Retiring in the Philippines

[synthia]

How many visa extensions can you get without having to leave the country?

[AsiaBill]

Originally Posted by synthia

How many visa extensions can you get without having to leave the country?

Recently this has changed as for many years we could extend up to one year then leave the country in the morning and come back in the evening. NOW it's Up to two years so maybe 10 to 12 visa extensions. I'm always late from 2 month to 4-1/2 month but when you apply on time and regularly they only issue 2 months at a time most of the time, why I don't know. Budget U$600 / year

I know all about the scammers and bludgers from my trips to Bali. Most of them are pretty harmless - like trying to charge you $25 for "quality" merchandise which is worth about $0.10c, or the "girlfriend" who latches on to you and tries to extract every cent possible. If you get caught, really its your own silly fault.

One thing I'm not too sure about is buying or leasing a house or villa. I haven't done this outside Australia. I'm sure there's dozens of traps. Most of the places advertised on the Internet seem to be at the top end of the market. Any comments would be appreciated.

[donselma]

Originally Posted by roy

Cagayan de Oro City (CDO) maybe your best option.

I have heard really good things about CDO. It's also one of the few cities in the Phils where pollution levels are Australian-North American standards. I think it has a PPM of 22 or so, which is about the same as New York. To put it in perspective for you (since I think you said you're Australian) most of the Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne) run about 15 or so. Anything under 30 should be clear skies.

Since you're traveling around right now, you're probably noticing how polluted even the medium-sized cities in the Phils are. I know the city I lived in, Dagupan, was horrible. I was not at all suprised when I got back and learned their PPM was in the 40's! All this data is UN-sponsored so it's reliable, i'll send the link upon request (or post it up here later if i get time) . . . it will be a good way to narrow things down . . .

As far as the living expensenes, my apartment in Dagupan, a 2-bedroom with "bathroom" (no shower or bath, only toliet ) and kitchen was 5,000 a month (I think). But I found a steal of another place as I was leaving that had a shower with hot water and three bedrooms I believe, for only 6,000. Honestly, anymore than 10,000 in Dagupan would be kingly--in fact, i doubt they exist!

I actually did find food at the grocery stores more expensive than it is in the US (unless you're going to live on a typical Filippino diet of rice, vegetables and fish) and most of my budget was easily going to that, at least $300 a month. Restaurants are a little cheaper than what you would pay in North America (sorry, I can't reference Australia here).

You might want to consider Camiguin--all the ex-pats rave about it. Palawan is getting to be a really popular place among Europeans as well--it's called "the last frontier" and there's essentially no heavy industry that will dirty it up anytime soon.

Remeber the phils has over 1,000 islands--1,007 is the official answer, "high tide or low tide" the unofficial joke, so I think you it will have the best variety from which to choose . . . Also, almost, I mean almost, even taxi drivers and grocery clerks, everyone speaks excellent if not fluent English, moreso than even India. If you do go with Bali, you might want to consider the islands just east of Bali: the names slip me, but Lombok and Flores are two of them I know. More pristine and lower cost of living.

Feel free to PM with any questions. Can also put you in touch with people from CGO, Cebu, Boracay or Luzon as well as ex-pats who have visited some of the lesser known places like Camiguin or Siquor.

Finally, Davao was rated the most liveable city in the Phils and one of the ten most liveable in Asia in the last year Asia Week (I think?) did their rankings. This would have been about ten years ago. I know a local from there as well as ex-pats you have visited there and had good things to say about it. I know the cost of living in Mindanao will be less than Luzon or Cebu and being in Davao, you will have the amenities of a Cebu or Manila. Kinda the best of both worlds: very liveable on $1,000 and a city of one-million plus that would have anything any city in the Philippines would.

Best luck in the search.

[time4achange]

Originally Posted by chris nayton

Hi everyone
I am a 55 year old Australian who is planning on retiring in the Philippines early next year.
I have been to Bali several times but never the Phils. I'll have an imcome of around $1000US per month. This amount would be fine for Bali, how would it go in the Phils? How do they compare?
I am holidaying in Borocay in Jan and would like to make some contacts.

Hi, just a quick note,
I am very interested in retiring to the Phils also.....
Would be good to have someone to share the problems and pitfalls with trying this out.
If yourstill interested please let me now
Cheers
Tony

[donselma]

Here's the link I promised (on pollution levels in the cities of the world). Just so you have a benchmark without having to sort through all the data, 15 is exceptional, 25 is good, and 35 or under is acceptable. That's just my general rule of thumb seeing the data and comparing it with me own experiences in various cities. For instance, Philadelphia, which I think is about 29 or so, was fine but I noticed a lot more pollution there than in my former home, San Diego. Los Angeles, which we all know about, is around 35 I think, which makes beautiful sunsets but lousy views during the day because of the haze, and Seoul, which is in the 40s--I actually got sick there and I know a lot of other expats who did as well. You'll notice most of the cities in the Phils are 40 or higher so try to find something in the 30s or lower (e.g. CDO) if it meets your needs.

Research - Air Pollution in World Cities (PM10 Concentrations)

[pathawkins]

Hi Chris

I am an aussie expat that has been living in the Philippines for 11 years using it as my base for consulting work across Asia and the Middle East.

We own several apartments and businesses here and have been using these for our living costs.

To give you some idea if you where to rent here. A one bedroom unit in a reasonable building in a nice part of Manila will set you back P15-20K per month ($A470-625)... which will eat away at your $A1,000 per month.

Should you choose to purchase this type of unit, it will set you back about $A65-80K thus allowing you to live quite comfortably on your $A1,000 per month.

The general cost of living is relatively inexpensive with your biggest expense being electricity - running an air con is expensive.

If you plan to live in the province, it is much much cheaper and housing in a nice area will be inexpensive.

Mate... if you want any further advise ... let me know ... my number in Manila is +63 917 3828772 ... there are a ton of us over here so you soon form a social group of mates to interact with





Pat Hawkins

Originally Posted by chris nayton

Hi everyone
I am a 55 year old Australian who is planning on retiring in the Philippines early next year.
I have been to Bali several times but never the Phils. I'll have an imcome of around $1000US per month. This amount would be fine for Bali, how would it go in the Phils? How do they compare?
I am holidaying in Borocay in Jan and would like to make some contacts.

[pathawkins]

Hi Synthia

You can extend your visa up to 1 year without having to leave the country

If you plan to stay longer than a year, you should look at getting Alien Residence

Chow



Pat

Originally Posted by synthia

How many visa extensions can you get without having to leave the country?

[pathawkins]

Hi Again Chris

There are a ton of good realtors here to choose from, it is a matter of finding the right one.

I do know of some that employ expats so that would be your best bet

Again... let me know if I can be of any help


Pat - Phone number removed by moderator

Originally Posted by chris nayton

I know all about the scammers and bludgers from my trips to Bali. Most of them are pretty harmless - like trying to charge you $25 for "quality" merchandise which is worth about $0.10c, or the "girlfriend" who latches on to you and tries to extract every cent possible. If you get caught, really its your own silly fault.

One thing I'm not too sure about is buying or leasing a house or villa. I haven't done this outside Australia. I'm sure there's dozens of traps. Most of the places advertised on the Internet seem to be at the top end of the market. Any comments would be appreciated.

[synthia]

It just isn't a good idea to post your phone number in an open forum. Please use the private message or visitor message system to exchange things like e-mail addresses and phone numbers.