The Philippines is a paradise for men

[Jackfruits]

Bring Your Own Money and/or Remote work from your Western Country. The pay rate sucks in Thailand. I was living like a king with less than $1000 a month.

USD 1000,- is around baht 38.000,-

Of course many Thai people earn less than that amount. But as a foreigner, yes, you can live with that - if you rent one room for 1 person, living alone, don't waste money in expensive restaurants, don't waste money for night life, don't have your own car, don't have any medical issue...

It's OK, but I would not call it a life like a king.

its okay in chiang mai you can rent a small apartment for 300-400 and then food is also cheap, keeping to street food etc but no king indeed.

with my 2.5-3k it was nice but wouldn't say I lived like a king. i did eat every day in a good restaurant but was using eatigo app for discounts

[Yohan]

its okay in chiang mai you can rent a small apartment for 300-400 and then food is also cheap, keeping to street food etc but no king indeed.
with my 2.5-3k it was nice but wouldn't say I lived like a king. i did eat every day in a good restaurant but was using eatigo app for discounts

You are right, in smaller cities in Thailand you can live with that, like in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Udorn Thani, Khon Kaen, Loei, Phitsanulok - still not like a king however, but this thread is about Philippines, and I doubt if about PHP 60.000,- (= about USD 1000,-) is enough even for a simple but comfortable lifestyle in any of these smaller towns in the Philippines. PHP 2000,- per day is a rather small budget if you in Cebu, or Bohol, or even in Leyte....you have to pay rent, food, sometimes medicine, consider some transport to another island, paying even for beach in a resort place....etc. and even for girls LOL... forget about that...

Thailand is quite safe, also for a foreigner, if you live in a cheap housing area in a small city, also easy to get away as there is a good long-distance bus service connecting all places in Thailand with Bangkok - but I would not say that about Philippines, I would be worried about safety, also public transportation is often very poor, very limited shopping possibilities,

The real problem in Thailand is mostly about long-stay visa, recently demanding health insurance cover for a 1-year permit - especially costly if you are retired and past 70+.

Thailand now is only good for short-stay - easy visa for long-stay - this is the only advantage I really see with the Philippines.

[publicduende]

You are right, in smaller cities in Thailand you can live with that, like in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Udorn Thani, Khon Kaen, Loei, Phitsanulok - still not like a king however, but this thread is about Philippines, and I doubt if about PHP 60.000,- (= about USD 1000,-) is enough even for a simple but comfortable lifestyle in any of these smaller towns in the Philippines. PHP 2000,- per day is a rather small budget if you in Cebu, or Bohol, or even in Leyte....you have to pay rent, food, sometimes medicine, consider some transport to another island, paying even for beach in a resort place....etc. and even for girls LOL... forget about that...

Thailand is quite safe, also for a foreigner, if you live in a cheap housing area in a small city, also easy to get away as there is a good long-distance bus service connecting all places in Thailand with Bangkok - but I would not say that about Philippines, I would be worried about safety, also public transportation is often very poor, very limited shopping possibilities,

The real problem in Thailand is mostly about long-stay visa, recently demanding health insurance cover for a 1-year permit - especially costly if you are retired and past 70+.

Thailand now is only good for short-stay - easy visa for long-stay - this is the only advantage I really see with the Philippines.

Actually, in the Philippines, P60,000 net outside the big city is still quite a sizeable amount to live comfortably. The biggest expense is usually rent and, from what I can see, P20-25K is still sufficient to rent a 50-80 sqm house, of fairly recent construction. If one buys groceries from non-high-end supermarkets like SM and Robinsons, tries to avoid imported products which cost more than in their country of origin, and limits themselves to one restaurant mall meal every week, a food budget of P10-15K is entirely reasonable.

The remaining P20-30K can be saved up for trips out of town or even out of the country, unforeseen medical expenses...or the girls

I hear a lot of stories about "the Thai miracle", the projection to a decidedly middle-income status country, not to mention the better infrastructure, the glorious luxury malls, etc.

Thing is, my wife works for the Asian Development Bank, where she has access to all the highest quality statistics about all Asian countries, and she keeps telling me that, besides all the glamour, average income per capita is virtually the same as in the Philippines. Perhaps Thailand has less inequality, more socio-economic mobility, or better salaries outside the large cities or particularly coveted industries like IT, engineering, and advanced Customer Service.

I have never been to Thailand, so cannot substantiate what real life may tell, beyond all possible figures and statistics.

[Jackfruits]

Bangkok feels more advanced/well developed than London, Paris or Berlin. Chiang Mai is like a westernized cheap Asian city, it's quiet & provincial. Philippines is a 3rd world country. Never tried outside of city. Only choose center of a big city as I need good internet.

