Living Well on a Middle-Class Income in the Philippines
Practical money, home, and family guides for the Filipino middle class, whether you’re building your life here or sending it home from abroad.
No more sweldo-to-sweldo or petsa de peligro
The website is just the starting point. Follow us on social media for your daily dose of saktong burgis realities, relatable memes, and thoughts we can all vibe with. See you there!
Money & banking
Budgets, digital banks, and growing your sweldo
Your Dollars (and Dirhams) Buy More Pesos Right Now (2026)
The peso is near record lows, so your dollars and dirhams buy more pesos. Here’s how OFWs can move and grow that money safely, minus the scams.
Home & property
Renting, buying, and building without growing broke
Condo vs. House and Lot: Which is Better? (2026)
For the burgis, choosing where to live is often a toss-up between living in a condo versus a house and lot in a subdivision. So which is better?
Family & education
Raising kids and paying for school realistically
Is College Worth It in the Philippines? (2026)
Filipinos have treated a college diploma as a ticket out of poverty? But is this truly the case these days? Is college really worth it?
For OFWs
Coming home, investing, and building from abroad
Your Dollars (and Dirhams) Buy More Pesos Right Now (2026)
The peso is near record lows, so your dollars and dirhams buy more pesos. Here’s how OFWs can move and grow that money safely, minus the scams.
The guides worth your time
Budgeting on a Middle-Class Income in the Philippines: A Practical Guide for the ₱30K to ₱120K Earner (2026)
How can anyone live comfortably with a middle class budget in the Philippines these days? Being middle class has become increasingly tough these past years. I remember when we were able to afford moving into a gated community just outside Metro Manila with just less...
Condo vs. House and Lot: Which is Better? (2026)
For the burgis, choosing where to live is often a toss-up between living in a condo versus a house and lot in a subdivision. So which is better?
How Much Income Do You Need to Buy a House in the Philippines (2026)
Ever wonder if you can afford to buy a house in the Philippines these day? Here’s how much you should be earning to buy a home to call your own.
Written by people actually living it
Saktong Burgis is managed by middle-class Filipinos working through the same questions you are: where to live, how to budget, what’s truly worth it. No get-rich-quick, no maarte na lifestyle. Just honest, researched takes on living life, sakto lang.
The main writer, Alex, is an editor and a business development consultant. Most recently, he’s helped brands stabilize and grow their businesses through e-commerce. He’s also a former teacher, marketer, and HOA president. He delves in photography in his free time.
What does “Saktong Burgis” mean?
sakto sak·to
a shortened form of “eksakto,” meaning “just right”
burgis bur·gis
from the Spanish “burgués,” a borrowing from the French “bourgeois,” referring to the middle class