 | Living in the Philippines Like a King on US$9,500 per month.
by Don Herrington
don.herrington@livinginthephilippines.com
Wan to save money on everything? My dollars go so far here in the
Philippines even I don't believe it. And the quality of life is
fantastic not only because of the prices but because of the pepople.
I am former US Peace Corps staff member, can't claim the honor of
voluntter, former owner of my own business in the US. I only have a
small pension, a little social security and some savings. But I am
living in kingly style, on a budget, with hospitable people who speak
English good enough. I do feel like a king. And I tell you why.
My two live in web helpers and a maid each cost about $45 per month
and of course their food. Of course having helplers really makes me
feel like a king and take all the chores out of my life. They are
helpers, but more like daughters to me and friends. My Filipina wife
enjoys the freedom from housework and errands as much as I do. And
she is free to study in her pharmacy course at college here. Her
tuition is $230 per semester.
I pay $280 for a large six bedroom, four bath house with a nice yard
two telephones in a great neighborhood. The maids keep it up with the
help of the neighborhood kids. It is in the university area of Cebu
City, the Paris of the Philippines, where the mountains meet the sea.
It is the land of scuba diving and beaches, rain forest wandering,
night clubbing and bar, hopping. And for a continuing education for
you retirees there is DSL at $50 per month, maybe more expensive than
the States. But with the low cost of other things you should be able
to afford it. Dial up, 33K is about 18 cents per hour, not as
convenient as DSL but a lot cheaper.
There are excellent hospitals nearby. My next neighbors are
professionals. They are not rich, but the neighborhood is mostly
professional, upper middle class. Even more fancy big houses in big
guarded subdivisions with swimming pools and servant quarters can be
had for about $1,000 per month. Besides the cost, I like the
friendliness of the people in the more modest neighborhoods. Finding a
house like mine as such a good price will take a month, maybe, but you
could get lucky and find one in a day like I did.
Public transportation is great in Cebu City, a city of about 500,000
hospitable souls. It is not the only great one to live in. Baguio,
the summer capital of the Philippines, cool year around in the
mountains is excellent too.
The Philippines is the truly the only English speaking Christian
country in Asia, so communicating with the driver is not a problem.
Taxis are air-conditioned, new, and readily available. You can go to
anywhere in town for $2.50 and a long trip to the airport is about
$6.00. Make that even less with the recent continued devaluation of
the peso. Yesterday I went to visit a friend and my taxi fair was 25
pesos. I gave him 30 pesos, .75 US cents. He chased me when I got out
of the car to give me the change, about .10 cents. He could not
understand why such a big tip, or a tip at all. I guess I am just a
spendthrift. I do not recommend buying or driving a car here. BTW,
today's peso rate was 56.25 to 1 US dollar. Today is November 24 here,
8 hours ahead of the States.
Jeepneys (elongaged localy made jeeps) are the way most people travel.
They are ornate, loud or gaudy, depending on your taste, jeep style
vehicles that carry from 14 to 22, seats on each side. Two ride with
the driver "shotgun." Those seats are reserved for the disabled. They
have flags, decorations, colors, family and nicknames, logos from
everything imaginable, mud flaps, and other ornaments covering them.
And they even altars on the dashboards. The shotgun seat is best and
reserved for the disabled. You can travel across the whole city for
about .05 US cents. Jeepneys are harder to get at rush hour, though
there is not too much rush here. Have you heard of Filipino time?
Jeepney travel is a good way to meet a lot of nice local folks. You
sit with them face to face. They do love Americans and all foreigners
here, perhaps to a fault. You can do no wrong, if you are a guest in
their country. Jeepneys and taxis are safe. In fact Cebu City is a lot
safer generally than most places I have lived in the States. You can
walk the city streets at 3:00 in the morning and have no problems,
male or female or in-between, in almost all parts of the city.
