Best places to live in philippines

female_expat wrote:

dhnindc wrote:

Since I have just moved here, will give my 2 cents on costs.

You can buy a new Honda CRV for about p1.4 million ($33k), I  dont know how much they cost in the states now.

I drive 2011 Ford Escape 4WD Hybrid - you can now buy this for  $29K+ and at the dealership they give you $1K rebate and if you qualify for another $1K incentive... And for those who kept their credit under control and frugal during the boom time - are enjoying the low interest rate.

Toyota Highlander usually upper $33K and cost more for limited edition, and CRVs are usually mSRP $22k - even have better deal...

I wonder how much is it in Manila to buy a hybrid?

I wound up buying the ford escape for p950k, Idont have to pay taxes on it so that helps. I haven't seen any hybrids, which you would think would be more common due to high gas prices. But I think in the us the govt gives tax breaks which they don't offer in rp.

Well Victoria, if you DO decide to look at Davao then we would welcome you to our expat group here. Friends of Mindanao is a group of foreigners and their wives/partners, based in Davao City. We meet socially in each other's homes and in local restaurants. We also organize group trips to explore other parts of Mindanao. On the first and third Wednesday of each month we meet as a larger group to exchange news and information about living in Mindanao. We also from time to time support local worthy causes. All members have an equal standing, there are no officers and no membership fees - it is purely a network of friends who meet socially.

We have just launched a new website at friendsofmindanao.com and welcome people who would like to give presentations to our meetings held in Davao City. Past speakers have included attorneys, officials from the Bureau of Immigration, senior personnel from Davao City Jail, talks from experts in hydroponics, vehicle licensing experts - and so on. We do not encourage speakers who merely want to sell goods or services to our members.

There are many schools and colleges in Davao - and all the malls you could desire. Taxis are also plentiful and cheap - and the drivers never try and cheat you (unlike the daily ritual in Manila).

Just be prepared for a HUGE change in culture, the Philippines remains a 3rd world country with only a few 1st world bubbles to escape to so as to retain your sanity. Only the larger cities have some of those. The best advice I could give you is "don't burn all your bridges, retain some ability to return to more familiar surroundings and standards of living". If you have never been here (I have lived in several places here over the past 2 years) you are in for a SHOCK, coming from Europe.

Best of luck
Adrian

ukasianexplorer wrote:

......Just be prepared for a HUGE change in culture, the Philippines remains a 3rd world country with only a few 1st world bubbles to escape to so as to retain your sanity. Only the larger cities have some of those. The best advice I could give you is "don't burn all your bridges, retain some ability to return to more familiar surroundings and standards of living". If you have never been here (I have lived in several places here over the past 2 years) you are in for a SHOCK, coming from Europe.

Best of luck
Adrian

Yes Follow the advise. I rather like this post especially the bit about "1st world bubbles" Then for those who wish to live in the Philippines I can add if you live in a first world bubble then why did you come to the Philippines in the first place ??? Again I would always recommend an extended (one or two months)visit first, then you can get a real idea of "the cultural shock" and look for where you would like to be in Manila or other Locations.
Regards

OneForTheRoad wrote:

Yes Follow the advise. I rather like this post especially the bit about "1st world bubbles" Then for those who wish to live in the Philippines I can add if you live in a first world bubble then why did you come to the Philippines in the first place ???

For single men - the answer is pretty obvious, but perhaps is not a suitable subject for posting on here :-)

Again I would always recommend an extended (one or two months)visit first, then you can get a real idea of "the cultural shock" and look for where you would like to be in Manila or other Locations.
Regards

Absolutely right. It is ESSENTIAL that anybody wanting to bring a young family here has a real understanding of what living here really means. They absolutely NEED to make contact with other expats living in the town they choose, in order to get local information. The set-up expenses are not small and once they have committed themselves to all that, changing their mind will be far from cheap - or easy.

I recommend Fort B Global CIty considering that you are from Paris.  As a family, the place is acesible to hospitals, schools, etc.  This is the urban/city setting.  If you want a quieter and homely surroundings, go for Alabang.  You have to beat the traffic though if you are going to Manila.  There are several international schools for your children to go to. 

