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[ikon0523]

I always wanted to know..

How much do you need to make as a salary per month in the Philippines to someone achieve middle class living?

 

[marcjd]

Probably about 80k to 120k peso a month ..thats for me and i think i belong to middle class when i was back there .. Spending about 300 to 500 for daily meals .. Live on a place with security guards and have a vehicle

 

[ikon0523]

Probably about 80k to 120k peso a month ..thats for me and i think i belong to middle class when i was back there .. Spending about 300 to 500 for daily meals .. Live on a place with security guards and have a vehicle

so below that is poverty?

 

[marcjd]

so below that is poverty?

I dont know how would you look at poverty?? For me being poor is not being able to have what you want at the moment that you want it..like if you crave for food and you are already thinking you have no money to buy it or budget would be ruin for purchase..

Being on the middle class means you have the money to have things you like ..and still save money .. Since nothing is free in PH .. Getting sick is crazy.. You need to have money to get served and to be treated well.. So i guess if someone earning less would have hard time paying re occuring bills such as electricity water and other bills and housing + health spending


On my case i can afford to have bacon and eggs for breakfast.. Probably thats already lunch for others or they might be lucky if they have it on a weekly basis .. Its kinda hard to have a good life back there but well it always depends how people look at it..

This is just my case and its not general nor for everybody.. Its good to have other respondents

 

[GoonerClank]

Inspite of the strike, I received my Visa today! I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all who help share your valuable knowledge about immigration process. Thank you for the encouragement... support to keep me going. I once felt of giving up but i did pass this trials. So for those who are still waiting, be patient... have faith...God will truly answer prayers in the most unexpected time. Can't wait to be with my hubby soon! Praise God!

Congrats!

 

[GoonerClank]

Probably about 80k to 120k peso a month ..thats for me and i think i belong to middle class when i was back there .. Spending about 300 to 500 for daily meals .. Live on a place with security guards and have a vehicle

I would probably say a little lower than this, but the Philippines has a huge discrepancy of wealth. There are really poorer areas that people could easily live on less. It really depends on where you want to live and what your spending habits are like. Then adjusting these to fit your budget.

 

[marcjd]

Grats meoh!!! Hahaha may i ask you when was the visa issued . Heheh

 

[xxdieselxx]

Probably about 80k to 120k peso a month ..thats for me and i think i belong to middle class when i was back there .. Spending about 300 to 500 for daily meals .. Live on a place with security guards and have a vehicle

I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your topic... I think 80K - 120K pesos is a pretty darn good wage here considering I know experienced RN-nurses making 16000 ($400CAD) and teachers making around $500CAD. I know of an RN right out of school that was offered 2000 pesos ($50) per month to start in a hospital in the province and another who works in a derm clinic in Manila for 10000per month right now. Another in a call centre job paying around $500CAD.

Cars cost between 30-100% more here than in Canada depending on the type and year. food is cheap if you stick to local food but if you want to hit I-HOP or Chili's or KFC, it will cost you the same as in Canada (or more). Gas is about $1.25 per litre. Rents in the big city are expensive, like $500CAD for an okay bachelor's suite or a crappy 2 bedroom apt whereas in the province you can rent a whole house for $75 but there arent much for jobs out in the country.

I think Marcjd hit the nail on the head that it depends what one deems as poverty. 5 educated siblings (or friends) all living in the same tiny apt to make ends meet with a beater car eating a staple of "unli" rice and a little bit of meat and red hot dogs or a married couple living in their own spacious house, both with new cars, decent jobs, Macbooks, Ipads and can afford to eat out everyday of the week with no worries. I think that "middle class" and "poverty" mean two totally different things between a developing country and Canada. Here, poverty can mean eating one bowl of rice per day and possibly some mystery meat from the corner and making $40 per month as a housekeeper or $3 per day plus rice and a coffee as a gardener.

Having the opportunity to live in foreign countries, both in Latin America and the Philippines has really opened my eyes as to what's important in life, what is "poor" and just how great it is to live in Canada and what it has to offer. I do understand why so many people from the PH dream of a life in developed countries such as Canada, USA, Singapore etc and why they work so hard towards it to make a better life for themselves.

