Two days and 39 replies later and you have not replied since your original question. I was going to add more but since you seem to be gone there is no point. Hopefully I am not talking to myself and you will reply after reading what everyone has said.
You took the words out of my mouth. I got the same idea. Put a question with respect to a topic that will generate lots of answers but never come back or react again.
I did that before too but we also have to consider if he is still in the States then maybe he actually has a life unlike most of us expats here with nothing better to do than laze under the sun, drink alcohol, womanize, eat and be merry, or if like me, be monitored closely by their Wife to make sure that they are not doing all of the above! hehe
Could someone "do well on $860 US / month"? Nope. As it has been stated, you could survive on that amount. But, surviving isn't living. I'm quite sure I could do so, as I "survived" on less than that before, quite a number of years ago. Would I want to now? No way. Nor, would I attempt to do so. It's time for someone to find a new g/f, if that's the case. Lots of good gals in the Philippines, many, if not most of whom, are not high maintenance.
Philippinos lives with much less money per month. That means surviving is possible with even much less money than 43000 php per month. With that amount a basic living is possible if searching well for a house or apartment costing not more than 8000 php per month. If water, internet and some other utilities (most time electricity is not included) are included in the rental it can go up to 10000 php. Keep it simple anyway. If you want a health insurance for yourself on the Philippines you will have to raise your income by several hundreds US$. If you are entitled for the US VA system you will have to go to Metro Manila to access that system. Then it would be better to get a living in Metro Manila. Yeah you can even get a home for 4k php/month upward in that area. Check OLX for available houses or apartments.
It is extremely difficult (but not impossible) for a long nose to live on a local budget....and basically impossible for anyone that hasn't already lived in the Philippines for several years to learn all the local tricks on price negotiation. I would even go so far as to say that unless you are at least conversational in the local dialect you won't be able to live on a local budget. It is dangerous to suggest it is possible to a new comer. There are no social programs in place in Asia to help those that fall on bad times. Coming here on a limited budget could lead to an early death.
