I've been here 14 years and really have no complaints except for my fellow Americans. They bring all their baggage with them, especially politics. Avoid them at all costs for a happier retirement.
We have a law here that prohibits foreigners and aliens to interfere in our politics, only filipinos can participate on our politics or else aliens will be black listed and deported. Let this be a reminder to everyone because we don't want aliens to speak up about our politics here. You don't get to have the same privileged here in politics, only filipinos.
Great video and you point out several of the reasons I am moving to the Philippines. The fresh fish and seafood is at the top of my list. I lived in Nova Scotia for 15 years and did commercial fishing for a few years. One guy I went fishing with always let us keep whatever Haddock we caught and there is nothing better then catching it in the morning and having it for dinner the same day. Here in Ontario I can tell the fish is not so fresh just by looking at it. Right now my pension pays my bills with a bit left over but only cause I have lived in the same apartment for 11 years. If I had to move I would not be able to afford even rent. So since I have been to the Philippines 3 times and know people there that is my retirement destination and hope to be there in the next couple of months.
For me, the secret of having a fulfilled retirement in the Philippines is to get involved in some routine physical activities. Like living off the land and sea with DIY farming/ gardening, getting all your food off the land. If you are close to the sea, you can go off fishing once in a while with a buddy and enjoy your catch of the day. If you are a tinkerer like me, you can build some cool gadgets as a hobby, and share your knowledge in the community. All these while getting your pension and living in a house of your dream. And last but not least, having a supportive and loving partner.
I don't think you'll have regrets of taking your pension to PI and making a beautiful life there,. I'd totally recommend to all single people, find your partner and soulmate in the Philippines! Life is too short to be lonely. Write your best chapters in a country that will welcome and embrace you.
I am living in Las Vegas right now, and totally agree with you. Plus the political drama here, the crime here and the morality. I will retire in the Philippines too.
I visited Philippines a few times, stayed in hotels with AC every day, traveled around the Islands and my budget never exceeded 1000 USD. True however I only are at local eateries where Filipinos eat or Street BBQ places (where you can get a stick of meat from 5 to 20 pesos - depending on a place) and off course you have your beer or rum in front of the stores (sari-sari sores or even 7/11) - most of them will even give you ice for free!
stick of meat? I tried those and they have maybe 5% meat in it, if at all. the rest of ingredients are of unknown origin and most likely make you sick. Avoid street food at all costs. I would say from my experience that ALL food in Ph is complete rubbish, no matter where you buy it.
I admire your ability to adapt to the lifestyle in the Philippines. I am a 54 year, came to NYC when i was 22 years old. I totally agree with you with the cost of living. Cost of living here in NYC is insane. we will be retiring in 8 years and we are also planning to go back and forth between NYC and Philippines and oh! i love red horse and san mig light. New Subscriber here.
It is all so appealing. No downside. The price difference is extreme on so many products but the cost reduction on food alone is mind blowing. Here in Scotland we are crippled with fuel prices and groceries each week just costs more and more. Gas & Electricity has become so expensive it's almost doubled in price. So once again top marks to the Philippines for supporting, obtaining and maintaining a decent cost of living and to you for showing us the comparison. It's so easy to see why this part of the world is so amazing.
@@JonW_FL Yeah you are spot on Jon - forgot about the weather and the obstacles it can create. Not so good for the older folks but for the rest of us - I would happily endure lol ♡
@@JonW_FL Watched a lot of videos - more than 2 -- sweaty with constant bug bites noisy roosters everywhere barking dogs too - karaoke armatures (noisy as hell) crazy drivers - a lot of black outs - rarely prompt service for anything - have to leave the country periodically unless your rich........
@@antlou123 Note that Philippines doesn't have oil reserves! What more if we have? China is even trying to take those that we have just discovered in WPS! Poor Filipinos.
2:44 I just loved how you presented the beers we have in the Philippines. It's like watching a lowkey beer advertisement! Haha! Anyway, just found your channel and I'm liking your content! You already know much about the Philippines, and I'm glad your sharing what you know to a wider audience here in UA-cam. Keep it up sir! We're loving your videos! Cheers!
My inflation seems independent of actual US inflation measured in the US. Calcs made on 05/09/22. 52.66 pesos to the dollar with 4.9% official inflation here in Philippines. The dollar from retirement rose in strength from 51.0 January 01 to 52.66 today = 3.25% so my inflation in the Philippines is 4.9 - 3.25 = 1.65%.
So happy that you guys are enjoying Philippines 💕 the best thing about your videos is that your diving more deep about the lifestyle in the Philippines and getting along with the locals. Please keep up with it and hope to see you guys soon 😄
Oh my god fresh fish as you can get and the cheapest too. I'm enjoying your videos its like a video ad for me to show my husband coz I've been pitching it to him to move in the Philippines from Canada too ❤️
Solar is actively being blocked in the country by the power companies. You can only get low output kits and panels commercially. Anything major gets levied with major taxes. Hopefully the policies change soon.
There's a Filipino guy on UA-cam that has been educating DIYers on off grid solar system... He has a group that teaches and gives information on how and where to get these systems. He has a video somewhere here where they showcase on household having a 9kW solar panels, 48kWh LiFePo batteries and two 2kW inverters if I'm not mistaken.
