I read with great interest the article by Masaru Kurihara, "Overseas Migration to Asia in 2021: Thailand and the Philippines, Ideals and Realities of Retirement Living," which was distributed by the mail magazine Magmag.
At the moment, it is impossible to emigrate to either of these countries because of the entry restrictions, but this is a useful article for those who are thinking of emigrating.
Thailand and the Philippines are both Southeast Asian countries that are not so far away from Japan.
I have been to Thailand 10 times and the Philippines 15 times, so I am familiar with the country.
The Philippines is also where I plan to move soon.
This article compares Thailand and the Philippines in a number of categories.
1、Living expenses (food, living expenses, prices)
In Thailand (Bangkok), you can live comfortably for 200,000 yen per month.
You can also live in the Philippines (Cebu) for about 200,000 yen or a little less.
The rent for both condos is 60,000 yen.
Food costs are almost the same at 50,000 yen.
However, the cost of utilities and communication in Bangkok is 7,000 yen, while in Cebu it is 15,000 yen.
It is widely known that the cost of electricity in the Philippines is high, about four times higher than in Bangkok, and higher than in Japan.
The above amounts are for living like in Japan, and if you blend in more and live like a local, you can save a lot.
2, Food
Thai food is the most popular among Japanese people and Filipino food is not so popular. It is true that there are Thai restaurants all over the world, but there are no Filipino restaurants.
Some Thai dishes are hard for people who don't like pak choi, but most of them are basically delicious.
In the Philippines, if you like hamburgers, etc., you may have no problem with Jollibee.
In both countries, Japanese food is rather expensive.
3, Weather and Environment
Thailand and the Philippines are both countries with everlasting summer. The rainy season is from June to October, and the dry season is from November to May, which is about the same.
As for air quality, Bangkok can have a high concentration of PM2.5 in the winter, and Cebu city is not good due to exhaust fumes.
once walked down Mango Street, the entertainment district of Cebu, and the exhaust fumes made me feel sick.
About 20 years ago, Bangkok's exhaust gas was terrible, but it seems to have improved a lot lately.
Local security
Thailand's security is not bad. There are occasional anti-government protests, but they are limited to a few areas and do not affect daily life. However, there are a lot of traffic accidents, so people need to be careful.
Security in the Philippines is not good. It is a country where you can carry a gun and there are many murders.
The number of homicides per 100,000 people in the Philippines is 6.46, compared to 2.56 in Thailand.
The Philippines' murder rate is quite high since the United States, which I feel has a high murder rate, has a rate of 4.96.
Still, it is ranked 46th in the world, so there are 45 countries that are more disturbing than the Philippines.
Incidentally, the number of murders in Japan is 0.26 per 100,000, the 154th lowest level.
4、Medical level
The level of medical care in Thailand is high, and many people from all over the world come here for medical tourism, so there is no need to worry at all.
Unfortunately, the level of medical care in the Philippines is not good, and it is notoriously ridiculously expensive.
Many of the best doctors are going abroad to work for better pay.
Educational environment for children
Thailand has many options such as international schools, but be aware that English is not an official language.
English is the official language in the Philippines, which is good, but the general level of education is low. The level of science and mathematics in particular is very low.
The level of education in Japan is gradually declining, but it is still in the top five in the OECD.
My concern is the education of my children. Nowadays, with the development of the Internet, if you can understand English, you can take higher level classes on the Internet than you can with school education, so if you take advantage of such means, you may be able to manage.
It is the responsibility of parents to provide a good learning environment for their children, so I have to do my best somehow here.
Personally, I only have immigration to the Philippines in mind.
I think Thailand is also a good place to live.
It's hard to learn Thai from now on. The graceful Thai characters are attractive, but it will be hard to remember them.
In conclusion, the article concludes that since migration is not an easy task with this corona disaster, you should think carefully about what you want to do and this is the year you should gather information for migration.
I am in total agreement with this conclusion.
