 28,000 per month. As time went by, we've managed to bring that down to about 18,000. We no longer need to purchase home furnishings and the grocery and dining out expenses have dropped as I've adjusted to local foods and my wife's cooking. Its easy to live cheaply in the Philippines provided you don't need or want a Western lifestyle. I've posted it before, but here's a rough estimate of our expenses in pesos....


2-bdr apartment-- 5000
Electricity-- 550 (cheap rates in Baguio and low usage due to year-round nice weather)
Cable TV-- 550
Internet-- 1800 (I pay for a faster connection. 1000 is a more reasonable rate)
Groceries-- 6000
Entertainment-- 2000 (dining out, DVDs, etc)
Transportation-- 1000
Healthcare-- 500
Clothing-- 600

[Mike S]

The info I provided was in response to another board where a member said you would need $3000 (144000p) to live comfortably here in the Phils and that people living on 50,000p or less per month were living poorly ...... and as I have not seen a yearly actual budget I thought I would post one ..... we also live right in the middle of Cebu City so the cost is a bit higher than those living outside the city ....... example ..... we looked at places to rent outside the city for a lot less than we pay here ...... and yes there are a lot of categories listed that others would not have but if I buy a package of nails ..... place mats ...... flower pots or wall hooks it is recorded in the budget ..... it is far to easy for items to be forgotten and not kept track of ...... by the way mine it is recorded under categories not individual items

Why do I do it ....... because it is fun and I enjoy it ...... do I need to keep such detailed records ....... nawwwwww .. not really .....

This post has been edited by Mike S: 16 September 2009 - 09:10 PM

[TheMason]

Mike S, on Sep 17 2009, 10:07 AM, said:

The info I provided was in response to another board where a member said you would need $3000 (144000p) to live comfortably here in the Phils and that people living on 50,000p or less per month were living poorly ...... and as I have not seen a yearly actual budget I thought I would post one ..... we also live right in the middle of Cebu City so the cost is a bit higher than those living outside the city ....... example ..... we looked at places to rent outside the city for a lot less than we pay here ...... and yes there are a lot of categories listed that others would not have but if I buy a package of nails ..... place mats ...... flower pots or wall hooks it is recorded in the budget ..... it is far to easy for items to be forgotten and not kept track of ...... by the way mine it is recorded under categories not individual items

Why do I do it ....... because it is fun and I enjoy it ...... do I need to keep such detailed records ....... nawwwwww .. not really .....

The report you posted looks an awful lot like a Quicken report. I worked in Quicken tech support for years, so it was good to see it posted. Some people like to track their finances in anal-retentive detail. I'm one of them. I'd be lost without my detailed records. I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I track things down to the centavo when the receipts allow me to. I didn't post the detailed report because my categories are not as generic as yours are.

I'm glad you posted the yearly expenses though. I find it very easy to live well for a small amount of money. I get along just fine on a smaller budget and think most others would be able to do it as well if they knew how. In my case, having a Filipina wife definitely helps. If I had to secure my own housing and everything else, I'd pay Kano prices a lot more than we do now.

[Mike S]

I hate to say it but I started out with M$ Money 2004 ...... wanted to upgrade as M$ no longer supports Money but was told to expect all kinds of problems if I incorporated into a new program ...... it's basic and works for me except it takes forever to do anything once you get a broad data base ...... but hey .... I'm retired .... what else do I have to do ...... ....... the secrete to a good working budget is detail ... detail ... detail

I agree on the Filipina help part ...... Julie doesn't take no for an answer and bargains for everything that can be bargained for ....... you ought to see her on Colon St. ........ sometimes I almost feel sorry for the vendors ...... you'll notice I said almost ...... almost until I feel the extra centavos in my pocket ......

[Mik]

A person living here should have a savings account for unexpected medical expenses. Maybe put into that emergency account at least 20 per cent of your income each month.

[chimellie]

Looks like a person can live comfortably on about 1000 USD in Cebu. I am looking at about 7 more years to retirement, I hope it doesn't get too expensive when the time comes, I like to play golf at least once a week, go out to eat the local food once or twice and go out have a few cold ones and play some pool once in a while, and going to the beach too .
So for me it would take about 1500 USD a month, is it a good number ?

Thanks

[Mr. Lee]

chimellie, on Sep 18 2009, 10:43 AM, said:

Looks like a person can live comfortably on about 1000 USD in Cebu. I am looking at about 7 more years to retirement, I hope it doesn't get too expensive when the time comes, I like to play golf at least once a week, go out to eat the local food once or twice and go out have a few cold ones and play some pool once in a while, and going to the beach too .
So for me it would take about 1500 USD a month, is it a good number ?