I have a sari-sari store, my 12 oz Sprite is 16 pesos, I pay 11 for it. My 1-bedroom apt in Los Angeles back in 2011 was $900, in 2012 my 2 bedroom 1 bath apt in the country was 4,000 pesos so at 50 to 1 is $80, I also have a house in the city, I have a maid 4,000 pesos who cleans, wash dishes, laundry, I do the cooking. In the US while doing laundry, I would make breakfast, watch TV and read my e-mail or do bills simultaneously. In the Philippines it's bliss, the maid makes my life easier and I get to do more things and not feel rushed so no stress and no more chest pains. In the province there's an awesome air quality plus low cost of living with SM and Ayala a jeepney ride away.
Interesting info. I retired a few years ago and traveled to Cebu. Really liked it. Ayala Mall is great. Thinking about moving there. Renting a house in a subdivision with a pool would be very appealing. SM Seaside looks incredible.
The reason electronics and other imports are expensive in the Philippines is because the import taxes run 40% or higher, and on certain goods you pay this rate based not on the purchase price but on a government determined price list. So on some imports taxes can be far over 40%. As for land the price varies greatly depending on location. Many cities or towns you can buy land for 1,000-3000peso per sq meter. But in the very very rural area you can find some land for as low as 50-100peso a square meter. The rates you quoted are the most expensive I have heard outside of Manila or a expensive resort.
@@nelle2372 Deep in the provinces, ( far outside the city) especially in parts of Mindanao or some of the smaller islands. If you look on some websites for "land" or "farmland" you can sometimes find isolated hectares of farmland or jungle for 1million peso or less. 1million for 1 hectare is 100 peso. Personally I've seen some of the cheapest prices in Mindanao.
Re: Firewood availability, there are plenty of places in PH that has and extensively uses firewood, I.e. Northern PH where forestry is more of a staple than fishing. It just so happens that Cebu & Visayas in particular is more of the latter. Same goes for the selection of Wood for construction, you'd find more up north. Add the fact that PH now strictly regulates its endemic trees which produce very beautiful wood. Most of them are now endangered and outcompeted by introduced trees that grow faster. Consider yourself lucky if you manage to get your hands on some Narra, Kamagong & Yakal.
@@tonyp2601 RA 8749 Section 20 That the prohibition shall not apply to traditional small-scale method of community/neighborhood sanitation "siga", traditional, agricultural, cultural, health, and food preparation and crematoria. 86% of rural philippines still use firewood.
Just stumbled across your channel. Philippines have inflation all over the last decade. Since 2010 I was travelling to the Philippines, in 2014 I settled here. Fish, meat, rice, beer, drinks, vegetables... everything become more expensive, many products doubled the price within 8 yrs. Only salaries didn't doubled in the same time. 2010 the US$ was around 40 Pesos, today is more than 52 Pesos. So if your income is in foreign currency, you're on the sunny side. For a simple filipino worker, life becames much harder. 15k Pesos for a sqm of land is way too much. On Panay Island outside the big cities you can find land even for less then 1k Pesos. Same in other Provinces. Beer is expensive here compare to Europe. In Germany beer is only half of the price in the Philippines (and taste much better).
Of course beer in Germany is much cheaper than here because beer production there is considered a backyard industry. They're the inventor of beers so what do you expect.
@@vomitingconfetti7187 the main reason is that beers come from rice , wheat , corn and etc .they must import from abroad country . so it is much expensive
It defends where, Philippines is an big island state wiith 7100+ islands. Some areas where affected by inflation and some are not as you have seen in this video, over population in a dense Cities like Manila is the reason for the Increase of Prices due to high demands. And the government is spending too much of its funds in Infrastructures. Don't forget as well that the rise of inflation is the result of the global crisis in fuel and Russia-ukraine conflict, even america is vastly affected.
Hi sir, great information about the prices that we have in one of our province. I am working as a call center agent for an american bank and my monthly income is 25,000 pesos which is about 500$ US This is considered middle income because the national minimum wage is less than half of what i am earning monthly. Prices here are cheaper because the minimum wage is so low. Which is around 10-12k pesos per month or $200-220 US Dollars per month.
Kudos Mike, that's kinda inspiring video. I browsed on some comments and they're all in anticipations in coming here, some are even Canadians. Keep up the good works and be safe always. BTW, I noticed you don't have a Dead-Bolt-Lock on your Main Door. Better install one or two and also inside of the Main Door for more Security while you're sleeping or when you're away. And also do this on Back Doors as well. And if you have some extra resources why not install CCTV. But canvass first and compare prices . Good luck.
So true.i have.compared the prices we have here than when I have visited California Evrrything is cheaper.even pir trnsportation.We can easily go around.Most.of the items here are tailored to.make things affordable and cheaper for Filipinos.
Great breakdown of expenses... and also your approach is on setting roots... at a reasonable budget with a desire to also put money in the local economy.. which would also help other foreigners in making the decision to live in the Philippines.
Hi my name is Larry I live in Jacksonville North Carolina and my Fiance is from Floridablanca Pampanga and she is working in Hongkong we was suppose to meet 2 years ago but covid messed that up lol we have been in a LDR relationship for over 3 years and we are now finally going to meet this coming December I am retired we are planning on getting married as soon as we can we video chat 2 times a day everyday and we plan on moving to the Philippines after she come here and meet my 2 daughter's and my mother and spend some time traveling to upstate New York that is where I use to live I just started watching your videos and like them very much take care God bless 😁❤❤🙏🙏
Great! That means with my CPP and Old Age pension cheques I have more than enough to cover my expenses… plus with a maid !!! And If I buy land and house from my RRSP, I won’t have to pay any monthly rent. Over here in Canada, that would be next to impossible.
