Kevin spent 20 years in the military. He lived in Japan, Italy, Korea, Bahrain, and Virginia before eventually settling in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York with his Filipino wife Famela and their kids.

Life was fine. Not bad. Just expensive, stressful, and getting harder to justify every year.

Then Famela brought up the idea of moving back to the Philippines. Kevin didn't take much convincing.

Back in Buffalo, Kevin's family of three was spending around $8,000 per month. Rent, groceries, utilities, car insurance, driving everywhere, all of it adding up in a city where costs never seem to stop climbing.

Today, a family of five — Kevin, Famela, his daughter, his stepdaughter, and his sister-in-law — live comfortably in a three-bedroom three-bathroom condo in McKinley Hill for around $4,500 per month. That includes rent at 65,000 pesos a month, school fees for two kids, groceries, electricity, and regular meals out.

Five people. More space. Half the cost. And Kevin is the first to admit they could probably spend less once they fully figure out where to shop and where to eat.

He summed it up simply. Back home that $8,000 was for three of us. Here $4,500 covers five and we are actually living better.

Kevin does not sugarcoat what pushed him out of the US.

The divisiveness was something he could no longer stomach. The constant noise, the political tension, the feeling that you have to watch what you say around everyone. He says none of that exists in his daily life here and the mental relief has been immediate.

He also mentions his blood pressure. He has had high blood pressure for years. Since moving to the Philippines he checked it recently and was genuinely shocked at how low it had dropped. He is convinced it is the slower pace, the warmer climate, or simply not having to drive everywhere in a constant state of low-grade stress.

The driving thing comes up more than once. Kevin hated being car-dependent and in the Philippines, particularly in McKinley and BGC, he walks almost everywhere. Transportation cost is essentially zero.

Kevin first visited the Philippines in 2006 while stationed in Asia. He describes it as being on another planet — the coconut trees, the crystal clear water, the warmth of the people. He fell in love with it at 26 and never forgot it.

What surprised him on arrival this time was the safety. He says he can walk the streets of BGC and McKinley at any hour and feel completely comfortable. He would not say the same about Buffalo after dark.

He also notes that BGC barely feels like the Philippines to people back home. He FaceTimes his family and they ask if he is back in the States. He has to convince them he is still in Manila.

Kevin is not a YouTube expat chasing a fantasy. He is a retired military veteran who made a practical, deliberate decision based on cost, safety, family, and quality of life. And by every measure he can point to, the move delivered.

The Philippines gave his family more space, more time together, lower costs, and a pace of life that is genuinely good for his health.

If you have been running the same math and wondering whether the move makes sense for you, we can help you figure it out.

Click here to start your move to the Philippines the right way

Travel Well,

Evan Lorezca

The Savvy Expat