The cost of Living in the Philippines in 2023

@Mickael For us, water bill has tripled after privatization in Dumaguete. Electric has nearly doubled probably due to fuel costs (even though we live in a geothermal region). Gasoline and diesel are nearly double. Food prices for american diet up 50%. Still, it is affordable but if/when the cost of living here approaches that of a small town in the US, we will sell our home and vehicles at a sacrifice if needed and return to the US. I moved here as a commitment to my wife's family but family relations are not that great anymore and a high cost of living, if I must get used to it, is better experienced in the USA. We can afford either location.

I have been in Cebu City area for about 3 1/3 years and watch/record my expenses on an elaborate Spreadsheet. In 2022, if I deduct some larger One Time Expenses for some furniture items and a medical device, I average $2,000 per month. That includes a $200 per month "Allowance" to my partner to assist her family in the province. My lease for a 1 br condo has remained stable at 18,000 PHP including Condo Fees. Biggest increase has been Electricity which has increased dramatically - about 30%. And, of course Food has also increased but I try to adjust to offset. My total Food and Household items run us about $650 per month including an average of $100 per month for San Miguel and cheap red wine with Dinner - No Daytime drinking. Once a week Grab Food for Pizza or Chow King or Jollibee's. My Meds are probably higher than most, and run about $200 per month for prescription and OTC items due to Diabetes. Seems like most Budget Videos rarely include any Meds altho most retirees here are older and probably need them for multiple conditions. Same price I was paying in USA, but without the $400 per month for Insurance Adders after basic Medicare Part A. NO car or motorbike, use Grab & Taxis exclusively for a once a week trip to Mall and Supermarket. I also "Save" about $250 per month for Travel to USA every 2 to 3 years. Another item which seems to be neglected in Philippines Living Expense Videos. Blessed that my SS and a small Pension cover me comfortably.

Hi, I am living in Boracay for 6 years now. We bought a condo in 2016 for 6.8M PHP and right now the condos are sold for 8M PHP. The association dues are 145 PHP/sqm and they rose by 10% from 2022 to 2023. We pay about 8k for the utilities every month which is 50% more than a year ago. We have a choice of 2 super markets (City Mall and Robinsons) which did not increase the prices. We still pay 5k for our weekly shopping. (My wife, my son and I). In the past we had to use e-trikes to get from the condo to station 2 in Boracay (250 PHP per ride) but Boracay got a hop-on hop-off bus which takes us for 15 PHP each.

@Mickael Where do you plan on living?  In the province I spend 150$ USD a week and eat out twice a week and there's two of them. Public transportation is pretty cheap, a jeepney is less than a dollar for about a 30 minute ride. You can also use Grab which is an Uber Type ride share that's cheap. We just built a house in the province for less than 25k other than that rent can be less than 200 USD per month.

@Mickael ... We just built a house in the province for less than 25k...
-@jasoncross6

Is that US $25,000 (1.25 million php)? Not bad. Did that include the land?

I'm new here at GenSan Mindanao. One month now. I agree with Danfinn. If the cost of living reaches that of a small town in the US, I will go back home.

We built a 1400 sq foot home on an 800-meter lot that belongs to my wife. The home totaled 60,000 US dollars. This includes furniture and all appliances (Three AC Units, refrigerator, pumping system, plumbing, electric wiring, etc.). Then, of course, the cost of the labor to build the home from scratch, including cement walls around the property, to minor landscaping.

• My first Electric Build totaled 5890 pesos (108.00 USD). About the same as the one-bedroom apartment I had in NYC.
• Water Bill so far was around 800 pesos (15.00 USD). We use well water from the rain for external use, and we buy purified Bottle Water for 25 pesos to drink and cook (we have a water dispenser). I expect the water bill to go up for the next cycle.
• PLDT is 2990 Pesos for 400 mbp (55.00 USD) monthly.  A few outages, but they quickly got back on. No different than the US.
• Gym cost me 17000 pesos for the year (about 380 USD)
• Trikecycles into the city are usually 20 pesos  (37 cents). I pay up to 50 pesos if I have groceries and stuff. This means I took up another seat.
• Good Hair Cuts at the mall are 250 pesos ($4.62). At a local spot is 100 pesos (1.85 USD)
• Diets do change here. You can get un-processed vegetables and fruits, including meat, for two at about 60 to 70 USD a week if you know where to shop.
• Don't expect to get American goods here. They are more expensive here than in the States. They are considered foreign products, which cost more.
• No car yet. Gensan traffic scares me. When I'm ready, I will go to Davao and look for a new ride.