Thanks

Chi, you already own a home, so those expenses will be different than rent. Taxes, upkeep, etc. and only you would know what those cost you and no one know what they will cost you 7 years from now. But IMO, for now you should be OK and the guys we know who live in Cebu on less than $1000 do so without A/C and without drinking and eating out that much, so your numbers would most likely be higher if you are going to want to use A/C and drink and eat out time to time. No one knows what 7 more years will bring and we can only guess, but I would say that you should think about more than $1500 a month by then if you wish to live a very comfortable life style.

[tropicalpenpals]

TheMason, on Sep 17 2009, 04:10 AM, said:

Mike S, on Sep 17 2009, 10:07 AM, said:

The info I provided was in response to another board where a member said you would need $3000 (144000p) to live comfortably here in the Phils and that people living on 50,000p or less per month were living poorly ...... and as I have not seen a yearly actual budget I thought I would post one ..... we also live right in the middle of Cebu City so the cost is a bit higher than those living outside the city ....... example ..... we looked at places to rent outside the city for a lot less than we pay here ...... and yes there are a lot of categories listed that others would not have but if I buy a package of nails ..... place mats ...... flower pots or wall hooks it is recorded in the budget ..... it is far to easy for items to be forgotten and not kept track of ...... by the way mine it is recorded under categories not individual items

Why do I do it ....... because it is fun and I enjoy it ...... do I need to keep such detailed records ....... nawwwwww .. not really .....

The report you posted looks an awful lot like a Quicken report. I worked in Quicken tech support for years, so it was good to see it posted. Some people like to track their finances in anal-retentive detail. I'm one of them. I'd be lost without my detailed records. I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I track things down to the centavo when the receipts allow me to. I didn't post the detailed report because my categories are not as generic as yours are.

I'm glad you posted the yearly expenses though. I find it very easy to live well for a small amount of money. I get along just fine on a smaller budget and think most others would be able to do it as well if they knew how. In my case, having a Filipina wife definitely helps. If I had to secure my own housing and everything else, I'd pay Kano prices a lot more than we do now.

Nothing wrong with keeping budgets. I have to do it myself :-
1. For my costs in Cebu.
2. My ex - For my daughters allowance.
3. For my income and expenses while working in the UK (To maximise the amount I can take back to Cebu).

Without monitoring it all would be difficult to plan ahead..

One thing I would say to anyone in the Philippines if you have a partner start a small venture and try to aim for 30% of your normal monthly budget and build a nest egg. It works well against inflation but can also lead to a few more small companies.

[Carl]

tropicalpenpals, on Sep 18 2009, 02:11 PM, said:

TheMason, on Sep 17 2009, 04:10 AM, said:

Mike S, on Sep 17 2009, 10:07 AM, said:

The info I provided was in response to another board where a member said you would need $3000 (144000p) to live comfortably here in the Phils and that people living on 50,000p or less per month were living poorly ...... and as I have not seen a yearly actual budget I thought I would post one ..... we also live right in the middle of Cebu City so the cost is a bit higher than those living outside the city ....... example ..... we looked at places to rent outside the city for a lot less than we pay here ...... and yes there are a lot of categories listed that others would not have but if I buy a package of nails ..... place mats ...... flower pots or wall hooks it is recorded in the budget ..... it is far to easy for items to be forgotten and not kept track of ...... by the way mine it is recorded under categories not individual items

Why do I do it ....... because it is fun and I enjoy it ...... do I need to keep such detailed records ....... nawwwwww .. not really .....

The report you posted looks an awful lot like a Quicken report. I worked in Quicken tech support for years, so it was good to see it posted. Some people like to track their finances in anal-retentive detail. I'm one of them. I'd be lost without my detailed records. I'm almost embarrassed to say this, but I track things down to the centavo when the receipts allow me to. I didn't post the detailed report because my categories are not as generic as yours are.

I'm glad you posted the yearly expenses though. I find it very easy to live well for a small amount of money. I get along just fine on a smaller budget and think most others would be able to do it as well if they knew how. In my case, having a Filipina wife definitely helps. If I had to secure my own housing and everything else, I'd pay Kano prices a lot more than we do now.

Nothing wrong with keeping budgets. I have to do it myself :-
1. For my costs in Cebu.
2. My ex - For my daughters allowance.
3. For my income and expenses while working in the UK (To maximise the amount I can take back to Cebu).

Without monitoring it all would be difficult to plan ahead..

One thing I would say to anyone in the Philippines if you have a partner start a small venture and try to aim for 30% of your normal monthly budget and build a nest egg. It works well against inflation but can also lead to a few more small companies.

Good idea keeping records of daily expenses, unfortunately i fall down that department but really have no excuse for not doing so. Wonder what a detailed expense record would look like after say 5 years and comparing the cost of living year after year.
Might make this another project to keep me busy.

