If I get fired from my job due to this whole background check thing, I want to ensure I spend approximately 1,000 USD per month in Cebu City. To do that, I need to seriously monitor my expenses.
In this scenario, we’re assuming I have 10,000 USD saved up.
- Rental: $285 – $325
- This ends up between 15,000 – 17,000 PHP.
- Don’t immediately rent an apartment. Spend 3 days in a hotel when I first arrive in Cebu. Start contacting real estate agents or property managers when I first arrive.
- Utilities (water, electricity, etc): $160
- Transportation: $100
- Don’t use Grab unless I’m taking a girl home.
- My primary source of transportation will be Angkas. It’s a motorcycle service used like Uber or Lyft. A single ride literally costs $1. So, let’s say I day game 5 days a week: $2 x 5 = $10/week x 4 = $40/month.
- Only use Angkas when I’m going for day or night game. Most of the time, hang around my neighborhood.
- Phone and Connectivity: $100
- Internet costs are roughly the same as in the United States ($50/month).
- I’m getting reports of prepaid phone plans all over the place. However, here’s a few links about prepaid mobile data:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/sfnjv2/how_good_is_the_internet_in_cebu_city/hus6qk4/?context=3
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Cebu/comments/b73011/how_much_do_you_need_to_live_decently_in_cebu/ejp4ftb/?context=3
- Food (my biggest expense): $150 – $250
- It’s cheaper to eat at a carinderia than it is to cook. They cost $1 – $2 USD for a meal. If you do that twice a day, that leaves you with $4 – $5 USD for eating lunch and dinner.
- For now, buy eggs, bacon, ketchup and water from grocery store. Sink water is unsafe in Cebu City.
- Cheapest supermarket seems to be Puregold or Colon Street.
TOTAL: $860 – $980/month