New Here. Moving to Philippines soon

Hi, and welcome to the forum.
First things first, do us a favour and lose the bold text.
After that, you're going to have to consider visa type, possible work permits, and sort out a business plan. The big problem with online work is all the easy stuff is saturated, and the hard stuff is hard to get started.

Greetings and welcome to the forum.  Hopefully there are people on here who can help you with information about  Duvao.  Have you ever been to the Philippines?  Why Duvao?  You might want to get some online experience in the USA before trying to make an online living in the Philippines.   $60k is a small amount to have depending on what kind of visa you intend to get.  Good luck in your search.

i was going to have a tourist visa. how much would u suggest i bring with me if i wanted to stay 6 months. i am not looking to live in the most expensive places. i can do a cheap studio apartment. i dont drink or smoke id prolly want a gym membership tho

Tariq, Whatever it is you are smoking, I could use a lot of that.
Unless you really have a compelling matter you have to leave US of A, 60k is quite short.
Some people do have the persistence to make a good life in the Philippines. But you really have to be entrepreneurial.
A profitable online business with youtube may work but that takes a lot of palatable and bubbly personality to get there. A programmer may not work since most financial institutions in the US may want you to be in US soil for obvious reasons unless you want to get a job in the gaming (casinos) industry in the Philippines.
Either way, sounds like an uphill battle for you. Get it at the right time, you might make it worth 60k USD otherwise it is too short.

Ive never been to the philippines. Davao i hear great things about from filipinos i grew up with as well as ones on line and americans. and im looking to live as frugal as possible i dont want the perception of me being a rich american

im curious why is that to short to stay for 6 months? ive seen quite a few expats survive for a year or 2 on much less

Tariq1983 wrote:

Ive never been to the philippines. Davao i hear great things about from filipinos i grew up with as well as ones on line and americans. and im looking to live as frugal as possible i dont want the perception of me being a rich american

Good luck with your move.  We all make decision differently.  My advice would be to do more research.

If you think that you have done all the research you need, then you will know that on savings alone, living as fugal as possible you will be able to live on that sum of money for about 14 years.   Many people here live on less than 15,000 php a month.   You will not find many people from a America, the UK, Canada, Australia, etc living as frugal as that.  But it is possible.

Now if you think that you would not enjoy living on 15,000php a month, then you must have some idea of the cost of living here and have done some research.

What specifically  would you like to know?

40-60K is fine to live here for 6 months. I seriously doubt that you'll burn through the equivalent of $6,600.00 a month here unless you're making some really foolish moves.
Everyone's budget is different and of course depends upon where you live, what you eat etc. Since you don't drink or smoke that will save you even more. Be sure to calculate In your visa renewal and ACR card fees since you'll be on a tourist visa.
It is against the law to work here on a tourist visa though some do it. I wouldn't want to get caught doing so though. So, in order to legally work here, you need a different visa. One that will require a good chunk of your 60K.

My advice, come here, check it out, stay as long as you affordably can so that you get past the initial honeymoon phase and can see what life is really like. Then, make your decision from there. Do read as much as you can about the Philippines, it's people, it's culture, the scams going on here, the do's, the don't s, etc. Take an eyes wide open approach.

Good luck, hope that it works out well for you.

Welcome to the forum Tariq, enjoy and listen to the input and share. Plenty of good advice given already but I would add the following.
10K US is enough for 6 months if that's the time you intend to spend here but spend it wisely.
Could I suggest coming here on a 30 day free tourist visa (renewable for up to 3 years) and taste the dirt, boots on the ground etc. The Philippines is definitely not the cheapest destination in the world ranked 28th out of these 50 countries:

https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/photos/ … Z#image=26

While some come here to conduct business or work most come here to retire with their partner/wife and their family (many live between the Philippines and their home country) and of course it's cheaper to live here than most western countries depending on your lifestyle and expectations.
As for how much cash you bring? That's up to you but remember the cash laws with customs declarations, personally I would keep my cash in the bank of your home country, perhaps another bank with affiliations/ties with the Philippines to minimise fees. HSBC have a branch in Davao and you can draw PHP 40K from a hole in the wall, for me when I do that in Manila it costs me 200 pesos as I am with a different bank in Oz.
All I will suggest is to keep reading the current and old posts to pick up information.
Good luck and let us know how you fare.

