Cheapest country for a live aboard?

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by Peterbreit

Where and what is GOA ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa

Goa was for a long time Hippie-central

[owly]

Originally Posted by Peterbreit

Where and what is GOA ?

A South Western Indian State....... The home of the largest group of Zoroastrians anywhere. Said to be the oldest monotheistic religion in the world, they hold earth, air, water, and fire as sacred, and inter their dead on tree top platforms for the vultures. So If you are a follower of Zarathustra it's probably the pace to go.... The climate in that part of India doesn't appeal to me at all ;-)

[goboatingnow]

I really think “ cheapest country “ is a misnomer. I’m sure central Bangladesh is very cheap to live in. But is that the point.

I d loved for long periods on boats ( ie months ) in Spain , France , the canaries , Greece and Italy . If you are careful you can live cheaply but still access good public transport , hospitals , and so forth. I’m sure many countries are similar. Working on your boat is expensive almost everywhere and boat bits are expensive

[alitaptap]

I live in the Philippines.


At the moment there are no options for entry of foreigners to the Philippines unless aboard a vessel in distress or unless directly related to a Filipino.


BUT when the pandemic passes . . .



Where to stay options:
mooring in typhoon shelter in Tambobo Bay (Negros Island) US$30


mooring in typhoon shelter at Puerto Galera Yacht Club (Mindoro Island) US$300 - 20% discount for club members, club membership around US$200 per year = become a club member and save US$45 per month



marina Berth in Subic Bay Yacht Club (Zambales) around US$400-600 (based on yacht LOA)

there are a number of other options similar to Tambobo Bay, such as Puerto Princesa (Palawan Island) - not quite typhoon shelter but typhoons are rare there

Unavoidable monthly costs:
Visa US$275
Mobile network fees US$10
Food US$300+ depending on where/what you eat (a local "companion" can probably show you how to eat for less)
Drink US$1-2 per beer x how many?


Occasional costs:
haul-out for anti-foul, example - 47 foot yacht in Papaya Cove (Nasugbu, Batangas) around US$3000 (every 4 years = budget US$62.5 / month)



The big question is health. If minor ailments then it is in inexpensive to get consultation and medication but if surgery required then the costs of hospitalization could easily be US$500-1000 per day if you are not insured with recognized health insurer. Best advice: get health insurance, add it to your budgeted costs.


Issues for yacht owners:
generally safe but avoid West Mindanao


never leave anything on deck at night that can be easily removed


always buy fresh fish/lobster from passing fishermen when offered


avoid sailing at night if possible except with advance local-knowledge as there are many Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) deployed by fishing communities, most non-lethal but none lighted


do not expect to catch too many fish yourself to sustain you




So, is it possible to live on US$800 per month on a yacht in the Philippines and enjoy life? Yes . . . US$900+ could make life perfect

[owly]

Originally Posted by alitaptap

I live in the Philippines.


At the moment there are no options for entry of foreigners to the Philippines unless aboard a vessel in distress or unless directly related to a Filipino.


BUT when the pandemic passes . . .



Where to stay options:
mooring in typhoon shelter in Tambobo Bay (Negros Island) US$30


mooring in typhoon shelter at Puerto Galera Yacht Club (Mindoro Island) US$300 - 20% discount for club members, club membership around US$200 per year = become a club member and save US$45 per month



marina Berth in Subic Bay Yacht Club (Zambales) around US$400-600 (based on yacht LOA)

there are a number of other options similar to Tambobo Bay, such as Puerto Princesa (Palawan Island) - not quite typhoon shelter but typhoons are rare there

Unavoidable monthly costs:
Visa US$275
Mobile network fees US$10
Food US$300+ depending on where/what you eat (a local "companion" can probably show you how to eat for less)
Drink US$1-2 per beer x how many?


Occasional costs:
haul-out for anti-foul, example - 47 foot yacht in Papaya Cove (Nasugbu, Batangas) around US$3000 (every 4 years = budget US$62.5 / month)



The big question is health. If minor ailments then it is in inexpensive to get consultation and medication but if surgery required then the costs of hospitalization could easily be US$500-1000 per day if you are not insured with recognized health insurer. Best advice: get health insurance, add it to your budgeted costs.


Issues for yacht owners:
generally safe but avoid West Mindanao


never leave anything on deck at night that can be easily removed


always buy fresh fish/lobster from passing fishermen when offered


avoid sailing at night if possible except with advance local-knowledge as there are many Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) deployed by fishing communities, most non-lethal but none lighted


do not expect to catch too many fish yourself to sustain you




So, is it possible to live on US$800 per month on a yacht in the Philippines and enjoy life? Yes . . . US$900+ could make life perfect

I'm not sure where the $275 number comes from for a visa as a "monthly cost". A 60 day visa is said to cost about $40 per Noonsite.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by owly

I'm not sure where the $275 number comes from for a visa as a "monthly cost". A 60 day visa is said to cost about $40 per Noonsite.

If your plan is to die in 60 days...great solution.

Reality is a little more complicated:

Application fee for retirement visa starts at $1400 plus annual renewal plus police report, plus medical cert, plus...

Then you have to prove income and deposit $10-50k (depending on situation).

By the time you go thru everything, $275/month is probably realistic for the 1st year with a few hundred more each following year to renew your visa.

A lot depends on age, health, marital status and relationship to the country.

