A common topic of discussion on Filipino-related YouTube is a question from viewers asking if they could live on their pensions alone if they moved to the Philippines.
The answer to that question is often that it depends on where in the Philippines the prospective immigrant lives and what kind of lifestyle he or she is looking for.
It is natural to think about it. The cost of living (especially rent) is different between living in Manila and living in the provinces, and whether you choose to eat the same food as the locals or eat at fancy restaurants will make a big difference in your expenses.
Furthermore, whether one is single or married will also make a difference. If single, entertainment expenses are likely to be higher, and if married, there will be expenses for socializing with the family.
In other words, spending varies greatly depending on the type of lifestyle you choose.
What is certain is that living in the Philippines will certainly be more expensive than in Japan. Furthermore, unlike Japan, the Philippines is in a period of economic growth, and prices are rising every year, so living on a pension alone will become increasingly difficult.
The Philippines has the image of being a poor country. This is because the gap between the rich and the poor is large, and the country looks different depending on which class of people you look at. Even in the Corona Disaster, the prices of land, new houses, and condominiums are rising at an alarming rate, and the price of private passenger cars, a symbol of the upper class, is higher than in Japan.
Therefore, my conclusion is that it is somehow easier for pensioners to live in Japan than to consider moving to the Philippines.
My pension is just under 170,000 yen, about the same as the average pension payment for a typical male salaryman. Since income tax and long-term care insurance premiums are deducted, my take-home pay is a little over 160,000 yen.
The pension covers most of the necessary living expenses, such as the condominium's maintenance and repair reserve fund, food, utilities, communication expenses, pocket money, and money sent home. I am currently working part-time, so social insurance premiums and inhabitant taxes are deducted from my salary, but if I were to stop working part-time, I would be in the red for those expenses. Therefore, it is a bit difficult to live on pension alone.
Fortunately, I am in good health and have a part-time income, and my wife also works, so our family budget is in the black.
So my part-time income is used for retirement, children's education, and emigration, and my wife's income is used for building a house to prepare for emigration.
I would not recommend moving to the Philippines to the general public, but if you have a Filipino wife and a home in the Philippines, as I do, I believe that moving there is a great option for me when I get old (when I can no longer work).
