How many people live on about $500 a month? What's that like?

No way it's 500 a month... someone's lying. You need at least $1,500 to live decently even in the provinces. In the city, to live properly you should budget $2,500 a month.

I'm enjoying life. This is the view from our open-floor-plan house by the river.

Our budget is $5,000 a month... We got an SRRV, bought a solid concrete house, redid the grounding and rewired it, and spent about $200,000 on a 32kW solar system with 60 panels, a 128kWh battery, a deep well, a water purification system, a CCTV security system, a home gym, five 2.5 HP air conditioners, a 6 HP standing AC unit, Starlink, an electric gate, a package receiving box built into the wall, a plug-in EV charged by solar, and all the Western amenities and brands we used to have. After building all that, our remaining spending is just food, dining out, and travel. We use a lot of American brands and eat out often, so we budget $350 a week for groceries and household supplies, $150 a week for online shopping, and about $1,250 a month for travel. We came here to be close to family, and we could have lived anywhere in the world. People keep saying that if you don't want to embrace local culture, why come here at all. That's not true. There are many reasons to come here, and you can respect the culture without living like a local. But we did create a small bubble of reality on our land that mimics the amenities, predictability, security, brands, and convenience we had in the US. Every time we step out the front gate, we're immediately transported to the Philippines. Each night when we return home, we're back in the illusion of living in America. Inside our walls, it doesn't feel strange to be anywhere in the world. It feels like we get the best of both sides. I think most people don't know what 'living like a local' actually means. Money buys options, class and status matter, and connections matter. Life isn't as systematic or predictable as in the US, so solving problems takes improvisation and flexibility. For me, I wouldn't want to live here without an emergency fund, an escape fund, and at least $2,200 a month. If you give up US brands and downsize to a very nice apartment but still want to eat out almost every meal and travel for several days a couple of times a month... that amount covers it all with no problem. If you also give up dining out and the twice-monthly island trips, and strictly stick to a Dave Ramsey-style budget, you could manage it all with $1,200 a month including rent. You could run the AC occasionally, cook most meals yourself, and avoid overspending. Living here, you'll find that lifestyle is a choice and never an investment. It's fine to spend money on comfort without expecting returns. If you always focus only on ROI, you'll end up unable to do almost anything. There's a clear reason I'm posting this anonymously. Every community...

I don't get it, my pension is $5,200 a month living in Luzon 🤔 You can't live on $500, that's ridiculous!

500 a month is possible, but not everywhere. Even in small towns rent is close to 5,000 pesos, and electricity is extra.