In this report, I discuss the top 10 reasons to retire early first in the Philippines.
Background
How this advice is limited:
Top Reasons vary based upon your sex and your home country: You are invited to share any differences you have in the notes below.
Your First Country Will Be The Most Challenging: Living overseas is most difficult in your first 3 to 6 months–each country becomes easier to adapt after that.
Travel Legs: Because of the following similarities with western English speaking cultures, the Philippines will be a better place to first live outside your home country. But you must complete your exploratory visits to at least 4 to 5 countries before settling down.
I am not saying the Philippines will be your final favorite retire cheap destination once you complete your exploratory visits. I am just saying it is the best place to get your travel legs the first time you live in a foreign country.
Top 10 Reasons to Retire Early First in the Philippines
Money
People live in the Philippines in cities and in provinces at various price points. So you can learn how to budget to live on your retirement income in the Philippines. Here are interviews I have done with people living at various price points in the Philippines. Just click any or all of these interviews to get an idea of what someone on your budget is able to live like in the Philippines and what their budget entails each month.
All of the following 12 links will take you to our YouTube interviews of someone living cheap in the Philippines at these prices.
|$673 Month Dumaguete |$578 Month 2 People | $140 Rent Provinces
|$650 Month Dumaguete |$725 Month Family of 7 |$1284 Month 2 People|
$600 Month 1 Person| $1051 Month 2 People |$800 Month Province
|$965 Month Island Life| $985 Month Island for 2| $1000 Month 2 People|
Language
The locals speak Tagalog but most people also speak some English so you can communicate with the locals mostly.
Visa
Many foreigners are given a month upon arrival but you can keep renewing your visa every month for about $20 to $30 USD per month depending on whether you want an expedited or regular extension. You can pay for up to 6 months at a time after you have been in the Philippines for more than a few months. You can keep renewing for up to 36 months before you have to do a visa run to another country.
Acceptance
The Filipino people are very friendly and accept foreigners with open arms. If you are nice and accepting of Filipinos you will find they are just as accepting of you.
Religion
Filipinos are mostly Catholics but they are not very judgemental people as far as I can tell. They are more religious than the average USA citizen but they don’t seem to wear it on their sleeve as much.
Cultural Similarities
Culturally the Filipinos seem more similar to Americans and other former colonies of the UK than other parts of Asia.
Music
The Filipinos listen to very western music, like Rock and Roll, R and B, Hip-hop, and country music. You will hear some techno but it does not dominate in the Philippines as it does in other parts of SE Asia.
Love
The Filipino rituals of love seem more familiar to westerners than other parts of SE Asia.
Sex
Conversations about sex seem more comfortable and familiar to Filipinos, more in cadence with western vocabulary.
Humor
Filipinos seem to understand western jokes a little better without explanation.
Grocery Stores
You will find many foods that appear in western culture even in small-town grocery stores. Big cities throughout Asia have almost everything so the difference is in the provinces.
Sports
Filipinos grew up with and love to watch many American sports like Baseball, Basketball, and Boxing.
Thanks for reviewing our Top 10 Reasons Retire Early First Philippines Report. These are generalizations that do not apply to all people in any culture.
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