Cost of living in dumaguete? ($860 VA disability pension enough?)

At 26 you could live off of $860 in philippines.
But thats all you would do and maybe some savings.
You would also have to live a bit less extravagant but definitley much better than the average local.

But, it is important to have a back up savings that is enough to buy a ticket back to USA on short notice, and extra for emergencies.
At 26, if you are not physically restricted from riding small buses and motor cycle taxi to get around, you will do alright.
But again, $860 is enough to even have a house helper to help you get fat and lazy, but not enough to save from for return tickets to USA.

Maybe if you can come up with $5000 savings and are responosble enough to leave it untouched while you learn to make $860 go a long way in philippines.

So far, after nearly 2 years in dumaguete years ago, a year in Nicaragua, a year in Mexico and a year between Peru and Ecuador, i have stayed steady with around $800 a month and mostly $700 a month in every country. Even some months as low as $600.
The $800 months are when extra ordinary expenses or trips happen.
Same amount for every country and some places like Ecuador and Peru, i can live out of hotels from between $200 and $300 a month.
I am in Mexico by the beach and paying $300 a month studio/kitchenette and all is furnished while i pay to have wifi and cable TV. I spend $300 per month on food which includes eating out. I don’t drink, smoke or party or have needs outside the basic food and shelter. So $600 food and shelter and then another $170 for transport and miscelaneous.

So $760. But i do not buy new clothes, new phone, my trip to and from Mexico. I drive to Mexico from Around Indiana USA and it cost $2000 just to make the winter time 6 month round trip every year and another $500 for processing my car and mexican insurance.
Then i fly to Ecuador/Colombia/Peru for the other 6 months.

Either way, for full cost of living, factoring long term costs that pop up every year, clothing, hardware upgrade, trip back home omce a year, i actually need to have closer to $1200 a month at my disposal just to make $800 a month work for me.

Truth is, $500 a month can work for you in any of these countries and yes Dumaguete. But it comes with being very close to third world living with some creature comforts to add. And it gets more filth with disease risk, more stress and pollution of not in a small town outside cities.
I can handle lower standard of living as long as it is in a fresh environment like outside of cities. Fresh air, cheaper and quieter.
I do small towns in every country i go to.

Right now i do 6 months in Mexico every year for winter on the beach and 6 months summer in and around Ecuador for cool mountain fresh air. That is my routine and plan for years to come until something else comes calling. I remain based in USA with my house, PObox, phone number and all. I just don’t spend time there other than 10days after winter and 10 days after summer. Sometimes longer if my house needs work or unexpected responsibilities.


I have friend who has to return to USA every year or two to work in order to keep his Social security disability. He has a bit more than $1200 from that and then work lets him save up to pay for the trip and long term supplies and a motor cycle.

If you really wanted to, you could work in USA for a while and save up and then make part time moves every year, maybe try a new countryevery year. Also, at 26, you will need to out in more work and SS taxes to be able to get socialsecurity when you are 67 or 70.
So the idea of working in USA regularly over the long run, is important if you want SS pension when you are older and when you will really need it. Yes you can get SS and Veterans pension together but for SS, you need to pay into it for a minimum of ten years and ideally 20 years for any SS pension worth your while.

I bet you can easily make $860 work for you living abroad part time, 6 months out of the year, mayne winter time in a tropical country -by the beach. $860 is a lot for rent and food and supplies in many cheap tropical countries. Just spend half the year in USA working to save for the trip cost and back up savings and that will also end up having you pay into SS to earn an SE pension when you are older.

 

Sounds like Wrye83 got his percentage from the army. And never filed it over to for a VA rating that pays more. Last i checked, years ago, Army was paying around $400 for 30-50 percent for mid to lower ranks. They paid the same across a full 20% range of rating difference.
Either way, if you are not rated as a rank closer to a senior Seargent or officer, then 40% rating on army pay is not much compared to VA pay which is not based on rank or time in service. One amount for everyone in a percentage rating.

If you did not file for VA, you should file and i bet you will get a ton of back pay if it has been more than a few years since you got a service branch rating.

 

Your geography had me going. I could have swore the CR water spun clockwise last time I was there. You forced me to turn google earth's grid on to make sure. Either way, Negros island is a far cry south of Oklahoma. No way I would want to live here nor there on $860 per month.

 

You can’t unless you live with a family member or have other family support. However, you would qualify for welfare payments, Medicaid free health care, food stamps, other state programs such as energy assistance, whatever freebies you could grab. That is how you live in the USA on $800.00 per month.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

While I do agree that you get less quality that comes along with the lower price, some people can learn to adapt to lower quality if they consider the lower price they are paying. It really depends on that person.

For example, you spend 2 dollars for a meal at a fast food place in PI, like mang inasal, jolibee, etc. Yes, the amount of food for that 2 dollars is small if you compare it to what you get in America, you're also spending way less. So while I agree, you get what you pay for, if you are ok with eating a reasonable amount of food, and not over indulging like most Americans do, then you can learn to adapt to the lower quality/quantity that you get. Also, in PI you get to eat healthy for way cheaper. Vegetables are very cheap compared to America, and fresher.

Lastly, I don't get how you can say America is one of the cheapest places in the world to live. I think it's quite the opposite. Although that is also dependent on where in America you live. Where I live near DC, I pay almost 500k pesos on property tax alone every year.. and that isn't really that high compared to others who live here.


With that said, on $860 a month, you could live.. and contrary to what others have said here, I'd say better than you would in the States on that same income. Unless you already have free housing, I don't see how anyone can say you'd live better in the States.

 

While I agree I have yet to eat a decent sandwhich in the Philippines, there is more to eat than just sandwiches! You don't go to a foreign country to eat american food lol.

And Vegetables are definitely cheaper and fresher in the Philippines than the States. I'm not sure what part of the States you are in, but unless you grow your own, it's not cheaper. In fact, you can grow way more vegetables in the Philippines, year round.

And even if I can't own property, you can still rent property and at 200 to 300 a month, it's way cheaper than the States. You couldn't even rent a garage for that price here.