The most common question I get from Americans researching a move to the Philippines is some version of the same thing.

Evan, how much do I actually need?

Not the YouTube clickbait answer. Not the $500 a month survival budget that gets views but does not reflect reality. The real number. The one that lets you live well, eat out, travel occasionally, and not stress about money for the first time in your adult life.

Here is the honest answer.

This is the floor. Not a comfortable retirement. Not a miserable one either. But tight.

JJ from Nebraska lives in BGC on $1,500 per month. One bedroom on the 29th floor overlooking the Manila Golf Club at $620 per month. Electricity at $50. Water at $12. Food and entertainment at $200 to $400. Phone and internet at $50. International health insurance at $114.

It works. But at $1,500 you are making decisions constantly. You are not taking monthly island trips. You are not eating at nice restaurants every night. You are not saying yes to everything.

If $1,500 is your number the Philippines is still dramatically better than staying in the States. But go in with realistic expectations.

This is where the Philippines stops feeling like a trade-off and starts feeling like an upgrade.

At $2,000 per month you have a solid one-bedroom in a quality BGC building with gym and pool. You eat out daily at decent restaurants without watching the bill. You take a Grab whenever you want. You have comprehensive health insurance. You have money left over every single month.

The average lawyer in the Philippines earns $3,500 per month. At $2,000 you are living upper middle class by local standards. Your stress about money largely disappears.

This is the number that works for a single person on Social Security who wants a real life here — not just a survival budget.

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

This is the number I recommend to almost every client who asks.

At $3,000 per month in BGC you have a quality one-bedroom in one of the best buildings in the district at $1,100 to $1,250 per month. Three sit-down meals per day at genuinely good restaurants without ever thinking about the bill. A personal trainer once a week. A professional massage every week. Monthly island trips to Palawan or Cebu. And you still have surplus every single month.

This is the number where the Philippines stops being about saving money and starts being about genuinely living better than you ever did in the States.

Brian and Christina from Hawaii — a family of four — run their entire household on $3,000 per month in BGC. Back in Hawaii $2,000 just covered their rent.

This is Craig from North Carolina's life.

A condo he owns outright at $474 per month mortgage. A private driver on 24/7 call at $480 per month. A live-in housekeeper at $250 per month. An executive assistant at $115 per month. Country club golf membership at Eastridge paid off at $22,000 total — versus $450,000 for his old club in North Carolina. Fine dining, cigar lounges, and wine at $600 per month.

Total — roughly $4,300 to $5,000 per month with genuine surplus.

Craig describes his expenses here as a quarter of what they were back home. For a lifestyle that is objectively better on every measurable dimension.

The question is not really how much you need to retire in the Philippines. The question is what you are currently spending in the States — and what that same money buys here instead.

The average American retiree spends $4,000 to $5,000 per month in the US for a life most of them describe as financially stressful. The same $4,000 to $5,000 per month in BGC funds a private driver, a live-in housekeeper, a personal assistant, a country club membership, and a condo with a city view.

That is not a small difference. That is a completely different life.

The Quick Reference:

$1,500 per month — Minimum viable. Tight but doable for a single person.
$2,000 per month — Comfortable. Most people on Social Security land here.
$3,000 per month — The sweet spot. Premium lifestyle with monthly surplus.
$5,000 per month — Top one percent. Driver, staff, country club, fine dining.

Whatever your number is in the States — it goes further here than you think.

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

Travel Well,
Evan Lorezca
The Savvy Expat