108 Replies to “How much does a person from the Philippines earn?”

1. this is really important – and scary. the divide between rich and poor seems to get wider by the day.

   1. Yes is does indeed, same is true everywhere it seems.

2. Egypt seems to be very similar to the Philippines in this regard. I’m currently interning in Cairo, and have heard that while the poverty level is roughly 92%, the president’s son is living in California apparently working on a master’s in economics. What’s wrong with this picture?

   1. “The Presidents son is living in California …” That’s familiar sounding! I would imagine if he were sick he’s also go to an overseas hospital too? Yep, a bad picture alright!

3. The US dollar is actually drawing less than 46 pesos at this time and is trending downward.
   To get a job at Jollybee you need to be college educated and meet the following standard: young, single and pretty.
   In Metro Manila you may earn around Php375 per day.
   Rent in MM runs around Php10,000 for a 2 bedroom unit. Utilities are between Php2000 and Php5000 per month. Not much left for food and clothes.
   A manager in an industrial plant may earn around Php40,000 per month.
   Your observation about political salaries is amusing because those holding political office receive a ridiculous amount of money for their expenses which are supposed to be used for staff and an office. Yeah….right.

   1. Thanks for the USA update Tim, good to see you having my back! I’d quoted the Euro, which is also slipping.

      I really like your point about getting a job at Jollibee. Graduates between 18 & 24 signs are everywhere, a few even include “good looks” as a requirement too.

      MM is a little cheaper than I would have thought? Is that local accommodation? I know I’ve seen 4-6 people share 2 bed apartments in The Philippines with ease.

      Thanks for those price quotes as well. And, yes, expenses are an eclipse on reality here alright!

4. Upper income people usually just smile. But will happily tell you what everyone else makes!! agree.. annoying but true.

   The divide between the rich and poor is not as stark as say in Indonesia but there still are a lot of poor ppl in Malaysia exp rural areas.

   1. You’d think upper income people would be more likely to say how much they earn, but the opposite is true. I’m sure there is poverty in Malaysia’s big cities too.

      1. every country wld hv its ahare of ppl in poverty..its all about social structure & its inbalances. Indonesia’s population 200mil, Phils 95mil & Malaysia only 27mil & a poor in Malaysia is still better off then his counter part in Indonesia or Phils. I find the defination of employment in Phils very interesting indeed..

5. “MM is a little cheaper than I would have thought? Is that local accommodation?”

   Yes. We’re assuming the remaining 6 months on a 12 month lease for a two bedroom “up-down”. Rent is Php10,300. It’s very basic but not unusual for Quezon City.

   1. Thanks for the update! I know in Palawan things were cheaper. Mindanao too, for locals. But if you are a foreigner it seems the price doubles :)

6. the call center jobs were one of the first things i found out when i came here in february and its really eye opening. it’s the complete opposite in america! where call center jobs are bottom rung, minimum wage, call centers in the philippines are some of the best paying jobs you can get!! and that’s only $300/mo. I find that $200/mo is already a very good salary in the Philippines but it’s still hard to live on your own. That’s why I assume a lot of people live within families and don’t live alone. It’s a bizarre scale to me, but still, somehow, peoiple survive! And people seem happy in poverty.

   1. Call center jobs in many parts of the world are known as modern day “labor camps” Long hours, lots of restrictions, repetitive tasks. Certainly many people don’t have a choice. In the Philippines it’s looked upon as being “Talented” job. Not only does it pay well, but it offers incentives like training and education one might not get anywhere else.

      But yes, as you mentioned, many people cannot afford to live on their own. So many people share. It’s not uncommon to see 6+ people living in a one bed apartment. You do what you have to do, and still they smile. You last point is very good in that regard. It’s the wealthy here that look so grouchy.

7. Very interesting… some of the numbers were quite shocking. Doctors making so much less than pilots and the difference between the poor and rich. I have to agree with you though, the divide is getting wider everywhere, it seems.

   1. Shocking, and hard to find out! The divide is nothing new in the world, what is I think is the governments (worldwide) attitude to it all.

8. This is interesting , and kind scary and sad article.
   Thanks for posting that, you don’t read about such things most of the time

   1. Thank you. Unfortunately you are right, it’s scary and sad. I think the fact it’s not just happening in the Philippines is also worrying. A global trend which I don’t think anyone wants to see, but it’s happening anyway.

