Disabled Navy vet moving to the Philippines
Replies: 98 - Last Post: Apr 24, 2012 8:10 AM Last Post By: clairealgarme
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Disabled Navy vet moving to the Philippines
Hello all,Recently my wife and I have been thinking of moving to the Philippines. I am a disabled veteran rated at 70%. I receive $1,380 a month in disability. Would this be enough to live a comfortable life in the Philippines? Is that enough to "retire" on?
Thank you for your time.
1
$1,380 US is about 59,000php, monthly rentals go for 4000php to 12,000php for really nice places, so yes very possible to do. Also need to factor in Visa renewals for you and your wife so do a little research on that also. But if you choose somewhere away from the big cities then you could live very easily on that amount..2
Some good info here: http://retiringtophilippines.com/home.php4
Your proof of income will qualify for both of you to apply for the special retirement visa, its cost is about $1300...condos are prevalent and foreigners can own them....there are other visa advantages.You can also retire in Malaysia under the My Second Home program. might want to check it out
6
I looked up the retirement visa, sounds good however I do not qualify because both me and my wife are only 25. My wife (who is sitting next to me) wants to know if 1,380 is enough to cover more then just living expenses (IE rent and food) is this enough to travel around the islands and do stuff. She is worried if we get there the money will only be enough to cover the basics and have to scrape by to do recreational and shopping stuff. Also how is the medical system there, I know my wife has had 2 back surgery's because of slip disks and is worried she might need more surgery's in the future.7
The income is adequate and you'd have some left over if you don't live lavishly. In a major city it would be quite tight, and the major cities aren't very pleasant. There are quite good medical facilities in the cities but you'd have to check with your insurance company to be sure you'd be covered. There have been cases of insurance fraud here so they are careful.It's really best to spend some time here before making a decision on living long term. Some people love it, some hate it... it's really not for everyone.
8
Its about 2000 php a day, so if you are careful with how you travel, then yes it will easily cover both daily expenses and allow you travel around. As for the medical system, fortunately I have never had to use it, but friends have, and most major Towns and definetly Cities will have modern medical facilities. In remoter areas, just very simple local clinics only. Sure others will elaborate on this..13
check out this forum, its related to the city of Dumaguete which is a popular place for expats. There are a lot of retired military on the forum.http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/board/
and this one for Cebu which also has its share of retired military
http://www.livingincebuforums.com/ipb/
14
- make sure you have a health insurance which covers you when living abroad. You have to pay for it with your pension or is it paid for?
- as a foreigner you can't buy land in the province. Only condos, but those are in the big cities, not where you want to be with the amount of money you have per month.
- when traveling across the country 2000php for two is possible but not much. There will be days and areas where it is plenty but there will be days where it is pushing it. However when being at your "home base" you should be able to get along with less than your budget and safe up a bit.
- Negros/Dumaguetre City is quite popular with foreigners to live as it has a bit of everything nearby. Shopping in town, port and airport with good connections, quick in Siquijor for beaches, seaside resorts south of Dumaguete with corals and diving, etc.
- You sure can find places for 4000php per month to rent but being there long term you might want to have a bit more space and you will have to add water and electricity. If you like to rent a house with a bit of garden it will cost a bit more too. Ask around for places for rent, where other foreigners live at and what they pay.
- you will have to keep yourself busy in the long run as you won't be able to travel all time. Cooking, gardening, webblog, posting on TT, whatever. People that have nothing to do (and drink too much) go down quick.
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