Cheers, Steve.

Are you also holding a Philippine passport?
If so, then you can work and earn an income in the Philippines.
If not, as Tim_L mentioned, it is illegal to work in the Philippines on a tourist visa.
If you are planning to run a business and not a Philippine citizen, you will use some of your 60k right off. That may make a dent on your budget.

Tariq1983 wrote:

Hey my names Tariq im new to the forum. im 36 planning on moving to the philippines next year.i work as a truck driver and id like to save between 40 and 60K before going over. as far as making money i was thinking of starting an online business before i left the USA and im studying computer programming in my spare time. any and all help and advice would be helpful as i begin my new journey

Tariq, How did you pick the Philippines for your future? You being only 36 and living in the land of opportunity, how long will it take to save your 40/60K ? it would make sense to stay where you are until you're ready to retire.

Millions of people try to get into the US legally or illegally for the opportunity you have.

Could understand not wanting to drive a truck for the next 30 years.

Tariq1983 wrote:

Hey my names Tariq im new to the forum. im 36 planning on moving to the philippines next year.i work as a truck driver and id like to save between 40 and 60K before going over. as far as making money i was thinking of starting an online business before i left the USA and im studying computer programming in my spare time. any and all help and advice would be helpful as i begin my new journey

Some other questions I didn't ask on a prior post.

1. Do you speak Tagalog?
2. Do you have a mentor in the Philippines?


I look upon my own situation before and after I moved to the Philippines. Yes English is taught in the schools here, but many Filipinos (non professionals) you will meet in an urban do not speak good English. Outside the urban are is even worse. Is English your native language?

You probably will need a mentor by your side for to translate when you go shopping or try to deal with local businesses and over the land line.

You're studying computer programing in your spare time, is it certified course? Keep in mind that you are studying, while the field you would like to go into have millions of Indian and Chinese programmers that work cheap.

Agree W9XR, my better half had 2 years full time university in I.T. and ended up a train conductor with PNR for 5 years before going into their office as a clerk/data encoder for 12 months before moving to Australia. In Australia his university courses meant nothing and went into aged care and loved it but definitely not where his life was headed 8 years earlier.
We are in a 3rd class province, most speak Ilicano and Tagalog with about 30% decent english comprehension unlike Manila where most spoke English.
Good thoughts in your posts W9XR.

Cheers, Steve.

W9XR wrote:

Tariq1983 wrote:

Hey my names Tariq im new to the forum. im 36 planning on moving to the philippines next year.i work as a truck driver and id like to save between 40 and 60K before going over. as far as making money i was thinking of starting an online business before i left the USA and im studying computer programming in my spare time. any and all help and advice would be helpful as i begin my new journey

Some other questions I didn't ask on a prior post.

1. Do you speak Tagalog?
2. Do you have a mentor in the Philippines?


I look upon my own situation before and after I moved to the Philippines. Yes English is taught in the schools here, but many Filipinos (non professionals) you will meet in an urban do not speak good English. Outside the urban are is even worse. Is English your native language?

You probably will need a mentor by your side for to translate when you go shopping or try to deal with local businesses and over the land line.

You're studying computer programing in your spare time, is it certified course? Keep in mind that you are studying, while the field you would like to go into have millions of Indian and Chinese programmers that work cheap.

Think of Tagalog as only spoken by people in the Capital so I may suggest to learn Cebuano or Binisaya language than Tagalog.

The language that should be learned int he Philippines is "Cebuano or Binisaya" because Majority of Filipinos speaks "Binisaya or Cebuano" even in the Capital Manila because majority of the people in Manila are from Visayas and Mindanao Islands.

Visayas and Mindanao Islands are Binisaya or Cebuano Speaking people.

Do you know what makes Philippine President Duterte so famous? because his Origin or his birth place was in one of the Town in the Visayas Island then grew up in Davao City of Mindanao Island and he speaks the "Binisaya" language which is majority spoken by the people in the Philippines.  By culture, Filipinos are rationalistic; It is their nature to help and defend their fellows over the other group when under attack. The fact is more than 50% of the population in the Philippines Speaks Binisaya even living in Luzon Islands.