I got a haircut and short massage yesterday from my best barber in his
air- conditioned shop for .80 cents. My dentist has put caps on my
teeth for $70 per cap. He practiced in the States, Century City, as a
cosmetic dentist for five years and brought all his equipment back
with him. That is why he is so high, compared to other dentist here,
he says. I can't let him know how outrageously low I feel his prices
are, now can I? A face lift, the works, eyes up and down included, is
about $3,000 including three or four day stay in a quality hospital.
And the many tests required are included in that cost. They are test
you must have prior to qualifying for this elective procedure.
Airfares are low to get here, especially off season, so if one is
considering dental work or cosmetic surgery, they could save a lot of
money by visiting here. The saving would more than pay for the airfare
and other expenses you will have. Now if you are only going to have
one gold heart implanted in a tooth, it may not be a good idea. But I
don't know recent US dental prices. It may pay.
There are many mammoth shopping malls here with everything you can get
in the USA. Some of the imported good are higher priced but some are
lower. New books, reprints for sale only in the Philippines, can be
very cheap. There are local markets that are more "old Filipino" in
nature where a lot of bargaining goes on. At the malls the prices are
fixed price. The local markets are much more colorful. But you have
to be a skilled in bargaining local style to get the local price.
Southeast Asians are known for their bargaining abilities. And they
know the "nibble."
If you want American food it is all here, from Shakey's, McDonald's to
the Marriott Hotel's best restaurant I have ever eaten in. The Hyatt
is upscale and good too. Radio Shack just came here and other discount
US retailers have just gotten permission to move in, including some
banks though Bank of American, Citibank and HSBC have been here for a
long time.
To get rid of your money, there are Casinos, all the latest movies
(movies are about a dollar fifty for the best, in English) and
thousands of computer diskettes for just a couple of dollars, though
not quite legal, I feel sure. PlayStation games are less than a buck.
But the local machines only run on the 220 voltage.
I trained one of my maids who was formerly a cook for a group of
Japanese students how to cook American. She is pretty good. And I get
my hot whole wheat bread fresh from the oven every day made to my
specs.
Filipino men are very handsome and romantic, and very polite
especially to foreign women. The women are stunningly beautiful and a
delight to be around. My 26 year old Filipina wife is a prime example.
Nightlife is fantastic and cheap and abundant. I guess the Philippines
is known for that, more than anything else, but there is so much more.
I don't do so much nightlife because I married one of these beauties
three years ago. She is certainly the best thing that has happened in
my life, except maybe moving here.
Universities abound in Cebu and other major cities. It is an excellent
place to get a very cheap but very good education. You may know of the
many Filipino MD's, nurses, CPA's, lawyers, etc. working the States on
their Filipino credentials after taking a US tests for certification.
The courses here are geared to the US requirements. Computer schools
are everywhere in the last few years. A private tutorial on Corel Draw
or PhotoShop or some such by a local computer school teacher is about
$50. If they come to your home: about $5.00 less if you go to them.
Language lessons, if you want to learn any foreign language tutors are
about $1.00 per hour.
There were some political and economic problems in the Philipines, but
they do not seem to be a threat to me here. And especially so since
the new government has stabilized things. But the peso continues to
weaken and the dollar gets stronger every time some radical group
makes a bomb scare in Manila. But they very rarely happen. And I
don't live there anymore. It is more dangers and more restrictive in
the US than here I feel sure than even Manila. Even expats Living in
Davao, where a few Muslim extremest are feel safer than the US. Vist
and find out for your self or by joing our maling list of thousands
and ask others. messages are answered quickly. But the website has
all you realy need to know.
Don A. Herrington
www.livinginthephilippines.com
Cebu City, Philippines
Where the mountains meet the sea
In the land of Smiles, the heart of the Philippines
Home of the 4,200 member free Yahoo Mailng List, Living, Traveling,
Retiring and Doing Business in the Phiipppines List.
The e-mail address skyinet.net is not working. You can get me at
don.herrington@livinginthephilippines.com
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