Jingthing

Some do. Some don't. Plenty of expat youtubers there talk about the dark side of it all the time. Obviously the Philippines or anyplace else isn't to everyone's tastes and needs and of course so much depends on exactly where you end of living in a new country.

Funny I watched some of them too and haven't heard that it's become unaffordable. Prices go up everywhere. Of course it's relative to each person's budget. No 100 dollar decent rentals like in Cavite that's for sure. As far as boring, I visited there many years ago and it was already being touted as one of the top retired expat destinations in the Philippines and I certainly DID find it boring but I know a lot has changed there and I'm certain it's at least LESS boring than it was. I guess if not boring is a top priority Cebu City or Davao City would be better. Of course many expats live in adjacent less urban Valencia which I also visited and definitely liked but you need a motorbike to live there so that's not for me.

OK. I looked further into this and determined that the call translation AI feature is also available on the two lesser S24 models. Still expensive but much less than the the Ultra. There are other good reasons to buy the Ultra -- such as an incredible anti reflective screen and as usual camera improvements. But still hard to justify it. As far as the call translation AI feature it is from Google so it will be on Pixel phones and likely other brands as well. But as I said I'm loyal to Samsung now, and it's not clear to me if Samsung will include that anytime soon on lesser level models than the S24s. Probably if I needed a new phone NOW I would go for the base S24 but I don't need one now, so I guess it's a wait and see.

I agree that Dumaguette will remain popular but I haven't seen any indication yet that it will soon become overly unaffordable.

This topic is about alternatives to Thailand.

Have fun sniping. I will add that if I was moving to.the Phillipines I would not choose Manila but just explained why many foreigners do. If I was on.a very low budget I might consider a striking distance place like Trece Marteres Cavite where liveable rentals are available for 100 dollars a month.

About the question of why retirees would move to a megacity Manilla is a perfect example. It has certain very desirable districts like BGC and many retirees want to be in or near Manila for such modern westernized amenities and more importantly HEALTH CARE. Manila is where you find the best health care in a country with mostly substandard health care. Some choose places within a few hours drive of Manila for the same reasons. Places like Tagaytay and Cavite province.

That's a good point or you can search online there for regular rentals. I have done that for some Mexican cities and yeah there is a lot of funky stuff. On the other hand there are newly built areas in places like Queretaro and suburbs of very modern housing. Obviously if you live in a very old neighborhood there is going to be a lot of outdated housing. Back to Mexico City and I think he just scratched the surface of decent options for gringos there. Like any big city there are also plenty of bad options. An example of going deeper.

You couldn't be more wrong.

if you mean International Living then no. It was based on a survey of residents and highest resident ratings higher on list.

Notice that the list is mostly very major world citizens. Thailand has Bangkok for that. The US has LA, NYC, and Chicago.

Does it? I've only been there as a tourist. Never went apartment hunting. My impression is that the conditions vary widely based on the neighborhood and there are tons of different neighborhoods.

That's a good point. I don’t live in Bangkok but it's great to have it available.

Troll bait ignored.

Mexico City just got ranked 6th best city in the world (out of the 50 best) in the Time Out survey. I think people that don't know Mexico often don't realize what an amazing city it is and very relatively affordable compared to comparable great cities globally. 50 Best Cities in the World to Visit in 2024 (timeout.com) 6. Mexico City What makes us great: With a museum on every corner, it’s no surprise Mexico City was named the best city in the world for culture in 2023. There’s plenty more where that came from this year, with exciting emerging art spaces like Laguna, new galleries like Naranjo, and eagerly awaited international exhibitions like Damien Hirst at Museo Jumex. CDMX is also at the forefront of a vibrant gastronomic revolution, from mushroom cultivation at Tencui, Japanese coffee at Panya and the best brisket at Ahumados Pelican. The dark kitchens of Roma will surprise you, San Miguel Chapultepec’s artsy offerings will captivate you, breakfast in Condesa will be delicious and an afternoon in Coyoacán will be unforgettable. Get ready to fall even more in love with our neighbourhoods, our food and our warmth when you visit CDMX this year. Visit now because: In the summer, the Cineteca Nacional will open a new home in the Bosque de Chapultepec, featuring eight theatres and an outdoor forum. The big numbers: Mexico City scored highly for its overall liveability, with 100 percent of locals naming the city beautiful, 96 percent saying they were happy there and 94 percent saying it’s easy to make friends.

I think the Trumpists are very triggered recently as coverage of how Trump is mentally falling apart is finally being widely covered. Particularly the Nikki Haley -- Nancy Pelosi mixup. Not once but again and again.

It's quite annoying to expats too. That time period was when I would always buy beer at my closest convenience store who had been ignoring the law for several years. Then they suddenly enforced it. Now I need to plan trips there and stock up. I don't even want to hear the logic of it. I remember when I moved to a red U.S. state and brought a bottle of wine to the counter to enjoy in a culinary manner and was told nope, this is Sunday. I was thinking, is this Iran? I'm not even Christian.

Just repeat all the Trumpist lies again and again. Rinse and repeat. Only other Magadonians buy that crap. TDS? That's rich. It's adjudicated rapist Trump who is deranged, We can stop. We have nothing to talk about.

Funny when Magadonians which is a white nationalist isolationist movement project racism on democrats. Fail. Biden is old but based on his health profile of eating healthy and exercise he is statistically more likely to live longer than junk food loving Trump.

Don't overthink it. To magadonians she is woke just because they perceive her as a threat to adjudicated rapist Trump taking power again. It's just another generic attack word for them like rino, libtard, Brandon, cuck, etc.

Trump looks and acts like the adjudicated rapist sociopath that he is.

Yeah she's got f you money for several lifetimes. I'm not a fan nor do I hate her music but she worked hard, achieved massive success without hurting her country like adjudicated rapist Trump, so she has my utmost respect. Heck, she can endorse Trump if she wants. The value of her endorsement whatever it is has been greatly magnified by the magadonian cultists themselves! An own goal on steroids.

This is going to be the weirdest and definitely the dirtiest election in American history, Normal rules do not apply. Polls this early should be ignored in general but especially now, Why? Trump might not be the nominee. Why? Health (he's deteriorating rapidly) or they might drop him based on felony convictions. Biden might not be the nominee. Why? Health. He doesn't appear to be getting any worse as Trump does but he ain't getting any younger either. But still probably the dreaded Trump vs. Biden rematch. But. There are multiple threats of third party runs that if they happen are generally very threatening to Joe Biden rather than Trump. Remember if no candidate reaches 270 then it goes to the house and each state gets one vote. Based on the current and likely composition of the house after the election, Trump wins. No insurrection needed. But wait. There's more. Much more. If Trump loses he will never concede the loss. Anyone that doesn't realize that by now is living under a rock. His operatives will be ready to do anything including start a civil war to make him president if he loses. Why? He has nothing to lose. He mainly wants to stay out of jail. He respects no rules or laws. He will try anything and his fascist maga cult is with him on that. So people are acting like this is a normal election. That, folks, is INSANE.

Russia is not looking on. They are allied with Iran and Hamas.

Based on believing in a myth.