Philippines is going to fill up

[Irish star]

17 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

The constant beeping of horns for no reason in Cebu City annoyed me.

 

I actually went out to the 711 one morning at 3am and about to cross the road when I seen a guy in a convertible no roof on beep his horny continually , not a single other car around ...but they are programmed in their mind to constantly...beep !

So as I was walking across the road I stopped and told him.

There's no other cars around why are you bloody beeping your horn? You stupid C

You ever been to India , no rhyme or reason 

[BE88]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

You've posted that about 5+ times now

Forgive him for the nostalgia of past years and now he has lost his memory a little.🙃

[ryandb]

30 minutes ago, JimTripper said:

Just saw a video on dumaguete. It feels over hyped. Old geezers there blogging for income. Video looked like nothing to do, just a beach walkway area that was pretty much the only nice place to stroll. A guy I talked to in Jomtein, just back from the phillippines, also gave it a thumbs down.

I've been and don't see anything special about it but it has turned into a YT place to be and now it's growing their own eco system of YTers copycatting and going there to do the same thing, similar to Bali and Chiang Mai 6-7 years ago becoming a place to do "can you live on $1000 a month" videos

Edited May 6 by ryandb

[Presnock]

14 hours ago, xtrnuno41 said:

I would have lived in Sorsogon city if the woman was true.

Was already busy with buying a house, but you come up on owing land, you cant

More things happend with the woman and so all ended then.

I really loved that place, clear air and easy living. OK when it get to 17:00 , it gets a little busy then on roads.

Legazpi has an airport and also a very nice town, though it is close to a volcano.

Been to Bohol, Palawan and also visited the island Borocay. Big white (main) sandy beach, but sand is hard.

But also parts with fluffy white sand.

The rest is like a Pattaya on an island. Completely touristic.

I was in a hotel way in the back of the island (Artista Beach villa), way past all tourist things  

Dont know if still working as i see on google maps, permanently closed, but on other (booking ) sites still available.

First plane, then boat (only to leave by bathing through water, or locals getting you out) SO be aware to have some small money in your pocket to pay them. They carry you out of of the boat and your luggage. DOnt know if it has improved, as I speak of 2007.

Have visited several parts of the Phil up to 2013. Nice country, Ya, ok Manila. like a BK, dont care much about that.

The part Caloocan where I was , was doable.

 

Ok checked visum SRRV and has changed, as also pay tax on pension and other income.

They even have same table as Thailand for tax, only baht is then pesos.

https://www.bir.gov.ph/index.php/tax-information/income-tax.html/#it_rates

You do have a lifetime visum SRRV, but annual costs are 360$, beginning with a first 1400$.

https://pra.gov.ph/srrv/

But you can do all , no more immigration every year, no 90days reports, work if you want.

And it seems you can join in in healthcare services, way lower prices then in Thailand.

You can study expat experience 

https://nomadicfire.com/philippines-health-insurance-for-expats#how-to-get-philippine-health-insurance-for-300

https://nomadicfire.com/philippines-retirement-visa

 

walking on the pink beaches near Zamboanga City was neat too.  Great golf course, friend wore size 14 shoes and they actually had a pair that he could rent out!  We were the only ones on the course as too many were afraid to visit that area.  I travelled throughout the islands, never had any real problems and ran into strange armed folks while running the hash through the jungles at night.  Great fun!

[chingching]

12 hours ago, shdmn said:

I remember when lots of guys were saying they were moving to Cambodia way back.  I think it was because everyone thought Thailand was getting too expensive.  Maybe because of more visa hassles too. Almost none of them did or all moved back within a year or two.  Just sayin.

 

Speaking for myself.  I am taking a much harder look at the PI.  This tax thing and more visa hassles are part of it, but the air quality is also a huge deal for me.  Call me crazy but I like to be able to breathe clean air.  I've been comparing and the PI air quality is much better during burning season.

For me the air quality in Thailand is better.  Filipinos love to burn plastic rubbish everywhere

[thecyclist]

21 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I've heard Dumaguete come up a few times, would be interesting to hear more about it, looking at googlemaps it's close to Manila 

Nope, it's on Negros Island. Cute little town, but not much to do there. Good for biking the Visayan.Short ferry ride to Cebu Island, which has a very scenic coastel road to Cebu city. 

 

[thecyclist]

6 hours ago, Henryford said:

Frozen state pensions are a bummer but getting a extra few pounds on my massive 131 GBP a week pension wouldn't be enough to switch countries. Maybe if i was just retiring i would opt for the Philippines but it is  along way from anywhere and i doubt any cheaper than Thailand. If i moved anywhere it would be Cambodia.

Definitely not cheaper than Thailand. Was significantly more expensive 10 years ago, but the Peso has lost a lot of ground against the Bahti, so might only only be marginally more expensive now.  we would have to hear from someone who has been to both countries post pandemic. 