When you plan to move to either Visayas or Mindanao Islands then better learn "Binisaya" language. Though you would impress a bit the people in Visayas and Mindanao if you could speak a little Tagalog but it would not last long because they would be offended as well if someone keep speaking the Language from the Capital Manila, they would even insist by saying " Don't Tagalog me I am Bisaya"

Though it is true that many people from the suburb could not speak English fluently but they could understand. Accent matters as well. If you Speak English in American Accent specially New York Accent then its really hard for them to understand than talking to Americans with California accent. What I mean to say is they could easily understand English in neutral accent.

Tariq1983 wrote:

Ive never been to the philippines. Davao i hear great things about from filipinos i grew up with as well as ones on line and americans. and im looking to live as frugal as possible i dont want the perception of me being a rich american

Cagayan De Oro City is among the richest City with lowest unemployment rate and cheapest vegetables and meat when talking about food but you should know how to cook because eating at the restaurant could be a bit expensive than cooking for your own.

Think of spending $10 USD for meat, vegetables and fruit could be enough for 1 or 2 days if you cook by your own but if you will eat at the restaurant then it is enough just for a cheaper meal.

Tariq1983 wrote:

i was going to have a tourist visa. how much would u suggest i bring with me if i wanted to stay 6 months. i am not looking to live in the most expensive places. i can do a cheap studio apartment. i dont drink or smoke id prolly want a gym membership tho

Cheaper Studio Apartment could cost $100 to $200 USD per month

Hi prince_denison...just my humble opinion!
1) "By culture, Filipinos are rationalistic; It is their nature to help and defend their fellows over the other group when under attack"
Even without looking at the facts & blindly supporting their own countryman in all situations does not mean its right/good/fair but you are correct in the way things are done!
2) "Bisaya/Binisaya" : In Mindanao/Surigao "Yes" but why are all the mainstream public channel programmes (excluding daily news slots) all aired in Tagalog? Makes no sense to me/nor do the 'drama' series that run in the 100's of episodes (Quality of these drama series is for discussion some other time!)
3) "English" (No Slang) : In Mindanao/Surigao "Yes"
A Few do have rudimentary English language comprehension skills, however I sense that even those who do may not fully understand what is being asked/said. (I always carry along my notebook/pencil & my trusty bisaya partner to ensure they do!

Just saying

Hi Tariq, welcome to the forum. You have a good plan I think, if you can in fact get some sort of online business going, before you move over. It will be more difficult from within the Philippines, as others have already stated. $10K is plenty for a six month visit, but $60K is not nearly enough to retire on unless you have a regular income stream.

Come over, look around and see what you think. You will be amazed by the people and so many things! But you will also have a reality check as to the way things work here, the general level of poverty and the crowded cities. It takes time to sort it all out and see if the lifestyle and culture agrees with your plans and personality.

If you are going to try any sort of IT business, you really have to check how the internet is in the area you choose.  In many areas the internet is truly abysmal.  I am in a modern condo in a new part Angeles city.  My cable internet gives be 2.5/.5 mbps (note: that is with an m and not a g) while my mobile internet gives me about 7/10 (no idea why upload is higher).

prince_denison:
I am wondering how you got the impression:
.
"even in the Capital Manila because majority of the people in Manila are from Visayas and Mindanao Islands."
.
I do not think this is accurate.

Davao is also expensive city to live in... when i was living in manila i would say 20k php per month for cost of living...but that would be very tight budget i would say

manwonder wrote:

Hi prince_denison...just my humble opinion!
1) "By culture, Filipinos are rationalistic; It is their nature to help and defend their fellows over the other group when under attack"
Even without looking at the facts & blindly supporting their own countryman in all situations does not mean its right/good/fair but you are correct in the way things are done!
2) "Bisaya/Binisaya" : In Mindanao/Surigao "Yes" but why are all the mainstream public channel programmes (excluding daily news slots) all aired in Tagalog? Makes no sense to me/nor do the 'drama' series that run in the 100's of episodes (Quality of these drama series is for discussion some other time!)
3) "English" (No Slang) : In Mindanao/Surigao "Yes"
A Few do have rudimentary English language comprehension skills, however I sense that even those who do may not fully understand what is being asked/said. (I always carry along my notebook/pencil & my trusty bisaya partner to ensure they do!

