P10K/$200 ideal cost of living in the Philippines 2019

Around P10,000 or $200 is the ideal cost of living in the Philippines for 2019.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said a family needs P10,727 monthly income to meet the home’s expenses.

ADVERTISEMENT

PSA Assistant Secretary Rosalinda Bautista said this amount could already support a family of five (parents and three children).

Asec. Bautista said a huge percentage of P10,727 monthly salary would be for food items, which costs up to P7,528.

She said this was enough to set the aforementioned monthly threshold for food from breakfast to dinner. The food allocation could also cover snacks.

ADVERTISEMENT

The rest or remaining P3199 are expenses for non-food items such as clothing, house maintenance or rent, water and electricity, medical care, and more.

The official added that the P10,727 monthly income does not include the recreation and drinking for those with vices.

Currently, a minimum wage worker in Metro Manila earns around P9,000 ($176), which is P453.16 for 20 working days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Read: Teenage pregnancy, a national emergency?

Cost of living in the Philippines 2019

Expatisan meanwhile reported a family of four needs P122,373 or around $2,400 to live comfortably in the Philippines. This includes monthly rent, dining in restaurants, internet, beer, branded clothes, and regular consumption of fruits and vegetables. You can check out the full list of expenses here.

A single person meanwhile will have estimated monthly costs of P63,185 or $1,240 to live comfortably in Manila. The website also says the cost of living in the Philippines is cheaper than in 64% of countries in Asia (9 out of 14) and 68% of countries in the World (68 out of 100).

The Philippines is also included in “The Cheapest Places to Live in the World – 2019” article by noted travel writer Tim Leffel.

“Easy Living in the Philippines — The current president of the Philippines makes Trump look like a stable genius by comparison, and Manila is one of the most traffic-choked cities in the world, but get past those factors, and this can be a desirable place to live for less. There’s a deep bench of smiling workers who have a native speaker level command of the English language. So this is probably the cheapest country in the world that’s English speaking, ideal for those who don’t want to learn a new language. Beer is often a buck in a bar, and you can order a round of cocktails for the table without breaking the bank,” Leffel said.