angieglenn87

Hi all,
Me and my partner are talking about moving to South East Asia to live. Our income will be roughly £1000 per month, can we live comfortably in the Philippines on that?

Thanks
Angela

tropicofcancer

Yes as long as you don't do anything too drastic. The Exchange rate is down to only P68+ = £1.

You can easily run a car, have house help etc. for that money.

Obviously you would buy from the markets to get the best prices.

PeteinHongKong

Yes, you should be ok. Check out the numerous web forums and online groups to get a better feel of living costs. Set up costs for an average rental place are likely to be in the order of Pesos 100,000-150,000 (depending on things like air conditioning needs and your taste in furniture). I guess you have some capital as well - the main thing to watch out for is unexpected medical costs which though reasonably economical by European or US standards can eat into your savings. Plus, don't forget things like visa renewal costs and the need to leave the country periodically. My personal take on the Philippines (where my wife and me have a home in Cebu) is that it isn't expensive nor is it that cheap. Also think carefully about where you want to settle - better still, visit first for a few weeks and travel around. Like I said in another thread, the Philippines is not to everybody's taste - take a look first before committing yourself.

angieglenn87

Thanks for your help.
We're only just beginning to look for our place in the sun. We've been to Thailand and India and loved it and we hope to take a year out soon and explore other parts of SE Asia.

MWeaver

This is more than enough for a moderate lifestyle in the P.I.