[tropicalpenpals]

Thing about costs though is its all relative to what you want to do. If you want to sit on a porch all day no doubt you can save a huge amount. But if you want to take trips into Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia etc.. the budgets would be completely different but the important thing is people who are seriously wanting to setup in the Philippines have to spend time and thing "what do I want to do?" as the biggest problem I see is getting bored then the costs start creeping up.
But a lot of it is about doing homework there is :-

Badminton
Rugby
Football
Airsoft
Fishing
Social gatherings
Tennis
Golf
Shooting

and 101 other things to do main advice would be to come to the Philippines and spend a month before making any decision to move permanent and also adapt things like eating habits. Its great coming for a few weeks living in hotels etc. But that isnt how your going to spend most months of the year..

[Guardian]

tropicalpenpals, on 07 November 2009 - 02:47 AM, said:

Thing about costs though is its all relative to what you want to do. If you want to sit on a porch all day no doubt you can save a huge amount. But if you want to take trips into Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia etc.. the budgets would be completely different but the important thing is people who are seriously wanting to setup in the Philippines have to spend time and thing "what do I want to do?" as the biggest problem I see is getting bored then the costs start creeping up.
But a lot of it is about doing homework there is :-

Badminton
Rugby
Football
Airsoft
Fishing
Social gatherings
Tennis
Golf
Shooting

and 101 other things to do main advice would be to come to the Philippines and spend a month before making any decision to move permanent and also adapt things like eating habits. Its great coming for a few weeks living in hotels etc. But that isnt how your going to spend most months of the year..

Thanks some great idea and thank you to those of you who have posted budgets.

May I add bowling, playing pool and swimming to the above post. Also I love to read so the computer is a great tool and then there are soft cover books, I wonder if anyone sells used ones there? I think doing most things that do not cost much money are going to be important to me but I will have to see how much it will actually cost me to live the life I wish to live when the time actually comes.

[tropicalpenpals]

Guardian, on 07 November 2009 - 11:51 AM, said:

tropicalpenpals, on 07 November 2009 - 02:47 AM, said:

Thing about costs though is its all relative to what you want to do. If you want to sit on a porch all day no doubt you can save a huge amount. But if you want to take trips into Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia etc.. the budgets would be completely different but the important thing is people who are seriously wanting to setup in the Philippines have to spend time and thing "what do I want to do?" as the biggest problem I see is getting bored then the costs start creeping up.
But a lot of it is about doing homework there is :-

Badminton
Rugby
Football
Airsoft
Fishing
Social gatherings
Tennis
Golf
Shooting

and 101 other things to do main advice would be to come to the Philippines and spend a month before making any decision to move permanent and also adapt things like eating habits. Its great coming for a few weeks living in hotels etc. But that isnt how your going to spend most months of the year..

Thanks some great idea and thank you to those of you who have posted budgets.

May I add bowling, playing pool and swimming to the above post. Also I love to read so the computer is a great tool and then there are soft cover books, I wonder if anyone sells used ones there? I think doing most things that do not cost much money are going to be important to me but I will have to see how much it will actually cost me to live the life I wish to live when the time actually comes.

There is always plenty to do but the main thing is getting motivated and finding like minded people to keep things going.. but also I think its important to keep a "gap" e.g. doing something every week might become boring but once a month you look forward to it.

[Gold Heart]

As an offer in contrast I share my budget for living expenses in Cebu. This is intended to help those who might want to see a range of expenses and not just the lowest. This might be considered above average but certainly not high end.

I have to explain the circumstances driving this lifestyle choice as I think everyone recognizes these are choices. My choice is not to live as cheaply as possible. It is a choice not made because I have wealth -- by no means. This is a stretch only achievable for a term. I will soon be living on a pension as I phase out of a current part time job that I continue to work in the US virtually from here. My hope is to live within that income without tapping into to savings. I can do this on this budget with some changes.

My family was quite happy living in Raleigh, North Carolina and it was my decision to come here because I thought we would have a better life. I could not take my wife from her dream home to live in something too dramatically different. While this house misses a lot (central air, home gym, modern appliances, etc), It is nice and has a pool. It is in a nice convenient guarded subdivision. I convinced them for a year trial. We began that trial with the start of the school year -- early August.

What is the promise of a better life? Year round tropical climate, affordable help, good food, pleasant and friendly people, nice accomodations, healthy choices, ..

Since we might be returning, I had to enroll our son in the best school with US accreditation on the Western school calendar and chose the Cebu International School (CIS). In addition I wanted him to have the best opportunity for the future holding both a US and Filipino passport he will have the option of attending US schools and colleges in the future. As you can see it is quite expensive as the 2nd largest expense next to housing.

This is a budget probably on the low end for someone who might be on international assignment here as many of the parents of the children at CIS are. I realize I may have to scale back once the US job fades away. Also have to make some choices as I'm still carrying costs of sustaining our US residence. Most of my sons class mates parents are at the upper end with larger homes, multiple helpers, drivers, etc.

