Hi, thanks for the good information. I wanted to continue with Part 3, but when I click on the link for Part 3, it opens Part 2 again.

Hi Pamela,

Should be fixed. Thanks for letting me know. Questions, shoot me a message.

Respectfully,

Marco

Truly the most relevant and relatable information on retiring in Manila anywhere online. Marco entertainingly speaks in the language of other adventurous yet savvy and relatively young retirees. Makes all other Manila guides look vague and pedestrian in comparison!

Hi Edwin,

I appreciate it, mate. Thanks for the shout out.

Don't hesitate to drop me a line if you have any questions.

Respectfully,

Marco

Marameng salamat pare! I’m a FilAm in my 40s considering early retirement to spend the 2nd half of my life exploring the motherland I hardly know... your articles have been so helpful and have possibly convinced me to make it so. I hope I can buy you beer and tacos in the future.

Kamusta TC,

I'm glad you found it useful. Were you born in the Philippines? If you were, I would look at getting dual citizenship. It's what I did. It's been helpful for me to have an additional passport.

I was born in the PI, but left at just over 1yr old. I was planning on applying for dual citizenship since it seems to be overall favorable to do so with the tax treaty with the US. That said, that would allow me to buy a house and the land right? Any opinion on buying vs renting?

Any opinion on buying vs renting?

It's VERY localized. Everything depends on if you want to live in the city or the province. Manila's real estate market is overpriced (IMHO). The pandemic should have driven prices down dramatically (no foreigners allowed for almost a year). Yet landlords are asking for rents like nothing is different.

that would allow me to buy a house and the land right?

Correct. Foreigners can't own land, though you can get a long-term lease as a work-around.

definitely looking at Makati/ Taguig and surrounding areas... a friend mentioned Magallanes? village was a nice neighborhood... ideally i'd like to be as close to walking distance (or maybe scooter distance) to lots of restaurants, shopping and markets.... so had mostly been looking at Legazpi village and BCG.

I lived in both Makati and Taguig. I liked both. Manila is a mixed bag. How much you will enjoy living there depends on what you are looking for.

For dating, building a social circle, and nightlife, Manila is great. Personally, I enjoy Manila, but realize there are loads of things that will irritate the heck out of most expats. Traffic, Pollution, and Prices are all getting worse. My budget in between $1500 to $2500 living in BGC or Makati. I live well for that amount, but I can get much better value in the province or another low-cost country.

My suggestion is take a test run. Snag a Co-living flat, so you can meet people quickly and keep the commitment month-to-month. See if the scene and vibe are worth the hassle to you. Then explore some other cities before making a commitment on a long-term lease or home purchase.

If you have any specific questions, just ask. I can tell you where I found the best places to meet people and building my group of friends. The friends you make will determine how much you enjoy a city.

Thanks for the input. I’d actually be making the move with my mom so that she’d be closer to her sisters and makati/ bgc is pretty central to where her family is since they are spread all around the greater Manila area from Quezon City to Las Pinas.

For me, I’d definitely be looking to build a new social circle since I’m still single and most of my cousins are a little older and all married with kids. I lived in SF for a decade and would like to again be in a city with easy access to art galleries, museums, bars, restaurants and nightlife.

I look forward to picking your brain more in the future.

I am retiring in less then 3 years, I will have a monthly pension of 14,000 USD.. is it safe for me to live there as a single person? I will be 50 years old.

Hi David, At $14,000 per month, life will be very difficult. I'm joking, that amount of income per month is WAY MORE than enough.

To put your $14,000 in perspective, the income of the TOP 0.003% of the wealth in the country is only over $4,500 per month (as of my 2018 data).

Using the current exchange rate, $14,000 USD is roughly 702,660 Philippine Pesos. That is a lot of San Miguel beer 🙂

You will enjoy retired life in the Philippines on that income.

Cheers,

Marco

Marco,
I have say 9-10 more years to work, I really enjoy the Philippines and have been there many times. I'm trying to find a places near Manila that's flood free zone. I mainly want to fish, go out may 5-6 times a month and just relax