This has to be the number one question people ask who haven’t lived here before but its also a very open ended one depending on peoples lifestyles and needs.
For us we reside in Minglanilla which is outside the city of Cebu electricity costs are cheaper here, water is free via a deep well and generally things are a lot more easy going like most places in the world that are provincial. The rent on our apartment is P3,000 a month and generally for a 1 – 2 bedroom apartment or house in the area you are looking at around P6,000+ if you are in Cebu city boundaries you could easily be paying P10,000+ for the same sized property as well as electricity costs being a lot higher.
Food costs are pretty much the same unless buying local produce. For example you will find many vegetables and fruits coming from Thailand which can be three times more expensive than local products. If you take the time to shop at the local markets instead of the Supermarkets you will find you save money, its also good way to start intergrating with the community. Some expats say they get over charged at the market compared to their wife or maid but if your a regular customer its unlikely to happen. If buying something like a guitar for example they know your only going to buy one! Where potatoes, tomatoes etc. you will be there every few days.
Alcohol is very cheap here and pretty much sold on every street corner, 1ltr bottles of beer cost around P60.00 a bottle of Tequila starts around P70.00 same as brandy. Its probably why so many Expats drink on a regular basis.
Another important point to remember though is if you love seafood the Philippines offers some great food at very cheap rates especially if you can get the “catch” from the fishermen directly.
Now here is the question how much does it cost to live here in Cebu…
For a single male they could live on around P15,000+ per month but would recommend at least P25,000 so they can explore/enjoy life here.
For a couple they can reside here on around P20,000 but would advise around P40,000 to get a reasonable lifestyle.
For us we live on P35,000 with a monthly income of around P80,000 as we continue to develop our life here. The P35,000 also includes payments on 2 motorcycles, the electric and water for 4 buildings,all the food expenses for 5 adults+2 kids plus a yaya’s food and salary. As you can see a little goes a long way but ideally we are hoping to get the money up around P150,000 a month so that we can travel the other islands aswell as other parts of Asia. An important thing to remember though if your working online where you are now you can work online here and no doubt reduce your costs of living giving you that extra bit of cash to travel around.
Originally posted 2010-10-22 10:37:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
You should use American dollars if you are addressing this article to Americans.
Wouldn’t make any sense to use Dollars for the Philippines as no doubt your aware there has been a world recession and the exchange rates are fluctuating. The Peso is a constant because its pricing is stable within the Philippines. Even if the amount in true cost from Dollar to pesos change the cost here IN PESOS remains the same.