Good Luck!

hi victoria,

Its not too expensive to live in our country.. if you want like paris style of living i suggest you look for Makati residential Area.


Good luck

Hi Cath and welcome on the forum

Thanks for your contribution

Regards
Armand

where's Victoria?

wise decision is VISIT first before uprooting everyone. 

makati area for those with school age children and first timers would be safe. 

then they can visit other parts of the country when they are free.

There is a lot of discussion here but a family with kids yes manila has some things but also I dont even like to walk around there because of the crime doesnt matter what neighbor hood you move to the crime can follow if you have white skin you are a target. For me just getting the business done and out of manila as fast as I can is the ticket

I choose mindoro like my brother in law says there is little crime because everyone knows each other and if there was a crime everyone would know who did it

The philippines isnt a cake walk, you need to be safe most of all. Sure a place with barbed wire and bars on the windows seems safe but wire cutters and a car jack and they are inside your house very fast. Here on mindoro we dont even lock the doors and no problem yet

But you throw kids into the situation and now you need to be around good schools that limits you from moving to the safe areas

Well I feel I must put in a plug for Naga City and I think other
regional locations
1. education my wife and I have 3 kids in private school probably the second best in town cost: 3,500p per child per mth including service to & from school and all books
there is an Andenao here it's 20% more expensive
2. housing one can rent a 2bed condo in gated subdivision 15000p
per mth but there are a lot cheaper available.
3.Food is very inexpensive if u wanna buy it that way at wet markets or as we do buy at SM or Pruegold average 16000p per mth
to feed our lot plus a lot of relation "drop in"at meal time.
4.Crime is non-existant here, we have been here  2 years
and haven't even heard of a break and enter or other crimes
even through our large family and network of friends ofcourse there are beggers in the streets if u consider that criminal.
from what I've read on here and other sites there are many cities
that are equal to Naga, and the point I would like to make is
there doesn't seem to be a job anchoring u all to some where in particular, so take a look around, I think u will be presently
suprised when u compare regional cities with Manila
Pete

hey just curious where you decided to live?

I agree with alot of the above posts, Fort bonifacio and makati are best. However in the seven years ive been here, makati has taken a nose dive and not as good as it once was. You can't really walk around makati that comfortably, theres alot of jeepneys in makati making the air filthy. Also you might often get harrassed by beggers.

Fort bonifacio is the nicest by far, this is a brand new city and its huge! Theyve built the whole city from the ground up in the last 10 years, mostly in the last 3-4 years actually. EVERYTHING is so clean, the roads are clean, jeepneys are not allowed. there are absolutely NO BEGGARS!! the whole city is private land. Everyone is walking with their dogs and kids, or jogging, the air is clean there (i mean officially its the cleanest in manila) its the only place in Manila that is so friendly and safe. Theres alot of parks there, schools, restaurants, gyms, cafes, it really is perfect. I take my kid to the fort several times a week and he LOVES IT there.

Personally i live in mandaluyong, its ok here, but im planning on moving to the fort or back to boracay.

I lived in boracay for 4-5 years and if you have a choice then i would recommend living in boracay, a huge expat community there, all the western (and local) kids all look so happy there, playing on the beach everyday (which is the most beautiful beach ive ever seen). So many expat families living on the island, some great international schools there, loads of water sports. GOLF!! perfect place to live with kids, i really recommend it. I have a site which you can check out too boracaycoupons.com , its a guide to boracay island.

Ive also lived in baguio city, which is really nice BUT im not sure about living there, i think you would get bored after a few months. I lived in boracay for years and never got bored, theres just such a great lifestyle to live there.

Hope to hear from you .

Makati and Bonifacio Global City are given and standard recommendations.

Macapagal Highway, near Mall of Asia, is a good way to enjoy of a trademark scenery of Manila - the Manila bay sunset.

Take advantage of enjoying this invaluable benefit of living in that area.

I live in the fort area. Before moving in, I have searched around Makati, Ortigas, Mandaluyong and nearby. I forgot where I read it,  but the Fort was once awarded as one of the best city in the world in the term of the design and city plan. I just found the Fort is the most well organized and safest city in Metro Manila.