A few notes:

Most of the transportation costs are associated with getting my son back and forth to school. We use taxis and pay a relative to help with daily school transport.
We often have family guests for overnight and dinner affecting the operating costs and food budget.
I am still paying my US, company subsidized health care covereage and investigating Blue Cross here to ensure continuous coverage. I did not include this or any of my carrying costs. I don't know the local cost yet.


Surprises: Cost of electricity, cost of Gym -- I paid $10 a month in the US at Planet Fitness --- Costs here are Fitness First and Citigym 4 times higher. Food is not cheap -- We eat Filipino: me mostly fish, Family - pork, chicken, fish, dried fish, etc. No western products. We do eat out a lot and have to scale that back as the income scales back.

Cebu Budget-Monthly

• Rent- P50,000.00
• Tuition - Cebu International P37,600.00
• Electricity (Under refinement) P8,000.00
• Cable P600.00
• Telephone and Broadband- P2,200.00
• Helper- P4,000.00
• Cell phones- P1,500.00
• Transportation- P15,000.00
• Gym Membership- P2,500.00
• Food/ Groceries Inc.Beverage- P20,000.00
• Water- P1,800.00
• Misc- P10,000.00
• Publications- P2,000.00
• Health Insurance -------TBD

Total P155,200.00


Ron
AKA Gold Heart

[Guardian]

Gold Heart, on 02 December 2009 - 10:58 AM, said:

As an offer in contrast I share my budget for living expenses in Cebu. This is intended to help those who might want to see a range of expenses and not just the lowest. This might be considered above average but certainly not high end.

I have to explain the circumstances driving this lifestyle choice as I think everyone recognizes these are choices. My choice is not to live as cheaply as possible. It is a choice not made because I have wealth -- by no means. This is a stretch only achievable for a term. I will soon be living on a pension as I phase out of a current part time job that I continue to work in the US virtually from here. My hope is to live within that income without tapping into to savings. I can do this on this budget with some changes.

My family was quite happy living in Raleigh, North Carolina and it was my decision to come here because I thought we would have a better life. I could not take my wife from her dream home to live in something too dramatically different. While this house misses a lot (central air, home gym, modern appliances, etc), It is nice and has a pool. It is in a nice convenient guarded subdivision. I convinced them for a year trial. We began that trial with the start of the school year -- early August.

What is the promise of a better life? Year round tropical climate, affordable help, good food, pleasant and friendly people, nice accomodations, healthy choices, ..

Since we might be returning, I had to enroll our son in the best school with US accreditation on the Western school calendar and chose the Cebu International School (CIS). In addition I wanted him to have the best opportunity for the future holding both a US and Filipino passport he will have the option of attending US schools and colleges in the future. As you can see it is quite expensive as the 2nd largest expense next to housing.

This is a budget probably on the low end for someone who might be on international assignment here as many of the parents of the children at CIS are. I realize I may have to scale back once the US job fades away. Also have to make some choices as I'm still carrying costs of sustaining our US residence. Most of my sons class mates parents are at the upper end with larger homes, multiple helpers, drivers, etc.

A few notes:

Most of the transportation costs are associated with getting my son back and forth to school. We use taxis and pay a relative to help with daily school transport.
We often have family guests for overnight and dinner affecting the operating costs and food budget.
I am still paying my US, company subsidized health care covereage and investigating Blue Cross here to ensure continuous coverage. I did not include this or any of my carrying costs. I don't know the local cost yet.


Surprises: Cost of electricity, cost of Gym -- I paid $10 a month in the US at Planet Fitness --- Costs here are Fitness First and Citigym 4 times higher. Food is not cheap -- We eat Filipino: me mostly fish, Family - pork, chicken, fish, dried fish, etc. No western products. We do eat out a lot and have to scale that back as the income scales back.

Cebu Budget-Monthly

• Rent- P50,000.00
• Tuition - Cebu International P37,600.00
• Electricity (Under refinement) P8,000.00
• Cable P600.00
• Telephone and Broadband- P2,200.00
• Helper- P4,000.00
• Cell phones- P1,500.00
• Transportation- P15,000.00
• Gym Membership- P2,500.00
• Food/ Groceries Inc.Beverage- P20,000.00
• Water- P1,800.00
• Misc- P10,000.00
• Publications- P2,000.00
• Health Insurance -------TBD

Total P155,200.00


Ron
AKA Gold Heart

Thank you for this post. I am happy to see that there are other than poor expats who live in Cebu.
I reread this and it did not come out as I meant it to, I am just happy to see a good mix was what I was trying to say. Sorry I did not mean to offend anyone with my comment.

This post has been edited by Guardian: 03 December 2009 - 09:21 AM

[Genius]

Guardian, on 03 December 2009 - 09:13 AM, said:

Gold Heart, on 02 December 2009 - 10:58 AM, said:

As an offer in contrast I share my budget for living expenses in Cebu. This is intended to help those who might want to see a range of expenses and not just the lowest. This might be considered above average but certainly not high end.

