The subject 'Cost of living' is a common one and all the threads ever produced have come to the conclusion that the answer is the same as 'How tall are people?' But people thinking of living here do have a legitimate concern and some idea, even if a little vague, is of use. So with that in mind I provide a latest survey: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/dumaguete-city But please bear in mind that the results for Duma are based on the input of only 6 people - perhaps if members here added to it then it will become more accurate. Anyway, it is a guide for those who seek it. Other cities can be accessed from the page - one interesting fact I noted was the cost of household help at P100 per hour in Duma and P806 in Manila! So 'bye everyone - I am off to Manila to become a domestic!
numbeo.com is another useful website. I think there were 54 persons contributing for Dumaguete the last 12 months. Gesendet von meinem SM-N950F mit Tapatalk
Here is a poll done for monthly expenses that includes 73 response from members on DI done by yours truly. https://dumagueteinfo.com/board/threads/monthly-expenses.33354/#post-176708 There are 7 pages of responses.
No. The cost of having a helper is not 100 per hour but oftentimes 100 per day but you have to provide everything----food and living quarters. In Manila I think that rate is not also based on an hourly basis---that could be daily or weekly. Buying food also needs some resourcefulness if you want to really save. You have to learn to cook simple food or go buy them from inexpensive eateries which we call "karinderya" where you could also get a full meal for only 40 pesos or even less. Houses for rent can go as low as 7 thousand depending on how big the house you want to have. If you get a pad (with CR, aircon, living room that doubles as bedroom, a little kitchen) you can have it for as low as 5 thousand a month. It all depends on your resourcefulness to find these budget-friendly places. If your wife or partner is a Filipina, she should be able to help you with these things.
I did realise that - but then my joke would not have worked (and most would say I should not have bothered anyway!)
As I explore the idea of moving to Dumaguete, I find that the prices of goods for groceries cheaper here in lower Alabama close to Mobile and Pensacola Florida, than posted on site. My 2000 sqft home for a family of 3, which is fully A/C costs $90.00 per month in electric with propane use for a clothes dryer and cooking using approx. $7.00 per month. Unlimited home internet only is $44 per month. Unlimited talk, text and data on Verizon is $75.00, food from the grocery store shopping while comparing prices can be very inexpensive, example boneless skinless chicken breast per pound is $ 1.29, beef chuck roast $4.00 per pound, ground beef 90 lean 10 fat 3.00 per pound. 5 lbs of potatoes $3.50, toilet tissue 6 rolls 2.69, body soap/shampoo 15 0z 1.87, Milk $2.88 per gallon. Gasoline average here is $2.25 per gallon. Cable tv/satellite prices are very complex to compare. Medical cost vary greatly depending on your insurance coverage, ours did average per visit to the Dr. of $ 20.00 and dental for a Exam/cleaning @ $100. Something I do not see posted here are the average tax rates, which for me here is 10% on sales of most all consumables, property taxes here are lower than most with a very complex scale, with discounts for seniors. Many subdivisions here have Home Owner Association fee's, auto registration fee's vary with the age of the vehicle and type. What about insurance costs in Dumaguete, for cars and homes or apts ? So many variables in attempting to compare, not really worth it IMHO. More of a choice of what life style you and your family wish to live.
Do you have income tax in the US? Or other taxes to pay there while in the Philippines you don't have to pay for these?