# Living expenses



## Bobgall (Jan 11, 2016)

Hi everyone

Can anyone give me a ball park figure for living expenses in the Phils?

I intend to purchase a Condo, so no rent to worry about. Just food, bills, etc. a modest, but comfortable lifestyle is what I'm seeking.

Any opinions appreciated.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Bobgall said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> Can anyone give me a ball park figure for living expenses in the Phils?
> 
> ...


With the condo paid for you should be sitting pretty good, so your only bills will be the following:

Electricity with slight Air conditioning use will run from 2,500 - 5,000 pesos per month it depends on your location and how hot the condo spot is, facing the sun side or Northern side.

Water is roughly 500 pesos per month.

Transportation: If you have your own vehicle you could save if not the costs, hassles can add up if you like to get around and find those good deals, if you perform a one stop shop the costs of groceries could add up because the Mall grocery stores and major chains can mark up those prices, especially vegetables but the markets sell them at much lower cost.

Internet: a decent connection will run you roughly 2,000 pesos per month.

Drinking water: Hot and cold dispenser is 5,000 pesos and the large bottled water delivered is 25 peso's.

Restaurant prices are similar or cheaper, if you eat food at smaller mom and pop spots you could save more but make sure to get all your shots for hepatitis and any other SE Asian shots such as Typhoid or similar, ask your doctor.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

M.C.A. said:


> With the condo paid for you should be sitting pretty good, so your only bills will be the following:
> 
> Electricity with slight Air conditioning use will run from 2,500 - 5,000 pesos per month it depends on your location and how hot the condo spot is, facing the sun side or Northern side.
> 
> ...


The condo will have reacuring association fees and I assume yearly property taxes.


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## JRB__NW (Apr 8, 2015)

A lot depends on your eating preferences. Cook at home like a Filipino and it will be cheap. Eating out in western style restaurants can add a lot because they are almost as expensive as in the US. BTW, I pay 70 pesos for 5 gal bottled water from Nature Spring to be delivered in my condo. I would definitely not cheap out on water as some of these refilling stations and companies are sketchy. Not been sick yet. 

Also remember to budget for travel to other islands - the Philippines is a phenomenal archipelago to travel within. Places like Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, and many, many more to see.. we go somewhere locally for a weekend every month, and a bit further a couple of times a year - the cost of that adds up, especially if you go to visit other SE Asian countries.


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## bairdlander (May 23, 2012)

Bobgall said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> Can anyone give me a ball park figure for living expenses in the Phils?Just food, bills, etc. a modest, but comfortable lifestyle is what I'm seeking.
> 
> Any opinions appreciated.


I see you are from Oz...so currently its 33peso to 1 Australian $...I am from Canada and I am at the same exchange rate now...it depends on where you shop...example I buy a dozen eggs at Walter Mart a grocery chain in PI...cost 170p...convert to Canada dollars equals $5...price in Canada $2.99...BUT there is someone who has their own chickens in the neighbourhood and sells a dozen for 165p ...or 5p for 1 egg...3 fresh chicken legs 170p....price in Canada..195p...loaf of bread in PI....50p..or $1.50 in Canada...price in Canada same....my point being with our bad exchange rates there is not much difference for food costs..at least thats been my experience...of course when the Canada dollar is higher...more savings.Also note these are Metro Manilla prices...you mentioned a condo so I assume you are in a city.And if you plan on eating as you would back home in Oz...it will cost you more.


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## Phil_expat (Jan 3, 2011)

Many has said that it depends on your life style, I agree! It also depends on where in the Philippines you will live since there are cheap and expensive locations.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

Here is mine. No rent because we built last year. This is our monthly, including pocket money (which pays for jeenpeys and eating out etc). It does not include any traveling. We get three 5 gallon jugs of drinking water delivered for p100 (comes out of pocket money). They last about 3 weeks.

Monthly Budget 

Groceries PHP 10,000.00 (p2,500 a week)
Electric PHP 4,000.00 
Globe PHP 1,300.00 
Cell Phone PHP 500.00 
Pocket Money PHP 10,000.00	

Total	PHP 25,800.00


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Bobgall...are you planning on living in Metro Manila? If so, I can give you some exact figures from my own personal living expenses in a Condo in Metro Manila...which is much different than living in the Province...

My condo is paid for so I also do not have to worry about monthly rent or mortgage payments. I also have my own vehicle paid for so I do not have to worry about monthly transportation expenses...except an occasional tank of fuel, (but I drive very little and when I do, it is very short trips to close by businesses and markets/malls).

Here is my personal monthly breakdown, (actual costs averaged over the past 14 months).

*MERALCO*, (Electric) - 6,210.00 peso's per month, (two bedroom condo, two bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen. two small room air conditioners in the bedrooms and a larger split type air conditioner in the living room, four burner stove top and oven, full sized refrigerator/freezer, microwave, miscellaneous other kitchen appliances, TV, two computers, home theater system, hot water tank, vacuum cleaner and a full sized washer and dryer for laundry.

*WATER* - 480.00 peso's per month, and I have washing machine and lots of plants to water a few times per week.

*PLDT*, (Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company) - 3,997.99 per month for the Triple Play Package - home landline telephone plus full fiber optic 112 channel cable TV access plus 5 mbts Internet access with wireless router.

*GLOBE *Mobile Postpaid Smart Phone Service - 1799.00 per month. Unlimited local calls and text and internet data usage.

*FOOD* - 14,560.00 per month, but I do not bargain shop...if I want it, I buy it...typically top quality brand name items from a membership warehouse facility. If I bargain shopped, I could reduce this if needed.

*FUEL* - 980.00 peso's per month - for my personal transportation. (Diesel).

As was already pointed out, if you own a condo, there are several monthly expenses due every month to the Condo Association to pay for common area electric and water usage, street lights and security guards, etc. and also your annual taxes and insurance charges on both your personal unit as well as all the common areas of the building or community. Here where I live, we are allowed to pay for these expenses in monthly payments OR one annual lump sum and receive a one month discount. At the end of each year they do a monthly estimate and you pay for 11 months up front, (for the following year), and get the 12th month free. This is what I do because it saves me about 8,000.00 to 9,000.00 peso's every year! I now pay about 35,0070.00 peso's per year for all the area amenities here at my condo community: three swimming pools, basketball court, two regulation badminton courts, children's playground, full gym, game room, function hall, club house, walking paths, awesome landscaping, two gate houses, (main gate and a smaller side gate), 15 full time security guards, (working shifts 24 hours a day), maintenance personnel, landscape personnel, swimming pool staff and house keeping/cleaning personnel. All of these expenses are all rolled into one flat price in my community for right around 35,000.00 per year, and that is about 2,917.00 per month.

*ASSOCIATION FEE's* mentioned above - 2,917.00 peso's per month.

SO...my total monthly expenses after purchasing my condo, I live very comfortable here with "everything" I could ever want for a TOTAL of 30,943.99 peso's as a monthly average over the past fourteen months while living in the higher expense area of Metro Manila and NOT bargain shopping. If I want it, I buy it and this is what I pay every month living here...just shy of 31,000 peso's per month for everything except additional entertainment, (I travel a lot and go scuba diving about eight or nine times per year).

I hope this helps shed some light on your question of how much it might cost to live here...and as pointed out earlier, It all depends on where you decide to hang your hat and call home as every area has a little bit different expense level with Metro Manila being the MOST expensive of all.


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