I have to explain the circumstances driving this lifestyle choice as I think everyone recognizes these are choices. My choice is not to live as cheaply as possible. It is a choice not made because I have wealth -- by no means. This is a stretch only achievable for a term. I will soon be living on a pension as I phase out of a current part time job that I continue to work in the US virtually from here. My hope is to live within that income without tapping into to savings. I can do this on this budget with some changes.

My family was quite happy living in Raleigh, North Carolina and it was my decision to come here because I thought we would have a better life. I could not take my wife from her dream home to live in something too dramatically different. While this house misses a lot (central air, home gym, modern appliances, etc), It is nice and has a pool. It is in a nice convenient guarded subdivision. I convinced them for a year trial. We began that trial with the start of the school year -- early August.

What is the promise of a better life? Year round tropical climate, affordable help, good food, pleasant and friendly people, nice accomodations, healthy choices, ..

Since we might be returning, I had to enroll our son in the best school with US accreditation on the Western school calendar and chose the Cebu International School (CIS). In addition I wanted him to have the best opportunity for the future holding both a US and Filipino passport he will have the option of attending US schools and colleges in the future. As you can see it is quite expensive as the 2nd largest expense next to housing.

This is a budget probably on the low end for someone who might be on international assignment here as many of the parents of the children at CIS are. I realize I may have to scale back once the US job fades away. Also have to make some choices as I'm still carrying costs of sustaining our US residence. Most of my sons class mates parents are at the upper end with larger homes, multiple helpers, drivers, etc.

A few notes:

Most of the transportation costs are associated with getting my son back and forth to school. We use taxis and pay a relative to help with daily school transport.
We often have family guests for overnight and dinner affecting the operating costs and food budget.
I am still paying my US, company subsidized health care covereage and investigating Blue Cross here to ensure continuous coverage. I did not include this or any of my carrying costs. I don't know the local cost yet.


Surprises: Cost of electricity, cost of Gym -- I paid $10 a month in the US at Planet Fitness --- Costs here are Fitness First and Citigym 4 times higher. Food is not cheap -- We eat Filipino: me mostly fish, Family - pork, chicken, fish, dried fish, etc. No western products. We do eat out a lot and have to scale that back as the income scales back.

Cebu Budget- Monthly

• Rent- P50,000.00
• Tuition - Cebu International P37,600.00
• Electricity (Under refinement) P8,000.00
• Cable P600.00
• Telephone and Broadband- P2,200.00
• Helper- P4,000.00
• Cell phones- P1,500.00
• Transportation- P15,000.00
• Gym Membership- P2,500.00
• Food/ Groceries Inc.Beverage- P20,000.00
• Water- P1,800.00
• Misc- P10,000.00
• Publications- P2,000.00
• Health Insurance -------TBD

Total P155,200.00


Ron
AKA Gold Heart

Thank you for this post. I am happy to see that there are other than poor expats who live in Cebu.
I reread this and it did not come out as I meant it to, I am just happy to see a good mix was what I was trying to say. Sorry I did not mean to offend anyone with my comment.

I am constantly amazed by how so many people on phils orientated forums are able to live so cheaply. I m wondering whether it is a characteristic of someone who
used the internet more than the general expat, because all the ones I encounter all seem to be trying to get rid of that pesky money as quickly as possible.
Me included.

[TheMason]

Genius, on 03 December 2009 - 06:14 PM, said:

I am constantly amazed by how so many people on phils orientated forums are able to live so cheaply. I m wondering whether it is a characteristic of someone who
used the internet more than the general expat, because all the ones I encounter all seem to be trying to get rid of that pesky money as quickly as possible.
Me included.

A lot of it is location. Our rent is only 5k per month. We don't live in a subdivision or expensive part of town for security reasons. Our landlord is a well-known local guy involved with politics. Our apartment is on his lot and he lives upstairs from us. People just don't mess with his property or tenants. Its cool up here in Baguio so we don't use AC and the per unit cost of electricity is also less. We use about 75 kw/h per month and pay about 500 pesos.

For lifestyle, we don't eat out more than 2-3 times per month and when we do, it seldom costs more than 500p. We don't have any kids, don't smoke, drink, or gamble, and do not have a maid. We don't belong to a gym, rather we walk most places we go to so that is a double savings.

One of the primary reason for me moving to the Philippines was because I was tired of the consumer driven lifestyle in the US. I prefer a simple lifestyle and don't need that many material things to keep me happy. I don't need to go out of the house much for entertainment. A few DVDs and books per month are the sum of my entertaiment costs. I don't mind living in a smallish apartment with bare cement floors and no hot water. My living expenses in the US were also significantly below what others in my social circle spent. I'm just the type of person that doesn't spend much on day to day life. I prefer to save my money so I can travel whenever I want and not have to work too much. Fortunately, my wife shares the same values so we manage quite well on a very small amount of money.