Ereza1506 wrote:

I live in the fort area. Before moving in, I have searched around Makati, Ortigas, Mandaluyong and nearby. I forgot where I read it,  but the Fort was once awarded as one of the best city in the world in the term of the design and city plan. I just found the Fort is the most well organized and safest city in Metro Manila.

I also live in the Fort and it is a great for being in Manila.  Best in the world, far from it. In the next 5 years, I think the over development will take its toll due to traffic congestion. Its pretty bad trying to get into or out during rush hour.

Also, had two neighbors have their bags cut while at Market Market, so keep an eye out for your belongings.

Go To Davao City every thing you need at less cost , International schools nice  guarded subdivisions, lot  of  malls  the  safest city in he  Philippines, International airport, sea port, friendly clean city, i live  about  20k from there  i go shopping there, every thing you need for  sure, check it  out.

I'd like to add Subic, Tagaytay, Alabang and Cavite prime areas are nice places to live in also aside from the Cities in Manila.

Reasons are:
1. fresh air.
2. more fresh air. I mean lesser people.
3. less polluted
4. getting modernized
5. less traffic.
6. liveable and close to the nature plus beaches.

20 thousand peso's a month you live on or 20 thousand dollars a year???

Hi

Im English and live in rural Philippines. A place called Tanay. Its a much more relaxed place to live than the cities.I live in the mountians and never had a problem with anyone.The best way to fit in is to be nice, make friends , do not judge anyone as most are poor.

Consider Cebu City it's the second largest city in the Philippines, yet has much less traffic and crime. We rarely get Typhoons most go up over Manila, we rarely get flooding except minor street flooding in major storms. Cebu is protected from Tsunami due to the large islands surrounding it. We rarely have earthquakes here only two in 8 years one was a 4.6 and this last one was between Cebu and Negros and we barely felt it. There is so much to do in Cebu you would never run out of things to do here. Homes are also cheap and plentiful here. Ayala area is similar to Makati except smaller. lots of condos. Cebu is on the ocean so plenty of beach resorts literally many hundreds of them. I live here in Cebu and I consider it a great place to raise your kids. We have international schools here and some major universities. South Cebu is growing rapidly new mega SM going up in the Talisay area where we plan to move.
Charles

As someone who lives in the Philippines and works in Bonifacio Global City (Fort Bonifacio), I would really recommend it for the following reasons:

Bonifacio Global City is quickly becoming the next major central business district (which Makati is/has been for the longest time). But, unlike Makati, Fort Bonifacio was master planned from the start so you can expect it not to get as hectic.

BGC is also safer than Makati. It's more difficult to get to the area as compared to other areas if you don't have a car or take a cab. Other sorts of public transport are chosen and have strict requirements implemented by the area's administration.

Everything you need is in BGC, especially in some areas where they're in the center of these places. As others have mentioned, St. Luke's is in the area and many international schools are also nearby.

Two disadvantages for the place are:
High cost of living for many of your needs. Some of the schools in the area can cost about $20,000 per year when in some areas it can cost 100 times less )

Most residential properties are condos. So if you and your family are the type who prefer big spaces, it's better to go off somewhere else.

Estimates for cost of living:
Rent for 2 or 3BR ($18-20 per sqm is the usual rate) - Around $2K
Tuition for kids -  $40K = ISM, Other Nearby Quality Schools:$5K
Groceries and incidentals - $1.0K
Maid/nanny service -  $ .25K
Gas for car -         $   1K

If ever you'd be interested in investing in a property in BGCC or anywhere in Metro Manila, so you don't have to rent, I'd be happy to help you.

well makati is the best one..theres a lot of beautiful condos to stay,accessible for internet ,not hustle for traffic because your not far away from malls and all landmarks are presently there...

(Moderated: please post in the Jobs section)

this expat  site  has  turned into a classified news paper

Victoria99 wrote:

Hello,

Young mum of 2 and expecting the 3rd in a few months is relocating to the philippines. Neither I nor my husband had been there and so we don't really know what to expect.