Just saying

If you have read the history of the Philippines; one the Oldest City in Asia is Cebu now called Cebu City which was the Capital of the Philippines (Ciudad sa Sugbu / Syudad sa Sugbu / Dakbayan sa Sugbu in Cebuano) which means supposed to be the Official Language of the country is Cebuano or Binisaya.

When the Capital of the country was moved to Luzon in Manila City they adapted the language of Manila as Tagalog to be the Official Language then later renamed from Tagalog to Filipino to hide the fact that the foundation of the official language is Tagalog which caused protest from the other tribes and group.

There was a race and language inferiority and biased in the country and it was the main reason behind those decisions. If you are Tagalog, you were "Class A Citizen" of the country before so people from the province who moved to Manila learned the language and claim that they are. Discrimination to the people from the province and tribal members persist and most of the poor could not have the equal rights and access to government services.

The law for fair and equality, rights and anti discrimination law changes the people and nowadays giving access to the recent leader to sit at the highest position in the country as the first leader of the country from the down south.

If you further look at the history of the country, most of the president of the Philippines were Tagalog. most of the Senators and Law makers were Tagalog, most of the Cabinet Ministers and Ministers are Tagalog or from Manila. It was rare before to see any Senators and Ministers that were from Visayas and Mindanao; since by nature they are always giving favor to their group then it was finalized that the official language of the country is Tagalog / Filipino ignoring the fact that the People in Visayas and Mindanao the majority part of the country speaks Binisaya or Cebuano. They just added English as the Second Official Language then.

If you only knew that the government was kept intervening the TV  and radio programs then you could say whooaa! It's true. the government even funded for more than 2 decades to promote the LBGT  through TV programs hosted by Gays / dramas with gay and lesbi themes etc  so that the discrimination for the LGBT would be  stopped. The funding was channeled through the "National Youth Commission" it was even published several times by the national news papers but the funding to promote LGBT was ended since 2016 when Duterte took office because according to him its not needed anymore because the LGBT is already accepted in the society and its already a waste of money then allocate the budget for  the "build build build" program instead.   

If you speaks Binisaya/ Cebuano and come to Manila then visit any areas then you would realized that many people could understand you. It was a shame before that the Visayan and Mindanaoan people would speak their language in Manila it was we back 1970s and early 2000's but time changed when Visayan and Mindanaoan learned to be proud of their origin; when most of them already graduated from colleges and Universities and when famous people of the country like Manny Pacquiao - The boxing Champ, Shamcey Supsup a Miss Universe, Duterte ect who are from Mindanao that speaks Binisaya / Cebuano language. People from the Central and to down South of the Philippine slowly recognized then boosted the pride of the people to be proud of who they are then they braved to openly speaks their language even in the public.

Nowadays even at the passenger ships heading to Manila you could hear people speaking Binisaya but before when they are at the ship people would avoid to speak their own language.  Even in the Trains and buses in Metro Manila nowadays if you could understand and learned how to differentiate different local languages then you would realized that - Visayan and Mindanaoan people in Manila are speaking their language while the Ilocanos, Kapangpangans and Pangasenense, from Northern Luzon speaks their own language as well even in the public in Metro Manila.

The fact is the people and language of the people from Visayas and Mindanao are slowly invading Manila.

It is hard to changed what has been stated in the law and constitution of the Philippines. It is in the Law that the Official languages are Filipino/ Tagalog and English.  It needs a lot of funding to change anything but maybe in the future it maybe.

All TV Stations in Manila with regional coverage use Tagalog/Filipino for the ads, news etc but for regional news they are also using local languages for their ads if they are targeting the local markets.  What make sense of having most if not all ads in Tagalog/ Filipino or English? It is because moneyed people rules. Majority of the people that could afford and with job are from Manila and part of pushing the Official language to be more recognized by the people from Visayas and Mindanao they should invest more so that people from Central to down south would be used to it, adapt it and learn it as part of government intervention.

prince denison;
Thanks for the elaboration.
So it is a form of 'discrimination'...I guess its the same in many other countries too!