[Fil/AmArt]

tropicalpenpals, on 16 September 2009 - 01:49 AM, said:

Mike S, on Sep 13 2009, 07:05 AM, said:

Maybe this will help you out to kinda get an idea on what it costs us per year to live in Cebu City ...... now some will say you can't do it for this amount and that we (my asawa and me) are paupers .... but it isn't so .... we started in a 1 bedroom apartment and just recently moved 2 months ago and upgraded to a 2 bedroom ..... 1 bedroom was 7800p per month including water ..... 2 bedroom is 10,300 including water ....... I am now on a 13a temp. resident so there is no longer the cost to the BI ...... nor the government costs you see below as that included all the costs of getting married and the 13a plus ACR I card ...... some will also say that some of the categories are misleading and can't be true ...... but I assure you that I keep detailed records and ALL bills and receipts are entered into a computer budgeting program and accounted for ...... no guessing ..... even Thirsty Drinks are accounted for ....

Now in all fairness we do not drink ... smoke .... party or eat at the Lighthouse Restaurant everyday (just for you Billie ... hahaha) but that is by choice not because we can't afford it .... I eat and enjoy native foods so having to buy the prime-rib at Ayala Gaisano's deli is not a necessity for me .....

We also don't use the aircon ... it's there we just don't need it ..... I lived in central and south Florida for over 30 years

Anyway ..... this is just us ...... yours will be different ....... DON'T COME HERE WITHOUT SUFFICIENT MEANS TO SUPPORT YOURSELF ...... or you better darn well be able to adapt ....... IMHO


Spending by Category

10/1/2008 Through 9/13/2009


Subcategory ...........................................................Total

Income Categories
Retirement Income - Unassigned ...................................0.00
Total Income Categories ..............................................0.00

Expense Categories

Food : Groceries .................................................119,615.81
Bills : Rent ...........................................................99,920.00
Food : Dining Out ..................................................48,910.44
Personal Items & Care : Other ..................................40,765.00
Transportation : Taxi ..............................................23,560.00
Government Related : Visa costs................................21,317.00
Household : Appliance .............................................18,932.75
Health-care : Prescriptions .......................................18,114.39
Bills : Electricity ......................................................17,612.18
Household : Hardware ..............................................16,527.04
Household : Furnishings ............................................15,194.46
Food : Market .........................................................13,889.55
Bills : Online/Internet Service and phone ......................13,052.75
Government Related : Certificates & Forms .....................9,870.00
Miscellaneous : Odds & Ends ........................................8,884.84
Clothing : Clothes ......................................................7,140.88
Miscellaneous : Computer ............................................5,736.50
Household : Kitchen ....................................................4,835.02
Health-care : Supplements ...........................................4,042.70
Clothing : Shoes & Accessories ......................................3,584.15
Health-care : Hospital ..................................................3,535.00
Government Related : Visa Related costs. ........................3,360.00
Support .....................................................................3,210.00
Bills : Cellular ..............................................................2,650.00
Personal Items & Care - Unassigned ................................2,357.00
Entertainment : DVD Movies ..........................................2,319.00
Bills : Water drinking only ..............................................1,840.00
Transportation - Unassigned ..........................................1,426.32
Miscellaneous - Unassigned ...........................................1,268.29
Personal Items & Care : ................................................1,006.80
Bills : Natural Gas/Oil cooking only .....................................994.00
Health-care : Doctor .......................................................800.00
Clothing - Unassigned ......................................................662.85
Entertainment : Books ......................................................249.00

Total Expense Categories ............................................537,183.72

Grand Total .............................................................(537,183.72)

Thanks for the info.. how many of you live on that income ? Also the fact you dont eat out or drink doesnt really matter as many of the items on your list people wouldnt do so the budgets could easily shuffle round. My personal most expensive month was P50,000 but generally we are around P25,000 a month and that includes trips to the beach etc. But everyone has different setups. Your right about making sure you can afford to live in the Philippines before coming but also people should be aware to "keep within budgets" as things first appear cheap when you arrive and overspending can happen so easily.

I just did a rough estimate what my annual budget was the past 12 months, it came out to PhP744,000.00, cause my monthly total average monthly budget comes to PhP62,000. That's not to far off from yours eh! And me and my wife are not that frugal, we constantly over spend by 10%! Oh well, we're OK with it, it doesn't break the piggy bank! Oh BTW, we live in Laguna between Enchanted Kingdom and Silang, Cavite.

This post has been edited by Art & Jho: 28 January 2010 - 10:45 AM

[Traveler]

it cost me less than $1000 a month to live in Cebu but I rent not own

[Fil/AmArt]

TheMason, on 04 December 2009 - 08:19 PM, said:

Genius, on 03 December 2009 - 06:14 PM, said:

I am constantly amazed by how so many people on phils orientated forums are able to live so cheaply. I m wondering whether it is a characteristic of someone who
used the internet more than the general expat, because all the ones I encounter all seem to be trying to get rid of that pesky money as quickly as possible.
Me included.

