Why should I choose the Philippines?

[Hank49]

Northern zone and apex of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines has great marine biodiversity, fantastic reefs, and good wreck diving. Great dive vacation value for the still weak US Dollar.

(Less Cost-of-Living expenses, cheaper to settle & retire than Hawaii too!)

The cost of living is cheaper if you live like a local. But if you want to have all the ammenities that an American is used to (same packaged foods, imported meat, airconditioned house, nice car etc etc), it'll cost about the same. Land in the resort areas IS comparable to Hawaii is some areas. Boracay is now going for US$350 per meter square (US$1.4 million per acre). It CAN be done cheaper but you ain't in Kansas anymore and a life style adjustment is required.
I'd move back there in a heartbeat if I could....But for now I"m stuck in Belize, I'll settle for a trip in Oct to Apo Reef and southern Antique on Panay.

[kevrumbo]

The cost of living is cheaper if you live like a local. But if you want to have all the ammenities that an American is used to (same packaged foods, imported meat, airconditioned house, nice car etc etc), it'll cost about the same. Land in the resort areas IS comparable to Hawaii is some areas. Boracay is now going for US$350 per meter square (US$1.4 million per acre). It CAN be done cheaper but you ain't in Kansas anymore and a life style adjustment is required.
I'd move back there in a heartbeat if I could....But for now I"m stuck in Belize, I'll settle for a trip in Oct to Apo Reef and southern Antique on Panay.

As an American Retiree in the Philippines, you can retire comfortably at a resort area --on Social Security alone-- and together with a solvent 401k plan to draw off of as well, you can live in opulent decadence just like Ferdie & Imelda Marcos if you wanted to!

(BTW, about Boracay --nice world class beaches but getting crowded with no great diving to speak of; I wouldn't want to settle there anyway. And I'd rather be in the Philippines than in land-locked Kansas too. . .!)