Monthly budget / expenses

60K (1200 USD) a month for a family of 3 sounds wonderful.  When I move full-time to the Philippines I will estimate my budget and then expect to double that figure.   Even at $2,500 USD a month I would be pleased.

Additional we put money away for my daughter schooling,

All in all, this adds up to approx. PHP 60K per month which I feel is high and off course I have to look at the remaining years at that cost plus inflation how we will sustain and survive.
    -@aklokow

If home schooling and aiming at she will work in own business, no need of expensive education.

Self studies can be both much cheaper and faster, partly by high educations aim at producing EMPLOYEES in big companies, so if aim at own business, some parts in normal higher education can be skiped.

(My Elementary school years was waiting for others in several subjects, so much WASTEING.

By I aimed at starting own business, I didnt need any exams. So I saved several years, worked to save start capital and started own business during others did spend both time and money at study in school, while I studied much faster by myself.

Beside reason to assist poor Filipinos, business started to prepare job possibilities for kids generations into future.)

I spend around 60k pesos in very expensive and cold Sweden. Only living space and heating cost over 30k pesos here, so I suppouse costs in Phils can be much lower (if not much at health).

You can save much by buying at wet market or biger amounts direct from farmers/fishermen.

E g farmers get only half of shop price for a common sack of rice when selling to traders, when I checked a few years ago. I suppouse you can get delivery to your home if you pay a litle extra.

In several places there are "Harvest sharing" deals between small farmers and "financieres" who pay in advance to cover fertilizer, seeds and such - NOT for work, because thats suppoused to be covered by farmer -  and get "paid" by share of the harvest, which is good pay at average harvests.  (Money back worth plus 25-33 % of the remaining of the harvest is common, although the foreigners I know do such are kind and ask less percent.) Thats good for poor farmers too by they get biger harvests than if they wouldnt afford fertilizer.

I suppouse can get deals about e g pigs too.

In Puerto Princesa cooperating farmers started deliver boxes with different vegs to homes of customers during covid. I dont know if still. 

@aklokow

I think you are doing great on P60K, I gather no rent.

I estimate we, 2 of us spend 15 to 20K a month on food and we eat very well, 20K a month on grog and smokes, used to be 10/11K a month for electricity but that is gone now with solar. I won't bore you with the finer details.

When we moved here to our home near 5 years ago our bur budget was what we spent and didn't matter and was around 70K per month, as time went on with inflation and price hikes we are now at 90 to 100K say 90K now with no electricity bill. Still much less than the cost to live in other countries.

Thanks for the heads up on the costs for maintaining 2 beloved pooches.

I'm thinking about selling the generator also as can't see the need for it anymore unless there is an invertor or battery problem and then we can switch back to mains power, cheaper than fuel.

You know our/your budget is extravagant compared to local budgets here, My highest paid guy is/was the electrician at P700 per day or say 16K per month.

Cheers, Steve.

Here in rural Central Luzon, monthly:

Rent, p4500 (1 BR, nice, 4 yrs old)

Electricity, p5000 due to continuous aircon

Food for us, p20000, wife gives away half to needy

Food for other family members, p10000

Gasoline for the Toyota Super Grandia, p5000

Allowance for Nanay, p5000

Converge (fiber Internet), p1650

Medical (varies), p2000

Roast chickens, burgers, pizza, p3000

No alak or smokes for the last 20-30 years.

Once a quarter:

S & R, home furnishings, food, p15000

Stef

Hi Steve yes you right we do not have rent as we own the place, and yes, I know we all are somehow extravagant compared to locals in our habits and choices. The fact also remains that we or at least I are not of Asian origin and would like somehow western food now and then not only noodles, rice, pancit, sisig etc.  Same for alcohol I drink for the occasion and not to get drunk, so I have a more selective choice of alcohol in the house compare again to local tradition where you will shoot Alfonse or Fundador out of the same glass doing the rounds until all are tipsy then head for the karaoke, which I still struggle with the extremely bad singing loud and lasting forever.

And Stef, nice breakdown, thanks for sharing and by the way we are also in Luzon, maybe we PM and see if we can catch up.

As for all thanks for sharing, it seems that we are pretty much spot on given the lifestyle we chose, yes one can save here and there a little in the end it seems that the 50 K to 70 K is the range.

Appreciate everyone's input.

I agree with Bigpearl, we are easily around 100K+ monthly for a family of three, 60-90 is doable but we are comfortable around that 100K mark...Thats total, everything from electric/food to entertainment and house/car maintenance etc...

@NNM3/DU3 and @aklokow

That's how it is for us vehicross but if we didn't drink and smoke we would save 20K but hey we all have vices, ours is just putting us in the grave earlier I suppose.

We are also Luzon, La Union, 40 minutes north of San Fernando City.

Cheers, Steve.

No rent

Paid cash for new car

Dog food: 7500p roughly No cheap shit for Buddy, Blue Buffalo

People food: 15000? Guesstimate based on buying some good beef

Internet: 1800p

Elec: 9000-12000 lots of AC

Gas 2500-3000p

Worker to clean property twice a week 600p

Sis in law to clean house twice a week 600p

Laundry - wash n fold: 1600p per month MAYBE

Misc household stuff 3000p

Under 50,000 total. Unless I spend on home improvements like this month, water storage-high pressure pump. 60,000.