[publicduende]

Bangkok feels more advanced/well developed than London, Paris or Berlin. Chiang Mai is like a westernized cheap Asian city, it's quiet & provincial. Philippines is a 3rd world country. Never tried outside of city. Only choose center of a big city as I need good internet.

Some, in fact many areas of Manila are 3rd world slums. It would be unfair to slam all of Metro Manila as a 3rd world cesspit, though. There are several areas of Manila that feel very first world, in fact on a par with Singapore, Hong Kong or NYC. I was at BGC (Bonifacio Global City, a large and modern business district) again last night, for a dinner with my wife and some common friends. Every time I go there it just doesn't feel like the Philippines anymore.

I have never been to Bangkok but my wife has been there a few times and she told me that, in terms of extreme luxury, Bangkok has more to offer. However, in terms of size and quality, Manila has more business districts and, perhaps because it had a spate of development while Thailand was mired in a crisis, quite a few more modern buildings.

[Yohan]

Bangkok feels more advanced/well developed than London, Paris or Berlin. Chiang Mai is like a westernized cheap Asian city, it's quiet & provincial. Philippines is a 3rd world country. Never tried outside of city. Only choose center of a big city as I need good internet.

Not all in the Philippines is a slum, but if you need a nice room in a good and safe area you will have to pay for it, either by rent or by sale, it is simply said much more available in Thailand.

For example this recording on youtube was uploaded on Sep 5, 2022. Manila/Tondo
I have never seen such a place in all Thailand, Thailand even cheap housing is much cleaner, and people themselves are much cleaner, you find plenty of laundry shops everywhere - and I am sure, such a place like in this video in Manila does not exist in Bangkok, not around Bangkok...

If you know such a place in Thailand let me know!



About Pattaya, some people love it, and some don't, but compared to Cebu, it's clearly a better place...

There are some low-class housings around Pattaya and other cities too of course (but not such wide areas and often with construction workers from Myanmar and Cambodia) but even within such low-income places there is nothing so desolate and impoverished like you will find it in any Filipino slum...

This guy talks too long, slum tour will start at 02:00





It's not really so dangerous if you go to such areas during day time as a Western foreigner, but expect a lot of dirty children, beggars, etc.
Some locals will also offer to go with you to guide you around and to protect you... against a little money of course.

The difference between Thailand and Philippines is that in Philippines there was never any significant land reform.
To live somewhere, to find a low-paid job, is not so difficult for a Thai, even if he or she really owns nothing. Thai people also have access in their province where they are registered to almost free medical care - In Philippines it's more about pay cash or die early.

A Filipina in Tokyo told me she thinks, the main problem is with the mentality of the Filipino people themselves - she told me, poverty is because in every f***ing village you have only f***ing families which have at least ten f***ing children...and they don't even know how to feed them tomorrow....she is not wrong if you ask me.



Life-style is different, Thailand is not Philippines.
You have to decide, what is better for you.

Personally, as I said before, the only good thing I know about Philippines is that a foreigner can easily get visa permit for long-stay -
Long-stay visa are not so easy to obtain in Thailand, they want you to be a tourist, stay a while, and expect you to spend money and to leave Thailand again....

[Yohan]

This is a bit outside of Bangkok, On Nut Area, but connection by skytrain, however still a bit remote located, to the station about 2 km....
You should have your own motorcycle or if you can afford it, your own car.

In the center of Bangkok (Pathum Wan and similar places) you will pay rent for that room similar quality around USD 500,- or 600,- I guess.

Not sure if you find the same accommodation for the same price in Manila....

Address of this place was given as
Excel Hideaway Sukhumvit 50
Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110



A fairly good video, comparing a small condo in the city center with his own... have to use the Skytrain...
USD 750,- vs. 200,-
both have swimmingpools...


Another cheap one for rent


Not so cheap, I guess up to USD 1.500,- for renting such a property (and add fees like deposit and fees for the real estate broker) he says, he is renting this house in HuaHin, not a cheap resort place, more expensive than Pattaya.

[publicduende]

This is a bit outside of Bangkok, On Nut Area, but connection by skytrain, however still a bit remote located, to the station about 2 km....
You should have your own motorcycle or if you can afford it, your own car.

In the center of Bangkok (Pathum Wan and similar places) you will pay rent for that room similar quality around USD 500,- or 600,- I guess.

Not sure if you find the same accommodation for the same price in Manila....

Address of this place was given as
Excel Hideaway Sukhumvit 50
Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110



A fairly good video, comparing a small condo in the city center with his own... have to use the Skytrain...
USD 750,- vs. 200,-
both have swimmingpools...

