Prices? In the Philippines is what most want to know before they come

There are plenty of threads on here with prices for everything.  Where do you want to live?  How many bedrooms do you need?  What will your source of money be?  Do you require high speed faithful internet?  Are you married?  Have you ever been to the Philippines?  Why the Philippines?

I don't buy stuff all the time. For grocery, I mostly buy in public market.

But numbeo is a good source of information. I can say that the number was given are quite correct:

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co … hilippines

In the big Malls you will spend near as much as in America. If you need imported food you will pay more than in America. So depends on what you wish to spend and how early you want to get up here.   If you do like me and arise a hour before daylight and head to the dock.  Fish, lobster, shrimp are very cheap.            If you go to the wet market 1/2 to 2/3rds what you pay in America. At the store 2/3rds of American price.  At the market produce is 1/2 or less than in America.  And of good quality.  But eat what is available in season. So get out and learn prices and how to shop here is the big thing. Cloths less than $2 U.S. 98- 99 peso for good new nit collared shirts.  500 peso, $11 for high quality cargo shorts.  Name brand at one time as the brands are cut out but still new.  But I have no pride. I will dive to the bottom of the discount bins to find my size and leave with pride and buy that way.  You want a sales person waiting on you the price doubles and goes up from there.  So a lot is how you want to live here.  You need first class you pay for it. You ride the jeepny and discount shop not afraid to walk some and bargan hunt life is 1/2 what it cost in America for the same quality of life.  But you need get out and learn how to shop and what prices are here.  Always have back up money stashed on you here as well.  You find the strangest things here for next to nothing in the strangest place when out and about.  If you keep your eyes open.  So to live well and cheap here it is not American shopping but getting out and seeing what is were and for what.  Then having some cash stashed on you to buy.  I see to many here afraid to get out and see what is going on.   And just taking the lady's word for all. They pay double for what they should be spending.

If you want to live as well as a middle class American here in the Philippines like the same lodging, food, transportation, utilities, etc. it is actually more expensive to live in an urban area like Manila than in most smaller cities in the US...Rent a 1500 sq ft 3 bed home  in Manila comparable to nice urban home in the US will cost as much as 20 to 50% more in Manila...Price on power per KWH is at least 15% higher in the PI...Auto taxes and Gas prices are twice as high  than in the USA...If you want to eat the same foods as in the USA expect to pay a minimum of 15 to 30% higher prices in the Philippines(example: 2.4 lb Folgers Classic Ground Coffee - US price $8, PI $25)...Even though most restaurant menus in the Philippines appear to be 10 to 30% cheaper in the Philippines they tend to be of poorer quality and much smaller in portion size than in the US...You cant legally own land in the Philippines and many expats who bought land and built have lost all through corruption and deceit....If you have children there are little or no playgrounds and schools really suck in the PI...

The positives for the Philippines are beach front properties are much cheaper to rent in the rural areas but normally the infrastructure sucks like roads, power outages, lack of reputable nearby hospitals, etc....Dental services are relatively cheap but finding one which is sanitary and reputable can be a challenge...MInimum required auto insurance is very cheap...Unbranded clothes are very cheap but the US has many discount stores and closeout sales which are as or near as cheap...Public transportation is very cheap in the PI but there are risks as well as having to breathe in serious pollution like Manila...Water in the PI is much cheaper but no tap water is potable so there is the inconvenience of have to order water or pick it up most of the time...Medical is somewhat cheaper here but I would never want to trust any of the hospitals with my life in an emergency situation and drugs overall are higher in the PI...

With all the above my point is overall if you want to live well in the PI as the USA than be prepared to pay the price but if you wish to downgrade your living standards to that of most Filipinos than you can expect to live as much as 50% cheaper than that of the USA..

My advice is: Dont move here permanently but just for short visits to get a feel for the country...Myself I cant wait to get my wife and children out of this country of RED FLAGS and back to the good ole USA and my once again very predictable and affordable upper middle class lifestyle...Did I say UPPER middle class; well after being in the PI for over 3 years what used to be only a middle class feeling will most definitely feel like an UPPER CLASS feeling...LOL