Philippines As a Perfect Place for Retirement
Beaches, cost of living and much more make this a haven for retirees
Apr 7, 2009
With real estate values shooting up worldwide, the ability to acquire or rent a property is probably the key consideration when choosing a retirement place. In the Philippines, one can rent a two-bedroom house in a provincial city with just US$250.
Next to real estate consideration is the ease of assimilating with the local community. English is widely-spoken (or at least understood) in this country and the people are genuinely friendly and hospitable.
Having Island Vacations Without the Staggering Bills
For rest and recreation opportunities, the options are limitless. Think about Bahamas and Cayman Islands minus the staggering credit card bills. In the Philippines, one has access to more than 7,000 islands with beach-front resort rooms going as low as US$50 a night. High-end resort rooms would charge about US$150 to 300 a night. Weekly golfing, snorkeling, trekking, or night-clubbing will definitely not cost as much as one would spend in say, Thailand, Singapore, or Malaysia. For instance, a round of cocktails for a couple in a city like Cebu would probably just cost around US$4.00.
While the Philippines is known as a place visited by typhoons often, the weather is relatively nice and dry for more than half of the year. For those opting to live in cooler climates, Baguio City in the North and Tagaytay City in the South of Manila are the most ideal. Both are charming, offering a good balance of city and provincial living. These are also the locals' favorite destinations during the warm months of March and April.
The cost of living depends on whether a place is within or outside highly-urbanized centers. Relatively-speaking though, goods and services here are reasonably-priced. As the country is mainly agricultural and surrounded by open seas, crops and marine products are quite cheap. A kilo of fish in a highly-urbanized city like Cebu would cost about US$2-4.00.
A kilo of rice in Manila costs about US$0.73. Services of a live-out domestic helper can be enjoyed at about US$73.00 a month (those who are generous normally offer about US100.00 a month).
Inexpensive Health and Fitness Management
As health is a key consideration for retirees, the Philippines is not far behind when it comes to advanced medical facilities and highly-educated medical practitioners. Especially in Metro Manila, world-class hospitals abound. Top in the list are St. Luke’s Medical Center, Makati Medical Center and the newly-built Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Alabang.
While some media outlets seem to have a penchant for news on terrorism and kidnappings in the Philippines, many would still agree that the Philippines is a relatively-safe place to reside in. One simply needs to exercise diligence when traveling on his own or walking at night in certain places. This is a similar caution that one is expected to practice even in rich cities like Paris, New York or Hong Kong. In fact, where else in the world can one still find a restaurant where the owner simply leaves a box for payments, expecting customers to dutifully pay their bills even if he is not around to mind the store? Yes, this café exists in Batanes island, the uppermost island of the archipelago.
Be it on real estate, language, recreation, weather, cost of living, health, and security considerations, the Philippines is probably the perfect choice for a retirement place in Asia or even the world.
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