[scubascuba3]

24 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

Nope, it's on Negros Island. Cute little town, but not much to do there. Good for biking the Visayan.Short ferry ride to Cebu Island, which has a very scenic coastel road to Cebu city. 

 

Good point, people should really list out what you can do in these places, and our tastes vary

[Jaggg88]

11 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

On 5/5/2024 at 11:59 AM, torturedsole said:

Agreed. My Thai wife either lives in the UK with me or Thailand with me. There's no in between. She won't visit Cambodia or Vietnam so little chance of even contemplating PI, let alone live in those places.

 

Mine been with me to both and now educates the villagers on their pre-conceived notions, that were completely wrong about the two above countries. However, my other half is very well travelled these days.

After our recent trip to Vietnam my Thai wife apologised for claiming it would be a waste of time. She is now keen to visit other close countries

[torturedsole]

1 minute ago, Jaggg88 said:

After our recent trip to Vietnam my Thai wife apologised for claiming it would be a waste of time. She is now keen to visit other close countries

Good stuff, but one has to let them do it in their own time. 

[Korat Kiwi]

If you're into diving,  the different areas you can go to is amazing.  Marine life is abundant. 

 

Here you need to be in the Andaman Sea.  The gulf of Thailand is pretty much dead. 

 

Agree accommodation rentals are dearer.  Visas are cheaper.  Booze about the same price but they have better dark Rum. 

 

Easy to drive there and get licences. Hospitals are OK.  Dental work is good. 

 

Food is crap.  But you can cook your own at home.  Food (wet) markets are ok.... You get use to the smells! 

 

Flights out of the country can be expensive.  Domestic travel is not so bad.  Lots of ferry services to all islands. 

 

If I didn't have a Thai partner I'd be looking to revisit. 

[shdmn]

7 hours ago, chingching said:

For me the air quality in Thailand is better.  Filipinos love to burn plastic rubbish everywhere

The AQI monitoring stations in both countries disagree with you.  As I type this, AQI in Chang Mai is an eye watering 151.  Currently 2nd worst in the world. Only slightly lower than Katmandu.  Bangkok is not much healthier at 102.  In Manila it's only 41.  Those are all fairly typical numbers for this time of year.

 

Here are some others.  Of course it can vary from day to day and even hour to hour depending on wind and other factors, but they are all fairly typical.

Pattaya 78
Cebu  26
Phuket 104

Davao City 45

Edited May 6 by shdmn

[georgegeorgia]

12 hours ago, ryandb said:

I've been and don't see anything special about it but it has turned into a YT place to be and now it's growing their own eco system of YTers copycatting and going there to do the same thing, similar to Bali and Chiang Mai 6-7 years ago becoming a place to do "can you live on $1000 a month" videos

Yes ! 😂

A lot of them on $1000 a month philippines.seeems every farang in the Philippines is becoming a YouTuber 

[shdmn]

Lol the guys here saying the PI sucks despite probably never having been there.  ThaiVisa comments never fail to entertain.

Edited May 6 by shdmn

[Henryford]

21 hours ago, QuantumQuandry said:

 

Angeles City, for me, was significantly cheaper than Pattaya.  As an expat, I spend about 50% more in Pattaya than AC.

 

People will have different experiences with this because the prices are not uniform and some things are cheaper there and some things more expensive.  So it will depend on your lifestyle but in my experience...

 

Angeles City

 

More expensive: Hotels by a good bit.  Condos/houses similar or maybe a little more (but better to own, imo, since it's not overbuilt).  Think electricity was a bit more, too.

 

Less expensive: Visa, potentially by a lot if you need any kind of special visa for Thailand (you don't ever have to get a visa in the Philippines, at any age).  Anything that is primarily labor is going to be cheaper in AC.  Hookers, medical consults, maids, laundry, drivers, guards, etc.  Western restaurants and groceries are a bit cheaper, ime.

 

 

 

I will take your word for it as you have been to both places. I would find it hard to believe cheaper than Pattaya though. I get beer here 50-60 baht, farang meal 199 thai meal 70 baht, baht bus 10 baht, car insurance 6000 baht, visa 1900 a year etc. I don't use maids, laundry, guards etc so don't see where the savings might be. Groceries maybe? but then i don't spend much on those. Hookers might be the only reason if they are cheap.

[georgegeorgia]

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

 

I will take your word for it as you have been to both places. I would find it hard to believe cheaper than Pattaya though. I get beer here 50-60 baht, farang meal 199 thai meal 70 baht, baht bus 10 baht, car insurance 6000 baht, visa 1900 a year etc. I don't use maids, laundry, guards etc so don't see where the savings might be. Groceries maybe? but then i don't spend much on those. Hookers might be the only reason if they are cheap.

