If you're such a life nit, are you not planning on having insurance? That's gonna be at least a few hundred $ a month.

what type of insurance? wont have a car..... heard healthcare is so cheap there is no point..... not sure what other types there are........


and OMG OMG OMG anyone and everyone needs to read pooters "starting a part time job as a mail escort" thread....... wow that is possibly the funniest thing i have ever seen on the interwebz

poot i was gonna tell you a story..... but it pails in comparison to the things ive just read, you are my new hero

He's going to be a security guard for the postal service? What?

lol.... i havent smoked weed since wednesday, my first voluntary break in the almost 6 years ive lived out here, actually only taken 2 days off in that time

glad to see that im just as ******ed sober


ok, spent the last hour reading random pooter threads.... wow wow wow

poot where are you from? how did you get money originally? what type of business did you do in thailand? **** just tell me anything and everything there is to know about pooter, can be in PM if you like

Thank you K2 Most of my answers are in either one of my two big threads, I dont wanna clog up this thread with anymore of my ****, ask in the 'ask me anything about living as a sexpat' thread. Cheers!

1k is based on a bit nitty Manila every day life, yet typical things

Rent condo incl bills - 25k
Food and sometimes transportation p500/day*30 - 15K
Visa extension and random nittery - 3k

is a thousand dollarz

Obvious way to cut down is to rent cheaper apartments and either buy the p50/meal street food or chef it up

Weed I don't smoke anymore, maybe twice a year but if u gonna buy that, fk knows. I heard from a source who smoked a lot that it was like 3-4k a gram for decent stuff and he actually contemplated grinding the green instead of the green felt.

quick math playing 100hrs/month at 15 hands/hr (live cash in ph is the slowest i've seen), that's around a 100bb/100 winrate

you really spend over $10 a day on food fanapathy?

am i right in thinking that electricity will be around 75-125 for a 1 bedroom?

3-4k a gram is a ridiculous price..... are you sure those numbers are right?

and im not even sure what to say about pooter.... expect many questions in that thread..... are you gonna still be there in july?? on the one hand i'd love to hang out with you and pick your brain.... on the other im not sure i could keep up with you and think i will get 17 diseases just by being in the same room as you

Hi!
Im going to Philippines after two weeks for 2-3 months. Thinking about going to Dumaguete, rent apartment there and off course grind alot =) so if there is someone living there or just been there, I would have few questions:

1. Is it easy to get 3 room apartment under 20 000pesos near city with good internet? And what location in the city would you recommend?

2. What kind of weather is there for next 3 months? Because im in Bali now and its raining alot...

3. If someone had done dive master course, information about good place to do that would be great.

Thanks in advance for all the answers!

It's absolutely absurd the thought that you NEED to have a condo to enjoy life in the Philippines.

You also don't need to spend anything near 500p a day on food/transportation.

I continue to fail to understand, why most of you have minimum requirements and expectations for lifestyle that are so much higher then they would be if you were back home in your native city.

Yes 1k is on the low end if you want to be 'balla' , but you don't have to be balla.

I didn't do the math, but I'd expect 40bb/100 at the very least. I've experienced an orbit takes 20 minutes on average where I've played. 8 hour sessions

Even live is hard to estimate, I think it's pretty realistic

No, it's just based on what I perceive typical when either inexperienced getting value or the lifestyle of the typical expat from what I've seen.

I learned to spend 5k a month in satisfying food and drink, but I knew how to spew 100k as well

Most take taxis and average a ride a day
A mid end resto meal is 200, twice daily
Most rent a condo because they hear it needs to be safe and have 24 hour security, and it's cool to have a pool whatever
That's all it's based on

If not gonna cook and have 0 knowledge on where/what sort of food to buy, I don't see how u can go under 500/day

That's basically where the 1k comes from in my mind

U can rent for p3k if u want, have 500 in electricity and 3k in food and a good life. Cool life ffs, that's what I like about the place. People have jack **** but look at how much they are enjoying

Hi guys, just arrived in Boracay does any of u know if there is some party going on here, any places you would recommend?

Gonna rehash some stuff that I've written on another board.

1. I think if you're moving away from your home country to the Philippines (1st world to 3rd world), your lifestyle should definitely be better than what it was back home. Otherwise just stay at home. I moved away from a mediocre life in the US to a very comfortable life here. It would be stupid to go from a mediocre life at home to a mediocre life in the Philippines.

2. I live in a condo for several reasons:
- Safety. I value my safety a lot. I also own some expensive things that I don't want to be stolen. 24 hour guards and security cameras in my building mean I don't have to worry about burglaries, robbers, or any unexpected visitors.
- Location. My building is in a very central location near four malls, the MRT, jeeps and buses. I date a lot and girls have no problems finding my place. I'm within 5-10min walking distance or a short jeep ride to pretty much everything that I need.
- Convenience. Gym and pool in my building. If I walk outside at 3am, there's a 7-11, Mercury, Jollibee, Chowking, McDo, and several other 24 hour restaurants open nearby. I value these things a lot as I'm a night owl and oftentimes sleep at irregular hours.

My two cents on this...I lived with a Filipino family in a rural area three miles from a city of population 100k+ near Cebu City. Obviously, the areas are different.

1. I will agree with you on this point...but also disagree. It really depends on what you define as lifestyle and what you want out of life.

You will have fewer luxeries/amenities available in the Philippines. It's much harder to just think up something to do and find somewhere to go and do it. There is less variety in groceries and you need to learn to adjust. Getting anywhere can be a pain and if you're planning a 45 minute trip, that can last literally half the day.