And for Danfin. As far as family is concerned, the wife's little brother is cool. On the other hand, her older brother needed to be told my wife and I make all decisions in our home, and I don't particularly appreciate being told what to do. Once you set your boundaries, you can then work on the relationships. Remember, we are foreigners, even to inlaws. It's tough on them as it is for us.

I hope this summary is helpful to you.

Lone Wolf NYC

@Mickael

In terms of accommodation, how much does it cost to rent/buy a flat or house in in the Philippines?

- we are renting a landed property in bf homes for PHP70,000/month plus we paid the association dues, village ID, sticker for our car and other fees around P21,000 (annual fee)

How much do you pay on average for public transport (bus, metro, train, tram, taxi)? - we dont really use public transport. i guess the nearest public transport we use is a tricycle to the nearby supermarket. PHP40 per way per tricycle.

What is the average price of your monthly food basket? - groceries is around PHP4000 per week for the perishables. we mostly cook at home for our family of 3 + 1 helper

How much does health insurance cost? How much does it cost to see a doctor in the Philippines? - our toddler went to see a pedia in the ph for the first time, her fee was PHP2500 (this is steep i heard, probably not coming back to that doctor)

What about school fees for your children? - my toddler is 16 months old so no need to send to school. i guess you can say we home school her? she goes to adventure zone for play which was PHP28k ish i think for annual membership.

What is the average monthly cost of electricity, gas, water, internet, telephone?

we are a family of 3 + 1 helper

in PHP:

electricity - 7.5k

gas - 10k (our business is quite a distance from our home)

water - 2k

internet - 1k

telephone (mobile we dont have landline) - 3k for 3 adults

What is the average cost of your leisure activities? - ranges from 8-20k

If there are other expenses that you think are useful, please share them!

Thank you in advance for your future contribution

Again, this is one of those subjective topics:  you're never going to get a 'one size fits all' response, because we each have different lifestyles which incurres expenses accordingly. 

for those older gentelmanwho are retirees and intend to live off of their savings/pensions for example, you certainly have a little more flexibility in terms of stretching those US funds,  and by all means, if you do your long-term financial calculations, if you are able to live like a King until the day you stay dormant on your death bed, by all means, do so...YOLO!

However, for those who are a little more spending conscious, one will want to take a look at their spending habits and be more decisive of a set budget of some kind. certainly there is no NEED to spend a lot every single day; in fact, it is quite possible to live off $5 US a day (entertainment excluded)  when expenses such as weekly/monthly groceries and other bills already paid. You must learn to adjust accordingly.

Yeah, it really seems to vary depending on lifestyle and family size v single. Based on what I've gathered to date though, it seems like $1,500 per month is about the lowest needed to live reasonably comfortably and $2,000+ to live well. Again, I'm sure there a little play in those numbers but think they're pretty accurate

I would like to share my personal story here, as some further insights on this topic of lifestyle vs. living expenses....

Between 2014 - 2018 i was married to a filipina here. she was and remains to be an amazing woman.we both made decent money, but she was incredibly 'sosyal' (meaning social): her highschool circle of friend (or "barkada", in Filiipino terms) included the likes of Solenn Heuseff and Ann Curtis. she went to school with them and knew them both personally. The majority of her friends were also Doctors and Lawyers. So you can imagine the type of lifestyle that we felt obliged to keep up. there was always a bit of pressure on us to do so on that front, and was one of the things that eventually strained our relationship.

my ex and i unfortunately separated at the end of 2018, and it was painful. however, by mid-point in 2019, my hard work had finally begun to bear the fruits of my labor after the first few years of I living here making a name for myself as a consultant. By mid-2019, my income had skyrocketed. i was then making almost twice as much as what i was making when she and i were together. for the first few months, i was living BIG.. i was living like a KING just as any red blooded foreign dude felt he could with an excess of funds.... i felt i was entitled to do so. but after a year, to be honest, it got old. i got tired of spending and i came back down to earth. since then, i've learned to live on a budget, putting a lot of that money away into future investments, started 2 small boutique agencies (one of which has had some pretty great success), and expanding my private consultancy that employs 5 people.

