Living In The Philippines On $1000 Per Month

Let’s face it 1000 dollars isn’t a vast amount of money. So is it possible to live abroad anywhere on that amount of cash per month, or are we talking cardboard boxes under flyovers?

Well, you can live in the Philippines on $1000 per month and here’s how.

The Philippines is one of the cheapest countries to retire to. It’s also very affordable if you want to relocate to a warmer climate close to a beach and take your family and business with you.

The first thing you’re going to need to sort out is your accommodation. 

Obviously, there are plenty of houses for rent throughout the Philippines.  A small house in Manila might set you back to a minimum of $600 per month – which is going to eat into the budget quite a bit. 

So, if you want to be living in the Philippines for $1000 per month or less, you need to be getting away from the capital city.

You can rent a centrally located one-bedroom apartment in cities such as Davao City, Baguio, and Dumaguete for about $250.

A one-bedroom apartment in the center of Cebu, one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, can be rented at an average of $510 per month.  Not that Cebu is particularly off the beaten track. 

Cebu City boasts 5-star hotels, casinos, shopping malls, golf courses, and sandy beaches.  If you’re prepared to save further costs, you can rent a room in a house.

A room with a shared bathroom in a location like Dumaguete City in the province of Negros Oriental can be had for as little as $150 per month.  But don’t think you’ll be living in a flea-infested backward city at this price!  Dumaguete City is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Philippines and is known as the “university town” as it has seven universities and colleges.

Home to around 115,000 people, the city also offers nearby whale and dolphin watching and excellent beaches. Dumaguete City is fast becoming a prime location for expat retirees in the Philippines. It has a large number of medical clinics, good city amenities, and a laid-back lifestyle.

If you want a less urban environment, you might consider living in Subic Bay. A small furnished studio in Subic Bay can start from $300 a month, depending on the area and amenities.

So we can tick off housing.  You can find accommodation cheap enough to allow you to live for less than $1000 per month in the Philippines.

Next, it is on to groceries. If we are living in a rented room, we have around $850 of our $1000 budget left. 

Starting with the essentials, a pack of cigarettes will set you back around $2, and a 1/3 liter of San Miguel beer for $2.1.  So to live a typical expat lifestyle of 2 bottles of beer each night costs around $130 per month.  We are down to $620.

Next, on to the secondary products such as food! 

Let’s say you use half a liter of milk per day, 3 liters of bottled water per day, breakfast on two boiled eggs, buy a kilo of rice every three days, and usually eat out every lunchtime and evening at a local roadside stall – something like sizzling pork cheeks or Tapsilog (beef fried rice and eggs), and you obviously get through a kilo of coffee a week, average costs for a month would run to around $350. 

So a month’s worth of groceries plus accommodation costs would still allow you to live on less than $1000 per month in the Philippines.

We’re now down to the final $270.  A 5-kilometer taxi ride costs around $1.64, so you can either go on an 823-kilometer taxi ride with the rest of your money or splash out $40 (£27) on Brazilian wax and head for the beach with a sizeable chunk of cash in your pocket.

You can see from the above figures that living on less than $1000 per month in the Philippines is possible if you choose your location carefully.  Obviously, you won’t be saving an awful lot of your cash, but then, the sun will shine, and the beach is free!

For more information on various locations, read our guide on the Best Places To Retire In The Philippines.

You might find useful:

If you’re looking for further inspiration, our best-of lists are a great place to start.

• Best Places To Retire Worldwide
• The 10 Best Countries To Live In
• The Best Countries To Work In The World
• 5 European Destination With Great Weather All Year
• Cheapest Countries To Retire To

Helpful external links:

• The cost of living in the Philippines – Numbeo.
• Entry requirements for foreigners – philippine-embassy.org.sg
• All about the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) – pra.gov.ph.