Thanks & Have a good one!

prince_denison wrote:

manwonder wrote:

Hi prince_denison...just my humble opinion!
1) "By culture, Filipinos are rationalistic; It is their nature to help and defend their fellows over the other group when under attack"
Even without looking at the facts & blindly supporting their own countryman in all situations does not mean its right/good/fair but you are correct in the way things are done!
2) "Bisaya/Binisaya" : In Mindanao/Surigao "Yes" but why are all the mainstream public channel programmes (excluding daily news slots) all aired in Tagalog? Makes no sense to me/nor do the 'drama' series that run in the 100's of episodes (Quality of these drama series is for discussion some other time!)
3) "English" (No Slang) : In Mindanao/Surigao "Yes"
A Few do have rudimentary English language comprehension skills, however I sense that even those who do may not fully understand what is being asked/said. (I always carry along my notebook/pencil & my trusty bisaya partner to ensure they do!

Just saying

If you have read the history of the Philippines; one the Oldest City in Asia is Cebu now called Cebu City which was the Capital of the Philippines (Ciudad sa Sugbu / Syudad sa Sugbu / Dakbayan sa Sugbu in Cebuano) which means supposed to be the Official Language of the country is Cebuano or Binisaya.

When the Capital of the country was moved to Luzon in Manila City they adapted the language of Manila as Tagalog to be the Official Language then later renamed from Tagalog to Filipino to hide the fact that the foundation of the official language is Tagalog which caused protest from the other tribes and group.

There was a race and language inferiority and biased in the country and it was the main reason behind those decisions. If you are Tagalog, you were "Class A Citizen" of the country before so people from the province who moved to Manila learned the language and claim that they are. Discrimination to the people from the province and tribal members persist and most of the poor could not have the equal rights and access to government services.

The law for fair and equality, rights and anti discrimination law changes the people and nowadays giving access to the recent leader to sit at the highest position in the country as the first leader of the country from the down south.

If you further look at the history of the country, most of the president of the Philippines were Tagalog. most of the Senators and Law makers were Tagalog, most of the Cabinet Ministers and Ministers are Tagalog or from Manila. It was rare before to see any Senators and Ministers that were from Visayas and Mindanao; since by nature they are always giving favor to their group then it was finalized that the official language of the country is Tagalog / Filipino ignoring the fact that the People in Visayas and Mindanao the majority part of the country speaks Binisaya or Cebuano. They just added English as the Second Official Language then.

If you only knew that the government was kept intervening the TV  and radio programs then you could say whooaa! It's true. the government even funded for more than 2 decades to promote the LBGT  through TV programs hosted by Gays / dramas with gay and lesbi themes etc  so that the discrimination for the LGBT would be  stopped. The funding was channeled through the "National Youth Commission" it was even published several times by the national news papers but the funding to promote LGBT was ended since 2016 when Duterte took office because according to him its not needed anymore because the LGBT is already accepted in the society and its already a waste of money then allocate the budget for  the "build build build" program instead.   

If you speaks Binisaya/ Cebuano and come to Manila then visit any areas then you would realized that many people could understand you. It was a shame before that the Visayan and Mindanaoan people would speak their language in Manila it was we back 1970s and early 2000's but time changed when Visayan and Mindanaoan learned to be proud of their origin; when most of them already graduated from colleges and Universities and when famous people of the country like Manny Pacquiao - The boxing Champ, Shamcey Supsup a Miss Universe, Duterte ect who are from Mindanao that speaks Binisaya / Cebuano language. People from the Central and to down South of the Philippine slowly recognized then boosted the pride of the people to be proud of who they are then they braved to openly speaks their language even in the public.

Nowadays even at the passenger ships heading to Manila you could hear people speaking Binisaya but before when they are at the ship people would avoid to speak their own language.  Even in the Trains and buses in Metro Manila nowadays if you could understand and learned how to differentiate different local languages then you would realized that - Visayan and Mindanaoan people in Manila are speaking their language while the Ilocanos, Kapangpangans and Pangasenense, from Northern Luzon speaks their own language as well even in the public in Metro Manila.

