When I first came to the Philippines in 2018, it was just for a holiday. I really liked the people — open-hearted and cheerful. But as I've spent more time in the country for work, I've realized how broken things really are behind the scenes. You don't really see it as a tourist, but when you live here and have to work with people, it's not always easy. I considered retiring here, but honestly Europe gives me all of that and so much more. Islands like Madeira or Mallorca, Portugal's Algarve, and Spain's Mediterranean coast are really beautiful and affordable.

I'm from NYC and have a few extra dollars. It's peaceful here for me. Dating is.. well, amazing. Even after a couple of years, things still feel exotic.

I live in Thailand but I'm considering the Philippines since I love it there too (though in my opinion it's not as safe as Thailand). Either way, I prefer both countries to the West. I've lived in Canada, the UK, Italy, and Australia. I'm retired now and could live in any of those places, but I just prefer it out here (and that's a recent feeling, maybe the last five years). For me, life is happier here at a slower pace, and people here are generally happier too — more connected to each other, to family, to the land and nature. Obviously people don't have as much money and life can be a struggle, but I see a lot more smiles and laughter, families out together having a good time. People are more open to and accepting of other cultures. It feels like going back a couple of decades to a better time.

My wife is from Bulacan/Bataan. We met in the USA and have been together 30+ years. I'd lived in Southeast Asia before… enjoyed it. 6 months in the Philippines 🇵🇭 6 months in the USA ….and we travel like crazy in the Philippines… driving around Luzon and flying to other places. We do Southeast Asia trips too. ….and we travel like crazy in the USA… lots to see and do.

The only reason I go to the Philippines instead of other Southeast Asian countries is scuba diving. I know I won't live there long term when there are so many better options for logistics, airports, infrastructure, food, and healthcare, but while I'm still kind of young I like to visit for the diving. If it were just as good in Thailand or Vietnam, I'd have no reason to ever come back to the Philippines.

I would never pick the Philippines over Thailand or Vietnam. The Philippines is much more dangerous, and the food is much worse and more expensive. Hotels and travel are much more expensive in the Philippines too. The only pluses are the people and being able to speak English with locals. Poverty and hunger (and crime) are 100x worse than in those two countries.

TL;DR: If you have enough money to live comfortably in the West, there's hardly any compelling reason to move to Southeast Asia. In my opinion, practically every Westerner who decides to live permanently in Southeast Asia does so because of low economic status. They don't have to be 'broke,' but the money they have doesn't allow a comfortable life in the West. The Philippines lags behind most other Southeast Asian countries on almost every metric, but it has at least three things going for it: (a) the visa process is simple (b) English proficiency is the second highest in Southeast Asia (c) most people are Christian/Catholic Since most Westerners are English-speaking Christians/Catholics and most people like to avoid annoyingly long visa processes, the Philippines is an obvious choice despite all its shortcomings — at least it was for me. Twenty years ago, a fourth reason to come might have been to find a marriageable woman with different values from women in the West, but modern Filipinas have all been westernized through the internet and social media, and their behavior today is (in my opinion) practically indistinguishable from women in the West.