I live in Vancouver , go to cebu 3 times a year for a month for 6 years , love the Philippines. Foreigners can buy houses but they cannot buy the land the house is on. I would advise renting very reasonable prices. You can live very comfortably for 100,000 peso, about $2500 a month. That will get you a very nice house with a maid a car and driver. You can live for less, but you won’t be able to live and do everything you want. You can live in a three star hotel in Cebu for a month for about $35 a day. That includes a very nice breakfast. I would recommend the quest hotel where I stay, near Ayala mall. I was in Cebu in March and will be going back again in September and December for a month. When I retire I’ll be staying there full-time.
Sweating so much, thats a good exercise, walking exercise in the morning buy some fresh fish. 🤙😎awesome, sweating is good for removing toxic in the body, thats why people there are healthy. Nice vid😎🤙 thanks for the info.🤙
The high cost of living is a major issue in first-world countries. Filipinos may still enjoy life in the most basic ways, which is why it is more fun in the Philippines.
Hello! Micheal, Thank you so much for sharing all this information with us. you do such a good job. I appreciate all you and Bianca do. Have a great weekend.
Everything is cheap in P.I except housing and land for foreigners that is, depends where you want to live ex. Manila vs province life but still cheaper than in the States. For locals everything is expensive it seems. That's the dilemma, we need to get our minimum wage up to a higher range so the locals can afford living expenses and live a middle income life. But with the internet, there are so much opportunities today to make $ in both social media and online market places to make an income.
True....I'm in Canada and prices of commodities is way way cheaper there in the PHILIPPINES than here. Have fun and enjoy your stay there. I miss my beautiful country so much after 36 years.I wish to be home soon.
Video is spot on as a foreigner... you're right, you can live $1,000 - 500 a month if you know where to go to get the best bang for your buck....im a local and I probably earn close to a minimum wage in the US which is a huge amount for us in the Philippines and I could live lower than $500 a month if I wanted too...living here is a huge lifehack for foreigners l
if you wanna buy electronics and gadgets its better to buy in the mall. if you want kinda like walmart type Store there's Snr and Landers and there's a lot of SM Malls., Robinson. If you want to build a house you just got to go to Hardware stores there's a Lot and also There's All home and Wilcon Depot for construction materials.
Thank-you so much for this video, truly. My husband and I contemplate retirement in the Philippines, and it's videos like yours that give us sound advice and important information. I just stumbled upon you and your lovely wife yesterday, absolutely enjoyed the journey into Tondo to find family there. I've subscribed! Your wife has such a beautiful, sweet, positive spirit. And I adore how open and adventurous you are to the country. Maybe one day, we'll be breaking bread in PI with you (our treat!). Until then... God bless. Keep creating! Keep sharing! Your friend/subscriber form Guam, the island "where America's day. begins"
Interesting facts and makes the place very inviting. You never mentioned the cost of health care,is it easy to get and how much are medications? As you get older you need these things!
Healthcare is low cost, no country in the world compares to the selection of medications that america has but there will be something close. A lot of foreigners choose to self insure with a savings account for it specifically, if you are healthy you are unlikely to use anything major. If you are older and higher risk then there are many plans which are far cheaper than anything you'd pay in the western world.
....M doing laps around the yard while talking finances.....yep that's a Thursday 😉. Honestly, I love the content. M - you are a business man, no hiding it. B is so lucky she has you and your intellect ❤️🤍❤️
Absolutely! However, safety and security maybe an issue at some point. I guess it depends on which part of the country one wishes to retire. Nevertheless, it's a pressing matter on top of finance. I reckon, most people think otherwise. Good job on this 👍
@@shevyalvia6491 Good to know. I was appalled by the incumbent president's move on substance users. Just thinking out loud that people with authority commit heinous crimes themselves.
Thumps up, Filipinos can live at 300 US dollars a month 4 a 5 family member, less housing, its already considered somewhat middle income class level, due to low inflation. What rising commodities prices now n d Phillipines s due 3x higher petrol price due to Ukraine Russia war...
Crazy thing is crude oil prices were the same in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 but gas prices were no where near today's. (In 2008 it went as much as 145 usd a barrel) prices go up but rarely go back down
Great vlog brother,as a filipino your lines speaks greatly for us,its true 1000usd a month is enough,for sure, if you will retire here invest first in your own house then you have your pension I think it will be the best thing to do,live happy,a modest house and lot here is very affordable
Its cheap here than Canada .. I hope you enjoy your new home here in Philis .. And people are easy to go with , gain lotscof friends and you will gain a Big Family to help you whenever you needed some help .
You can also go live on your yt channel and ask us Filipinos anything that you want to know, maybe we can help you to adapt quicker or maybe we can provide some tips and tricks on how to negotiate prices with filipino. That construction wage is province rate though.
Cambodia and Vietnam are cheaper, especially electricity and you can get almost anything the same as the West. Rent is cheaper too. Most important for me is medical care is very good and service is excellent. Thailand is even better for medical care, equal to any Canadian hospital without the wait. Only down side is paying for health insurance, but if you want an MRI just walk in and pay $100 and you'll have one in an hour. Same with a full check up, blood work , echocardiogram, x-ray etc. will cost you around $250 including doctor's fee. All that stuff I just pay out of pocket. Some areas in the Philippines I know they have fairly good hospitals, but the service I hear isn't as good. I could be wrong it's only what friends that live there have told me. Take care, happy traveling 💖
We did visit Cambodia but just as the pandemic hit there so one day we will visit again. But for living we are staying here because Bianca is getting her citizenship
He is in the province so he said that most things are cheap, not in Manila and the main cities. But still cheaper than most countries. Just be prepared to shell out for electricity especially if you have air conditioning
I am a local in the Philippines and carpenters and masons is price somewhere at 700 to 1,200php a day. The laborers are the cheaper one's at around 400php a day.