She already owned this home outright. So I've only made improvements. Biggest one is a wall, stainless fence and gate around front and wall/fence around sides and back, fully enclosing property. Some cement pad and water drainage. And a couple AC units.

We run high AC like you and I wish we had as much beef. You mentioned the water storage tank with high pressure pump; we purchased a large stainless tank with I think a 1hp pump and I would like to say that is one of the best investments we have made here. Previously we had no water at some parts of the day and night and the water Pressure from Duma metro water was sometimes too low to operate water heaters on the showers. Now our water is reliable and comes out with high pressure. Wife is very happy because water is always available for a hot shower.

@danfinn

That's great to hear! We've had the same problems. We haven't had zero water, but low pressure like yours and weak or not enough to operate the heated shower. We have unique situation....When she bought this land 25+ years ago the water came from a spring-pipe that now has 20+ homes connected. The Baranguy added a big cement storage tank and new lines. We still have the old line. But this week, as we're adding the storage tank and pump, we're also adding a secondary line from that storage tank. This will help supply us and the piggery for sure. I'm looking forward to about Saturday when the cement pad is dry for the tank and we can add water and get that hot high pressure shower! I'm really glad you mentioned how happy you are with that setup.

@Larry Fisher and Dannfin

Just be mindful of the pressure setting on these pumps, especially if you have old plumbing, might not be able to handle the pressure and you could end up with internal wall leaks which will show after a long time and then its too late, expensive repair then.

Not sure if you will run a bladder tank or pressure vessel, we run a bladder tank, but I think a pressure vessel is probably better.

@Larry Fisher

Thank you for the monthly budget input very valuable. For me currently at 60k maybe if you start reducing some luxuries you could reduce another 10K but in the end you still need to live and enjoy life within reason. I do not smoke and drink occasionally so not much to save there.

But too all thanks a lot again, very informative and helpful input.

    @Larry Fisher and Dannfin
Just be mindful of the pressure setting on these pumps, especially if you have old plumbing, might not be able to handle the pressure and you could end up with internal wall leaks which will show after a long time and then its too late, expensive repair then.

Not sure if you will run a bladder tank or pressure vessel, we run a bladder tank, but I think a pressure vessel is probably better.
   

We set the pressure to the standard setting used by most people but I cannot recall what that number is. Our house is new so the plumbing is new but that doesn't mean there will not be problems herein the Phils. We haven't seen any issues. It is interesting that you mention this because, apparently, there is a related reason that we get no water at night: At night, demand is lower so pressure increases. Of course, they are not interested in our internal plumbing but the care about their own equipment and installations along the water system standing up to higher pressure causedby low demand. We do use a pressure tank that fills up about 1/3 with water (the rest is for air pressure) and as stated before, it works fine and we are extremely happy with it.

Posts from NNM3/DU3, aklokow, vehicross & bigpearl show that one can have a budget under 100k peso once domicile is established in the Philippines. SS pension can provide me a good living plus some small luxuries. How are you covering your medical insurance?

    Here in rural Central Luzon, monthly:
Rent, p4500 (1 BR, nice, 4 yrs old)
Electricity, p5000 due to continuous aircon
Food for us, p20000, wife gives away half to needy
Food for other family members, p10000
Gasoline for the Toyota Super Grandia, p5000
Allowance for Nanay, p5000
Converge (fiber Internet), p1650
Medical (varies), p2000
Roast chickens, burgers, pizza, p3000

No alak or smokes for the last 20-30 years.

Once a quarter:
S & R, home furnishings, food, p15000

Stef
   

    -@NN3M/DU3

Good Information, fellow ham...I am DU7SJF. Financially, you have it together.

Electric and water 4500p

Internet 3200p

Cellphones 999p

HOA 3000p

Grocery, restaurants and everything else 55,000p

Our budget also includes running a car and 2 bikes including comp insurance on the car. Estimate 4K P/M

PhilHealth: me 17K Ben 4.2K so like 1.8K per month

Internet PLDT globe at home, unli @ 1.3K per month.

2 phones probably 1K per month.

90K per month is ample but that doesn't include holidays and flights, nor new appliances.

Health insurance at a private level is self funded, wrote about this in another thread.

Cheers, Steve.

@aklokow,

We're all installed and running for a week now. Bladder tank setup. All new PVC. Approx 40 psi but only to the CR/Shower. Working great. No more heating water in teapot and pouring into bucket showers. The pressure makes all the difference for the shower water heater.

@Larry Fisher

Hi Larry that is great, maybe you can think to extend to all the water faucets in the house will be worth it, trust me.

Additional i would recommend to keep a spare bladder, its not expensive. I had one that failed on me and basically the pressure punp will run contiious as there is no pressure built up.

And in the town where we live i could not find a spare,  lucky friends of our were in Lucena and they got me one. Now i keep a spare

    @aklokow,
We're all installed and running for a week now. Bladder tank setup. All new PVC. Approx 40 psi but only to the CR/Shower. Working great. No more heating water in teapot and pouring into bucket showers. The pressure makes all the difference for the shower water heater.
   

    -@Larry Fisher

Yes, I was surprised to see how the water heaters here would not function with Dumaguete city water on the outskirts of town. One.of our improvements here was adding a water storage tank and a pressure tank. Now the heaters work well and we have plenty of water when the city water is turned off for a few hours each day including shower time on the morning. Installing that system was one of the best decisions we have made for our Valencia home.

.