A lot of it is location. Our rent is only 5k per month. We don't live in a subdivision or expensive part of town for security reasons. Our landlord is a well-known local guy involved with politics. Our apartment is on his lot and he lives upstairs from us. People just don't mess with his property or tenants. Its cool up here in Baguio so we don't use AC and the per unit cost of electricity is also less. We use about 75 kw/h per month and pay about 500 pesos.

For lifestyle, we don't eat out more than 2-3 times per month and when we do, it seldom costs more than 500p. We don't have any kids, don't smoke, drink, or gamble, and do not have a maid. We don't belong to a gym, rather we walk most places we go to so that is a double savings.

One of the primary reason for me moving to the Philippines was because I was tired of the consumer driven lifestyle in the US. I prefer a simple lifestyle and don't need that many material things to keep me happy. I don't need to go out of the house much for entertainment. A few DVDs and books per month are the sum of my entertaiment costs. I don't mind living in a smallish apartment with bare cement floors and no hot water. My living expenses in the US were also significantly below what others in my social circle spent. I'm just the type of person that doesn't spend much on day to day life. I prefer to save my money so I can travel whenever I want and not have to work too much. Fortunately, my wife shares the same values so we manage quite well on a very small amount of money.

Yes, I too like my simple lifestyle here in the Philippines! We too have no children. I'm like you, I'm mostly a stay at home type of person! I have a 1979 Toyota Corolla we only use on our weekly grocery shopping day, that's the extent of driving here. The weather here in our area is comfortable and breezy and centrally located to everything we need and it's of walking distances of only a few blocks. We like it here in our gated community, it's safe, quiet and secluded!
Here for now! have a nice day!

[TheMason]

Art & Jho, on 28 January 2010 - 05:23 AM, said:

A $500 a month budget? That's great! How do you do it? My total living expenses is at approx. at $1,350 a month (PhP62,000), and that mostly covers everything one could think of! And it's just my wife and I in a small house that's almost paid for and we don't have any other bills. We can't live on $500 a month as you can see! Our mortgage payment is only Php11,983 a month, utilities; phone, DSL, Celph use, water, electricity, cable approx at PhP9,000 a month, PhP2,500 live-out housekeeper. Our grocery budget alone is already at PhP28,000 ($600) a month! How do you do it? And I base my conversion rate at PhP46 to the dollar.

I don't think I could eat 28k worth of food if I tried!

That budget was when I was living in Baguio. Rent was 5k, water was free (paid by landlord), electricity was 500 a month (no AC needed). Our grocery bill ran about 5k per month. I've largely adapted to a Filipino diet. I eat rice 2-3 times per day. I eat fish and chicken a lot and have virtually eliminated beef from my diet. I buy very few Western foods. For cellphone, I very seldom use mine for anything. I spend less than 100p per month on load. My wife sells Smart load. She generally gets about 1000 free texts per month based on her sales volume and receives the 12% discount on load she does buy. We don't have any servants. DSL and cable cost us 2300 per month. Transportation was about 2k per month.

We've recently moved to Manila. Since then, our rent has jumped to 12k per month with the addition of a water bill. I'm concerned what our electric bill will be. I can't stand the hot weather and will need AC on most of the time. We haven't gotten our water or electric bills yet, but I'm dreading what they will be. Cell, DSL, cable, and food have stayed about the same as in Baguio. We've bumped our budget to 30k ($652) and I'm hoping we can keep it there. The electric bill will be the main factor.

Years ago, a friend of mine told me that I squeeze a nickel so hard you could hear the buffalo scream. I took it as a compliment, not an insult. My wife and I were discussing our budget last night and I used a similar line on her....I told her she could squeeze a peso so hard you could hear Rizal screaming, 'aray, aray, aray' She thought that was damn funny, and took it as a compliment. I think our innate stinginess is the main reason we have such a low budget. We both like simple lifestyles and have very few things we want in life.

[Fil/AmArt]

TheMason, on 29 January 2010 - 01:02 AM, said:

Art & Jho, on 28 January 2010 - 05:23 AM, said:

A $500 a month budget? That's great! How do you do it? My total living expenses is at approx. at $1,350 a month (PhP62,000), and that mostly covers everything one could think of! And it's just my wife and I in a small house that's almost paid for and we don't have any other bills. We can't live on $500 a month as you can see! Our mortgage payment is only Php11,983 a month, utilities; phone, DSL, Celph use, water, electricity, cable approx at PhP9,000 a month, PhP2,500 live-out housekeeper. Our grocery budget alone is already at PhP28,000 ($600) a month! How do you do it? And I base my conversion rate at PhP46 to the dollar.

I don't think I could eat 28k worth of food if I tried!

