"Philippines to reach upper middle class status in 2025"

... and eat Salmon and prawns

Cheers, Steve.
-@bigpearl
I live in the Visayas. Where did you find Salmon? Maybe frozen at a supermarket catering to expats? I can find fresh lapu-lapu and marlin at the market, and farm raised prawns for sure but never salmon. I have heard of people surviving on 1200 but for me, I would have to readjust a few things. Good for you!
-@danfinn

Hi dann, yes frozen Atlantic Salmon from the supermarket, most times the fillets are skinless but on occasion we find with skin and cook crispy skin. Oysters,

Prawns, squid other fish types etc. from the local wet market, surprising what you can find when you look, even found Vegemite in a local supermarket.

US 1200 per month is for day to day living, food, power, fuel, rates, rego's and insurance, gasul, water, internet, phones, Cignal etc. but dancing girls or a trip to Italy are not factored in. No rent or loans. Much cheaper here than Australia that is ranked 15th or 16th most expensive compared to the Phills @92 or 93rd.

Having a partner here makes an easy choice once you get over the frustrations

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

Double post, my bad.

Cheers, Steve.

3,200 per month US? To survive here? That's ridiculous and then some, we survive here very well on US 1,200 per month or less and eat Salmon and prawns, buy what we want when and where, run a car (insured) and 2 bikes, live on the beach, own the home and retired comfortably at 60, should have done it sooner, b@gger working until 70.
OMO.

Cheers, Steve.
-@bigpearl

On reflection now with electricity doubling and fuel the same over the last year or so, I need to add another US 150 per month so really 1,350.  Or near AU 2,100 per month.

Cheers, Steve.

I would agree that $1200 or $1300 a month would be enough for the essentials (rent, food, elec, water, gas, etc), but wouldn't be enough fir a lot of entertainment, or travel from island to island, or esp travel from SE Asian country to country. I myself would feel better with a "buffer" amount of at least $1700 to $2000 a month....this is all IMO.

Agree Harbred, That is our monthly living costs and in that are the fact that I drink like a fish and smoke like a burning tyre. No rent.

Holidays, new phones or laptops, a new car or bike are on top of that.

The 9/10 workers here cost us around AU 3,000 per month, US 1,950. Materials double to triple that but that's only for 7 to 8 months.

An example with regards to the OP's post? When the guys started here Ben was paying the labourers PHP 450 per day and up to the lead mason 700. We put the labourers up to 500 per day as they work their derrieres off and some tell Ben that we are overpaying..... Aside the lead mason is on 700 per day and very happy getting 16,800 per month and the lower paid guys 12,000, they have families, most of them.

So say an average of PHP 168K per year, long way to go to reach even middle class but they all are happy.

Cheers, Steve.

I am flying back and fourth 2 times a year right now still working a bit, and have a business(owner absent).... and will officially retire in about 5 or so years with a projected 4000 per month  split between ! 2500 per month pension, 401k, and a little social security(if it's there)... also have a savings of additional 300,000.... already paid 8.5 million peso cash for home in Dapitan, Mindanao...  and cash for our 2 mopeds... should be fine... goal is to "live" on between 1500 - 2000 month, and save the rest for trips, etc...

As far as I can see an important caveat has not been addressed here. Do the above budgets include a partner? The cost of living for 2 people will be significantly higher than one especially when you factor in unexpected costs such as hospital, dental bills for the spouse, G/F that the expat will be obliged to pay for. Not to mention the cost of the 'hangers on' budget.

Interesting Synopsis Lotus but only from my observations and costs that/our budget includes 2 of us for everything including PhilHealth and all the day to days I mentioned.

As for the hangers on the budget? We got rid of that tripe a year or two ago and save 40/50K per year.

The old saying? God helps those that help themselves.

Cheers, Steve.

Omo;

I can't see nor feel how in the year 2025 the current average Philippino family will ever get to live a middle class lifestyle....maybe they meant 2035 onwards

Though they do have a younger demographic population (26 yo) which may indeed be an advantage provided their current young are groomed by their respective families/institutions in securing suitable employment overseas mainly to other better developed countries that could already be facing their very own aging work population like ours which currently stands close to (42 yo).

This I feel is a little sad as these young locals are actually being forced into leaving their homeland/families/loved ones behind just to earn this extra foreign exchange which they are expected to send back for the upkeep of their families in the pursuit of a not so middle class lifestyle.

Again Omo.

One's budget is predicated by the lifestyle they want to enjoy living by.  You can live quite comfortably outside of a major city on a budget of 1,500 USD a month. If you're living within Manila, you might want to make that 2,000 USD but even that might be quite generous in most cases.

