Where and Where NOT to rent/live in or around Cebu City

Respectfully, I suggest you establish a life routine in Cebu without any long term leases or buying before deciding anything.   Reason:   other things you may never have imagined become quality of life issues which are relevant for where you live.

e.g.  in order of what I found significant,  and did not predict ....


#1  if you happen to get in a relationship, you are at risk for being hounded/harassed/extorted for money by the significant other's family.   in particular, the mother or matriarch of the family.  If this situation happens, you most likely will want to live on another island or live behind a security wall, or at least many jeepney rides away.   (This issue is common -- not universal-- but common.   I have heard way more people say that they can control this with rules, agreements, boundaries than actually able to reach this.  This should not to be underestimated or dismissed ... the hounding for money is common, is often times cruel and abusive to all involved.)

#2  mastering convenient transport which gets down to how far of a walk to the specific corner is quality of life issue.   usually being close to your favorite shopping/eating place is a positive without having to cross a major intersection.  I hate walking more than a few blocks on a hot day because of the heat/humidity combo.  some locations are reliable for getting transportation.   

#3 you will find some Condos look good but are poorly constructed.     Real estate scams are common.

Anontoo wrote:

matriarch of the family.

Very early on in our relationship & to this day...I remain the kind,responsible,just but v.firm patriarch of my own family.

Great question and valuable input above.   I lived in Singapore during 2017-20 and had a good friend of mine from Chicago whom I'd visit often in Cebu and fell in love with the area.  The points about how far one has to walk to your usual eating/shopping area is huge in my mind due to the heat we westerners are still acclimating to and just the occasionally inconsistent nature of sidewalks/sidestreet surfaces one encounters....in other words, a repeated four block walk can get to be an aggravation in some instances.   And I found that I might unconsciously curtail my outdoor activities if I resided too far from a big mall.   I know it sounds lazy but I'm just mentioning this tendency we can have.  I totally agree with the excellent post by Anontoo about signing up for anything long term until you learn the routine of your new life.  Let me add a couple of things that I noticed in my extended visits:

1).  If you love searching/researching internet or especially watching movies online, be sure to research the internet speed/quality of your community or complex.   This could be an important part of your daily enjoyment.
2).  Ask around and look into best health insurance options before you go, and if retirement age in USA decide whether to stay connected with and at what level to Medicare.
3)  Be wary of sending money to secure a lease (even one as short as 1-3 months) from an internet source.   I even noticed that on the RentPad site, they recommend you call the condo management team on site and verify that the agent you are using is representing a real owner and of the unit you want in particular.  You can certainly use AirBNB and I trust their vetting of landlords, but it is very pricey compared to other options..... ok for your intro housing I suppose.
4). If you might choose to use (or even purchase) a scooter while in Phils, consider attaining an international motorcycle license in USA - or elsewhere - before you come.   Now this one is based on research Ive done, but would love to hear from local Cebu Expats on this issue.   I understand there is a bottleneck in acquiring a motorcycle license once arrived in country there.....?
5).  Consider establishing an account at a large financial institution in USA before leaving for Phils......one that waives and compensates you for ATM usage once in the country.   I know Fidelity does this and I believe Schwab does but you need to verify.
6). Set up your Grab (or whatever account you can access for transportation in Cebu) before you leave the USA.
7).  Health issues.  Smart to have any dental work you really need done in USA before you come - especially if you have insurance currently in US.   Im in the field and have seen up close what is available in Phils.    There is some quality dentists around, but if you have a DDS in usa that you trust, best to be in good shape before you leave.   (Medically speaking in 2020 I did have colonoscopy done in Chiang Mai, Thailand and ended up needing minor "south end zone" surgery at the time but it was incredibly inexpensive and very well done - $1750 usd all in, so to speak, for everything (incl. scope, anesth, 3 day hosp stay private unit, both dr.s fees).  So I'm not at all opposed to health tourism.
8).   Force yourself to at least commit to an exercise program before your travel.   I have been all over the world and trust me on this one.   Travel can be brutal to your system and having some basic exercise routine and conditioning is so so helpful.    Even just walking 5 times per week at home will get you in a better place.

As for me, I love the Ayala Center area and really like that huge mall with its courtyard and food offerings, and I will plan to stay my first month close by that while I look for more permanent housing.   I am also considering staying between Ayala and SM City Mobolo Cebu short term while I look for more permanent once there.   I've stayed at Apple Tower and Solinea Tower right next to Ayala and enjoyed both.

Good luck to all who venture forward into a new life.   Cheers to those who keep living up and stretching themselves to go experience this precious one way ticket we are given.   
Coop

Welcome to the forum, Coop, nice first post.

