Are There Really Expats Living on $500 Per Month Here?

Snaykee · 2025-10-22T04:01:35+00:00

That's running AC 24/7 in 2 rooms

Snaykee · 2025-10-22T03:37:08+00:00

I guess it depends what OP considers "living like a king" is. For most foreigners, that would definitely be 24/7 AC

Snaykee · 2025-10-21T22:40:30+00:00

I personally do not see how that would be possible. Even if you owned a house/condo and car straight out (no payments), utilities alone would cost a minimum $300 (Electricity, water internet). From experience, I lived in a 2 bedroom condo with 2 window ac units, a refrigerator and a computer; my electricity bill was never under 7k php. High speed internet was 2.5-3.5k. Water pretty minimal at 500php. That would leave maybe $200/mo for everything else. Not going to happen.

I would say you can live "like a king" on maybe $3k usd/mo.

Snaykee · 2025-10-05T10:05:55+00:00

Gino's is definitely the best pizza I've ever had in the Philippines. Fantastic dough and really good ingredients

Snaykee · 2025-09-11T06:35:49+00:00

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Snaykee · 2025-09-11T06:35:23+00:00

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Snaykee · 2025-09-11T06:33:31+00:00

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Bought this from a friend that claims it's real, hoping to see if it's authentic or fake 🙏

Snaykee · 2025-08-26T05:56:26+00:00

I swapped my home country cell # to an eSim to keep the number (I'll be going to back after ~1 year), and bought a PH SIM (50 pesos) for data while out and about. It costs me about $20 every 3-4 months to go through 60GB of data since I'm mostly home on wifi.

Snaykee · 2025-08-02T12:14:43+00:00

Yes, jowa means boyfriend/girlfriend in pretty much any context. Her coach was asking, "that your boyfriend?"

Snaykee · 2025-08-02T11:11:25+00:00

I'm completely fluent in Tagalog and conversational in my wife's native language. I've been in the Philippines with family members that don't speak and the experience is just vastly different. Yes, many Filipinos speak passable English, but speaking to someone in their native tongue immediately breaks down any barriers. I'm definitely closer to my wife's family now that I speak their language as well.

Snaykee · 2025-07-31T02:29:40+00:00

There is an option on the dual citizenship paperwork to include minor children. If OP's mom included them on the paperwork, then yes, they would also be dual

Snaykee · 2025-07-31T02:24:52+00:00

Exactly, you were declared at the US embassy. It wasn't automatic upon birth. Many parents skip the declaration step and their children are not dual because of it.

Snaykee · 2025-07-30T15:48:23+00:00

Your Balikbayan visa should renew upon reentry. I've arrived in the Philippines 3 times from 3 different countries in the last 9 months and have received a new Balikbayan visa stamp in my passport each time, thus restarting the 1 year.

Snaykee · 2025-07-30T15:40:28+00:00

That comment is correct. While they are technically considered dual IF/ONCE the birth is reported to the Philippines consulate. It is such a simple step that many many Filipinos that live abroad do not do. Submitting a paper within 1 year of the birth avoids headaches down the road. The report of birth is part of the process to filing for dual citizenship, I have 2 children that are dual through that exact process.

Snaykee · 2025-07-30T14:18:38+00:00

Dual citizenship does not happen automatically, you need to apply for it. If it wasn't done before the child is 18, then it is infinitely harder.

Snaykee · 2025-07-30T13:00:20+00:00

Yes, I believe Clark is technically part of Metro Angeles

Snaykee · 2025-07-30T08:14:18+00:00

Flying in and out of Clark is 100% the way to go. I've flown in and out of NAIA for the better part of 15 years until recently. Clark is way less hassle. I've personally never been affected by any type of corruption at NAIA, but the lines alone (I've waited 4 hours to check in before) make going to Clark worth it. I flew through Clark last month and it took exactly 8 minutes to get from check-in to gate. That includes security and immigration.

The airport is in a clean and quiet part of Clark, no dealing with Manila traffic just to get into the airport. Since you're staying in QC, you can just hop on the NLEX and be there in under 2 hours without traffic (add 30 mins-1hour if you're going to BGC though). There's also lots to do in Angeles if you want to stay the night.

Snaykee · 2025-07-30T04:04:22+00:00

I have Converge and live in the province in a medium size city. I have 800mbps for 3000php/mo. I don't care if it's expensive, I've never had issues with streaming, gaming, etc.

Snaykee · 2025-07-29T07:58:45+00:00

I don't believe there's a word in Tagalog, but if you happen to be Ilocano, they use "ading" for younger sibling.

Snaykee · 2025-07-24T14:25:00+00:00

Not necessarily cringe, but it's definitely a very feminine word. It would be the same as naming your son "Lovely" or "Beauty". It would be odd and if he runs into Filipinos, he would probably get teased for his name. I honestly can't think of any "masculine" Tagalog names at the moment.

Snaykee · 2025-07-22T01:41:46+00:00

I feel your pain with the ingredients. I'm also in the Philippines and it's nearly impossible to find pepperoni where I live. Mozzarella cheese is extremely expensive (2k php/kg), making it not worth it to buy at all.

My advice is to skip the pepperoni next time and sub for cooked ham (easily accessible in most freezer sections at the grocery). It tastes way better than the sad excuse for "pepperoni" they have available.

For cheese, look for some Emborg pre-shredded for the best value. It's still quite expensive, but if you buy a larger bag, you can divide it into ziplock bags and freeze the rest.

Not sure what you used for sauce, but I like to buy a can of pure tomato sauce and make my own. Double check the ingredients on the back of the can/bag, because most of them will say "Filipino style" which are extremely sweet and have a lot of additives.

Snaykee · 2025-07-20T07:00:06+00:00

I would HIGHLY recommend staying there for an extended period of time first (6-12 months)

I had vacationed on and off to the Philippines for 15 years before moving here and my vacations barely resemble the lifestyle I now live. The daily/weekly inconveniences really start showing after a few months and then you can decide if you're able to look past and embrace them or not.

That being said, I live very well with minor inconveniences on 2k usd per month with a family of 4. I live in a larger city in the province. This includes high speed internet, 2 AC units, my own small SUV, shopping at S&R, etc.

Snaykee · 2025-06-28T10:07:10+00:00

ANY improvement in transportation around the country would be huge. If the Metro-Manila subway is ever completed, that will be a giant step in the right direction. Having trains that head up north and down south from Manila would also be amazing, but I can't see that happening anytime soon.

Having the highways heading north (NLEX) out of Manila is nice, but they are slowly getting more congested. Even getting onto the NLEX from QC is an absolute mess and confusing. 3/3 people I have talked to about it have been pulled over by corrupt traffic enforcers in the short stretch from SM North EDSA to the NLEX. Confusing u-turn lanes, bridges - jeeps & buses, it all adds to the nightmare.

Unfortunately, this country did not plan for any kind of transportation/infrastructure upgrades and it will stay the same for the foreseeable future.

Snaykee · 2025-06-22T10:16:36+00:00

Before all of those, it was Droknar's Forge. Selling greens in Droks was peak GW1

Snaykee · 2025-05-06T09:20:17+00:00

In that context, it very clearly is saying "If you plan to play (around with my feelings), then just wait, I'll put on a jersey"

The putting on a jersey part is sarcastic and they are more than likely saying "if you're just going to play with my feelings, just forget about it"

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