9. it’s definitely crazy. and frustrating. when i visit the philippines, i find myself in an awkward position of “affluent” american with filipino roots and a overwhelming sense of helplessness for my family and the country. filipinos are known all over the world for their hospitality and yet, its governing bodies hardly accommodate for the needs of its own people.

   i often ask myself why this is a recurring theme in a country so desperate to elevate itself from 3rd-world status. probably, corruption and greed by officials are up there are reasons. but more than likely, just like asking why poverty exists at all, we’ll never have a complete answer…

   1. This is a hard one to tackle. I wonder if “any” world is able to have no poverty. Without one, you can’t have the other. In the USA right now people are arguing the Arizona immigration issue. And one of the points against it is “if we didn’t have illegal workers, then we couldn’t afford the food” In other world cheap labor, produces more affordable food.

      Perhaps this is the reason poverty does exist. What I don’t like, is to see the wealthier continue to profit, flaunt it, and take unfair advantage of others. But as you say, a complete answer, today, is not possible. I think this may just be apart of evolution, and we have not developed enough to settle this. Yet!

10. I can now understand why such a high percentage of crew members working on board cruise ships come from the Philippines. On some of the ships I worked on, the percentage hovered around 60%.

    And while these crew members unfortunately receive little opportunity except to work in some of the less paid positions on board, their salaries are still significantly higher than the middle income levels you mentioned above.

    Many of Filipinos on board would show me photos of their large houses, cars, swimming pools and more, all bought after earning $1000 US/month for a few years on ships.

    1. Earl you bring up a great point. I too have met many crew members who are from the Philippines. It’s another well sought after job, as it pays well. For some reason, Filipinos are very very, clean people. And although it’s not politically correct of one to say so, but they clean, cook, wash incredibly well. There is a reason why this is why they are amongst some of the most popular for such tasks overseas.

       And, before anyone jumps on me for making such a statement without understanding the Pinoy culture, some of the most recognized nurses in the world are also Filipino. So its at both ends of the income scale too.

       And yes, many work for 20 -30 years in these jobs. Send money home, and then settle back into a very nice standard of living.

11. Today on the news, some domestic and international Philippine Airline flights have been cancelled or delayed due to lack of pilots. These highly talented men would rather work overseas than here at home.

    See link: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=598461&publicationSubCategoryId=200

    Although an airline pilot’s salary in the Philippines is high based on the cost of living here, it still doesn’t compare to the pay overseas thus the brain drain.

    Some of the figure on your list of basic necessities is actually doubled if one lives in the city, like public transport and food. An upper mid-income earner who probably works in Makati would find it impossible to find a meal for P60.. P150 or roughly US $3 is more the average.

    I share the sentiment on why government officials’ salary is not transparent to the people as it should. Although when I asked my mom about it a week back, she told me it was released publicly before but I have to see it for myself.

    I hope the new government would keep its promise to fight corruption and find reasonable poverty alleviation measures. The brain drain in most business, industrial and health sectors is alarming.. I don’t want to see how the Philippines would continue to go downhill… when before the 2nd World War, the Philippines was one of the more developed countries in Asia.. even more progressive than 1st World Singapore..

    1. Some really interesting points here Marnie. Very much a shame about Philippine Airlines. I wonder if it will go under considering it’s loses last year, and now this.

       Thanks for the big city budget update. My prices are based on smaller cities in Mindanao rather than Manila, so it’s good to have you add in those prices too. What I have noticed is a significant increase in food costings over the past year. Much like in Nepal where the cost of food and more than doubled.

       Without doubt, the fact that national newspapers make comments about Governemnt officals and their outrages expenses, tells a lot. Whatever their official salary is, it’s by no way anywhere near what they are actually pocketing. The standard of their housing, cars and lifestyle blatantly dictates this.

       In the UK last year the newspapers uncovered many many politicians with “dirty expenditure claims” Near all of them who were named, have left office. Been forced to pay back, and moreover named and shamed!

       I also never knew about the Philippines being one of the more developed countries in Asia prior to WWII. It’s something I will look into, and cover in another article for sure!

12. Found this online.. It would give everyone a broad view on why several government officials do deals under the table.. and why some public school teachers would rather be a maid somewhere in the world…

    Not sure how accurate though.. but I have mixed feelings on finding and knowing these information.

    http://www.financemanila.net/2009/08/how-much-do-philippine-government-officials-make-in-salary/

    1. Well Done!! That’s fantastic information. I believe it’s based on a civil service pay scale. And yes, we should all realize that this is while this is officially what they earn, it’s not what they “actually” take home.

