We Tried Retiring in Dumaguete on $1,000 a Month

Can you really retire in Dumaguete, Philippines, on just $1,000 a month? In this episode, we put that claim to the test. We build a full retirement budget from the ground up and force every dollar to earn its place: housing, utilities, food, transportation, healthcare, immigration costs, and even enough money left over to actually have a life. Along the way, we run into some surprising choices — including cheaper housing outside central Dumaguete, buying a scooter, and even the possibility of shared housing to make the numbers work. The goal is not to prove you can “live like a king” on $1,000 a month. It’s to show what that retirement would actually look like — the compromises, the tradeoffs, and whether it is truly sustainable. Want to test your own retirement numbers? Visit retireif.com and try our free retirement tools: Social Security Decision Calculator Compare claiming at 62, full retirement age, and 70, and see how the different choices affect your monthly benefit and long-term break-even points. Retirement Budget Calculator / Money Map Enter your income, housing, healthcare, food, transportation, and other expenses to see whether your retirement budget actually works — and how much cushion you have left. No sign-up. Just your numbers. If you already live in Dumaguete, we’d love to hear from you in the comments: What do you pay for rent? What does your electric bill look like? Do you own a scooter? What expense surprised you most after moving? And if you think $1,000 a month in Dumaguete is tight, wait until we take the same challenge to Manila. Live the life you want without being rich. #Dumaguete #PhilippinesRetirement #RetireAbroad #SocialSecurity #RetirementPlanning #RetireIf #RetireBroke