The fact is the people and language of the people from Visayas and Mindanao are slowly invading Manila.

It is hard to changed what has been stated in the law and constitution of the Philippines. It is in the Law that the Official languages are Filipino/ Tagalog and English.  It needs a lot of funding to change anything but maybe in the future it maybe.

All TV Stations in Manila with regional coverage use Tagalog/Filipino for the ads, news etc but for regional news they are also using local languages for their ads if they are targeting the local markets.  What make sense of having most if not all ads in Tagalog/ Filipino or English? It is because moneyed people rules. Majority of the people that could afford and with job are from Manila and part of pushing the Official language to be more recognized by the people from Visayas and Mindanao they should invest more so that people from Central to down south would be used to it, adapt it and learn it as part of government intervention.

Please give us Cliff Notes next time.

how much you need for 6 months depends on your life style ,i can only say that my wife and i live very well on 2000$ a month and even safe some on that,we rent a house 6000peso ,utilitys around 5000peso,food and entertainment around 15000peso (including fuel for the truc and scooter dog food and so on).
hope this helps.greets Dirk.

in panacan relocation (Davao) we rented a very nice 2bdrm house that was completely renovated for 6000 peso a month , just saying , looking around pays.

in Astoria 15 mins drive from Davao we rented a 3 bdrm,2bathrm house whit large garden 2 mins walk from the beach for 6000 peso .provincial living we like so much more than city life.

greets Dirk

I agree the steakhouse outside Limkitkai is very expensive, but I have fed 15 people in nice restaurants in CDO for under US $100 many times (every time I visit).

Hi Tariq,
FYI the Philippines had daily minimum wage rates that vary from region to region, ranging from P290 (US$5.70) to P537 (US$10.61) a day.
Report Dtd Jan 14, 2020...which was before the Covid 19 breakout!
Some jobs that were lost may never return!
So opening a business venture NOW as a foreigner may be even more difficult (omo).
IF you do intend to stay long term/PR status try the "SRRV" route that alone will cost you 20k usd++)...spend your money wisely/be frugal as possible on your initial 6mths trip, gather as much info as you can & then decide on your future plans.
Since you are still only 36...going back home to work/study for 'usd' (next 10years) will be a wiser option, and carry on being as frugal as possible there so you will have a larger capital base for investments/retirement planning!

Cheers

Hey, Tariq,

I'm surprised no one has suggested the other route - find, fall in love with, and marry a warm, beautiful Filipina with a welcoming family. In this case, the cost of a 13a permanent resident visa is much lower (I think US $150). Or if you are ex US Military with an honorable discharge, there is a special SRRV that costs about US $3000. Check the website for the Philippine Embassy for the latest details: http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/ph … #immigrant

But be prepared for a long, sometimes frustrating process for any of these longer-term immigration options. It took me 18 months to assemble all the necessary "official" documentation.

And as noted by others, neither of these options provide an opportunity to work in the Philippines - they do not want foreigners taking jobs from their citizens.

For the business you mentioned, you should set it up in the US, and have all income deposited in a US bank account, even if you are doing the work while visiting the Philippines.

Good luck!
-- Rich

I never mentioned that because I'm well aware hooking up with a local will blow Tariq's budget big time,,,,,,, an acquired taste/choice.

Cheers, Steve.

You can save like 60k driving a truck in usa wow thats awesome .... what hourly rate truck driver on ...im a bricky on 43 bucks a hour mist weeks we do 50 hours while im away shit i be hard to save that doe roe me mate ... anyway 60k us im 52 that would last me in mondragon till im 60 easy plus ...got me hr in the wrong country 60k driving unreal

Hi Tariq,

It is generally hot here in the Philippines. I think it would be best if you experience how hot it really is during your visit here.  For your 3- to 6-month stay, I would suggest coming here between late January to mid February and leaving between mid May to July.

Temperatures during the early part of the year are lower and more bearable. You can slowly ease up and adjust to the heat and humidity as temperatures progressively get hotter leading up to May and June. Also, by arriving at that time, you will avoid having to give Christmas gifts to your friends and their families -- not good for the budget. 

