Moving to manila and cost of living?

Hello sporespr,

Welcome to expat-blog

I invite you to take a look to forum Manila - cost of living.

Good luck,
Melissa

Sporesp.

There are quite a few Singaporeans living and working in Manila. A lot of them live in Fort Bonafacio, which is close to Makati. 

If you are not too concerned about safety, then rent can go down to around Ph30k for a 2 bedroom in parts of Makati. For a secure spot in the Fort, more toward 80k.

A salary of S$8k per month would get you a small hdb or 1 bedroom in SG, and no car. A salary of that would put you in the upper class in Manila. Electricity and food (and taxes) cost more, but offset by housing, car, and maids, which are a lot cheaper.

Unless you are employed outside of Phil, I dont think you can get around the taxes.

Biggest thing you will miss is the good Singaporean food.

1. What is good salary in Manila to have similar life style as Singapore? (SEE ABOVE)
2. I understand there is 32% tax rate.Are you able to claim any deductions or save by some means on taxes? (NONE THAT I AM AWARE OF)
3. Best to buy or rent a place? considering my office located in Makati? If rent how much 2 BR apartment will cost? i tried looking through various website and variations is big starting low from 15K to 150K PHP. Also which is better place to stay in near makati? (DEFINITELY RENT, DO NOT BUY)
3. Apartments come furnished or i need to bring my own or better to buy there in Manila? (MOST ARE FURNISHED)
4. how much utilities costs normally and do they include in rent or some thing additional? (UTILITIES ARE EXTRA, ALONG WITH CABLE/INTERNET. IN SG, I PAID ABOUT S$130/month. PHILS MORE LIKE S$200, DEFINITELY MORE EXPENSIVE)
5. Is it possible to find a job for spouse? (UNLIKELY. BUT DEPENDS WHAT SHE DOES. IF SHE IS SG, CHECK OUT THE EMBASSY)
6. how much good school costs? (ABOUT THE SAME AS IN SG) 





I moved to Manila from SG in 2011.

thank you for your response. I truly appreciate your help. Sorry if I am asking questions again but I really am thankful for help. which will help me make informed decision.

dhnindc wrote:

Sporesp.

There are quite a few Singaporeans living and working in Manila. A lot of them live in Fort Bonafacio, which is close to Makati.   

If you are not too concerned about safety, then rent can go down to around Ph30k for a 2 bedroom in parts of Makati. For a secure spot in the Fort, more toward 80k.

Does that mean that its not in Safe areas then the rent is lower? does the condo comes with security or not?

A salary of S$8k per month would get you a small hdb or 1 bedroom in SG, and no car. A salary of that would put you in the upper class in Manila. Electricity and food (and taxes) cost more, but offset by housing, car, and maids, which are a lot cheaper.

are you referring to $8K before tax or after tax? because even if some one is getting $8K in Philipines with tax rate of 32% there goes $2.6K. with balance you can still live upper class there with some savings?

Unless you are employed outside of Phil, I dont think you can get around the taxes.

Biggest thing you will miss is the good Singaporean food.

1. What is good salary in Manila to have similar life style as Singapore? (SEE ABOVE)
2. I understand there is 32% tax rate.Are you able to claim any deductions or save by some means on taxes? (NONE THAT I AM AWARE OF)
3. Best to buy or rent a place? considering my office located in Makati? If rent how much 2 BR apartment will cost? i tried looking through various website and variations is big starting low from 15K to 150K PHP. Also which is better place to stay in near makati? (DEFINITELY RENT, DO NOT BUY)
3. Apartments come furnished or i need to bring my own or better to buy there in Manila? (MOST ARE FURNISHED)
4. how much utilities costs normally and do they include in rent or some thing additional? (UTILITIES ARE EXTRA, ALONG WITH CABLE/INTERNET. IN SG, I PAID ABOUT S$130/month. PHILS MORE LIKE S$200, DEFINITELY MORE EXPENSIVE)
5. Is it possible to find a job for spouse? (UNLIKELY. BUT DEPENDS WHAT SHE DOES. IF SHE IS SG, CHECK OUT THE EMBASSY) Do you mean Singapore Embassy? if she sg then can get the job?
6. how much good school costs? (ABOUT THE SAME AS IN SG) 







I moved to Manila from SG in 2011.

No problem. These are my views so others will chime in.

Does that mean that its not in Safe areas then the rent is lower? does the condo comes with security or not? (YES, YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET. 1 SERENDRA HAS EXCELLENT SECURITY, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE KIDS. MOST CHEAPER CONDOS WILL ONLY HAVE A FRONT DOORMAN WHO MAY JUST ABOUT LET ANYONE IN. A PART OF THE RENT IS FOR ASSOCIATION DUES WHICH COVERS SECURITY/MAINTENANCE.

are you referring to $8K before tax or after tax? because even if some one is getting $8K in Philipines with tax rate of 32% there goes $2.6K. with balance you can still live upper class there with some savings?
OK, AM REFERRING TO BEFORE TAX. $5K WILL STILL GO PRETTY FAR. YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO BUDGET OUT YOUR EXPENSES TO BE SURE.

RENT - P50k (@30/1) - S$1,700
Ute -   4k                 133
Cable/Internet 2K          67
Car (pay 5 years) 17k      566
Petro/Insu       4k        133
Food            10k        333
enter            5k        167

So already at S$3k.  Not sure how much school costs. So need to think about how much you can earn. You have a family, think about their safety and also dont listen to locals who can live a lot more cheaply. If you need to live so cheaply, then better off staying in SG where you have family and some safety net.

Do you mean Singapore Embassy? if she sg then can get the job? YES, BUT MY WIFE HAD NO LUCK FINDING A LOCAL JOB. PAY IS VERY LOW.

If you do come over, can put you or your wife in contact with some of the SG families.