can afford now to retire to the phillipines?

[georgegeorgia]

as i have said before i have met a filipino lady in Australia and eventually maybe 2 years from now want to retire to the phillipines.

But im interested in your budget as a expat in the phillipines .

 

So let me give you a scenario ..........................LIVE say manila , my current GF is from General santos city  though, but let me say Manila to retire to as a example ,

 

rent on a 1 bedroom apartment in a relatively nice area maybe with a view  , I  dont drink /smoke neither does my GF  ,but i like going to restaurants ,

i go gym a lot so fees for that  , electrcity,i like air conditioning , groceries, visa costs etc, i dont drive so dont need a car nor want one , whats your average budget 

 

so can i live on $1500 a month australian in Manila ?  now she is 20 years younger than me and wants to work in manila  if we retire but im not counting on her income 

 

so two questions basically, is 1500-2000 a month AUD OK ?   what area in manila is safe ? close to transport and gym ?