I never have had international health insurance as medical costs are so cheap in PI. For example a doctors visit and prescription is usually under 1000p ($20). My knee MRI was around $300, incl two doctors visits. But I have private Medicare coverage so figure anything major and I'm headed back to the States.

Regarding the suggestion about dental work, I would suggest just get it done in Thailand. It is 1/3 the US price and dental offices look like they do in the States. I had my last crown done in Chiang Mai, and they did a perfect job. Cleanings are fine in PI, for $12 usually.

As to Tpiro's question about where to live in the Cebu area, I assume the question was regarding Cebu City, not the entire island.  I prefer to be up on the hill in Lahug or Busay - out of the polluted air (I'm also a cyclist) and where it is a bit less noisy than in the city itself.   The downside to that is it will be more expensive, and pretty much requires owning a vehicle. In a car it often takes half an hour now to get to Ayala, Crossroads, or Landers due to the traffic congestion. Scooter about half the time, lol.

I ended up getting a place over on Mactan Island Cebu..  thank you

Hello Tony............sorry for very late reply. You have many questions ad concerns which I understand too. I had the same when I was researching.
I haven't been logging in on this website for a long time...............life has been pulling me in many directions.
I had been living in the province for many years.........you have to build everything....because the government does so little for the people...............especially infrastructure.
I have built my own roads, drainage systems, cell tower, wells for water pumping, water purification. Its very time consuming and expensive.............but if done right, will last a long time, and help s many people. Building yourself is so much better than the government projects, who use substandard and inferior materials, always taking shortcuts, workers stealing materials......its just amazing.
So, about 4 months ago, I left the province, moved into Cebu City.....after staying in hotels for a while, I secured a 6 month lease on a nice condominium in Cebu City.....many nice amenities, like gym, swimming pool, parking, good security, walking distance to shopping, banks, businesses.....not far from Mactan Airport too..............and no maintenance, and backup generator.
I have a 2 bedroom unit at Solinea Condominium near Ayala shopping mall, IT Park,.  There are about 6 good quality condominiums in this area........monthly rental for 2 bedroom is approx P50,000 or $1000. I like the 2 bedroom because of the extra space...................the studios and 1 bedrooms are a little small. If you want more space, cheaper price....but an older condominium......Winland Towers is good.
Other condos to research include, Avalon, Solinea, Azalea, Sedona, Padgett, Avida, Winland, Summit, Crown. Crown and Winland are the oldest....good amenities......more space, cheaper price.

Just read your message about getting a condo on Mactan Island.....very good. That area does have some good ones. My only reservation about staying on the Mactan Island is the narrow roads, tons of traffic most of time. Mactan got hit really hard from the typhoon. I tried to deliver bags of food there, most roads are cleared, maybe 50% of electric is restored. Mactan has some nice shopping malls, near the airport, private schools.....and lots of nice beaches and beach resorts.

Hey Greg.. thanks for the response... yes got a 2 BR there at Saekyung.. not too bad.. fairly priced and decent amenities.. close to airport and shopping and, most of all- I don't have to worry about fixing the roof or mowing the lawn.  LOL

tpiro wrote:

Hey Greg.. thanks for the response... yes got a 2 BR there at Saekyung.. not too bad.. fairly priced and decent amenities.. close to airport and shopping and, most of all- I don't have to worry about fixing the roof or mowing the lawn.  LOL

Yes the advantages of renting vs. owning (maintenance). Especially when you get older, simple things in the past were easily done but the older I got it became  harder to do.

The complex I lived in Las Vegas was age restricted so the maintenance man was busy.

Very good Tony......no maintenance feels good after all the work i did in the province. So, you are coming here on March 1.....wow......that's great. i think you were also asking about the SRRV or the Tourist Visa.....not sure what you decided yet, but i understand it takes quite a while for the SRRV to be processed....so I would recommend the Tourist Visa....then get additional Visa Extensions as needed...2-6 months at a time.....up to 36 months total.
Did I read that correctly that you have  lady from Toledo........is this your 1st contact? curious how long have you been in contact? In my experience, you want to learn as much as possible, because so many are not honest...and try to scam foreigners. We are so trusting and vulnerable...hehehehe.
Hope we can stay in contact and meet after your settled.....I have my car, and have extra time, if you need to go somewhere, maybe I can help there too.

Hey Greg.. thank you for the ride offer.. might take you up on that if you're close to Mactan..   Yes my lady friend known for almost a year from the States... I can trust her and I consider myself lucky compared to the other stories I've read/heard about.

Maybe grab a coffee together when I get settled in.
Tony

Hi Tony. I bet your already preparing for your trip.....very exciting. Renting will give you the chance to start looking around and visit other places. There really are many places that foreigners feel safe and comfortable. Good luck with all your trip and planning. I will try to visit this site regularly to connect with others and see how you are doing too.

Awesome man... let keep in touch...