You can use the bamboo as a firewood when the color turns from green to yellow. Then dry it under the sun and viola! You have a good firewood waiting for ya. (Don't forget to cut it vertically first*__*)
I'm sure I'm a bit late to the party, but construction costs or building costs do dramatically change by location as some islands have their own factories that can supply dirty cheap products in that area. Also ofcourse try buying products from the factories themselves. And again try to look for local alternatives, sometimes they are far cheaper than imported items, a good example of this is charchoal, some vendors in the city sell them for 12 pesos but outside the city, around 30 minutes drive.. you can get them for 5 pesos a pack...
San Miguel is a world class beer. It is the number one beer in Hong Kong. The San Miguel beer in Spain originated from the Philippines. That’s a 18.8 billion dollars company. Tanduay is the largest run maker in the world.
You should also try having a vacation house at the mountains. No pollution + you can plant lots of veggies at your backyard and even have some chickens.
We actually hope to buy land a build one day in the future so that may become our life full time instead of vacation, we don't know yet but after a couple years or so travelling around the country we hope to have a good idea
@@BiancaBeyond check out Armstrong Family Vlog here on UA-cam. They bought land in the northern part of Luzon for cheap then they built their dream house.
Where you can already have a full meal at $1-$2. Yes, it's cheap. But rent in PH, is a little bit expensive. Probably for a dollar earner though, it may not matter. For comparison, China's rent is 50%+ less than in PH. How I wish our apartments/flats are that nice and cheap too.
I've been here 14 years and really have no complaints except for my fellow Americans. They bring all their baggage with them, especially politics. Avoid them at all costs for a happier retirement.
Yes, some do but not all. I know expats that avoid the topic entirely.
We have a law here that prohibits foreigners and aliens to interfere in our politics, only filipinos can participate on our politics or else aliens will be black listed and deported.
Let this be a reminder to everyone because we don't want aliens to speak up about our politics here. You don't get to have the same privileged here in politics, only filipinos.
lol
hahaha ... that kind of baggage...
Hahahahaa
Great video and you point out several of the reasons I am moving to the Philippines. The fresh fish and seafood is at the top of my list. I lived in Nova Scotia for 15 years and did commercial fishing for a few years. One guy I went fishing with always let us keep whatever Haddock we caught and there is nothing better then catching it in the morning and having it for dinner the same day. Here in Ontario I can tell the fish is not so fresh just by looking at it. Right now my pension pays my bills with a bit left over but only cause I have lived in the same apartment for 11 years. If I had to move I would not be able to afford even rent. So since I have been to the Philippines 3 times and know people there that is my retirement destination and hope to be there in the next couple of months.
For me, the secret of having a fulfilled retirement in the Philippines is to get involved in some routine physical activities. Like living off the land and sea with DIY farming/ gardening, getting all your food off the land. If you are close to the sea, you can go off fishing once in a while with a buddy and enjoy your catch of the day. If you are a tinkerer like me, you can build some cool gadgets as a hobby, and share your knowledge in the community. All these while getting your pension and living in a house of your dream. And last but not least, having a supportive and loving partner.
@@builtnotboughtmadeinphilip3955 But not as cheap as you can get in the Philippines
@@brianbaxter3913 word.
@@merbenudal3095 from pines 😁 kinason is real 😋
I don't think you'll have regrets of taking your pension to PI and making a beautiful life there,. I'd totally recommend to all single people, find your partner and soulmate in the Philippines! Life is too short to be lonely. Write your best chapters in a country that will welcome and embrace you.
I am living in Las Vegas right now, and totally agree with you. Plus the political drama here, the crime here and the morality. I will retire in the Philippines too.
I visited Philippines a few times, stayed in hotels with AC every day, traveled around the Islands and my budget never exceeded 1000 USD. True however I only are at local eateries where Filipinos eat or Street BBQ places (where you can get a stick of meat from 5 to 20 pesos - depending on a place) and off course you have your beer or rum in front of the stores (sari-sari sores or even 7/11) - most of them will even give you ice for free!
stick of meat? I tried those and they have maybe 5% meat in it, if at all. the rest of ingredients are of unknown origin and most likely make you sick. Avoid street food at all costs. I would say from my experience that ALL food in Ph is complete rubbish, no matter where you buy it.
@@almantasj7698 I survived on street food normally, not even one day of bad stomach or diarrhea
Really LOL
I admire your ability to adapt to the lifestyle in the Philippines. I am a 54 year, came to NYC when i was 22 years old. I totally agree with you with the cost of living. Cost of living here in NYC is insane. we will be retiring in 8 years and we are also planning to go back and forth between NYC and Philippines and oh! i love red horse and san mig light. New Subscriber here.
It is all so appealing. No downside. The price difference is extreme on so many products but the cost reduction on food alone is mind blowing. Here in Scotland we are crippled with fuel prices and groceries each week just costs more and more. Gas & Electricity has become so expensive it's almost doubled in price. So once again top marks to the Philippines for supporting, obtaining and maintaining a decent cost of living and to you for showing us the comparison. It's so easy to see why this part of the world is so amazing.
Two huge downsides.....typhoons and heat (humidity). Most older Westerners have no idea how brutal it can be and most places don't have aircon.
