Most guys on YouTube will tell you why you should retire in the Philippines. Iām going to tell you how I actually got hereāmistakes, bad bets on love, busted expectations and allāand why that long, messy road eventually pointed me to Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. This isnāt theory. Itās twelve-plus years of boots-on-the-ground experience from … Read more
Retiring in the Philippines turned out to be one of the best decisions of my lifeābut not for the reasons I expected. After years of living here, these are the ten things I wish someone had told me before I packed my bags and boarded the plane.
Forget the ālive like a king in the Philippines for $1,000 a monthā hype. This is my actual monthly budget as an American expatārent, AC, groceries, helper, healthcare, savings and an emergency fundābroken down in pesos and dollars so you can see what it really takes to live comfortably here without relying on a YouTube channel.
In the U.S., malls are dying. In the Philippines, theyāre packed. For many expats, these giant, air-conditioned palaces feel like the American malls they grew up with ā only busier, friendlier, and very much alive. If you grew up in the era when āgoing outā meant getting dropped at the mall for the afternoon, you … Read more