🌴 Why We’re Researching Early Retirement in the Philippines
And how it’s changing our cost of living assumptions
As Harrison and I think about early retirement, one of the biggest levers we keep coming back to is where life happens.
Not forever.
Not as an escape.
But as an intentional chapter.
Lately, we’ve been researching what early retirement could look like in the Philippines, and that research alone has already changed how we think about cost of living, flexibility, and what “enough” actually means.
Why Location Matters So Much in Retirement Planning
One of the biggest drivers of retirement costs isn’t investing.
It’s lifestyle.
Housing.
Healthcare.
Food.
Transportation.
Daily expenses.
Those costs vary dramatically depending on where you live.
In many parts of the U.S., retirement planning assumes very high ongoing expenses. That pushes the “number” people feel they need higher and higher.
Looking internationally has helped us see that the number isn’t fixed.
It’s contextual.
What We’re Learning About the Philippines
The Philippines keeps coming up in our research for a few key reasons.
The cost of living can be significantly lower than in many U.S. cities, especially for:
• housing
• food
• transportation
• services
Healthcare costs are often lower as well, especially when combined with private pay or international insurance strategies.
Daily life expenses can be more flexible, which means:
• less pressure to withdraw large amounts each year
• more room in the budget for experiences, not just bills
• greater margin if markets are volatile
Lower ongoing expenses reduce how much your portfolio needs to produce.
That alone can change retirement timelines.
How This Changes the Math
Early retirement math is not just about how much you save.
It’s about how much you need each year.
If your annual living costs are lower:
• your required retirement income is lower
• your portfolio doesn’t need to work as hard
• your plan becomes more resilient
This is especially powerful once you’ve hit Coast FI.
When your investments are already set up to grow over time, lowering future expenses adds another layer of safety and flexibility.
This Isn’t About “Cheap Living”
This research isn’t about finding the cheapest place possible.
It’s about:
• quality of life
• cultural alignment
• community
• access to healthcare
• lifestyle pace
• family and heritage connections
It’s about asking better questions than “How much do we need?”
Questions like:
Where do we want to spend our time?
What kind of daily life do we want?
What environments support our nervous systems?
Those answers matter just as much as spreadsheets.
Why This Matters for Anyone Thinking About Early Retirement
You don’t have to retire abroad for this to be useful.
The bigger lesson is this:
Retirement is not one-size-fits-all.
Cost of living is a choice variable, not a fixed rule.
Exploring different locations, even just on paper, can:
• reduce fear
• create options
• soften timelines
• make early retirement feel more realistic
Sometimes the biggest progress comes not from saving more, but from rethinking assumptions.
The Bigger Takeaway
Researching retirement in the Philippines has reminded us that financial independence is as much about flexibility as it is about numbers.
Where you live affects how hard your money has to work.
And when you combine:
• long-term investing
• Coast FI momentum
• intentional lifestyle choices
The path to early retirement can open up in ways that feel more humane and more aligned.
This is still research.
Still exploration.
Still evolving.
But it’s already changing how we think about what’s possible.