@@JonW_FL Yeah you are spot on Jon - forgot about the weather and the obstacles it can create. Not so good for the older folks but for the rest of us - I would happily endure lol ♡
@@JonW_FL Watched a lot of videos - more than 2 -- sweaty with constant bug bites noisy roosters everywhere barking dogs too - karaoke armatures (noisy as hell) crazy drivers - a lot of black outs - rarely prompt service for anything - have to leave the country periodically unless your rich........
Price of gas is even more expensive in Philippines than in some states in US.
@@antlou123 Note that Philippines doesn't have oil reserves! What more if we have? China is even trying to take those that we have just discovered in WPS! Poor Filipinos.
Everything seems so good! Can’t believe this prices! Much love! ❤️🇨🇦🇵🇭🇦🇱🇺🇸💕
2:44 I just loved how you presented the beers we have in the Philippines. It's like watching a lowkey beer advertisement! Haha!
Anyway, just found your channel and I'm liking your content! You already know much about the Philippines, and I'm glad your sharing what you know to a wider audience here in UA-cam. Keep it up sir! We're loving your videos! Cheers!
Haha love the beers! Thanks so much
Yeah.. prices of commodities there are real cheap. Retiring in Philippine provinces is a great saver.. like Dumaguete, Bacolod, Iloilo, etc.
Dumaguete is much more expensive
..the cheapest is in the southern Philippines ..Mindanao..
My inflation seems independent of actual US inflation measured in the US.
Calcs made on 05/09/22.
52.66 pesos to the dollar with 4.9% official inflation here in Philippines. The dollar from retirement rose in strength from 51.0 January 01 to 52.66 today = 3.25% so my inflation in the Philippines is 4.9 - 3.25 = 1.65%.
True..
So happy that you guys are enjoying Philippines 💕 the best thing about your videos is that your diving more deep about the lifestyle in the Philippines and getting along with the locals. Please keep up with it and hope to see you guys soon 😄
Oh my god fresh fish as you can get and the cheapest too. I'm enjoying your videos its like a video ad for me to show my husband coz I've been pitching it to him to move in the Philippines from Canada too ❤️
Solar is actively being blocked in the country by the power companies. You can only get low output kits and panels commercially. Anything major gets levied with major taxes. Hopefully the policies change soon.
There's a Filipino guy on UA-cam that has been educating DIYers on off grid solar system... He has a group that teaches and gives information on how and where to get these systems. He has a video somewhere here where they showcase on household having a 9kW solar panels, 48kWh LiFePo batteries and two 2kW inverters if I'm not mistaken.
@@Thigsy Yes! And he is doing a great job!
We'll be there before the end of this year, hopefully meet up with you two! 👌🙂
Excellent we will be here 😊
Filipino migrating to Canada. While Canadian moving in Phil. 😅
Thanks Michael & Bianca for choosing Phillipines❤️proud to both of you❤️❤️❤️
Very true! Totally agree specially in the province! Just need your own generators for electricity & water!
I have a sari-sari store, my 12 oz Sprite is 16 pesos, I pay 11 for it. My 1-bedroom apt in Los Angeles back in 2011 was $900, in 2012 my 2 bedroom 1 bath apt in the country was 4,000 pesos so at 50 to 1 is $80, I also have a house in the city, I have a maid 4,000 pesos who cleans, wash dishes, laundry, I do the cooking. In the US while doing laundry, I would make breakfast, watch TV and read my e-mail or do bills simultaneously. In the Philippines it's bliss, the maid makes my life easier and I get to do more things and not feel rushed so no stress and no more chest pains. In the province there's an awesome air quality plus low cost of living with SM and Ayala a jeepney ride away.
Interesting info. I retired a few years ago and traveled to Cebu. Really liked it. Ayala Mall is great. Thinking about moving there. Renting a house in a subdivision with a pool would be very appealing. SM Seaside looks incredible.
Jeez! Before the liquor tax, a bottle of beer was just 20 pesos!😆 and a vodka for just 50 pesos 😆 enjoy your stay here in the Philippines
Wow
Bianca is a wonderful lady. I see she is enjoying the Philippines, please continue to enjoy both of you. I continue to follow your channel.
The reason electronics and other imports are expensive in the Philippines is because the import taxes run 40% or higher, and on certain goods you pay this rate based not on the purchase price but on a government determined price list. So on some imports taxes can be far over 40%.
As for land the price varies greatly depending on location. Many cities or towns you can buy land for 1,000-3000peso per sq meter. But in the very very rural area you can find some land for as low as 50-100peso a square meter. The rates you quoted are the most expensive I have heard outside of Manila or a expensive resort.
Hi, where can you find the place of some land for as low as 50-100peso a square meter?
@@nelle2372 Deep in the provinces, ( far outside the city) especially in parts of Mindanao or some of the smaller islands.
If you look on some websites for "land" or "farmland" you can sometimes find isolated hectares of farmland or jungle for 1million peso or less. 1million for 1 hectare is 100 peso.
Personally I've seen some of the cheapest prices in Mindanao.
@@nelle2372 exactly 50 to 100 ?
In mindanao?
😆🤣😂
Thank you my friend. 😊This year is my year . I'm going there. I'm very excited.
Re: Firewood availability, there are plenty of places in PH that has and extensively uses firewood, I.e. Northern PH where forestry is more of a staple than fishing. It just so happens that Cebu & Visayas in particular is more of the latter.
Same goes for the selection of Wood for construction, you'd find more up north. Add the fact that PH now strictly regulates its endemic trees which produce very beautiful wood. Most of them are now endangered and outcompeted by introduced trees that grow faster. Consider yourself lucky if you manage to get your hands on some Narra, Kamagong & Yakal.