       Much like the middle class earners, you can be sure there are those on this list that take home many, many times more. In fact, it’s pretty much a given all things considered.

       Very many thanks Marnie for finding this. I will update the article and credit you for finding it!

13. Some things were shocking but it doesn’t surprise me. that’s the way things go … Very interesting though :)

    1. Certainly is interesting. Sometimes … well … actually I think all the time this information should be known :)

14. A couple of good books on the Philippines are “Sitting in Darkness” – David Haward Bain (hard to find) and “In Our Image – America’s Empire In The Philippines” – Stanley Karnow.
    David Bain’s book is not only informative but entertaining and unbiased. It was written near the end of the Marcos era and is now only available in used condition.

    1. Thanks for that info Tim. Some good reading there!

15. It is quite astonishing to observe the brutal disparities between the haves and the have nots in the Philippines and indeed all over the world including NYC my adopted home.

    Jody

    1. It’s always important to note that it happens in so called “developed” countries too, just as you have mentioned.

16. There are few OFW’s who are less know,but earn an average of US$7,000 to US$12,000 per month.They are the Oilrig Workers, Oilrig Servicehands etc. There salary range is beyond imagination, not to mention the perks such as retirement plans, savings plans and health plans. There are not much publicities regarding these group of elite multi millionaires who even earn better than the expats. These people also enjoys a month of paid vacation for every month of work. Whewww! I hope that a large number of our OFW’s will have the same luck.

    1. Interesting information. I see oil has been discovered off the coast of Palawan. I think there will be plenty of oil bases salaries appearing there over the next few years. Sadly, I think the island itself will suffer due to this.

17. in-depth. sad to say, young people here can be considered over-educated but unemployed and underemployed. i have been thinking about the lack of appreciation to skilled-related jobs here. also, we’re raised with the idea of academic excellence when in fact, pinoys are creative and skillful by nature. sometimes, i like the idea of ‘what if there is more appreciation in skills and not in brainy stuffs”. as an archipelago and as an agri country, funny how the number of people wanting to be nurses seems to mean ‘everyone’.

    and oh thanks for including the politicians’ bit. the biggest blow here is corruption. i am fond of my own country. i can’t imagine my self growing old somewhere else. but every time i think of these filthy hands running the government, i always get disheartened.

    still in the philippines? salamat for treading :)

    1. Yes corruption is bad. There are also many Pinoy’s working on boats that are highly in demand. Though as money infiltrates the Philippines, less are wanting this kind of job. The biggest issue in reality is learning from other countries mistakes. And, a lack of dependant education.

18. I think doctors here could actually make more than what was listed. I went to the doc to get my ear checked out….My total bill was like 1300PHP, i think the basic cost of the checkup was about 500PHP…

    The line was so long, It took 2+ hours to accommodate me. I didn’t live far so I went back and forth about 3 times.

    I was # 24… 24 x 500 = 12,000 in just those 2 hours. I think the doctor closes and opens twice a day, so does 2 rounds.

    Rent for his office shouldnt be no more than 20,000/mo

    1. Good points here. I think I mentioned it as being a rough estimate though, and lower scale. That said I know a doctor who makes a similar income as the one you stated. When I asked him I got a woeful story of the various monthly and yearly health certs, licenses he had to pay for. I was at first sceptical, until I met a person running a food packaging business. Likewise, a lot of certification had to be “paid” out by certain income earners to certain people.

    2. but ur talking bout those private doctors rite? cuz i know they really make good money than those working in public hospitals….

19. I have lived in CDO, Mindanao for the last 5 years, there has been many reports of corruption, daily in fact, I saw a scale of “perks’ issued to High ranking govt officials, believe it or not, they averaged about 10 million pesos per year. ( 2 mil for this, 2 mil for that and so on.) 10 mil = Us$(approx) 225 per year, Add the corruption, maybe double that. Voting ?, a joke, people sell their votes for as little as 50 cents, Nepotism is rife as you previously suggested, To get a reasonabley paid Govt Job, you will need to have a relative in some position to make sure you are employed. I could go on, but I think enought said for you to get the picture, My wife in her previous life, worked 12 hours per day in a beauty parlour for about $2.50 a day, just enought to feed herself and her 2 kids. She lived in a ‘house’ about the size of the average bathroom in the US. (made of Bamboo). Unfortunately, she was only one of thousands,, while the rich live in homes normally seen in Beverly Hills, etc. Things here are not what they seem.