I can comfortably live off of $1000 USD. a month and be quyite fine that. I've adapted, and have had the prior experience to know my limits of any further spending.

i am a man of simple tastes. I know what i like and spend on very few things but are considered the best of the best. i go off on a vacation twice a year to boracay or to bohol, and go home to see my parents for Christmas each year for a month. i eat out about 2-3 times a week at the most with exception to client lunches or dinners which is about twice a week on average. I do not have a flood of girlfriends of which i spoil and certainly do not support any girl financially so she can feed her family or any children.

so this, again, is just an example that it really depends on your lifestyle. if you had a substantial income and want to keep up some sort of high status lifestyle here in the Philippines, of course you can do so on a fraction of the budget what you would expect in the US. and of course if you dont' have a family of your own here, the difference is going to be huge. a budget and a projection of what you want and cant spend on 6 months to a year and then onwards certainly will help!

@kristopherryanwatson

Thank you for this post. The part about your ex is insightful and highlights the demographic quirks & mindset of Filipinas. Coincidentally the expat blogger Paul 'Old dog new tricks' in Dumaguete touched on this in one of his blogs.

This topic is about the cost of living so I am going to start a new thread on dating Filipina's with one of the most (to my mind) interesting yet controversial posts on Expat.Com. Posted by a French national 'Wadja' in March 2017 who I personally think hit the proverbial 'nail on the head' regarding anyone wishing to date a Filipina. If I recall probably 90% of the members on this Forum were not active - I was strictly an 'Observer' at that time . I feel that many current members on this site will benefit from the post and without doubt will wish to comment on its contents. I hope that Expat.com will indulge me on this one.

@Lotus Eater

you're welcome! and thanks for your reply. i got the Notif of your new thread as per above mention, but i have not read or engaged on that thread yet.

looking forward to doing so soon, though. that will certainly be an interesting conversation to be had here!

HERE IN CAVITE

MONTHLY: Family of 4

Meralco  -  6K    (2hp Deep well + 2 Aircons)

Internet  - 2.8K

Cignal     - 2.3K

New Car - 30K (60 Months, Paid off)

Data        -  1K (Mostly just use WiFi or Skype)

Food       -  50K (S&R, Landers etc)

Insurance - 17K (Yearly)

Propane  - 1.3K (p700 a few years ago)

Not that I encourage anyone to get in debt here, but would like to mention for property owners that it is possible to get equity loans on property that is cleanly titled and owned through BDO and I'm sure other Main Banks...

We were able to secure BDO equity Loan on our main home to build a beach house in Batangas

1.8M for 36 months at 54/55k month

@talamban Your math doesn't add up to 2k.  It seems you lost about $1200 somewhere.  Maybe I'm missing something.  I'm just trying to make an accurate assessment for myself so when I make the leap to the Philippines I don't want to get caught short on funds.

Some things are amazingly cheap here, mostly those things that are labor intensive, because labor is so cheap here. For example, today I had the rear brake on my Cannondale road bike repaired. It had been sticking and the cable needed to be replaced. In the US that repair would have been a minimum of $25 at a bike shop, maybe more. Here it was 80p.. approx $1.50, and done in 15min, at a good bike shop in town. I gave the 20p change from 100p note to the cute 3rd grade kid I chatted with while they were doing it and 50p to the guy who did the work. Total cost 150p.. about $3 and everyone was happy.

@pnwcyclist

Yes!  Physical labor and personal services are things you would pay a fraction for here.

for example , a  haircut = you won't see me ever needing to spend more than 120.00 pesos on one which I go to my usual barber every 2 weeks here.  because of the warm client here, i adapt and maintain a clean buzzcut with a neat trim on my goatee.  there are those high-end barbershops such as Brunos that will charge 400 - 600 and upwards, but f*ck that. never have i needed to do spend THAT much for a straight-forward military cut.  for a few men,  that might be mandatory. but for me and the short hair that i have, it's a cost not warranted. 

that amount i spend is good for both a  cut, a modest lunch, and finished with a coffee afterward as i make my way home!

Back home in Toronto?  a typical haircut goes for $20 at a regular barbershop. $35-$50 at a boutique place. 

another example, labor specifically:

just last month, i had my front gate to the driveway replaced.  All in for the labor, and the required Driveway doors to replace the one that was there originally, an astounding 4,500.00 only.

@pnwcyclist
Yes! Physical labor and personal services are things you would pay a fraction for here.
for example , a haircut = you won't see me ever needing to spend more than 120.00 pesos on one which I go to my usual barber every 2 weeks here. because of the warm client here, i adapt and maintain a clean buzzcut with a neat trim on my goatee. there are those high-end barbershops such as Brunos that will charge 400 - 600 and upwards, but f*ck that. never have i needed to do spend THAT much for a straight-forward military cut. for a few men, that might be mandatory. but for me and the short hair that i have, it's a cost not warranted.

that amount i spend is good for both a cut, a modest lunch, and finished with a coffee afterward as i make my way home!

