Decision support
Tools to figure out the Philippines.
Ten interactive tools that turn the whole site's verified data into your answers, with every figure dated and sourced.
Budget
Cost Calculator
What will your month in Cebu actually cost?
Six questions about household, rent tier, AC hours, internet, food, and transport. Output: itemized monthly budget with low/high ranges, auto-generated notes on your biggest cost drivers, and links to every source article.
Start calculatingCost of living
Multi-City Comparator
Which city is actually cheaper — Cebu, Davao, or Iloilo?
Set your unit size and electricity use. Output: a side-by-side monthly budget across Cebu, Davao and Iloilo, ranked cheapest-first on rent and electricity — every line traced to a dated city ledger (VECO/DLPC/MORE ₱/kWh, editorial rent baselines), with water and Metro Manila handled as documented gaps rather than guesses.
Compare the citiesWhere
Neighborhood Matcher
Where should you live in Cebu?
Five questions about your budget, work anchor, household, priorities, and deal-breakers. Output: ranked list of Cebu neighborhoods with match percentages, tradeoffs, and one-line reasons for each.
Find my neighborhoodRetirement
Retirement Calculator
Can you afford to retire in the Philippines?
Five inputs in your home currency. Output: years of runway, monthly headroom, the right SRRV tier for your age and pension, plus red flags if your savings run out before age 85.
Plan my retirementVisa
Visa Pathway
Which Philippines visa fits your situation?
Six questions about your nationality, purpose, income, and intended stay. Output: ranked visa recommendations with eligibility, fees, deposits, and processing times — covering SRRV, DNV, 13(a), 9(g), 9(f), and more.
Find my visaMoney
Remittance Cost Comparator
What does it really cost to send money to the Philippines?
Enter an amount in USD. Output: the all-in cost of moving it into pesos across Wise, Payoneer, GCash, bank wire, and PayPal — the FX margin plus the fee, not just the fee — ranked cheapest-first, with the yearly cost of choosing the wrong rail. Sourced from each provider’s published rates.
Compare the costMoney
PHP Savings Real-Return
Where should you park your pesos?
Enter an amount and how long you can lock it. Output: the best post-tax deposit rate, your real return after Philippine inflation, first-year interest, and how to split a balance above PHP 1M to stay PDIC-insured. Sourced from published bank rate sheets and BSP inflation data.
Find the best rateHouseholds
Kasambahay True-Cost
What does a helper actually cost you, all-in?
Enter the region and the cash wage for a kasambahay, yaya, cook or driver. Output: the true monthly and annual cost — wage plus the mandatory SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG employer contributions and prorated 13th-month pay — with the RA 10361 §30 sub-₱5,000 rule applied and a legality flag against the regional minimum. Sourced from NWPC wage orders and the three agencies’ circulars.
Cost a hireMoney
Freelancer Take-Home & Tax
8% flat or graduated — and what’s your take-home?
Enter your annual gross receipts and expenses. Output: your take-home under the 8% flat tax and the graduated income tax side by side, the cheaper election, and the break-even net margin where the answer flips — with the mixed-income and irrevocability rules and the Digital Nomad Visa tax position. Sourced from the dated BIR TRAIN and RR 8-2018 tables.
Compare the regimesProperty
Condo Rent-vs-Buy
Rent or buy — and after how many years does buying win?
Enter the unit and your holding plan. Output: the break-even year, the all-in annual carrying cost, and a go/no-go for your horizon — built on the statutory transaction stack (1.5% DST, 6% CGT, RPT, the LGU transfer tax) with the exit friction and the RA 4726 40% foreign-ownership cap made explicit. The tax lines are dated law; the price, dues and mortgage rate are your inputs (no dataset exists).
Run the break-even