    1. Yes, I’ve seen this scale too. So endemic as it is, that people don’t even recognize the problem anymore. Expenses in The Philippines can seriously outstrip a salary.

       Again, seeing the trucks of villagers brought in come election time, seeing the roads being rebuilt the day before, and seeing the handouts for a single vote is not nice. It’s blatant in your face bribing for votes. But, it’s passed on as “helping” the community. Feeding the hungry. Shame it only happens on the day before a voting day. Likewise in many of the big companies here. If you don’t have a relative up high, forget about it. So yes, things are indeed not what they seem here at all.

20. I lived for over three years in the Philippines, and spent most of my time mingling with the local population (as opposed to foreigners).

    The income scales only tell part of the story. Any government worker is potentially involved in their corrupt system. They are most likely to have received their position (however small) by knowing someone, particularly a relative.

    The higher-profile government workers and politicians are almost certainly involved in massive corruption. And while all of them aren’t bad at heart, to refuse certain bribes would doom them to failure.

    Though the “elite” salaries appear very low comparitively, their “benefits” (…including payoffs) are often beyond lavish.

    The Philippines is full of great people that are hopelessly supressed by their political system.

21. I think what is NOT mentioned is that the main reason for cheap labour in Philippines is overpopulation, Philippinos breed like rabbits, on Palawan the population is increasing 2% PER ANNUM ! Lots of work for midwives here ! Being a strict Roman Catholic country means NO contraception, except calendar watching. The families are HUGE, filipinos like to tell you that they love their families , but given the choice between staying in Philippines with their families and working overseas for a tiny salary (by local standards), they will be off like a shot.
    A few years ago an enormous gas field was found in Palawan waters, and the province was given a huge huge amount by the company that explored the gas field. The billions of pesos was “spent” , not on electricity infrastructure that the population needs badly, but on roads. Of course for the people controlling the construction contracts , this is cause for wealth beyond their wildest dreams

22. This is a good point Martin.

    I believe that part of the reason for the large families is once you are past the age of 30, if you are not in a specialized occupation, you will not find a job.

    Children are the providers of the family.

    As far as the Catholic church, I won’t fault the church for their views on contraception, even though I disagree with them.

    But HERE is the contradiction:

    The Catholic church is EXTREMELY irresponsible on this matter, because they prevent education that would prevent some of the unwanted pregnancies.

    What’s even worse is that the Catholic church system in the Philippines has NO (at least not that I found!) charitable efforts directed towards the tens of thousands of homeless children resulting from unwanted pregnancies.

    Here is a story you wouldn’t believe unless you’ve spent more than a few weeks in the Philippines:

    Upon my first visit to the Philippines, the two major “culture shocks” I had were the (very young) homeless children and the many small homes, especially in the squatter’s areas. I learned that if I had to ask if that was a house, it was a house.

    Anyway, before my second visit to the Philippines, I hosted some charity volleyball tournaments and raised about $1000 with the intention of helping the street children.

    I was staying in a city with over 100,000 population. I asked for suggestions on where the $1000 should be donated and nobody had any. I finally got the idea to go to the local Catholic church. I should have thought of that days before!

    When I inquired about programs they had to help the homeless, I was told that they have NO such programs. That floored me.

    It gets better, MUCH better: I then asked where would be the best place to donate the money. They told me that I should go to City Hall and give it to the Department of Social Welfare. (!!!)

    Who the Hell would, with good conscious, tell anyone in the Philippines to hand over $1000 to a government agency???

    I lost a LOT of respect for the Catholic church that day.

    It took me nearly a month, but I finally located a perfect place to donate the money. I rode with a group to watch a barangay volleyball match in the mountains, about five miles outside town.

    One of our group knew that I was searching for a good place to donate the money and when we returned told me that she thought we had passed a children’s home.

    I investigated and it turned out to be better than I expected. The organization was run privately by a group of five businessmen and they relied on 100% of their funds from overseas donations.

    Most of the children had been taken from their parents by DSW.

    They had 30+ children and educated them and taught them to become self-sufficient and some were re-integrated into good families.

