Foreign Ex-pat Retirement in The Philippines

Digital and Talking Dictionaries for the Philippines

Great deal on a Penn reel!

The Philippines – a great place where it's possible to retire and live comfortably on $1000 or less a month.

If you haven't done so, please visit our introduction to the Philippines page.

The islands are well known for being home to many expatriates from all over the world. Many lead an exciting but inexpensive, relaxing lifestyle among beautiful and friendly people, in a warm and tropical climate. Yes there are cyclones occasionally, but that doesn't stop Americans living on the Gulf Coast! The Republic of Philippines is a favourite retirement location for Americans, many of them former servicemen, and of course many other nationalities.

Learn more about the 'Philippines dream', read a real life retirement story, check accommodation and visa options for retiring in the Philippines.

Philippines travel and accommodation bookings:

Foreign Retirement in the Philippines

The islands are an excellent choice for tropical retirement. Retirement savings, pensions and ongoing income will allow comfortable living. $500 a month would be enough in a rural province. In Cebu or Davao you could live very well on $1,000 and with $1,500 you could live in the capital Manila. Maids, cooks and drivers are part of Philippines culture; a live-in domestic helper costs from $30 a month!

Some of the attractions of retirement in the Philippines:

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!
(guapa and guapo)
Cheap accommodation
Beaches
Scuba diving
Boating, Fishing
Off-road 4WD adventures
Camping
Hiking
Swimming
Golf
Swinging in a hammock
Bar hopping
Nightclubbing
Movies
Restaurants
Modern Shopping Malls

Philippine Dream Girl

Philippines Retirement Story

John Welch's life was fading. Like a well-worn pair of Jeans, he was losing the color of his youth. Retired at 66 years of age, he just sat around his home.

Of course, it hadn't always been like that. He'd had a good life. It just stalled.

He was 18 when he joined the US Air Force in 1952. An aircraft engine mechanic, he worked on World War II-era F-51 Mustang to F-15 Eagles. On the ground floor of Air Force air power development, he moved a lot and saw the world. He loved his job, the service and the lifestyle.

When he retired as a master sergeant in 1974, he went to work for an aircraft company. After 24 years there, he retired again. But living in Apple Valley, California was just plain boring. There was no excitement. He wanted thrills back in his life again.

"I was wasting my life," he said. "Each day I tried to find something to do to keep busy." Most days that didn't happen.

Then, about three years ago, Welch received a letter from his old pal Ralph Milward, a retired Army warrant officer who lived in Angeles City, near Clark Field in the Philippines.

(Clark Air Base is 40 miles (60 km) northwest of Manila, the Philippines capital, on Luzon Island. A former US Air Force base, it is now called the Clark Special Economic Zone, and is located on the northwest side of Angeles City in the province of Pampanga.)

"I told him to get off his butt and visit me," Milward said. "What did he have to lose?"

A little hesitant at first, Welch eventually relented after visiting a free dating site to see what might be in store for him. He certainly wasn't disappointed. He also knew there were many retired GIs living happily in the Philippines with their filipina partners.

"Ralph told me to grab my AWOL bag and get over here," Welch said. The visit changed his life. Within days he knew he had no future in California. "So I'm still here."

He was alive again. Now when he's bored, he has his pal to keep him company. And he can hang out with other retirees at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

"This is the life I've always wanted," Welch said.

Milward first went to Angeles, as the locals call it, in 1993 for a VFW convention. He met a local woman and fell in love. He went back home, resigned from his GS-12 civil service job, returned to Angeles City and married her.

"I've never been happier," Milward said.

Both men have been dumbstruck by the hypnotic lure of the Philippines.

That's nothing new, though. The islands have attracted retirees since the first American GIs set foot there after the Spanish Civil War ended in 1899. It continued to entice them to stay – even after U.S. forces started pulling out in 1991 following the Mount Pinatubo eruption.

Today there are several thousand American retirees living in the Philippines. Some 1,500 live in Angeles, once home to Clark Air Base. Other cities include Manila, Puerto Galera, Davao and more. There are expatriates from dozens of other countries and backgrounds too, living in cities and communities scattered around the thousands of islands of this 'tropical paradise' (well almost!) called the Philippines.

Catch them on any given day and, like Welch, most will say they'll never leave.
(Adapted from an article by Louis A. Arana-Barradas)

Accommodation in Angeles City (Pampanga province), formerly the USAF base at Clark Field, is wide and varied, ranging from apartments, condos and residential hotels to spacious villas with pools, in safe, secure compounds.

As a first stop you might want to stay at the Clark Field Holiday Inn. It has tons of facilities, and you are in easy reach of everything Angeles has to offer. It's an ideal 'base' from which to begin your search for your Philippines retirement home. Room rates are cheap when you book online. Airport Shuttle service too.

Apartments and condos in Manila

Manila Bay condo $500 per month The range of accommodation in Manila 'Metro' is as one might expect, wide and varied, with residential hotels, apartments, condo's, houses and villas priced to suit all budgets.

For example, in a high-rise like Baywatch Tower, for around $500 per month it's possible to rent a one-bedroom condo with marble floors, central air-conditioning, balcony, fitted kitchen with marble counter tops and waterfront views. It's conveniently located near the Mall of Asia, Manila Yacht Club, US Embassy, Robinson Mall, Casino Filipino, seaside restaurants, ferry boat rides etc. Condominiums usually have a swimming pool, gymnasium and sauna, restaurant and laundry for residents and many apartments overlook Manila Bay, seen below.

Leasing out your vacation/retirement home

Many foreigners who want to spend a part of their time in the Philippines or other tropical location, purchase or lease a property there. It may be a condo, house or villa they're not using the whole year. It could also be a guest house or hotel. An important aspect of renting out property to earn extra income is managing reservations and collecting payment.

Visa Options for Staying in the Philippines

The Philippines government recently lowered their requirements for retirees. Previously $50,000, now it is only $10,000 per retiree including a spouse. In addition, a retiree needs evidence of a monthly pension of $800 for a single person or $1,000 for a couple.

As long as you do not intend working or running a business in the Philippines, it's also possible to retire on a tourist visa, and many do; especially those who either do not want or qualify for a retirement visa. It costs $20 per month to stay on a tourist visa, and you can do it indefinitely provided you leave the country for at least one day, once a year. Though you are officially a tourist, you have effectively retired in the Philippines. For the annual trip there are several options, such as spending a few days making a trip to Hong Kong or Thailand. Package deals are available costing less than $300. You can also check flights and accommodation to and within the Philippines here.

For many single men, their Philippines Dream will mean a relationship or marriage.

Marriage to a Filipina citizen (Philippines woman) allows you to live retired in the Philippines without the above limitations, other than an annual visit to an immigration office. If you want to work or run a business, then learn more here.

Making a Living in the Philippines

A recently published detailed and thoroughly researched 265 page business and living guide that reveals what you need to know to operate a SMALL BUSINESS, GET A JOB or INVEST in the Philippines. It comes with a no-quibble money back guarantee. If you want to be part of the 'Philippines dream' you need to see this guide. Only $29.99 plus some great free bonuses.

Click on the book to visit the author's site or read our review of it first here: Making a Living in the Philippines.

Philippines Retirement bulletin board

Visit our introduction to the Philippines page.

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