Back home in Toronto? a typical haircut goes for $20 at a regular barbershop. $35-$50 at a boutique place.

another example, labor specifically:
just last month, i had my front gate to the driveway replaced. All in for the labor, and the required Driveway doors to replace the one that was there originally, an astounding 4,500.00 only.
-@kristopherryanwatson

Not exactly on topic but since you mentioned the cost of an haircut, I am visiting Vietnam soon and intend to go to a barbers shop there. I have seen a couple of you tube videos and it is like a pamper session for men. A beautiful lady will cut and dry your hair, shave if needed, manicure and pedicure, head massage, foot massage, remove any wax and hairs from the ears, massage your hands, etc. All for about $10 t0 $15.

@Cherryann01

Yes sir!   same sort of treatment available at some barbershops or Unisex salons a plenty here.

For my Birthday last year, which is  actually an annual routine, I go to an upscale Unisex salon where I got a haircut with beard trim, a men's manicure, 1 full hour massage + foot spa for less than 1,500.00.  services provided by 3 different woman. throw in a generous 100.00 pesos tip for each of them and everyone is happy!

I understand that Hanoi is considered the Cafe/Coffee Shop capital of the World (more coffee shops per square block than anywhere else in the world..). I find it amusing if one could have all such similar services all the while casually sitting at a coffee shop drinking their favorite brew. 

Hello all,

Kindly note that some off-topic posts have been removed from this thread.

This topic is about the cost of Living in the Philippines in 2023. Should you feel like discussing about another topic, you can add your own thread on the Philippines forum.

I thank you for your understanding,

Yoginee

Expat.com team

@vehicross100 the interest rate here in the Philippines is astronomical. I don't know why anyone would borrow money at these ridiculous rates

True that, but it is a means to a end…I Have a 5 year old son, so for me to spend 3 years ( 5-8 years old) playing on the beach now, instead of waiting until he was 8 is priceless, so I guess, each to there own..,

@rlmcar55

The Current interest rate for a Home Equity loan in the US is 7-8%,

We acquired our Equity loan through BDO with a 5.5% Fixed rate for 36 months

@thedfords Below includes Normal Average Allowance that I give to my Partner. Often More. Recently Adjusted due to PESO Slippage and Inflation. Amounts are Monthly Averages cuz Immigration depends on how many months Visa Renewal and Meds I buy 4 months in advance. My Condo is 60 square meters, semi-furnished on outskirts of Cebu City. Lease includes Condo Fees, Water, and Cable TV. My Food etc. Expenses are higher than average cuz I won't on skimp for bad foods, and I like to eat. I run one Aircon nearly 24/7.

Monthly LOCAL Recurring Expenses     

Based on 53 Average Exchange Rate     

$(189)   (10,000)  Partner - GF 

$(340)   (18,025)  Lease 

$(208)   (11,000)  Electric, LPG, Water 

$(40)   (2,099)  WIFI - Globe Fiber 300 Mbps 

$(25)   (1,300)  iPhone 599 Plan + Load 

$(660)   (35,000)  Food, Wine & Beer, and Household 

$(189)   (10,000)  Restaurants, GrabFood 

$(66)   (3,500)  Grab Taxis, & Motorbikes 

$(47)   (2,500)  Govt Fees - Visa Renewal & ACR-I 

$(189)   (10,000)  Medical - Prescription/OTC Drugs-Blood Tests 

$(189)   (10,000)  Miscellaneous Expenses 

$(189)   (10,000)  Special - Travel 

$(2,329)  -₱123,424   

Always a great topic for new as well as old members, definitely comes back to personal choice or if you have a budget to stick with. I have contributed many times over the years on the topic.

What I have noticed is the price increases in the last 2 to 3 years.

3 bed 2 bath home, car and 2 motorbikes owned, no loans or debts, smoke like a burning tyre and drink like a fish, our budget/costs used to be around 65 to 70K, Now around 90K, maybe even 95K and while some can be attributed to the 9 workers living here, extra lights and pump running, with an extra kitchen and bathroom, lots of welding, grinding, snacks, iced tea twice a day I estimate those costs at only 6/7K per month.

Electricity used to be 4 to 5K per month now with electricity price rises some 40/50% and fuel has risen by 75%.

Food I don't monitor so much but for 2 of us 11 years ago living in Manila was around 16K/18K P/M, and 4 years ago when we moved back to La Union was 20/22 per month, now 32K P/M not including the workers snacks/drinks.

