How to move to the Philippines - with a bag, suitcase or container - with your full household or just the personal belongings ?
In the many decades traveling and working worldwide i have seen all of above. People emigrating to the other side of the planet - just with a back pack or shoulder bag - or with a full container sent by ship, including furniture, car and household appliances.
Here a few precise facts about the Philippines that might help you in your decision making process:
Life is comfortable and simple here. You find all household goods and appliances locally - usually far below typical European prices. Climate all year is moderate to tropical - with temperatures between 20 degrees C to 30+ C. Hence no need for winter cloths ...
Many of the houses, cottages or apartments come fully furnished with local made clean furniture. Keep in mind that most people spend their days and evenings outside - thanks to the nice climate day and night - the Philippines is a country for outdoor life, in the garden, on the beach, where ever you love.
Already mentioned in sufficient detail - any kind of cloths - nice and even custom tailored - is available at a fraction of European or American prices - hence little reason to bring all your cloths with you here. Most of them may be too warm for tropical climate anyway.
Furniture and household appliances for our local household
All furniture can easily be found here locally - even in provincial areas. Lets give you a few examples:
- European matrasses would rot and attract mildew within weeks - they are made of wrong material for the high humidity we encounter here - specially during rainy season.
- But local matrasses - large size - sell for 20 - 40 US$. A complete outfit for 3 persons, bed sheets, pillows, pillow cases and matrasses can be found at around US $ 50.
- A complete kitchen set, gas, 2 flames, with various pots, deposit for gas bottle will be approximately another 50 US$
- all living room furniture are available in various sizes and levels of comfort and luxury - always at a fraction of European or US prices
- If you have an empty or only partially furnished house here - then you may completely furnish it with all accessories, including Hi-Fi, etc for less than 1000 US$ !!
Sporting goods of any kind that is used and played here can easily be found even in provincial cities. The same applies to hardware utensils, tools, garden tools, all kind of accessories you may need is all available even on islands or can be purchased in Manila or any larger city in the Philippines.
Hence - if you love to restart a new life here in the Philippines - you may as well leave all your old life and memories behind and come empty handed just with a bag or suitcase including your most important personal utensils and get all else as needed here.
On the other hand - of course every once in a while foreigners arrive here and have more or less their entire household coming by sea freight - in a container.
Typically a container coming from Central or northern Europe may be approximately 2 months underway until arrived in a province here - including custom processing for importation to the Philippines. Such a container freight trough a reputable agency doing all the formalities needed for you may cost you approximately 4000 US$ without any possible import duty which may vary depending on age and kind of goods imported as our personal belongings.
When looking at such expenses for letting all your belongings come here you also need to keep in mind the following points:
Here in Asia you may find no spare parts for models and brands of household appliances you used to have at home - hence once you need maintenance or repair you may have difficulties in finding repair for foreign unknown brands and even more for spare parts needed.
That is valid for imported vehicles, cars, motorcycles as well as for TV, Hi-Fi and other appliances from overseas.
Here in Asia we have all you have in Europe or USA - but different brands. For all local Asian brands repair and maintenance normally is easy. For foreign products you may have to order spare parts by UPS or by FedEx or similar global transport and logistic services / companies. Hence you have to order and pay overseas, get it shipped here, pay import duties and taxes and have a waiting time of up to several weeks for each such occurrence.
Cars and other motor vehicles are of course available here locally, new or second hand, even local brand ! If you love to have your own vehicle here, you may think about having a 4WD - 4 wheel drives allow you to access remote areas, mountain areas, even in wet and slippery conditions that sometimes are similar to snow or ice conditions in northern countries. With heavy rain and sometimes deep water on the road - a diesel engine vehicle may be more suitable than a gas engine ...
Many factors to consider when moving here. The essence however is that it might most likely be far cheaper for you to come empty handed and get all new here as far as you need anything at all for your household.
One last point is salaries and having the luxury of a housemaid or house keeping aid.
If you have no family here to help and assist you or if you are older or like to get some help for your house hold here - it is very easy to get a part time or full time housemaid for your household. A full time employed housemaid typically is around 100 to 200 US$ a months plus food and accommodation if you love to have her stay with you or if she is living far away from work. If the household help is living far away, you may offer paid home transportation at least once a week or an accommodation in a separate boarding house if your own household is too small to accommodate her during working days. Thus even for slightly or fully handicapped persons a living here might be far easier and more pleasant and cheaper than at home in Europe or USA / Canada.
It is quiet common for many to have at least a part time help for the house hold. It has 2 key-advantages:
- it gives local people suffering from lack of employment opportunities a chance to improve their family income by working for your household, cleaning, laundry, gardening, cooking or shopping for you.
- It may help you to be self sufficient even in older age - with a little help from outside for those work your body may no longer be able to perform, a housemaid may take care of you like a care giver at an affordable price and with a smiling face and heart.
