Is $1000 a month enough to sustain a family of 3 in the Philippines comfortably and near luxurious?

Question

Provided that car is already paid and house may either be paid already or just renting? If we rent, how much more would it be for a decent house or apartment monthly?

Answer 1

You can do just fine with that.  Its not living like a king but you will be able to meet all your family's needs and then some.  You'll have to keep the relatives out of your business and out of your pockets but my wife and I manage on less than that.

Answer 2

Well look at it this way... MOST of the Filipinos only make an average of 10,000pesos a month if you work in a callcenter, maybe a bit more, if you are a construction worker maybe a bit less. Therefore with 1000US Dollars=45,000Pesos, you can have a pretty good lifestyle. Not really extremely luxurious, but you won't be left out in the dark. Unless, like previously mentioned, there are "family leeches".

Congrats on your kid.

Answer 3

Will it sustain you semi-comfortably (by Phil standards) maybe. By Western standards, probably not. Luxuriously, I say no.  

Isn't medical care in the Philippines an out of pocket expense? Factor in a 1 year old. You are going to have unexpected major expenses at the most inopportune time, that is life anywhere.  In the USA, those financial risks are mitigated by insurance (home, appliance, car, medical, dental, credit card, employment, theft, etc.) These methods are non-existent, too expensive or downright inadequate in the Philippines, admittedly.

Answer 4

Dude. Luxurious?  WTF are you talking about? The membership at the Yacht Club costs like USD15k for the share, and then for a 40' yacht the mooring fees, assesment, and consumable add up to over $200 per month.

If you refer to "Luxury" you should at least have a small yacht.

Also the weekend shopping flights to Hong Kong or Singapore will run several times that per month.  Luxury, remember?

To be really honest, if you want "Luxury" you need as much as you would in Europe or the US.  If you are talking about living "ok" on less money, yes this is possible in the Philippines.  Just be clear on what you are talking about.

To get near to "luxury" you need PHP 200k +, and maybe then some because of the baby.

Answer 5

$1,000 = P45, 000+

Dude, with that money you are just living. It's not even close to near luxurious.

1) just an average apartment P8,000 - P15,000 a month

2) your food a month P3,000 - P5, 000 a month

3) katulong / labandera P2,500 - P 3,500 a month

4) electricity and water P 1, 000 - P 2, 000 a month

5) Diapers and milk P 2, 000 - P3,000 a month

6) Gas for the car P 1,500 - P2,000 a month

--------------------------------------...

= average of $ 30, 500 more or less of basic necessities

you are not even considering shopping, eating out and your kid is not even going to school yet.

You need to have min of P200,000 to be at least in the boarder.

Answer 6

I think 'elel's' calculations on electricity are very conservative, that figure would not even run a single 'aircon' unit on nights only basis

Answer 7

If you have to ask, then that means you should forget about the concept of living in luxury with x*x amount of money. Just like buyers of luxury cars who only ask if there are available units, or only talk about color options.

To live in luxury means not having to bother about price tags. That means you buy anything your heart desires, knowing you will have more than enough. I do not even mean excesses - - - just anything and everything that you need to make you happy and comfortable.

Or maybe you meant to ask if $1,000 will give you a comfortable life. In general, the answer is YES. But that will depend completely on how you define "comfortable". The best is to come here for a "look-see", the better for you to make a judgment. That time and money you spare in the look-see will prove to be your smartest investment prior to relocating here.

Answer 8

yes.  unless of course you have leeching relatives who live near by.

Answer 9

Nah you'll just be getting by. By no means will that amount be close to living a luxury lifestyle. Its budget at best. Don't forget nothing in the Philippines is black and white and many things will pop up where you will need to spend more money. Family outing,doctor visits and etc.  

Answer 10

This monthly budget (minimum) is based on a lower middle class typical Pinoy family's standard of living for a couple + 1 kid + 1 house helper:

1.  House rent in subdivision 2BR/1T&B/1garage (say in Cavite): Php 8,000

2   Groceries (canned goods, toiletries, breakfast cold cuts, snacks & food ingredients) : Php 12,000

3.  Market (rice+ viands i.e. chicken, meat & vegetables): Php 4,000

4.  Electricity (1 unit A/C-12hrs usage/day + basic appliances): Php 4,000

5.  Water: Php 800

6. Telephone/ ISP/ Cable TV: Php 1,600

7. Gas (Car + cooking LPG): Php 5,400

8. House helper wage: Php 3,000

9. Baby's milk & diapers: Php 4,400

Total Budget per month= Php 43,200

Forecast Income= Php 45,000

Savings / Spare amount= Php 1,800

You can use the spare amount for other expenses e.g. basic medicines & misc.

You can reduce your expenses by omitting portions or some items above that you can live without.

For your peace of mind, you must have at least Php 200,000 in the bank (time deposit or savings deposit) for emergency funding just in case.

Good Luck!

Answer 11

$1000 is well under Php47K a month. while there are places in Southern Luzon like San Pedro that have a much lower cost of living than Metro Manila, $1000 will still make you live on a fixed budget... it's definitely nowhere near luxurious and you'd have to plan cost-cutting measures to live comfortably.

Answer 12

yes why not? as long as you know how to budget and save.

invest in a good house. invest on your child's future.

save much on electricity and other luxuries in life.

besides,you live in the provinces,the cost of living is not that high.

Answer 13

It's enough to sustain a family of 3 with some western amenities. You can live comfortably by Philippine standards, but it's definitely not enough to live a life of luxury.

The house and car would have to be paid for to sustain a near comfortable western lifestyle here on $1,000 a month.

Here in Iloilo ( a smaller city in the visayas) for a decent house and monthly expenses it costs:

Rent for a 3 br 2 ba house in a nice gated/guarded subdivision: P20-25,000 per month.

Electricity : P8-12,000 per month.

Local telephone with DSL : P2,100

CATV: P550

City water P800

Bottled drinking water P 700

Groceries and other household stuff (family of 4) P15,000 (min)

If you want to live a comfortable lifestyle by U.S. standards a minimum of $1,500 a month take home pay with the house and car paid for. If you want a luxourious lifestyle you need double that as a minimum.