Hi !
I'm from France and I'll be moving to Makati for work in January, I've never been to the Philippines before and I find it challenging to look for a place online. But I'll start work only a few days after arriving and I'm a bit worried that I might not have enough time to find a place to stay then.
I heard that commuting is hell in Manila so I'd like to stay close to my workplace which is in Bel Air, Makati. The budget is my main concern, I'm probably not earning enough to rent a condo in the area. I was thinking of sharing a condo with a few colleagues to split the cost but it seems the offer for bigger places is sparse so I really don't know what to do.
I've been in touch with a broker, but so far she hasn't been any help and I think she gave up on me already...
Which area do you think would be easiest to commute from/affordable?
Any advice/recommendation/offer is welcome!
Thank you!
Advice for looking for a condo in Makati
Hi Clémence,
Check out any DMCI place (airy with laundry shop in basement and water refilling because drinking water is always best to buy but where we live some is even free). A one bedroom fully furnished will set you back Php 20-25k. With salary for Bilinguals of about Php85k being the norm it should be ok, I suppose. We live in Mandaluyong (Google Flair Towers and then directions to to your office and SM Megamall for shopping also "our type of food") and it is doable for me to even go to MOA daily which takes about 45 min. The reason for this doable time is that I work "midshift" from 2:00pm - 11:00pm.
Not too bad it seems:
Link:
DMCI Condo Studi semi-furnished
Hi Michael,
Tank you for your answer. Unfortunately I'll be earning way less than Php85k (which is why budget is my main concern) and I'll be working regular shift so it's not a good fit for me. But I'll look on the website you linked, as it looks more reliable than the ones I've been checking out, thank you again!
Clémence, Once you are here you can always look for another job. Hit us up and we (my wife and me) could advise you. Plenty around. The going rate for Bilinguals is anything from 70-90k and in some cases more than 100k.
Here some other places in Mandaluyong: https://rentpad.com.ph/places/avida-tow … ab61f4122. On the right side you can see more choices as well. SM I would avoid because place is really narrow.
Have you done couchsurfing.org? We have hosted people but are not active now. If you have an account, and all does not work out, we could host you for a couple of days and then you are not in a rush to look around.
Cheers!
Mikael
Mikael, thanks again for your answer. The job is the reason I'm coming to the Philippines, I'll be teaching for a NGO, so I'm not planning to change it (I might get something on the side though). And they've got me covered for the first nights so I won't be homeless, but thanks for the offer!
One of my colleagues is already in Manila and she's gonna check out a couple places in Mandaluyong, hopefully we'll find something before I even get there!
Got it.
Mandaluyong is a decent area; Not too noisy yet still not too expensive. You will like EDSA Shangri-La and SM Megamall and on the weekends Greenfield (besides going out at weekends, I suppose which we do not do much at all).
PM me/us when you come and see. It is not all what you may expect.
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