The thing I noticed about the Philippines was the hotel prices ,correct me if I'm wrong but Angeles City ,they seemed to be much more than Thailand.

 

[QuantumQuandry]

3 hours ago, Henryford said:

I will take your word for it as you have been to both places. I would find it hard to believe cheaper than Pattaya though. I get beer here 50-60 baht, farang meal 199 thai meal 70 baht, baht bus 10 baht, car insurance 6000 baht, visa 1900 a year etc. I don't use maids, laundry, guards etc so don't see where the savings might be. Groceries maybe? but then i don't spend much on those. Hookers might be the only reason if they are cheap.

 

It may or may not be cheaper for you.  It's definitely cheaper for me, by a good bit.

 

Because there are asymmetries in which things are more expensive or less expensive, it can be argued, either way, if one has a pre-disposition.  I can imagine that someone who only eats Thai food and lives in a very low end room and only gets the cheapest hookers (or none at all) might find Pattaya cheaper, for example.  On the flipside, there are guys in AC that just go for freebie girls all the time (which is much easier in AC).

 

I can't compare on some of what you said since we have different spending habits in some areas.  I spend more like 300-400 baht for my meals in Pattaya (and 300-500 peso in AC, which is roughly 200-325 baht).  Baht bus is 10 baht, jeepney is 10 php (so like 6.5 baht).  Bolt/Grab is roughly the same numerical price but because of the conversion rate, it's about 50% more in Pattaya.  Before I could get a retirement visa, the cost of staying in Pattaya was exponentially higher but after getting a retirement visa, it's cheaper in Pattaya.  So, again, it depends.

 

Super geeky, make fun of me now...but I did a pizza spreadsheet to compare all the pizza places I liked, based on the price per square inch.  I was mostly curious which places cost more per sq inch since they had different sq inch on each size.  My favorite places in Pattaya (such as New York Pizza House) are a bit more than double the cost of my favorites in AC (Zarf's, for example).

 

 

Edited May 7 by QuantumQuandry

[BE88]

On 5/6/2024 at 8:42 AM, Ralf001 said:

 

Fantastic news, when does the exodus start ?

 

Next month

[scubascuba3]

5 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

The thing I noticed about the Philippines was the hotel prices ,correct me if I'm wrong but Angeles City ,they seemed to be much more than Thailand.

 

What data analysis did you do in Angeles?

[thecyclist]

12 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

The thing I noticed about the Philippines was the hotel prices ,correct me if I'm wrong but Angeles City ,they seemed to be much more than Thailand.

 

You are right. In Pattaya during off season you can get a very nice room for 500 Baht. 700 pesos in Angeles gets you a dump.

[shdmn]

16 hours ago, Henryford said:

 

I will take your word for it as you have been to both places. I would find it hard to believe cheaper than Pattaya though. I get beer here 50-60 baht, farang meal 199 thai meal 70 baht, baht bus 10 baht, car insurance 6000 baht, visa 1900 a year etc. I don't use maids, laundry, guards etc so don't see where the savings might be. Groceries maybe? but then i don't spend much on those. Hookers might be the only reason if they are cheap.

AC may have been cheaper once upon a time but hasn't been for a long time now.  About the only thing that is still cheaper in the PI is booze.

Edited May 7 by shdmn

[georgegeorgia]

10 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

What data analysis did you do in Angeles?

I was fascinated by the beeping of the horns all the time 

I was once in Cebu and decided to leave the hotel at 3am walk down to the main road which wasn't busy at 3am.....AND just as I thought ...only a few cars around ....and ...they are still beeping !

 

[shdmn]

On 5/5/2024 at 8:54 PM, ryandb said:

I've been and don't see anything special about it but it has turned into a YT place to be and now it's growing their own eco system of YTers copycatting and going there to do the same thing, similar to Bali and Chiang Mai 6-7 years ago becoming a place to do "can you live on $1000 a month" videos

The biggest problem with Duma are the constant power outages.  Often lasting hours.  That is a deal breaker for me.  Staying somewhere that has a backup generator helps.

Edited May 7 by shdmn

[Presnock]

On 5/5/2024 at 4:45 PM, scubascuba3 said:

I've heard Dumaguete come up a few times, would be interesting to hear more about it, looking at googlemaps it's close to Manila 

For anyone interested here is the forum for expats in the PI - all kinds of anwers. descriptions, living areas, costs, visas etc

expatforum.com

then one can see "join the community" join and enjoy

[gargamon]

7 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I was fascinated by the beeping of the horns all the time 

I was once in Cebu and decided to leave the hotel at 3am walk down to the main road which wasn't busy at 3am.....AND just as I thought ...only a few cars around ....and ...they are still beeping !

 

It's the jeepneys beeping to see if you want a ride. If you weren't out there walking on the road they wouldn't be beeping.