    I have a lot more good things to say about the home, but I need to go!

23. Do you have the knowledge about the dark ages? Where the world was controlled by the Roman Catholicism? The church became wealthy and the country ended up in poverty. There were persecutions right? Philippines is still under the A Dark ages situations. Good for those other countries who were able to over throw the power of Catholicism in their countries. But for the Philippines, It’s sad that we are under the dominion of this corrupt church. So, don’t be surprise why the Filipinos wanted to run away from their Country, because we are still experience the ” Dark Ages situation”. We can’t do any thing about it the catholic church is very powerful. Anyway someday, the catholic church will not only dominate the Philippines, but throughout the world as well. Remember the Coming ” Sunday Law.’ But as of now, don’t be surprise why the Filipinos as suffering a lot.

24. Hehehe opps, I did no checked my grammar, sorry.. Just edit it in your minds..

25. The President showed his pay slip on TV, 63,500php ( or thereabouts) I notice he didnt mention the 10 million in expenses and perks which I think you could double through corruption, Our local Mayor lives in a 30 million mansion ??. Some where along he obtains cosiderably more than he lets on. Stories I have heard here are very scary, People in well paid work pay those above to keep their Jobs (true of not, dont know) but easy to bieleve

26. I am a fire officer 1 here in the Philippines, and I couldn’t agree more with this article. We are indeed in a piteous state where what we earn more often than not meet our needs. I suppose my Php18,000.00 (minus taxes, insurances and loans, take home pay only amounts to Php12,000.00) per month would be considered “big” but in reality this figure is not enough if you already have a family because of the high prices of local commodity. Also, I would like to point out the excessive amount of taxes being cut off from our wages. How can the government charge so much yet give so little to its people? I guess the answer starts with a capital C, CORRUPTION.>=(

    1. Hi Rome,

       Thanks for sharing the average salary of a fire officer. I’ll add it above just as soon as I can. That seems like a fairly high tax rate alight. Especially sense there is no social welfare or free medical care in The Philippines. At least in other countries where you are taxed so heavily there is return in the sense of welfare etc.

       Indeed, I couldn’t agree more. Surviving on Php 12,000 must not be easy for one person, let alone a family. Especially if living in a big city where commodities are even high still.

       1. yeah, it’s not enough but I know many families here in the Phil. who lives in less than P100.00 per day,.with lots of children to feed..how they manage to survive amazes me. Anyway, your point there with regard to the Medical Services, well, not every taxpayers benefits from that, you have to be indigenous to be given medical support and its very limited. If you want to have a good medical support you have to apply on a Private Institutions like Philhealth and other insurance companies, of course at your own expense.

27. This is very true I am originally form Africa and it is true there as well. The gap is very big between the poor and the rich. Even school teachers with a master degree don’t make more than a burger servant in the USA which is Scary. I was looking for writers fro my online magazine that is how I came through this site.

28. I don’t know if this is relevant, however, I was standing in at the bank, the Lady in front of me was inspecting her Monthly pay check, she was about to deposit. Being the nosy person I looked over her shoulder, she had a check for 12750 pesos, However, then there was a deduction for her car loan, a deduction for electricity, then came rent and finally at the bottom of the check she was taking home 2900 Pesos or 700 + pesos a week. how she would be able to care for her family on that amount I just wonder. Why more than 6000 pesos for car loan is beyond me. Perhaps it is a sort of status thing. Hope her husband has good job too. I have remarked on another site, I estimate foreigners in Philippines contribute at least One million Pesos to the economy each year, yet we are treated like scum by Government officials, Especially Immigration they maybe the most corrupt, They must do quite well

    1. Who knows what the lady has going on in her life. But yes, it rings a bell about high loans for fancy cars and status.

       Personally speaking, I never had a problem with immigration officials in The Philippines. In fact, I found them to be some of nicest people to deal with. I did avoid the Manila branch though, where many have told me it’s painful.

29. Pingback: Paula Solmerano (@paulasolmerano)

30. I came here looking for info on how much to pay for outsourcing internet tasks for my business, thanks for the “big picture” so to speak. I try to be fair, and now realize I am overpaying my workers. They are very honest and hard working, so it’s worth it anyway!

    1. Hello Doug,

       I’ve just updated this page with the 2012 official minimum wages. It’s broken down into regions. Please note it does not cover permanent employees benefits such as health insurance, or other allowances etc.

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