So if I was to throw in an 18K lease and now I pay my better half Ben to run the books and wages, mother to the workers, monitor the material purchases and orders, cost schedules/budgets, out there also on the tools at times 12K per month etc.

We are in a very similar situation to talamban if you take into account our motor costs v his rented wheels costs.

For me I still live here these days for less than 2,400 Aussie dollars, I live here very comfortably and don't worry about money, Guys that's only like 1,600 US bucks per month.

Cheers, Steve.

Manila:

During the time spent at my partners condo once set up over several months, we found for us two, we lived a reasonable quality lifestyle on 35K a month. That was 13k rent, 3000 power (A/C), shopping bill was 7000/month at PureGold for us two, plus 1500 for internet. Load 200. Jeepneys / Trikes around 1k. This was in a local area (Sta Ana) of Manila living with/around locals, not in an expat area. This cost around 25,700. Plus around 1300 asc. dues, 27,000. This left us 8K leeway which we used as reserve, eating out or other misc. expenses (for example, an A/C capacitor, 300 pesos in December) or grab cars when my mobility was poor. Visa extensions budgeted separately. Gas cylinders occasionally needed (once every 3 months we found)

Set-up costs were around 70K.

1 bed studio condo, Sta Ana.

I am now back in the UK for the long term due to sudden deterioration of medical issues, but my partner survives on 25K with me not there while awaiting me as a sponsor due to half the shopping / no A/C.

Remember, we are foreigners, even to inlaws. It's tough on them as it is for us.

Lone Wolf NYC

In my many year's experience, that is absolutely not true, it is *not* tough on the inlaws. You will always give and never receive because you are "rich" with dollars etc. With you they have literally the lottery and you have won a commitment to support them forever when they need help. Eventually that will become very clear to you so you need to adjust.

@danfinn Yet my partner there is the breadwinner for us both now, and his family ask for nothing. It was dual for a while until my health failed (And with the recent happening, my Quota visa is now no longer an option, my partner is coming here). None of my local friends ask me for money, none of his family has ever asked me for money. Nor have my local friends, and I have many connections. In fact as my situation U turned, they mostly provided for me including 24/7 care for months.

They grew up in a squatters area, but managed to claw their way out of it into a working class situation, and then my partner later to a rented condo of his own. BPO work at first, but my partner has done work for western writing clients now.

I have many, many connections in the Philippines, can now speak broken Tagalog but get the gist of what is being said and conduct transactions entirely in Tagalog (Am British). Been white-skin taxed once in my time in years, and we laughed and walked. From local businesses to rental contracts, I've paid locally advertised prices and not had any arguments.

The main thing though, if one has families asking for money, is to set boundaries; but with my current partner (and my ex and his family), none of them nor families asked me for money, and in fact, have been the primary breadwinners in both cases during health bursts.

Most of my connections are in their 20s to early 30s with elderly family. Mostly around Manila with some in Baguio, Pangasinan and Pampanga. One of my best local friends refused any offers of help (he's on a 15k salary) when his brother was injured and I said to take a week off work and go to the province. Flat-out refused, but when I was sick bought constant food he had bought on his own dime. On my wrist, is a wristband with a custom engraving given to me by this friend.

I would say not only am I left with a very positive impression, not everyone will try and extract money nor are you 'bound to support them', I am finding most in my circle and related circles there are trying to stamp this mindset out, to a point of their own detriment when I have offered aid. I have seen a few cases from afar, and this gets the scorn of more locals than you know when you're heavily mixed in with different groups of them.

@Mickael

In terms of accommodation, how much does it cost to rent/buy a flat or house in in the Philippines? It depends what area do you go, In cities normally higher especially in big cities like Manila , Cebu or other bigger cities.  Between US$500-800 in this cities a month for rent.  If you go to provinces, rental is very very cheap like less than US$200 to $300

How much do you pay on average for public transport (bus, metro, train, tram, taxi)? Transportation in Philippines is one of the cheapest in the work, taxi costs less $4 for travel of one hour.

What is the average price of your monthly food basket? Average could be between  $US50 a week for single

How much does health insurance cost? How much does it cost to see a doctor in the Philippines? Health Insurance is very competitive doctor's fee $20 - $30 per meeting

What about school fees for your children? School Fees for private school is quite expensive like i have my nephew spending up to US10k  per annum

What is the average monthly cost of electricity, gas, water, internet, telephone? electricity is expensive like $50 per month and water internet and phone is same approx $50 per month

What is the average cost of your leisure activities? What leisure?  going to beaches, or restaurant or other activities approx $50 for a couple

If there are other expenses that you think are useful, please share them!