That budget was when I was living in Baguio. Rent was 5k, water was free (paid by landlord), electricity was 500 a month (no AC needed). Our grocery bill ran about 5k per month. I've largely adapted to a Filipino diet. I eat rice 2-3 times per day. I eat fish and chicken a lot and have virtually eliminated beef from my diet. I buy very few Western foods. For cellphone, I very seldom use mine for anything. I spend less than 100p per month on load. My wife sells Smart load. She generally gets about 1000 free texts per month based on her sales volume and receives the 12% discount on load she does buy. We don't have any servants. DSL and cable cost us 2300 per month. Transportation was about 2k per month.

We've recently moved to Manila. Since then, our rent has jumped to 12k per month with the addition of a water bill. I'm concerned what our electric bill will be. I can't stand the hot weather and will need AC on most of the time. We haven't gotten our water or electric bills yet, but I'm dreading what they will be. Cell, DSL, cable, and food have stayed about the same as in Baguio. We've bumped our budget to 30k ($652) and I'm hoping we can keep it there. The electric bill will be the main factor.

Years ago, a friend of mine told me that I squeeze a nickel so hard you could hear the buffalo scream. I took it as a compliment, not an insult. My wife and I were discussing our budget last night and I used a similar line on her....I told her she could squeeze a peso so hard you could hear Rizal screaming, 'aray, aray, aray' She thought that was damn funny, and took it as a compliment. I think our innate stinginess is the main reason we have such a low budget. We both like simple lifestyles and have very few things we want in life.

My wife and I lived in the U.S. for the most part just making ends meet on a month to month to basis. She didn't work, because my salary was sufficient for the both us to live on, but just barely! But when we retired and moved to the Philippines in 1998, my government pension went a long way here in their local economy, which made our lives a little bit more easier. And even got better still when I started receiving my 3rd pension from the military just last year which doubled my tax bracket, but my taxes are still bearable! I just filed my 2009 income tax yesterday and I owe Federal only $662, due to the fact I was getting back $500 a month from my U.S. medical health plan that I suspended for the time being. We now use our TRICARE military health care plan which has no monthly premiums while residing in the Philippines! It's wonderful when our plans comes together and puts extra cash back into our piggy bank for those rainy days!

[Fil/AmArt]

TheMason, on 29 January 2010 - 01:02 AM, said:

Art & Jho, on 28 January 2010 - 05:23 AM, said:

A $500 a month budget? That's great! How do you do it? My total living expenses is at approx. at $1,350 a month (PhP62,000), and that mostly covers everything one could think of! And it's just my wife and I in a small house that's almost paid for and we don't have any other bills. We can't live on $500 a month as you can see! Our mortgage payment is only Php11,983 a month, utilities; phone, DSL, Celph use, water, electricity, cable approx at PhP9,000 a month, PhP2,500 live-out housekeeper. Our grocery budget alone is already at PhP28,000 ($600) a month! How do you do it? And I base my conversion rate at PhP46 to the dollar.

I don't think I could eat 28k worth of food if I tried!

That budget was when I was living in Baguio. Rent was 5k, water was free (paid by landlord), electricity was 500 a month (no AC needed). Our grocery bill ran about 5k per month. I've largely adapted to a Filipino diet. I eat rice 2-3 times per day. I eat fish and chicken a lot and have virtually eliminated beef from my diet. I buy very few Western foods. For cellphone, I very seldom use mine for anything. I spend less than 100p per month on load. My wife sells Smart load. She generally gets about 1000 free texts per month based on her sales volume and receives the 12% discount on load she does buy. We don't have any servants. DSL and cable cost us 2300 per month. Transportation was about 2k per month.

We've recently moved to Manila. Since then, our rent has jumped to 12k per month with the addition of a water bill. I'm concerned what our electric bill will be. I can't stand the hot weather and will need AC on most of the time. We haven't gotten our water or electric bills yet, but I'm dreading what they will be. Cell, DSL, cable, and food have stayed about the same as in Baguio. We've bumped our budget to 30k ($652) and I'm hoping we can keep it there. The electric bill will be the main factor.

Years ago, a friend of mine told me that I squeeze a nickel so hard you could hear the buffalo scream. I took it as a compliment, not an insult. My wife and I were discussing our budget last night and I used a similar line on her....I told her she could squeeze a peso so hard you could hear Rizal screaming, 'aray, aray, aray' She thought that was damn funny, and took it as a compliment. I think our innate stinginess is the main reason we have such a low budget. We both like simple lifestyles and have very few things we want in life.

Well, that PhP28,000 monthly grocery budget of ours didn't just cover food. It also included household cleaning stuff, toiletries and lunch weekly before doing our grocery shopping. We also go to Alabang with friends and buy imported meats at S & R, a membership discount warehouse, equivalent to that of Costco in the U.S.. Yeah, monthly budgets really depends on one's lifestyle, income and spending habits. Splurge when you can and be happy, because you can't take your money or assets with you to your grave when your time comes!