Makes sense, we are on Boracay so it's much more difficult here
It's actually illegal to use firewood as fuel for cooking under the Clean Air Act.
@@tonyp2601 RA 8749 Section 20
That the prohibition shall not apply to traditional small-scale method of community/neighborhood sanitation "siga", traditional, agricultural, cultural, health, and food preparation and crematoria.
86% of rural philippines still use firewood.
@@kirikomori7874 thanks!
Just stumbled across your channel.
Philippines have inflation all over the last decade.
Since 2010 I was travelling to the Philippines, in 2014 I settled here.
Fish, meat, rice, beer, drinks, vegetables... everything become more expensive, many products doubled the price within 8 yrs.
Only salaries didn't doubled in the same time.
2010 the US$ was around 40 Pesos, today is more than 52 Pesos.
So if your income is in foreign currency, you're on the sunny side.
For a simple filipino worker, life becames much harder.
15k Pesos for a sqm of land is way too much.
On Panay Island outside the big cities you can find land even for less then 1k Pesos. Same in other Provinces.
Beer is expensive here compare to Europe.
In Germany beer is only half of the price in the Philippines (and taste much better).
yeah , i think so, the cost in philippine is much higher now , life is tough for general person
Of course beer in Germany is much cheaper than here because beer production there is considered a backyard industry. They're the inventor of beers so what do you expect.
@@vomitingconfetti7187 the main reason is that beers come from rice , wheat , corn and etc .they must import from abroad country . so it is much expensive
All but fake news like in 2010, US$1 was already 47 Philippine pesos. San Miguel brewery uses imported wheat in beer manufacturing.
It defends where, Philippines is an big island state wiith 7100+ islands. Some areas where affected by inflation and some are not as you have seen in this video, over population in a dense Cities like Manila is the reason for the Increase of Prices due to high demands.
And the government is spending too much of its funds in Infrastructures.
Don't forget as well that the rise of inflation is the result of the global crisis in fuel and Russia-ukraine conflict, even america is vastly affected.
Hi sir, great information about the prices that we have in one of our province.
I am working as a call center agent for an american bank and my monthly income is 25,000 pesos which is about 500$ US
This is considered middle income because the national minimum wage is less than half of what i am earning monthly.
Prices here are cheaper because the minimum wage is so low.
Which is around 10-12k pesos per month or $200-220 US Dollars per month.
Kudos Mike, that's kinda inspiring video. I browsed on some comments and they're all in anticipations in coming here, some are even Canadians. Keep up the good works and be safe always. BTW, I noticed you don't have a Dead-Bolt-Lock on your Main Door. Better install one or two and also inside of the Main Door for more Security while you're sleeping or when you're away. And also do this on Back Doors as well. And if you have some extra resources why not install CCTV. But canvass
first and compare prices . Good luck.
So true.i have.compared the prices we have here than when I have visited California
Evrrything is cheaper.even pir trnsportation.We can easily go around.Most.of the items here are tailored to.make things affordable and cheaper for Filipinos.
Great breakdown of expenses... and also your approach is on setting roots... at a reasonable budget with a desire to also put money in the local economy.. which would also help other foreigners in making the decision to live in the Philippines.
Hi my name is Larry I live in Jacksonville North Carolina and my Fiance is from Floridablanca Pampanga and she is working in Hongkong we was suppose to meet 2 years ago but covid messed that up lol we have been in a LDR relationship for over 3 years and we are now finally going to meet this coming December I am retired we are planning on getting married as soon as we can we video chat 2 times a day everyday and we plan on moving to the Philippines after she come here and meet my 2 daughter's and my mother and spend some time traveling to upstate New York that is where I use to live I just started watching your videos and like them very much take care God bless 😁❤❤🙏🙏
Wow I'm so glad you two will finally be able to be together, thank you for watching our channel!
Great! That means with my CPP and Old Age pension cheques I have more than enough to cover my expenses… plus with a maid !!! And If I buy land and house from my RRSP, I won’t have to pay any monthly rent. Over here in Canada, that would be next to impossible.
I live in Vancouver , go to cebu 3 times a year for a month for 6 years , love the Philippines. Foreigners can buy houses but they cannot buy the land the house is on. I would advise renting very reasonable prices. You can live very comfortably for 100,000 peso, about $2500 a month. That will get you a very nice house with a maid a car and driver. You can live for less, but you won’t be able to live and do everything you want. You can live in a three star hotel in Cebu for a month for about $35 a day. That includes a very nice breakfast. I would recommend the quest hotel where I stay, near Ayala mall. I was in Cebu in March and will be going back again in September and December for a month. When I retire I’ll be staying there full-time.
Also she is very attractive, owns her own house, no boyfriend, nice body, large breasts
Land investment in the Philippines is the best, 1 to 2 years the worth will be triple or maybe much higher it depends on location.
Sweating so much, thats a good exercise, walking exercise in the morning buy some fresh fish. 🤙😎awesome, sweating is good for removing toxic in the body, thats why people there are healthy. Nice vid😎🤙 thanks for the info.🤙
Keep up what you’re doing very informative. We enjoyed everything.
The high cost of living is a major issue in first-world countries. Filipinos may still enjoy life in the most basic ways, which is why it is more fun in the Philippines.
Agreed
Hello! Micheal, Thank you so much for sharing all this information with us. you do such a good job. I appreciate all you and Bianca do. Have a great weekend.
Very,very, good presentation Sir!So accurate and intelligently explained.Mabuhay!!!