@Wellsfry If/when they reduce social security, they will most likely continue current benefits from age 55 up at the time of the change and gradually eliminate it completely. Politicians will try to make it as painless as possible considering the voting public's backlash and people will likely get gradually reimbursed for money paid in through future tax credits. If there is a deficit in cash balance they will simply print the money and live with the consequences of inflation and possibly eliminating the COLA.

This I feel is a little sad as these young locals are actually being forced into leaving their homeland/families/loved ones behind just to earn this extra foreign exchange which they are expected to send back for the upkeep of their families in the pursuit of a not so middle class lifestyle.

-@manwonder

The Philippines produce more manpower than there are jobs available. So manpower export is one of the features the country benefits from in terms of GDP. My friend, Google, says it brings in 10% of the GDP. I do not know what exactly is GDP but it sounds like this 10% is a good thing. I think a great majority of them I think are laborers, domestic help, and some of them are nurses, engineers, sw developers. Some of them gets trapped in less honorable jobs. Someone told me upon driving up to the ilocos region, one can see new houses being built with designs from where the owner work overseas. To many, leaving for work to another country is a source a pride. One will get to earn more and see the world. Another added benefit to young overseas worker, they become more attractive bachelors or bachelorettes.

@Jackson4

GDP = Gross Domestic Product which is a measure of the size and health of a countries economy.

I think a lot of OFW's or at least the women end up working abroad because they have a kid or kids, the father does a runner and leaves them to raise them. From what I have been told by a couple of women, even though there is meant to be an entitlement to paid Maternity leave, some companies just do not pay it so many will either quit there jobs or take unpaid leave, may even end up turning to loan sharks to borrow money and all of a sudden they are in debt. They then look for a way out. Jobs in the Philippines pay next to nothing so the only other options are shack up with another bloke and probably repeat the cycle of pregnancy and the bloke doing a runner or find an Agency to help them find work overseas.

Imagine having to leave your kid or kids for 2 years (seems to be the average contract length) and missing out on so much of the child's development. It is a massive commitment and sacrifice to make. What makes things worse is, if when the child grows up and is a girl, they make exactly the same mistakes as the mother.

Compulsory Paid Maternity Leave and more weeks of it and checks made to make sure it is paid,  better education, sex education and better opportunities and better paid jobs in the Philippines would help along with help with education costs for the poorer members of society.

Will it happen - No - so more people will go abroad to work in crappy jobs which can only be described as one step up from slave labour.

It happens both ways, Cherryann.  I know three unmarried Filipinas who went to work abroad, two as nurses, and all three got pregnant in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai.  The two nurses returned to the Philippines,  gave birth, and then went back to work overseas, sticking the grandmothers to raise the children in the Philippines with monthly contribution from abroad.

             The third woman stayed in Dubai and gave birth.  Since she was not married she was arrested and forced to name the father.  The father was deported to Pakistan immediately while the mother was sentenced to six months in prison and then deported to the Philippines.   The mother and son arrived in Manila with nothing but the clothing they wore.

               Unfortunately no laws of the Philippines would have changed any of this.

What is middle class?

My middle class definition will differ from others depending on their origin or what you are comparing it to.

Now in the states the poorest has many safety nets of programs available. Some of those safety nets are better than the middle class. For example Medicaid not to be confused with Medicare.

Medicaid is welfare for the poor, regardless of age. Millions of poor people receive Medicaid, while millions of middle class working people cannot afford health insurance.

I've often heard the poor people of America live better than the middle class of Europe? So if a veneer of this is accurate, than the middle class of America is in the upper class in the Philippines?

The "Ugly" Side Which No One Dares to Talk About...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thegua … -world-cup

Exactly Bob, and it's all relative depending on expectations, the country and individuals that think or know they are middle class, above or dream.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.

The "Ugly" Side Which No One Dares to Talk About...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thegua … -world-cup
-@manwonderIt

This applies to all the countries in the Arabian Gulf. It's only become salient because of the World Cup. The recruitment system is termed 'Kafala' - effectively a closed door protection racket with kick backs along the way ultimately paid for by the overseas workers who are a commodity to be bartered over.

The media circus has now moved on and the plight of many Filipino (& other Asians) will soon become a footnote.

'Next news item please'

The "Ugly" Side Which No One Dares to Talk About...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thegua … -world-cup
-@manwonderIt

This applies to all the countries in the Arabian Gulf. It's only become salient because of the World Cup. The recruitment system is termed 'Kafala' - effectively a closed door protection racket with kick backs along the way ultimately paid for by the overseas workers who are a commodity to be bartered over.

The media circus has now moved on and the plight of many Filipino (& other Asians) will soon become a footnote.

'Next news item please'
-@Lotus Eater

Sweden was not invited to the world cup. . . Coach 52.9 could have brought home the Bacon.

@Enzyte Bob

Sweden was not invited to the world cup. . . Coach 52.9 could have brought home the Bacon.

-@Enzyte Bob

Or surströmming