Evaluating the Philippines as a possible home in retirement

@jeremyshulman

Hello and welcome on board !

Please note that I have created this new thread from your post on the Philippines forum so that members can share some feedback with you.

All the best

Bhavna

Thank you.

@jeremyshulman Well, we can start with what BING AI says about the PRO's. I never asked it about the CONs but you can check it out. As for personal information, no place for that here except for your real name.

HAL8000 series says (I happen to agree):

"The Philippines is increasingly gaining recognition as an ideal retirement destination, particularly for Westerners. Here are some compelling reasons why retirees choose the Philippines:

"Affordability and High Standard of Living:

Living in the Philippines is affordable, making it an attractive choice for retirees. You don’t need to be extremely wealthy to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle here.

The country offers great weather, fresh air, lush mountains, beautiful beaches, and rich culture—all at no extra cost.

Expats can live comfortably on a budget of $800 to $1200 per month. It’s like being on vacation year-round!

Hospitality and Fluency:

Filipinos are renowned for their warm hospitality. A study found that 45% of expats residing in the Philippines felt at home instantly or within six months.

Fluency in English makes communication easier for expats, contributing to a smoother adjustment.

Investment Opportunities and Incentives:

The Philippines provides several special benefits for expats and foreign retirees.

These benefits include a duty-free import of $7000 worth of household goods and opportunities for starting businesses and investments.

A significant number of expats reported better personal fulfillment working in the Philippines than in their home countries.

No-Hassle Permanent Residency:

Retirees appreciate the swift documentation processing for permanent residency in the Philippines.

Once you achieve permanent residency, you can stay in the country as long as you wish, without the hassle of constantly renewing visas.

In summary, the Philippines offers an affordable, vibrant, and welcoming environment where retirees can explore new cultures and experience a quality of life that might be out of reach elsewhere"

Cons: You may have to beat young women away from you with a stick if you hangout in certain areas.

You really need to make a trip out after viewing some of the many YouTube videos and gaining an interest in what might be attractive to YOU. I would suggest no less than 3 weeks more time is better.

I have a friend in the states that just spent 3 months between Thailand and the Philippines. He did spend a bit of time playing with the women. But one of his reasons to come was to decide about retirement location. He spent only 4 weeks in Phils and he was ready to leave after one. He was in Angeles city and then went to Manila for a week before flying out of Clark back to BKK where he finished out his trip. INFRASTRUCTURE, And I knew that was the thing that would chap his hide. The infrastructure is pretty bad compared to the USA. We're totally spoiled and it soured him on retiring in either country.

So make a trip. see if you like it first.

Hello Jeremy -- Only you can evaluate the Philippines, but we can help you if you give us a bit more information.  Do you want to want to live in a village with close family ties or a condo in a high-rise?  Every dimension (housing cost, social opportunities, cultural activities, ocean & beach going, dating, food ... every dimension of life) has a broad spectrum here.

Personally, I love living with my wife's family.  We live in a very rural, poor area.  We get to help them in many ways.  I love having young nieces and nephews around.

My two sons (in the early twenties) just visited here for three weeks.  They were so welcomed, so loved.  They rode all over the islands with their new family.  Wonderful family time, good food (google "boodle fight"), pictures being taken everywhere they went -- fun times.

The family dimension here is nothing like what I experienced in America.  And -- at my age -- I've buried my Mom, Dad, wife, and one son.  Family was my two youngest sons and they are doing fine, thank you very much.  I found myself totally welcomed and loved here.

I am married to a woman 14 years younger than me who is beautiful, totally devoted (never seen anything like this in America), hard-working, loving.  We are helping to raise four teenagers whose Mom is an OFW in Dubai.  (My wife was an OFW as well, for twenty years.  She is so grateful to be home with her family now.  We thank God for the opportunities we have to help.)

You'll need to define what dimension of life is most important to you, Jeremy ... but I bet -- whatever it is -- you can find it here.

Stef

@Larry Fisher Spake: Cons: You may have to beat young women away from you with a stick if you hangout in certain areas.

Right, certain areas. This will happen with these business women under the following conditions:

1. You tell her you are there for only 2-5 days.

2. You are staying in a hotel near walking Street.

3. You tell her you are married and do not seek a serious relationship, just a (profitable) one-night stand.

Her husband likes the money she brings in but will not allow for anything more than that.

Hi Jeremy. There are a lot of factors to consider. I was born and raised here but married to an American who prefers to retire here than in the States. I agree with Stef, we need a little bit more information from you. Let me give you some insights to think about.

1. Are you married? single? - Most of the expats here are married to a Filipina either with foreign citizenship or filipino citizenship. The information will be different if you are single.
2. You mentioned where you can send your information securely. That is wise because you need the find first the person to trust before you can share anything personal.
3. Some of the reasons why my husband prefers to live here:

        3.1 people here are more hospitable, accommodating, more pleasant to live with. Meaning you don't have to worry about neighbors who will file a complaint to the HOA or police just because.... We lived in California for almost 11 years and it is sad, but neighbors will complain for the little things like, you did not clean your front yard or you left your garbage outside.

        3.2 if you learn how to build your own greenhouse and grow your own food, it is much cheaper, healthier. We may not have all the kind of food that we have in the States, but we also have so many to choose from here as long as you are adaptable to what is offered locally.

        3.3 If you are able to work from home, earn USD and live here, or if you get your USD pension, then you can live in abundance. The exchange rate right now is P57. I feel bad for my country, but, it is what it is. This is the highest exchange rate we ever had as far as I remember.  If your pension is about $1000 a month, depending on where you want to live, that might be barely enough. So, make sure that you get more than that or settle to stay outside of the Metro.

       3.4 We are currently living in the Southern part of Luzon. My husband enjoys walking daily seeing the carabaos, the goats, the chickens either at the side of sugar cane fields, or cross the streets, the young kids who would call him, "kuya van", or old neighbors, smiling at him and greeting him.

     3.5 AS long as we have strong internet, secure area, cooler climate, good supply of water and electricity, we are good to stay.

4.what are the cons of retiring here? When you do business here, there is a lot of bureaucracy within different government units. When you buy a real estate property, same thing. If you decide to invest on real estate for passive income, you need to make sure that you have a good and reliable maintenance crew. It can be super hot and lots of rain depending on the area you decide to live in. It can be extremely traffic in some areas. We do not an efficient government unit like we have in the States that can easily process some documentations. Except for getting a local driver's license. That was a big surprise for me. That is probably the easiest time I spent in a local government office.

With applying for a spousal visa for my husband. I did it myself with him. It was not that bad This is one of those government units that I wish they have the US STyle of efficiency. I had to go from one window to another, but, if  I was able to do it, anybody can do that too.

Hope this helps. Let us know how else we can assist you.