Thanks a lot

Hello Victoria99
Some have suggested that you first come and visit here and that is the best advise ever.As have now been here 6 weeks and still dont like the heat.I was born and raised in Southern Africa,so am used to hot weather,however it it is far hotter here.So get on a plane,so you can have your eyes opened.

To the two who bickered over cost of living in Makati...What were you 2 trying to prove...Actually you both were wrong in many of the statements you made...One of which was a car purchased in the Philippines is 150 to 200% more expensive than the USA even for a used car...The statement is totally incorrect...I recently purchased a used '05 imported Chevy hatchback with only 27k kilometers on it, fully loaded and in very good condition for 130k pesos with only 900 peso tax...Registration fees, smog and tags were approximately 2,500 pesos and minimum liability insurance a modest charge of 1,600 pesos(Note: You probably will pay more to Traffic Inforcers for bogus traffic violations than you had to pay in taxes on a used vehicle LOL)..If what you said was true I would had to had paid an additional 65k to 130k in just taxes...So unless you have owned and operated a POV in the PI please don't misinform the public with erroneous info...Just being an intern in Makati doesn't make you an authority on all aspects of living within the beautiful Philippines...Even in the Rockwell District it is possible to sublease 2 and 3 bedroom condos(fully furnished) for less than $2,500 US.

I would also like to add..World to be Free you were very hard on the lady for doing her best to steer the French family in the right direction even though some of her facts were mistaken as were some of yours...

Personally I wouldn't reside in the Manila area because of the pollution, poverty/beggars, etc....One word of caution - In using the reputable medical facilities in the Manila area always get 2nd and 3rd opinions before taking first hand advice from the physicians; especially if giving birth..They are famous for misleading pregnant women into having a C-Section when one is not needed...Even going as far as telling the laboring patient false information as to the progress of their labor just to strike fear as to the well-being of the child to scare you into submitting to the knife...

Peace and forgiveness be with you...

Hello Victoria99...What dkcape wrote is true...It is hotter in Manila, sometimes unbearable, than many areas of the rest of the world...However there are places near or on the coastal regions you don't even need air-conditioning...If your children are of a very young age and you don't mind sending them to a Parochial school or a school which caters to foreigners I would highly recommend settling in a coastal city like Batangas where the sheer beauty of the PI can be appreciated and many areas near the water the heat is not a serious factor...The cost of living goes down by as much as 70% of what it is in Manila Metro...You did mention your 31 year old husband wishes to retire for your remaining years..What better place to retire than on or near a beach...RIGHT...I personally have a 85 sq. meter 3 bedroom/bath condo right on the beach for $250 month...Why would I want to live in Manila even with children...LOL

female_expat wrote:

Victoria99,


Automobile

In PH there is no GPS, so its really frustrating to go around even if you can drive a vehicle. You need a local person to show you around. Helpers who speak good English commands higher pay.

I was just in Manilla this month and my friends Honda had GPS. So I'm sure you can buy a GPS unit of some kind.

dkcape wrote:

Hello Victoria99
Some have suggested that you first come and visit here and that is the best advise ever.As have now been here 6 weeks and still dont like the heat.I was born and raised in Southern Africa,so am used to hot weather,however it it is far hotter here.So get on a plane,so you can have your eyes opened.

Wow you don't like the heat? I live in the desert out here in California only 1 hour from the beach and it get's up to 120 out here in the summer. I just always have my towel with me in the PI, and I'm good. Sometimes a neck towel and a shoulder towel.

Congrats on the move too DK

Dear expatfever:

There's a big difference between 15% desert and 98% tropical humidity...I agree with the African...Stay in the Manila Metro area to see if you can deal with the humidity...Not all people are tolerate of the type of heat which is here...However,,try the heat in Calcutta, India!!Compared to here it is like a 24 hour sauna there...

expatfever wrote:

female_expat wrote:

Victoria99,


Automobile

In PH there is no GPS, so its really frustrating to go around even if you can drive a vehicle. You need a local person to show you around. Helpers who speak good English commands higher pay.

I was just in Manilla this month and my friends Honda had GPS. So I'm sure you can buy a GPS unit of some kind.