The brunt of the typhoon / rainy season is around August through November. I would suggest leaving before August to avoid getting stranded at the airport due to bad weather.

Tariq1983 wrote:

im curious why is that to short to stay for 6 months? ive seen quite a few expats survive for a year or 2 on much less

I guess I did not fully understood your goals.
You're coming to the Philippines for six months and start an online business as well as studying programming part time. First, you might want to set aside emergency fund. If you have not been to Asia before, be careful what you eat or drink. Your mobilization costs will go up depending on how much planning you put in and if you have someone helping you that you can somewhat trust. You mentioned online business. You will need to make some investment and possibly hire someone to help you. Your success in business will depend how much time & money you put in it. You also mentioned studying part time. All these in 6 months sounds challenging time wise and money wise.
Five pound bag filled with ten pound ?????.
Maybe revisiting your goals is in order.
Some expats living under 2k$ a month had a huge initial cost: they married a Filipina. 😍 Others may be employed as English teacher and have longer term contract.
In short, they have someone helping them set up in the Philippines.

bigpearl wrote:

I never mentioned that because I'm well aware hooking up with a local will blow Tariq's budget big time,,,,,,, an acquired taste/choice.

Cheers, Steve.

Too true. I've been married to a Filipina for 35 years and we're retiring in the PI because we can't afford to stay in the states with the little bit we've saved.

Cheers,
-- Rich

rcvining wrote:

bigpearl wrote:

I never mentioned that because I'm well aware hooking up with a local will blow Tariq's budget big time,,,,,,, an acquired taste/choice.

Cheers, Steve.

Too true. I've been married to a Filipina for 35 years and we're retiring in the PI because we can't afford to stay in the states with the little bit we've saved.

Cheers,
-- Rich

Individual choice for all of us, while we can/could stay and live a good lifestyle in Oz my better half Ben would continue to work to help out financially as he did for 5 years as well as own self esteem. Here in PH. we are close to family, (not that I have seen them since coming home) and yes it's cheaper to live here, allows us to take more holidays, we don't have to work, a heck of a lot more relaxed here, since moving back to our house here there have been no more purchases of designer shoes (My nick name for my better half is Benjie Marcos).
35 years is a great innings Rich, we are still on our honeymoon, only 8 years odd. Also your move back will be good for your wife. Hope your move goes well.

Cheers, Steve.

rcvining wrote:

Too true. I've been married to a Filipina for 35 years and we're retiring in the PI because we can't afford to stay in the states with the little bit we've saved.

Cheers,
-- Rich

Rich,

I thought exactly the same thing and done the same thing. I was married to a Filipina for 10 years when we both moved to the Pasig City (2018) from Las Vegas with modest savings and a decent SS for me.

Pre Moving: Beforehand we sent about 18 Balikan Boxes with all our household stuff that would fit and  much canned stuff from Sam's Club which we thought would be difficult to buy in the Philippines.
Your 120V stuff can be sent as a handyman could rewire some of your kitchen outlets cheap (10USD).

Now selling & disposing your household items before moving. The timing has to be right, allow enough time to sell your car, I sweated that one out, It was tough to find a buyer with the cash, I ended up selling it several thousand less than market price one week before moving. You may have to rent or borrow a car after the sale.

My wife had a friend who bought our bedroom set and Samsung TV, again a great deal for them. I tried to sell the other furniture with limited success. I tried to donate to charities, most of them could not schedule a pickup within weeks. I finally had to pay a hauler to pick up & dispose of the rest.

We ended up staying at a motel for two days before our move. I rented a car for one way, one day and drove to Lax from Las Vegas.

Now in Pasig City we had a house paid for, no mortgage. Over a number of years we had construction projects prior to our move, adding a third floor for my wife & myself. Once you get here you will have extra expenses to settle in. We had to buy bedroom furniture, lazy boy type of recliner, TV, Microwave, Refrigerator, all this stuff is more expensive. My 50" TV here cost more than my 55" curved screen Samsung in the states. My $139 microwave here cost $79 in the states.

