Of course the answer will be different for everyone although there will be plenty of retirees who fall into the three groups I have set out below. These are not official demographics, just my own ideas based on my own experience and observation.

Remember the TV show ‘Green Acres’? Let me use that show as a guide. First of all we have the Lisa Douglas types, or LDs. They can’t handle the farm life and have to have all the luxuries of home. They will need over $2500 a month to even begin to be comfortable.

Next, the Oliver Douglas type, or ODs. They love the simpler life and can manage very well on $1200-$2000 a month, depending whether they live in the province or a more expensive urban situation.

And then there are the Hooterville Locals, of HLs. These people manage on less than $1200 a month. They rarely travel out of the ‘county’, are fine with eating the same food as the other locals with just the occasional foreign delicacy and are happy living modest lives.

The reality is that you can live there comfortably on less than $1000 a month providing you don’t have a dozen kids and don’t spend every night in the bars chasing GROs (bar girls). That lifestyle can get expensive and old really fast.

If you want to be middle of the road and still live well, budget as an OD. Remember Oliver left his New York law practise and settled down to be a farmer. He loved the life and while there were some hiccups and hitches along the way, he took them in his stride.

I have been to the Philippines on vacation, cashed up and living large like Lisa Douglas, Darlink! I have lived on $500 a month in the province like a Hooterville Local and enjoyed almost every minute. However I have to say for me, the best life was when I lived like Oliver Douglas. Not too flash but no hardship either.

It’s up to you and what you can afford but is there any point to retiring somewhere exotic just to eke out a less than normal living? Retirement in a Third World country can be inexpensive but never ‘cheap’. There are economies of scale the locals enjoy that we can never emulate without really immersing oneself into the local lifestyle. You can get used to anything but the aim of retirement is not to suffer and ‘put up with’ less than best if one can avoid it.

Of course if the alternative is living under a bridge back home, those barmy tropical nights sure make the decision easier! Maybe in the Philippines you will find your own Green Acres. While you look, we at Retire To Philippines -Budget Planning Guide will be here to help every step of the way.

Remember. For priceless information on affordable retirement, you’re home!