While a little off subject I would just like to clear up some misconceptions regarding GPS. firstly and most important is to realize that a "GPS" will work anywhere in the world. The problem is not the GPS unit but the maps available on it.
However if you are in the Phils and have a Garmin unit you are in luck.
The latest and comprehensive maps are available for free. A very dedicated person has, using OSM (free mapping ) compiled just what you require.
Down load the compressed gmapsupp.img from
Esamble.wikispaces.com/osmphil_garmin
Decompress it and copy it to your Garmin (maps) folder.  Free and routable what. More could you want.
Happy traveling ......

vetretreat wrote:

Dear expatfever:

There's a big difference between 15% desert and 98% tropical humidity...I agree with the African...Stay in the Manila Metro area to see if you can deal with the humidity...Not all people are tolerate of the type of heat which is here...However,,try the heat in Calcutta, India!!Compared to here it is like a 24 hour sauna there...

Yes for sure it's not the temperature but the very high humidity that makes the weather uncomfortable . We live up in Tagaytay where the temperature is 4 or 5 deg lower than what is reported in Manila and with lower humidity is very pleasent  and not oppressive at all.
Chose where you want to live with care and stay a month before you make any expensive commitments .

hello just reading your message... very interested in hearing more about where you are living.. I am single with a budget of 1100.oo a month... could you please tell me what kind of life I could have there... I am currently mostly living in Costa Rica but am looking for something new.... please you can write me direct    [email protected]     or facebook
Curtis wayne Andrews..     thanks so much!!!

carolinasteamer wrote:

hello just reading your message... very interested in hearing more about where you are living.. I am single with a budget of 1100.oo a month... could you please tell me what kind of life I could have there... I am currently mostly living in Costa Rica but am looking for something new.... please you can write me direct    [email protected]     or facebook
Curtis wayne Andrews..     thanks so much!!!

Are you wanting information on where I live...and where in Carolina are you from..I would like info on Costa Rica..

Bri-yen wrote:

I'd like to add Subic, Tagaytay, Alabang and Cavite prime areas are nice places to live in also aside from the Cities in Manila.

Reasons are:
1. fresh air.
2. more fresh air. I mean lesser people.
3. less polluted
4. getting modernized
5. less traffic.
6. liveable and close to the nature plus beaches.

I agree with this as I once lived in Cavite. I really liked the province. Cavite's Tagaytay is the perfect alternative to Baguio City.

[Moderated: Off topic]

MikeCarenter wrote:

There is a lot of discussion here but a family with kids yes manila has some things but also I dont even like to walk around there because of the crime doesnt matter what neighbor hood you move to the crime can follow if you have white skin you are a target. For me just getting the business done and out of manila as fast as I can is the ticket

I choose mindoro like my brother in law says there is little crime because everyone knows each other and if there was a crime everyone would know who did it

The philippines isnt a cake walk, you need to be safe most of all. Sure a place with barbed wire and bars on the windows seems safe but wire cutters and a car jack and they are inside your house very fast. Here on mindoro we dont even lock the doors and no problem yet

But you throw kids into the situation and now you need to be around good schools that limits you from moving to the safe areas

Hi Mike.

I also live in the Puerto area and what you say is absolutely true, unlocked doors and almost no crime here...Contact me at: [email protected] if you care to hook up...I am originally from the US retired now...

expatfever wrote:

Congrats on the move too DK

Actually i only went to see if i would want to relocate.I just cant see myself living there.Most times the grass is not greener else where.

hey    thinking about checking out the Philippines this year.... could I please ask for suggestions on decent places (towns) to live .   I am retired US Coast Guard an currently live in Costa Rica.. I will have a budget of say 1200.oo dollars a month..  just looking for a base camp an hope to see a lot the country over a few months.... an do you feel safe traveling there??...  thanks so much for any light you can shine.... Curtis

Hi Victoria99. If you want stress-free, traffic-free, kind of low on cost of living, pollution free, I suggest best place to settle down is in Cebu City. Practically everything is in Cebu already, the nice beaches and even places that mostly people go to are in Cebu City.