Informations about life in Cebu

Hi everyone,
I'm Steve from Australia. I recently joined so I can talk to expats in Philippines and get information about living there. I think I would like to go to Cebu and live but I don't know where to start and I was hoping I might be able to gather information about life there. I would greatly appreciate any comments from expats already there.
Cheers
Steve

Hello Steve.

Welcome to Expat.com! :)

If you have specific questions, do not hesitate to ask them.

Thank you,
Aurélie

hello:
      i am a american living in negros which is 4 hours from cebu...i taught school in bangkok for 8 years...i have a small cottage and gym here near the beach...
  i live on my retirement which is direct deposited into my BPI bank account...its enough here but if i was living in america i would be very poor...any questions u may have please ask...
regards
joe clough

Weather in cebu would be very similar to brisbane..think maybe spring in brisbane or near summer.

Food... Love cebuano food! A bit greasy and fattening but it is delicious!

Shopping.. Better shopping than some places in oz actually and not as pricey as sydney! Definitely better shopping than when i lived in new zealand. Shops dont close until 9-10pm!

Language... Generally all business establishment can speak english. Banks, malls, shops, restos.. English. Taxis.. Not much but still they will get you where u need to go.

Rent... Find an apartment in a decent part of town. Check out newspaper ads unlike in au. Cebu dont have property managers unless u want a condo unit or a building apt. Those would have property managers but most stand alone properties are probably family managed and owned.

Safety.. Still generally safe compared to manila. Beware of pickpockets/snatchers in the downtown area. But usually in the upscale place... Moderately safe. Just dont wave around wads of cash or drape yourself in bling..you should be fine. The police isn't as bad as in manila..in manila, the police is just a thief in uniform. In cebu at least they are still pretty decent. Also the airport personnel in cebu are friendlier compared to manila.

People. There are still beggars particularly child beggars. My daughter kept asking me if their mummy/ daddy died and left them in the streets. Quite sad. We usually give food rather than money as my friends warn me they could just be part of some syndicate and if u give them money they would still be hungry at  the end of the day, but generally lots of good people in cebu. More laidback than manila again but still very metropolitan... Lots of night life, coffee shops open til 2am!

newerainn.com/ ...u can stay here initially. It's not a hotel like the name says but an inn and its pretty cheap. Think.. Base backpacker only so much cleaner plus much more decent! It's small but if you are out most of the time.. it should do for the price. Since its cheap, we got to book ourselves in  the more expensive places like imperial park (it has waterslides for kids but man they were pricey) and use our money for other stuff than paying for a top hotel. Its also pretty near the big malls...night life and the airport.







The place was new era inn ... I cant see the link i posted so hopefully you google it:)

Cebu is probably the best place to start   as the u really really get a chance to get it all here       u get the city the province the beach     it really is the queen of the south.

Stores might be open until 9 (weekends 10)   but  they don't open until 10 am  in the morning.

Cebu is also awesome as it is dead center  of this country  so u can pretty much go anywhere from here.

Lots and lots of building going on   great hospitals
this is the thing that sucks  ok      there is not much to do here     lots of bars  and night life   yes    all the toursity spots are close to here though....
cebu is great for u as a base       so u can look around this amazing country and  maybe  just  maybe  find yourself   there  or any of the other 7000  plus  islands

just pm  me mate  if u have  any questions     
I've lived here for 5 years   and don't mind answering  any questions at all.

Recently joined.
Can you help me with nightlife

Hi cebucitym > a little intro about you would be appreciated. Thank you.

Apologies first of all, if I have asked about anything which this forum/blog doesn't permit.
Doctor from India visiting next week Cebu city.
Straight.
God fearing.
Interested in travelling world over.
Any specific questions.
Ur welcome
Thanks and Regards

Cebu has  some  nice  subdivisions  but  the  city is  old  and  dirty, lot  of  Foreigners and gays if  that  is  what  your  looking  for