55 proof is around 27.5% alcohol content, just divide it into two :)
Great content btw, just continue and wish you all the best
Wow those freshly catch fish are so delicious certainly
prices depends in each regions or places in the Philippines Sir...😊👌👍
Very true
Everything is cheap in P.I except housing and land for foreigners that is, depends where you want to live ex. Manila vs province life but still cheaper than in the States. For locals everything is expensive it seems. That's the dilemma, we need to get our minimum wage up to a higher range so the locals can afford living expenses and live a middle income life. But with the internet, there are so much opportunities today to make $ in both social media and online market places to make an income.
10k lot is average in the cities, in the provinces its around 3k for major towns and less than 1k for more remote rural areas.
True....I'm in Canada and prices of commodities is way way cheaper there in the PHILIPPINES than here.
Have fun and enjoy your stay there.
I miss my beautiful country so much after 36 years.I wish to be home soon.
I would love to see more of that beach a while back and the fish bargaining happening between traders
Great video! Thanks for your casual thoughts and explanation of simple costs ! 🙏
Rate arbitrage is the primary reason why BPOs snd outsourcing have grown here by leaps n bounds. English proficiency comes only 2nd
Mabuhay 🙏 that’s a good news that are some things are affordable to buying in the Paradise Island in our beautiful country the Philippines 🇵🇭
Video is spot on as a foreigner... you're right, you can live $1,000 - 500 a month if you know where to go to get the best bang for your buck....im a local and I probably earn close to a minimum wage in the US which is a huge amount for us in the Philippines and I could live lower than $500 a month if I wanted too...living here is a huge lifehack for foreigners l
it was the best decision to move to the Philippines…. love it..
June or July, it will start to rain. And when it rains, it pours. 20 Big typhoons comes in the Philippines every year. Some are really scary
Indeed, a risk in most beautiful places
I like how you started with the alcoholic beverages. Important items first lol
Hahaha to a foreigner coming here to relax I figure they would appreciate that!
@@BiancaBeyond Thank you guys. Auto subscribe just for that! haha
Moved from the states and love it here. Fyi, there is also Lycee flavored San Miguel light beer.
Oooh haven't seen that one yet
@@BiancaBeyond The lycee flavor is sweet. I prefer just the lemon.
It's good time to travel in Manila since the Philippine Peso is higher now. Like 51 Peso per $1 USD
if you wanna buy electronics and gadgets its better to buy in the mall. if you want kinda like walmart type Store there's Snr and Landers and there's a lot of SM Malls., Robinson. If you want to build a house you just got to go to Hardware stores there's a Lot and also There's All home and Wilcon Depot for construction materials.
Very true saldy nothing like that on Boracay so we had no choice but online
@@BiancaBeyond there's in iloilo
Wow amazing there a lot of fish bro I missed that kind of fish is fresh from the sea by the way shoutout next vedio
Thank-you so much for this video, truly. My husband and I contemplate retirement in the Philippines, and it's videos like yours that give us sound advice and important information. I just stumbled upon you and your lovely wife yesterday, absolutely enjoyed the journey into Tondo to find family there. I've subscribed! Your wife has such a beautiful, sweet, positive spirit. And I adore how open and adventurous you are to the country. Maybe one day, we'll be breaking bread in PI with you (our treat!). Until then... God bless. Keep creating! Keep sharing! Your friend/subscriber form Guam, the island "where America's day. begins"
That would be wonderful, we look forward to it. And thank you for the compliments
true solar energy is picking up.. some cities allow net metering.
in philippines the government dont interfer with your solar power
Hello sir! watching here from pangasinan Philippines
Interesting facts and makes the place very inviting. You never mentioned the cost of health care,is it easy to get and how much are medications? As you get older you need these things!
Healthcare is low cost, no country in the world compares to the selection of medications that america has but there will be something close. A lot of foreigners choose to self insure with a savings account for it specifically, if you are healthy you are unlikely to use anything major. If you are older and higher risk then there are many plans which are far cheaper than anything you'd pay in the western world.
@@BiancaBeyond so true.
Welcome to our place of paradise just right infront of your door!
Enjoy the culture, food, traffic, places to explore and many more! 🙂
Thank you. For loving the Philippines
Using Solar is actually increasing. it's a Trend now. so your maybe right. it will take over
....M doing laps around the yard while talking finances.....yep that's a Thursday 😉.
Honestly, I love the content. M - you are a business man, no hiding it. B is so lucky she has you and your intellect ❤️🤍❤️
Absolutely! However, safety and security maybe an issue at some point. I guess it depends on which part of the country one wishes to retire. Nevertheless, it's a pressing matter on top of finance. I reckon, most people think otherwise. Good job on this 👍
We can speak for ourselves and this has been the safest experience for us anywhere!
Just to cite a reference. Homicide rate in Venezuela is 50 per 100K people.
The Philippines , 4.
For that somebody who asked about my source. It’s from UNODC of United Nations.
Crime rates here have drop significantly. Philippines is on a safer side for tourist.
@@shevyalvia6491 Good to know. I was appalled by the incumbent president's move on substance users. Just thinking out loud that people with authority commit heinous crimes themselves.
Thumps up, Filipinos can live at 300 US dollars a month 4 a 5 family member, less housing, its already considered somewhat middle income class level, due to low inflation. What rising commodities prices now n d Phillipines s due 3x higher petrol price due to Ukraine Russia war...
Crazy thing is crude oil prices were the same in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013 but gas prices were no where near today's. (In 2008 it went as much as 145 usd a barrel) prices go up but rarely go back down
Just subscribed and watching the videos
You have a proud new subscriber. Keep up the good work.