219 USD is about 13,000 pesos per month, assuming excluding dues and utilities. You can definitely find small 1BR flats of that kind outside Metro Manila, for that price. In fact, being Metro Manila a federation of seamlessly-connected large cities, outside Metro Manila might easily mean 30 or 40 km distance from, say, the Makati business district or the airport.

@Yohan, not wanting to contradict you but, even cities bordering Metro Manila (what some call "Mega Manila") do have condo buildings with modern flats and cheaper rents, since they are, effectively, 30 or 45 minutes by car (with traffic) away from the business districts.

I think the problem is, many people, especially single urban dwellers, would rather live more centrally and spend more, or give up some space, rather than living in a larger/nicer condo that is 30-45 minutes away from where they work, or habitually hang out.

[Jackfruits]

yes in the CBD of big PH cities its the same as in the west, that's where I always stayed, you go on a side street away from it and its 3rd world. I'm not saying all of it is but most

[Yohan]

I can only comment about Cebu City and what you might find there for PHP 13.000,- tiny room , 23 m2, basic furniture.

something like that....

https://www.lamudi.com.ph/studio-unit-f ... floor.html

Not a bad location, a bit outside, Apas, about where my Filipina foster daughter is living now.

https://www.lamudi.com.ph/1-bedroom-uni ... 34192.html
Good location, 40 m2, average furniture, not under PHP 30.000,- likely have to pay more.

https://www.lamudi.com.ph/calyx-residen ... 53-84.html
Nice rooms, 53 m2, very good location, PHP 50.000,-

[Jackfruits]

This is a bit outside of Bangkok, On Nut Area, but connection by skytrain, however still a bit remote located, to the station about 2 km....
You should have your own motorcycle or if you can afford it, your own car.

In the center of Bangkok (Pathum Wan and similar places) you will pay rent for that room similar quality around USD 500,- or 600,- I guess.

Not sure if you find the same accommodation for the same price in Manila....

Address of this place was given as
Excel Hideaway Sukhumvit 50
Phra Khanong, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110



A fairly good video, comparing a small condo in the city center with his own... have to use the Skytrain...
USD 750,- vs. 200,-
both have swimmingpools...


Another cheap one for rent


Not so cheap, I guess up to USD 1.500,- for renting such a property (and add fees like deposit and fees for the real estate broker) he says, he is renting this house in HuaHin, not a cheap resort place, more expensive than Pattaya.

yes compare this to PH: for $219 you would be renting a room in metro manila

[Jackfruits]

I can only comment about Cebu City and what you might find there for PHP 13.000,- tiny room , 23 m2, basic furniture.

something like that....

https://www.lamudi.com.ph/studio-unit-f ... floor.html

Not a bad location, a bit outside, Apas, about where my Filipina foster daughter is living now.

this is really a nice and clean building, I stayed in this building via airbnb. downside: 3 buildings around of it are in construction and it starts from 06.00AM and ends at 10PM, super hard drilling, machines etc. the laundry shop under the building is expensive, a normal wash costed me $7

[Yohan]

I can only comment about Cebu City and what you might find there for PHP 13.000,- tiny room , 23 m2, basic furniture.
something like that....

https://www.lamudi.com.ph/studio-unit-f ... floor.html

Not a bad location, a bit outside, Apas, about where my Filipina foster daughter is living now.

this is really a nice and clean building, I stayed in this building via airbnb. downside: 3 buildings around of it are in construction and it starts from 06.00AM and ends at 10PM, super hard drilling, machines etc. the laundry shop under the building is expensive, a normal wash costed me $7

I was not in Cebu since 4 years, I guess however, most construction of these condo buildings and otherwise construction like roads are finished now.

I do not stay so far away from there when I am in Cebu, I stay always near Gaisano Country Mall, in Banilad.

[Yohan]

yes compare this to PH: for $219 you would be renting a room in metro manila

In Philippines in Manila and of course in Cebu and other cities too, the question is not only how does the room look like, but also how is the area next to it, what kind of people are living there....some places are developing, the newly constructed building is OK, but look around...I have seen buildings in a so-called nowhere place, you walk out of the building and around is just 'nothing'.

I can only say, from what I have seen so far, I prefer to be in Thailand and not in Philippines.
Just my opinion, but of course not everybody will agree with me. It really depends on the individual person, there are advantages and disadvantages in both countries to consider.

[publicduende]

In Philippines in Manila and of course in Cebu and other cities too, the question is not only how does the room look like, but also how is the area next to it, what kind of people are living there....some places are developing, the newly constructed building is OK, but look around...I have seen buildings in a so-called nowhere place, you walk out of the building and around is just 'nothing'.

I can only say, from what I have seen so far, I prefer to be in Thailand and not in Philippines.
Just my opinion, but of course not everybody will agree with me. It really depends on the individual person, there are advantages and disadvantages in both countries to consider.

I would rather be in Japan