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There are a only a few books written that relate to living in the Philippines and most of these focus of the dream of living in a Tropical Paradise. The reality is that the Philippines in not a paradise for many millions of the population that struggle to survive day after day.
The Philippines has more than its fair share of social problems driven by extreme poverty and desperation. It is important to remember that this is still classified as a third world country. If you come from a developed western country you might be frustrated by comparatively poor infrastructure frustratingly slow and inefficient systems many of which are manual.
An example of this is the simple act of paying your electricity bill. Back home this can be done on the internet without leaving home. Even you statement can be delivered to you electronically. Here in the Philippines you need to take your bill down to the office and wait in line for up to an hour to pay it. You can of course get someone else to do this for you.
If you come here with the expectation of lying under coconut palms all day and sipping your favorite beverage then such an existence is achievable on a very modest budget. In reality very few of us are satisfied to do that forever.
Many claim you can live like a kings for around $1000 USD per month. This is of course a very subjective estimate. What is paradise some one might be a living hell for another. Those with simple requirements can live quite comfortably on that amount.
There are in fact westerners living over a few hundred dollars a month in the provinces. They can survive comfortably on that amount but I certainly would not describe their existence as living like a king. There are many sacrifices to be made including switching to a far more local diet. Something I personally could not do.
If you are really interested in retiring to a country like the Philippines then the first thing to do is find out as much as you can before making any commitments. If you have not been to the Philippines then take a trip here. Just remember that being her as a tourist is very different and also far more expensive than living her as an expat.
You should also read as much as you can about living in the Philippines and I can highly recommend the books by Perry Gamsby. What makes his books better than the others is that he is not afraid to tell it exactly as it is – the good with the bad.
Another very helpful thing about Perry’s books is that you get access to a network of others all with a similar interest. There are online forums and he also publishes a regular Newsletter related to living in the Philippines.
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