Hi Chefwayne,
It's great to read through this thread and find out so many things from other fellow expats . I have to say there are a lot of expats who really care by sharing their experiences. Being married to an American, lived in California for almost 11 years and came back here for good, there are a lot of developments that have happened from the time I left till now. I have been to Thailand several times when I used to work in Philippine Airlines as an Internal Auditor then Sales.I have to say that the food in Thailand is much better specially the fruits where every type of fruit that we both have, Thailand have them bigger and sweeter. Having a great King that is fully supported by his people and generous enough to provide for the needs of the locals, Thailand for me has one of the best practices in agriculture.
Your monthly budget will be more than enough for you to live here in a comfortable lifestyle. Later on, once we move towards our very own retirement years, we will move out of the Metro towards Southern Luzon, if not Cebu. If you prefer cooler places, but not too far from the Metro and near the beach, there are only two places that I know that will fit in the criteria, Cebu and near Tagaytay, South Luzon. These two places are near International airports, major malls, hospitals and beach resorts. IF you need VA assistance, Manila and Cebu are the only ones that can provide you with that.
Take the time to venture by visiting different places and take your time to look around. What we can do is connect you with trustworthy fellow expats and locals to make sure that locals will not rip you off. Of course there are no guarantees if you get hooked up with the wrong group when you venture out. I only connect with Professional people with integrity because I need to protect my own reputation since I hold multiple licenses here in the Philippines and in the US.
Let us know when you plan to come over and we can assist you in making your arrangements here.
Pinaymentor
Plan well. Invest well. Insure well. Live well...