 

[meoh2595]

Grats meoh!!! Hahaha may i ask you when was the visa issued . Heheh

thanks! its Aug 2

 

[ikon0523]

I hope you don't mind me jumping in on your topic... I think 80K - 120K pesos is a pretty darn good wage here considering I know experienced RN-nurses making 16000 ($400CAD) and teachers making around $500CAD. I know of an RN right out of school that was offered 2000 pesos ($50) per month to start in a hospital in the province and another who works in a derm clinic in Manila for 10000per month right now. Another in a call centre job paying around $500CAD.

Cars cost between 30-100% more here than in Canada depending on the type and year. food is cheap if you stick to local food but if you want to hit I-HOP or Chili's or KFC, it will cost you the same as in Canada (or more). Gas is about $1.25 per litre. Rents in the big city are expensive, like $500CAD for an okay bachelor's suite or a crappy 2 bedroom apt whereas in the province you can rent a whole house for $75 but there arent much for jobs out in the country.

I think Marcjd hit the nail on the head that it depends what one deems as poverty. 5 educated siblings (or friends) all living in the same tiny apt to make ends meet with a beater car eating a staple of "unli" rice and a little bit of meat and red hot dogs or a married couple living in their own spacious house, both with new cars, decent jobs, Macbooks, Ipads and can afford to eat out everyday of the week with no worries. I think that "middle class" and "poverty" mean two totally different things between a developing country and Canada. Here, poverty can mean eating one bowl of rice per day and possibly some mystery meat from the corner and making $40 per month as a housekeeper or $3 per day plus rice and a coffee as a gardener.

Having the opportunity to live in foreign countries, both in Latin America and the Philippines has really opened my eyes as to what's important in life, what is "poor" and just how great it is to live in Canada and what it has to offer. I do understand why so many people from the PH dream of a life in developed countries such as Canada, USA, Singapore etc and why they work so hard towards it to make a better life for themselves.

I never heard of anyone making 80-120k a month in the Philippines?

 

[ikon0523]

I never heard of anyone making 80-120k a month in the Philippines?

hell if I made 80-120k why would I leave the Philippines.. (thats like 3K Canadian Dollars

 

[Dan_from_Surrey]

hell if I made 80-120k why would I leave the Philippines.. (thats like 3K Canadian Dollars

That is kind of what I was thinking as well. I send quite a bit less than 80 - 120k monthly to my wife in LaUnion, thankfully rent is not a consideration. I realize Manila proper would see a huge rise in prices just like every other metro area. But s**t working my "high paid" public sector cushy trough swilling job, 80 - 120 k peso is more than I take home, a fair chunk more.

 

[Pauluz]

Hey Guys, I'm in the process of sponsoring my wife right now. We got our PPR on July 12. We sent her passport and all other requested documents to the Manila Embassy on July 15; just days before the embassy went on full strike. Do you know if all visa processing has stopped at this time? I'm pretty sure we're at the very end of the process before the strike happened, but I'm not sure if it could still potentially affect us at this point. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

 

[DaveSav]

Hey Guys, I'm in the process of sponsoring my wife right now. We got our PPR on July 12. We sent her passport and all other requested documents to the Manila Embassy on July 15; just days before the embassy went on full strike. Do you know if all visa processing has stopped at this time? I'm pretty sure we're at the very end of the process before the strike happened, but I'm not sure if it could still potentially affect us at this point. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

No they are still processing but at a reduced rate as far as i know. I just got my PPR and a medical request in the mail today.

 

[cjkoall]

Sorry I thought you were in Canada.

I had contacted CIC first to inquire about lodging a complaint since my MP did not reply concerning that. They had an agent call me back the following day which in all was a joke but the complaint does get lodged and after that my MP became more pliable.
The unit manager did not contact me but his email was forwarded to me by my MP. After that he was cc'd in all my emails. Everyone was included in my emails from the PMO right down to the local newspaper.

The unit manager in Manila is Michael MacKenzie.

So I've been emailing back and forth with my MP's office and they've basically encouraged me not to file a complaint saying that if I wanted to I could but it likely wouldn't do any good and that it would be best to do so after the finalization of the application. Seriously.