If you are looking at $2000/month budget, it isn't a huge impact on your lifestyle. At $800/month, it's a much bigger issue as you have far less discretionary money to play with. Then if you decide the Philippines isn't for you, you repeat the process in the next country.

[alitaptap]

Originally Posted by owly

I'm not sure where the $275 number comes from for a visa as a "monthly cost". A 60 day visa is said to cost about $40 per Noonsite.

I am here under the Special Resident Retiree's Visa system where I invested US$20K some years ago and have paid approx US$220 per year thereafter.



I cannot comment on Noonsite numbers but I visited the Bureau of Immigration website:


https://immigration.gov.ph/visa-requ...xtension-lsvve



I may have misunderstood because the wording is a little vague but the calculation for extension of stay visa is Php13,900 approx US$275, made up of multiple chargeable elements. Another way of interpreting the words on the website page is that the fees shown possibly cover a period of six months.



Wishing to be more complete in my answer here, I asked a friend and he reported it cost him Php3,150 approx US$73 for one month extension so there must be some choices of visa depending on circumstance.


If only US$73 then there is a spare US$200 to pay for other benefits every month

[Icarus]

Philippines...

[GoneDiving]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

We've half jokingly/half seriously thought of moving to SE Asia when we start to need help. For the cost of assisted living in the USA, we could pay 2-3 live in care takers higher than average pay for 24/7 care and get a nurse to stop by daily and check on us.

Figure it can't be worse than 1 minimum wage worker for every 10 residents at a domestic assisted living center.

But still going to be way more than $800/month.

While I agree that SEA can be a great place to find assisted living care, I'd suggest that if this is required, then it may be better to be land based. For me, this would make more sense both from financial and ease of living points of view. Cheap yearly leases are available and can be changed to different areas if travel is still preferred. This would have to be easier and cheaper than maintaining a live aboard.

I'm the flip side I could also see the additional work involved in maintaining a water based home being beneficial to one's mental and physical health as both mind and body are kept active. I've seen too many elderly people literally rust away due to inactivity and boredom.

I guess finding the right balance is a very individual thing.

[GoneDiving]

Originally Posted by alitaptap

I am here under the Special Resident Retiree's Visa system where I invested US$20K some years ago and have paid approx US$220 per year thereafter.

The Philippines must have one of the most accomodating visa systems around. Even a regular tourist visa can legally and cheaply be extended up to 36 months without complications nor visa runs. At this point most would be due for a trip back home or a simple trip to a neighbouring country can re start the process.

Note that this was pre Covid and I'm not sure how being water based would affect this.

[toddster8]

Just yesterday, in - IIRC- the NYT, there was an advertorial about how great it is to retire in the Philippines, presumably paid for by their government. So they're actively promoting it. Although it was just a fluff story about how this one conspicuously wealthy dude was enjoying life there, and very little actual information. Except a web site that I didn't click through to.

[tcpbob]

everything has to be seen through a covid lens now but in normal times... PH was cheap for me. there are very good free anchorages with good supply towns within range of public transport. I remember visas being stepped, first a 1 month then longer afterword. it gave the immigration time to check you out. if you got in trouble during your last visa period you may not get accommodated but otherwise... all good. it could be done on $800 USD a month. easy at anchor but harder if you pay for a marina. i know sailors that kept their boats at Zeke's by carmen harbour and commuted by jet to australia. that was cheaper than keeping the boat in a marina in australia.

food is plentiful and cheap and variety excellent as many cities have supermarkets tailored to a expat audience as well as local markets.
thailand is more expensive.
indonesia is improved regarding a visa but still restrictive compared to neighboring countries.
Malaysia is very good. islands like Langkawi offer great anchorages and top shopping really cheap as it is a duty free island. you have to leave the country for a week every 3 months but that is very easy from langkawi. a easy day sail to koh lipe in thailand and hang out for a week and then back again.

but the covid thing... bugger!

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by GoneDiving

While I agree that SEA can be a great place to find assisted living care, I'd suggest that if this is required, then it may be better to be land based. For me, this would make more sense both from financial and ease of living points of view. Cheap yearly leases are available and can be changed to different areas if travel is still preferred. This would have to be easier and cheaper than maintaining a live aboard.

I'm the flip side I could also see the additional work involved in maintaining a water based home being beneficial to one's mental and physical health as both mind and body are kept active. I've seen too many elderly people literally rust away due to inactivity and boredom.

I guess finding the right balance is a very individual thing.

Certainly land based if it gets to the point we can't take care of ourselves... unless it's a really big boat (2 of us plus 3-4 staff).

I do agree that staying mentally active is important. But I've seen enough floating wrecks down south with old guys rusting away, I'm not sure being afloat by itself would guarantee anything...and that's a lot closer to how I would expect $800/month lifestyle to be.

[Boatguy30]

Certainly the Philippines seems appealing if nothing more than a several month cruise. Is there a main yachting area like say Vava’u in Tonga or is it pretty spread out.

Best cruising guides?

[Shoalbay]

Sailorboy1 has done a great job of documenting “Year 5 Costs of Cruising and Living On My Boat” in the US and Caribbean. He posts here on CF.

I believe the costs for the couple ran to approx $5000 per month for a non-extravagant lifestyle aboard. Their costs are similar to my own for 3 people aboard while travelling.

It will be interesting to see the posted budgets of people who are spending minimally.