Am impress... Am not bored... Am subscribing
That's why our overseas contract workers are our heroes. They go abroad to work and the families enjoy the benefits here.
Great vlog brother,as a filipino your lines speaks greatly for us,its true 1000usd a month is enough,for sure, if you will retire here invest first in your own house then you have your pension I think it will be the best thing to do,live happy,a modest house and lot here is very affordable
If you divide proof by half then that would be the alcohol content. For example, the Tanduay light would be 25% alcohol since it is 50 proof.
Its cheap here than Canada ..
I hope you enjoy your new home here in Philis ..
And people are easy to go with , gain lotscof friends and you will gain a Big Family to help you whenever you needed some help .
I agree with your honest opinion.
COLT45 @ 85 , BEER na BEER @ 82 is even cheaper than GOLD EAGLE. Same size
I only drink Gold Eagle..I can only find it in our provinces...never seen it for sale in manila...
Gold Eagle are marketed mostly only the provinces
You can also go live on your yt channel and ask us Filipinos anything that you want to know, maybe we can help you to adapt quicker or maybe we can provide some tips and tricks on how to negotiate prices with filipino. That construction wage is province rate though.
Eventually when we have enough subs we will do lives, you need a lot of people to make it active and fun to keep it interesting. Hopefully soon
Cambodia and Vietnam are cheaper, especially electricity and you can get almost anything the same as the West. Rent is cheaper too.
Most important for me is medical care is very good and service is excellent. Thailand is even better for medical care, equal to any Canadian hospital without the wait. Only down side is paying for health insurance, but if you want an MRI just walk in and pay $100 and you'll have one in an hour.
Same with a full check up, blood work , echocardiogram, x-ray etc. will cost you around $250 including doctor's fee.
All that stuff I just pay out of pocket.
Some areas in the Philippines I know they have fairly good hospitals, but the service I hear isn't as good. I could be wrong it's only what friends that live there have told me.
Take care, happy traveling 💖
We did visit Cambodia but just as the pandemic hit there so one day we will visit again. But for living we are staying here because Bianca is getting her citizenship
One important thing you are missing, 98% of Filipinos understand English. As a foreigner communication with the locals is really really important.
He is in the province so he said that most things are cheap, not in Manila and the main cities. But still cheaper than most countries. Just be prepared to shell out for electricity especially if you have air conditioning
Boracay is heaven for fish and seafood lovers! So low cost there! In Metro Manila, that 400+ peso fish will cost twice or thrice as much!
Video is on point!
I am a local in the Philippines and carpenters and masons is price somewhere at 700 to 1,200php a day. The laborers are the cheaper one's at around 400php a day.
Those fresh fish 🐠 sooo good!
You can use the bamboo as a firewood when the color turns from green to yellow. Then dry it under the sun and viola! You have a good firewood waiting for ya.
(Don't forget to cut it vertically first*__*)
We have minimum wage in manila city 500/ day or 10usd in the province the minimum salary is 400/day, 8 working hrs.
I'm sure I'm a bit late to the party, but construction costs or building costs do dramatically change by location as some islands have their own factories that can supply dirty cheap products in that area. Also ofcourse try buying products from the factories themselves.
And again try to look for local alternatives, sometimes they are far cheaper than imported items, a good example of this is charchoal, some vendors in the city sell them for 12 pesos but outside the city, around 30 minutes drive.. you can get them for 5 pesos a pack...
San Miguel is a world class beer. It is the number one beer in Hong Kong. The San Miguel beer in Spain originated from the Philippines. That’s a 18.8 billion dollars company. Tanduay is the largest run maker in the world.
Tanduay is 'Rhum' ;)
Retiring in the Philippines is a bliss!
You should also try having a vacation house at the mountains. No pollution + you can plant lots of veggies at your backyard and even have some chickens.
We actually hope to buy land a build one day in the future so that may become our life full time instead of vacation, we don't know yet but after a couple years or so travelling around the country we hope to have a good idea
@@BiancaBeyond check out Armstrong Family Vlog here on UA-cam. They bought land in the northern part of Luzon for cheap then they built their dream house.
@@Thigsy love that channel and that house is unbelievable, best custom home I have seen in a while
Lovely video, however, the movement made me a bit dizzy around @11:23 onwards. However, I love the talk and the topic!
your awesome and thank you for being honest , its still better to live in the philippines while young. enjoy while you can.
I think the Philippines is great young and old, but definitely come as soon as you can :)
Wow your prices are so accurate. I hope you also mentioned the prices in the US so that we'll have a comparison.
USA has seen such fast inflation you couldn't keep an accurate video
as an expat it is cheap, but for locals not so cheap if in the bigger city centers..
Where you can already have a full meal at $1-$2. Yes, it's cheap. But rent in PH, is a little bit expensive. Probably for a dollar earner though, it may not matter. For comparison, China's rent is 50%+ less than in PH. How I wish our apartments/flats are that nice and cheap too.
Love the PI. Manila is super expensive but great place to be. Still will never eat street food anywhere in the world
You won't try Japanese street food? 😳
Thanked you for visiting the philippines!🤗
as a filipino ,im more excited reading in the comments to see other foreigners want to move here
The Pepsi in bottle omg good
May God give you safety always as you keep going around the country
vlogging ! God bless you !
We in the province we only watch tv for the news or weather. Less than 1 hour a day
Very informative especially for foreigners wanting to stay for quite a while in the Phils, good job!😊
As someone from Philippines who now lives in Canada. I just miss the taste of home and foods that are not found here, and are costly to import.