You probably will be giving up your health insurance, if your are in a HMO or similar cancel it, but contact Medicare to cancel part "B" otherwise they will be taking out $140 per month. Canceling with the HMO is not good enough, when you cancel it reverts to Medicare automatically, so you have to cancel with them also.

Prescription drugs can be expensive here. Relatives & wifes family members will add to your expensives. Now during the Pandemic we've been helping my sons in-laws, neighbors and even my wifes driver (15 years ago) came by for help. Even before the Pandemic we were helping my wifes cousins family.

I wish I was back in the states, but I have too much responsibilities here to flee. Even though if I never moved to the Philippines and made the adjustments in the states with reduced income I would be happier.

Most mistakes people make, whatever it is, it seemed to be a good idea at the time. But don't worry bigger mistakes are looming down them road.

W9XR wrote:

rcvining wrote:

Too true. I've been married to a Filipina for 35 years and we're retiring in the PI because we can't afford to stay in the states with the little bit we've saved.

Cheers,
-- Rich

Rich,

I thought exactly the same thing and done the same thing. I was married to a Filipina for 10 years when we both moved to the Pasig City (2018) from Las Vegas with modest savings and a decent SS for me.

Pre Moving: Beforehand we sent about 18 Balikan Boxes with all our household stuff that would fit and  much canned stuff from Sam's Club which we thought would be difficult to buy in the Philippines.
Your 120V stuff can be sent as a handyman could rewire some of your kitchen outlets cheap (10USD).

Now selling & disposing your household items before moving. The timing has to be right, allow enough time to sell your car, I sweated that one out, It was tough to find a buyer with the cash, I ended up selling it several thousand less than market price one week before moving. You may have to rent or borrow a car after the sale.

My wife had a friend who bought our bedroom set and Samsung TV, again a great deal for them. I tried to sell the other furniture with limited success. I tried to donate to charities, most of them could not schedule a pickup within weeks. I finally had to pay a hauler to pick up & dispose of the rest.

We ended up staying at a motel for two days before our move. I rented a car for one way, one day and drove to Lax from Las Vegas.

Now in Pasig City we had a house paid for, no mortgage. Over a number of years we had construction projects prior to our move, adding a third floor for my wife & myself. Once you get here you will have extra expenses to settle in. We had to buy bedroom furniture, lazy boy type of recliner, TV, Microwave, Refrigerator, all this stuff is more expensive. My 50" TV here cost more than my 55" curved screen Samsung in the states. My $139 microwave here cost $79 in the states.

You probably will be giving up your health insurance, if your are in a HMO or similar cancel it, but contact Medicare to cancel part "B" otherwise they will be taking out $140 per month. Canceling with the HMO is not good enough, when you cancel it reverts to Medicare automatically, so you have to cancel with them also.

Prescription drugs can be expensive here. Relatives & wifes family members will add to your expensives. Now during the Pandemic we've been helping my sons in-laws, neighbors and even my wifes driver (15 years ago) came by for help. Even before the Pandemic we were helping my wifes cousins family.

I wish I was back in the states, but I have too much responsibilities here to flee. Even though if I never moved to the Philippines and made the adjustments in the states with reduced income I would be happier.

Most mistakes people make, whatever it is, it seemed to be a good idea at the time. But don't worry bigger mistakes are looming down them road.

While I like and agree with what you say and your experiences W9XR, been there with a shipping a container, selling a couple of houses, (one left, the most expensive one that appears to have now sold for nearly 80K less that we wanted,,,,,,, (sign of the times?) 6 cars, very collectable artworks (auction house), a country I called home for 60 years. My decision to move to PH. came 5 plus years ago and seriously planned for 4 years before we made the move, purchased our house on the beach here over 3 years ago and while lots of work I'm enjoying and cruising, Ben also, still in bed relaxing as he does. What we left behind are material things and while we live well and have a few bob I restrict, Ben restricts what we give to family (direct). PHP 40K is given annually to Mum and Dad, and that's expected now after 8 years, my commitment to Ben to get him to Australia was always to give a portion of his wage to family,,,, expected.

Bigger mistakes? So far so good bit yes my guard is up.

It was nice to hear you open up a little W9XR, keep it up.

Cheers, Steve.