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Retire in the Philippines! |
There are about 300,000 Americans living full-time in the Philippines. Many, if not most, of them are retired. About 30,000 live in and around Angeles City on the island of Luzon.
The cost of living is much lower than in the USA. For example, the cost of a visit to a doctor or a dentist will be about $10 to $20. Medical and dental services are much cheaper. In fact such services will cost from 5% to 10% of the price for the same services in the US.
We visited the Philippine Retirement Authority in Manila in 2019.
2 bedroom 1 bath apartment which had private parking with a gate in front of our first-floor unit. In the US the average cost of rent for a similar unit would be $1,205 a month (as of this date June 12, 2015.)
Cable TV and Internet service will cost about $20 a month each.
The cost of auto repair is significantly lower than in the US.
One can live comfortably on Social Security income of $800 or less a month. A family of 2 or 4 can live well on about $1,200 to $1,500 US a month. Of course it depends on where you live. If you live in a big city, like Manila, you can expect to pay considerably more for rent. But even there, a taxi will cost you only about $3.00 US to go about 5 or 10 miles. Living in more isolated places can lower your expenses considerably. I have read of families of 5 or more who live on $1,000 US a month or less.
There may be a way to engineer an extra, steady, income "by buying an immediate fixed annuity. According to ImmediateAnnuities.com, a 65 year old man who puts $100,000 into an immediate annuity today would collect about $500 a month throughout retirement."(from article 'Retire, Live Happily Ever After' in the Jan-Feb 2015 issue of Money magazine. Website: time.money.com)
If you are a Filipino you may want to check out e-PinoyGuide for information about Philippine Social Security benefits.
There are plenty of American fast food restaurant chains in the Philippines. Most are in the larger cities like Angeles City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Manila and many more. You can find a good selection of American and European foods at grocery stores in the malls.
Shopping malls are world class! Visit a cinema in a mall and see first run movies for about $3.00 each. Get a haircut for a dollar or two. Your girlfriend or wife can get a manicure for a dollar or two.
Check out ladies of the Philippines. Many ladies are waiting for you. One good place to meet ladies is at food courts in the malls. Other places include beaches, churches, grocery stores, department stores, jeepneys, tricycles, buses and almost anywhere else.
It will be a good idea to get travel insurance before you travel.
As for long term health insurance, there are many options, many health insurance providers in the Philippines.
Medicare will not cover you when you are abroad, but,
I have heard that some Medicare insurance plans cover emergency medical care abroad. So be sure to check with your insurance agent.
You could fly back to the US if you should want to use the services of the VA or use Medicare at other hospitals. There is a VA outpatient clinic in Manila and another on Guam. "Only Veterans who have a service connected disability of at least zero percent and registered with VA OPC are eligible for care and services (at the clinic in Manila.)"
Taken from the Manila VA outpatient website, "U.S. Veterans that live in another foreign country should coordinate their medical care and medication refills with the Foreign Medical Program (FMP.)"
As a foreigner you will not be permitted to work for remuneration in the Philippines unless you become a Permanent Resident and make application requesting to work there. You may not purchase a home unless you are married to a Filipino. You may, however, purchase a condo or lease a home.
Before you leave for the Philippines be sure you have a financial cushion. You will need to have money for deposits on cable, internet, water, electric, rental deposits, deposits before being admitted to hospitals, etc. and money for return flights to your home country. The more money you have in reserve the more comfortable you will be.
Oh, if you are a gambler there are a lot of casinos in the Philippines. It is possible to lose a lot of money. I have met Americans begging on the streets in Manila. The US Embassy will not give you money to fly back to the US and neither will the Philippine government. There are no free living quarters, no soup kitchens, so life could be extremely difficult if you lose your money.
You will need to extend your tourist visa regularly. Check with the US Embassy in Manila or with branch offices of the Embassy. Don't overstay your visa, you could wind up detained by immigration. Be sure to extend your visa in a timely fashion each time it is required. Do not leave it to the last minute. Especially at holiday time. Immigration offices close for the holidays. I once had to book tickets online to leave the Philippines at the last minute, at a huge expense, because immigration was already closed when I had planned to go to renew. It was a good thing I managed to get that flight, immigration arrested about 20 foreigners, in the area where I had been living (Paranaque in Greater Manila), on or about Christmas day.
I spent 5 years living in the Philippines.
Check out US State Department site pages about travel to the Philippines.
What is the Philippine Retirement Authority?
Cable TV and Internet service will cost about $20 a month each.
The cost of auto repair is significantly lower than in the US.
One can live comfortably on Social Security income of $800 or less a month. A family of 2 or 4 can live well on about $1,200 to $1,500 US a month. Of course it depends on where you live. If you live in a big city, like Manila, you can expect to pay considerably more for rent. But even there, a taxi will cost you only about $3.00 US to go about 5 or 10 miles. Living in more isolated places can lower your expenses considerably. I have read of families of 5 or more who live on $1,000 US a month or less.
