cost of living

today, if you live in Metro Manila...

at $1 = Php46.00

- petrol costs about Php40 a liter (about 90cents)

- a can of coke will set you back Php20

- the minimum fare of PHp7.00 (on a jeepney) or Php10.00 (on an airconditioned bus) will only take you as far as 4km

- the flag-down rate for a taxi cab is Php30.00

- you can buy three pieces of hard candy or mentos for Php2.00 ($0.04)

- a regular-sized bar of hershey's chocolate is about Php30 ($0.65)

- from end to end of the MRT-3 along EDSA, a commuter pays Php15, but the government pays Php65 in subsidies per commuter trip, no matter the distance (there are 400,000 trips daily... 365 days in a year... you do the math.)

- if you earn $1000 per month and you're single, then life is sweet. some get by with a minimum wage of $6 per day, about $132 a month or even less

- typical condo unit in the central business district can set you back on rent fees by at least $260 per month and that's without A/C

- in a fastfood joint, a value meal of 1 beef patty with gravy, 1 cup of rice, and 8 oz. softdrink will set you back $1.00. a cup of mango caramel sundae (vanilla ice cream, mango bits in syrup, and caramel swirl) costs Php28.

- a kilo of mangoes is about Php26, but we get this for free because we have a mango tree in our backyard. :-)

- a 500ml bottle of distilled water is Php15 or $0.30

- a 330ml (350?) bottle of beer averages Php30 in a bar during happy hours, but goes up to about Php85-150 at regular rates

- on the same stretch of road, from work to home (one-way), if i took the bus, its Php15.75; on an AUV (typically Tamaraw FX) mega taxi its Php25 or Php30; on a taxi cab, its Php85-100; if i took our own van, its Php100 worth of petrol (one-way) and parking fee of at least Php40 (whole-day open space parking). so yeah, i commute to work.

- btw, our a/c city buses have t.v. on them, they usually play dvd movies or tuned in to any of the local channels

- a hair cut in the village shops, ranges from Php50-100. the same hair cut done by a senior stylist in essensuals toni & guy costs Php700 excluding tips.

- whole body massage costs anywhere from Php250 to Php2,000

- on average, an hour's rent of a badminton court with rubber mat (taraflex) costs Php300

how's life on your side of the world?

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