On the flip side, I feel MUCH more at home in the Philippines. I'm never pressured to do anything immediately and everyone is extremely friendly. I love the culture, and that alone is an "upgrade" in my lifestyle.

I GUARANTEE you will have many headaches if you don't adopt an attitutide of "eeeeeeeh...OK...whatever!" You need patience or you'll never survive. Lifestyle is less about material objects and more about enjoying life and adapting to the culture.

I've met many (MANY!) grumpy and unhappy foreigners living in the Philippines. Many of them are "just trying to get by." Some give up completely after a number of years and head back home. Not sure why they stayed so long in the first place...you either love the country for what it is or you don't. You will know after six to nine months.

The initial three to six months can be a mixture of excitement about the newness and culture shock. For some people, the culture shock never ends. They never attempt to understand the culture and cannot adapt.

I'll quit rambling about this...but if anyone has specific questions about living experiences, I'd be happy to talk about it.

2. Safety. Definitely a possible concern. I never felt in any way threatened while I was there (three and a half years). However, I had a good family looking out for me, and they kept pretty close watch on me. I didn't quite have the freedom that I wanted, but it was worth it (to me) to keep out of trouble while learning the ropes. I could ask them anything about the culture and learned a ton.

Location. Again, two sides to this. I like a somewhat more peaceful nature-esk (is that a word?) setting. A condo will (potentially) have much easier access to common spots you want to go to. If you live further out (impossible in some spots), you need to deal with the headache of transportation. It can be a pain having to hunt down the right motorcycle/jeepney to take you to your destination.

Convenience...no comments here.

Never been to Dumaguete, but was eying it for a potential spot to move to. Some general answers:

1. A small 2 br apartment will probably run around 10k or less in this area. I will wager with some searching you can find a 3 bedroom house in Dumaguete with a bit of a lot for 20k.

2. Rainy season starts in April. It's...rainy. I think June and July are peak rain months.

Part of what people are telling you is that you don't want to plan for the bare minimum. If you are wrong in your estimates, you can be stranded in a foreign country that is not quite so friendly to someone without money.

Here is my "bare minimum" monthly budget: (in pesos; then I figure 40p=$1 USD)

Rent 8000p
Electric 1200p
Food 12000p
Misc 1950p (guarantee you will need this!)
Visa 1800p (a little high probably)
Transportation 750p (always jeepneys...they are more fun anyway!)
Internet 3000p (x2...in case problems with one--there are always problems)

Grand total: 28,700p/month == $717.50/month

Note that this is completely without "fun and dating" money. This total also assumes I'm familiar with the Philippines. You will pay extra at times without knowing how to find the best prices.

You could possibly get your food expenditures down a little bit. I don't want to skimp much on food. Beyond my bare-bones budget, I add in an extra 440p/day for eating out and dating. (probably overestimating)

You want to be as close to balla on your frst trip as you can. Cutting corners is for later...

+1

This is the most important advice in this thread.

Good board about Dumaguete. http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/board/

thanks as always guys

i understand you need two internet sources, but do both really need to cost $80 a month?

cant the 2nd one be smartbro which is $5 for 5 days (if you even use it)???

if im gonna be playing online a lot which i will then im sure i will be cooking at home a lot, i thought that can be super cheap

and that dru guy was always eating out in his blogs and at places like pizza hut he got some huge meals for $2 or $3

and editing just to add again that there is no broke and stranded option..... my mommy still loves me and would be very happy to loan me the money to get me back home

if that wasnt the case then i would never head over under-rolled

1) Yes

2) The next 3 months are going to be roasting hot (hopefully). It should be good weather till June time then it becomes a bit more erratic when typhoons start developing. However the weather in the last year has been a bit of an anomaly with all sorts of random **** going on.

3)If your looking to do a divemaster course I would recommend you doing it in Sabang (Puerto Galera). There is a pretty big dive community here with people from all over. I f your already a rescue diver then it costs about $1000.

+3 To that and it goes for any country you go to but prolly even more in SE Asia. Also Pitom hits the nail on the head with regards to making life better here than in your home or what's the point?

Then again I have lived broke in Thailand before, living on cheap noodles with zero nightlife and doing crappy writing and teaching jobs to get by, was still better than the uk tho

^ I agree with that statement as well

Over time the luxurious stuff doesn't matter anymore, it didn't to me anyway
I used to just order everything straight to my place, like if I wanted to drink I order a case of beer and a bottle of JW and they deliver it to my door. For lunch just order a nice cheesesteak. For dinner chill out at a steakhouse with a few beers.
I'd play live and spew the excess p1000 (say a 23,450 winning session) bills at whatever, slots, liquor at hardrock, etc
Taxi 4 times a day to shopping and malls, get maids to clean, change condos just to see something new. Have p10k drinking bills at bars, get tables with service every time and so on. Ship girly drinks to the whole house (please please don't do this)
And there's so much more possible, getting a private chauffeur for no reason and renting a massive unit, employing a butler and a chef.

It just doesn't matter after having "been there, done that" then at least my values changed and got more enjoyment out of the simple things, posh living in the fort or GB gets very old really quick - take me to the streets where they drink and laugh 'till the sun rises and ship the gin!

People's values are often very different, and I'm sure everyone ITT have been to the PI for different reasons.

Thinking of heading to Cebu in april. Any recommendations of what to do during the day and night? Sorry if already asked :P