There may be a way to engineer an extra, steady, income "by buying an immediate fixed annuity. According to ImmediateAnnuities.com, a 65 year old man who puts $100,000 into an immediate annuity today would collect about $500 a month throughout retirement."(from article 'Retire, Live Happily Ever After' in the Jan-Feb 2015 issue of Money magazine. Website: time.money.com)
If you are a Filipino you may want to check out e-PinoyGuide for information about Philippine Social Security benefits.
There are plenty of American fast food restaurant chains in the Philippines. Most are in the larger cities like Angeles City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Manila and many more. You can find a good selection of American and European foods at grocery stores in the malls.
Shopping malls are world class! Visit a cinema in a mall and see first run movies for about $3.00 each. Get a haircut for a dollar or two. Your girlfriend or wife can get a manicure for a dollar or two.
Check out ladies of the Philippines. Many ladies are waiting for you. One good place to meet ladies is at food courts in the malls. Other places include beaches, churches, grocery stores, department stores, jeepneys, tricycles, buses and almost anywhere else.
It will be a good idea to get travel insurance before you travel.
As for long term health insurance, there are many options, many health insurance providers in the Philippines.
Medicare will not cover you when you are abroad, but,
I have heard that some Medicare insurance plans cover emergency medical care abroad. So be sure to check with your insurance agent.
You could fly back to the US if you should want to use the services of the VA or use Medicare at other hospitals. There is a VA outpatient clinic in Manila and another on Guam. "Only Veterans who have a service connected disability of at least zero percent and registered with VA OPC are eligible for care and services (at the clinic in Manila.)"
Taken from the Manila VA outpatient website, "U.S. Veterans that live in another foreign country should coordinate their medical care and medication refills with the Foreign Medical Program (FMP.)"
As a foreigner you will not be permitted to work for remuneration in the Philippines unless you become a Permanent Resident and make application requesting to work there. You may not purchase a home unless you are married to a Filipino. You may, however, purchase a condo or lease a home.
Before you leave for the Philippines be sure you have a financial cushion. You will need to have money for deposits on cable, internet, water, electric, rental deposits, deposits before being admitted to hospitals, etc. and money for return flights to your home country. The more money you have in reserve the more comfortable you will be.
Oh, if you are a gambler there are a lot of casinos in the Philippines. It is possible to lose a lot of money. I have met Americans begging on the streets in Manila. The US Embassy will not give you money to fly back to the US and neither will the Philippine government. There are no free living quarters, no soup kitchens, so life could be extremely difficult if you lose your money.
You will need to extend your tourist visa regularly. Check with the US Embassy in Manila or with branch offices of the Embassy. Don't overstay your visa, you could wind up detained by immigration. Be sure to extend your visa in a timely fashion each time it is required. Do not leave it to the last minute. Especially at holiday time. Immigration offices close for the holidays. I once had to book tickets online to leave the Philippines at the last minute, at a huge expense, because immigration was already closed when I had planned to go to renew. It was a good thing I managed to get that flight, immigration arrested about 20 foreigners, in the area where I had been living (Paranaque in Greater Manila), on or about Christmas day.
I spent 5 years living in the Philippines.
Check out US State Department site pages about travel to the Philippines.
What is the Philippine Retirement Authority?
"The Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) is a government owned and controlled corporation created by virtue of Executive Order No. 1037, signed by former President Ferdinand E. Marcos on 04 July 1985. On 31 August 2001, through Executive Order No. 26, the control and supervision of PRA was transferred to the Board of Investments (BOI) - Department of Trade and Industry from the Office of the President.
On 12 May 2009, Republic Act No. 9593, otherwise known as Tourism Act of 2009, PRA became an attached agency of the Department of Tourism and placed under the supervision of the Secretary.
PRA is mandated to attract foreign nationals and former Filipino citizens to invest, reside and retire in the Philippines with the end-view of accelerating the socio-economic development of the country, contributing to the foreign currency reserve of the economy and by providing them the best quality of life in the most attractive package."Special Resident Retiree Visa Program
"The SRRV allows all its foreign retiree-members to retire and live in the Philippines for as long as they want. An SRRV holder may come in and out of the country as often as he desires, and enjoy privileges such as exemption from securing the ACR I-Card (Alien Certificate of Registration Immigration Card) from the Bureau of Immigration; exemption from paying the travel tax at the Philippine Airports; and exemption from getting a Study Permit or Student’s Visa for their dependent-children who intends to pursue education in the Philippines. PRA retiree-members may also use health cards issued abroad in Philippine hospitals/clinics accredited by selected health card companies. They may also avail of the one time tax-free importation of household goods/personal effects; and many more."
Top 10 Places To Retire In The Philippines according to ZipMatch.
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This post will be expanded. Check back for more information about retiring in the Philippines. Updated June 3 2022.
