Where do you live (or are thinking of living) in the Philippines & why

pej1111 Serial expat

562POSTS

10 years ago

I am currently looking around and trying to think of where I could call home in the Philippines.

Just wondering why you live (or are thinking of living) in the Philippines and why?

As you we all know the Philippines has numerous island's, I am trying to do a bit of research to consider where I will live next year.聽 My girl friend currently lives in General Santos, but for me it is just not a place i want to settle in for the following reasons:

-聽 I cannot go to the province by my self or stay over night in the province (especially south of Gen San), it is simply to much of a security risk.
- The beaches there are not that great.聽 (especially in the city itself)

Some things that I am searching for are?聽 (They may or may not be achievable and this is just a wish list)

*聽 Not in a large cities
*聽 Close enough (up to 3 hours travel) to a good hospital / dentist so that if I or my GF (and future children get sick) it is not to far.
*聽 Not to far from a good university (that if we have children they can have a good education)聽 this may not be achievable and they may have to board.
*聽 Safe from radical religious and political groups (yep I will always accept normal aspects of security).
* Close to or on a beach.
* A place with enough westerners for me to be able to relax with, but not full of westerners.
* Not in a major typhoon area.
* If my GF does not want to leave her family and stays in Gen San then a place where I can met some nice ladies.
* Does not have to be a city at all it may be in a quite province town.
* Good internet service.

Must admit Medellin, was mentioned by some one here (sorry I forget who) and it looked pretty nice.

Would love to hear your thoughts, and would truly appreciate all input on this topic.

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sirrobcentral Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

I live in Northern Luzon.

Marcos Town, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Ilocos Norte is listed as the safest place in the Philippines they boast the lowest crime rates. There's always going to be crime but. If it involves a foreigner its going to most likely be a crime of opportunity ie. Pick pocket, break in, or so on. Nothing major because most Expats are more hyper-vigilent because they most likely come from countries with a higher crime rates.

My house is in a town on a mountain. Very scenic. I have a view of a valley filled with rice patties. Greenery all around me. On my property is 14 fruit trees, 8 veggies, and my small piggery.

I'm a stones throw from the China Sea separated from the Pacific ocean by mountains so the Typhoons generally lose steam by the time we see them. Rarely will a typhoon come from east to west but its possible. The beaches are clean and empty Asians don't like the sun so they stay clear. The fishing communities are very welcoming and peaceful.

Laoag City is only 30 minutes away. There is very good services there because its the Capitol city equipped with a mall and every other types of retail.

Only one bar area. That's where the RED LIGHT DISTRICT. It's on the towns edge. One road in and the same road out. At night in Laoag there are people who are about all night because of the numerous call centers keeping with US time zones. So young folks own the night here.

In my town its more of a bedroom community. Very peaceful and quiet, except for that damn rooster...

English, ilocono, Tagalog are all spoken here and most places they hire tri-lingual employees.

There are 3 Mc Donald's here every morning we Expats meet up for breakfast. Sometimes no one shows up sometime several. There is no mandate its just if we see you we see you if we don't we don't. Generally after bad weather we all end up there just checking to see if everything is OK with everyone. No one actually says that but that's the feeling you get because after a typhoon or T Storm the next day Mc Donald's is full of Expats. You can go all week and never see another foreigner or you can see some every morning.

The schools are second to none. I have no kids but others do and they are so pleased with them. I hope this helps.

3 members reacted to this post

sirrobcentral Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

ABCDiamond wrote:
pej1111 wrote:
*聽 Not in a large cities
* Good internet service.

Which is more important ?聽 Good internet service is normally only in large cities.

And what do you call a good Internet.聽 Some people here say 1mb is good and聽 4mb is Fantastic

I get 10mb. But during peek. 4pm to 8pm it goes to 5. I own my own equipment and pay for service... 1k per month... No plan just load at smart and its for 30 days no limit.

pej1111 Serial expat

562POSTS

10 years ago

ABCDiamond wrote:
pej1111 wrote:
*聽 Not in a large cities
* Good internet service.

Which is more important ?聽 Good internet service is normally only in large cities.

And what do you call a good Internet.聽 Some people here say 1mb is good and聽 4mb is Fantastic

Thanks ABC, haven't figured out what is good internet and bad (yep I am behind the times on all the tech stuff)聽聽

Basically I just need to be able to surf the web and send and receive emails, if Skype worked that would be a bonus.聽 I am not into downloading movies, etc and gamming.

ABCDiamond Serial expat

873POSTS

10 years ago

pej1111 wrote:
ABCDiamond wrote:
pej1111 wrote:
*聽 Not in a large cities
* Good internet service.

Which is more important ?聽 Good internet service is normally only in large cities.

And what do you call a good Internet.聽 Some people here say 1mb is good and聽 4mb is Fantastic

Thanks ABC, haven't figured out what is good internet and bad (yep I am behind the times on all the tech stuff)聽聽

Basically I just need to be able to surf the web and send and receive emails, if Skype worked that would be a bonus.聽 I am not into downloading movies, etc and gamming.

I was in one area that had 0.5mb at best, and that was a pain.聽 They reckon it is good now thouygh, up to 1Mb

sirrobcentral Guest

0POSTS

10 years ago

pej1111 wrote:
ABCDiamond wrote:
pej1111 wrote:
*聽 Not in a large cities
* Good internet service.

Which is more important ?聽 Good internet service is normally only in large cities.

And what do you call a good Internet.聽 Some people here say 1mb is good and聽 4mb is Fantastic

Thanks ABC, haven't figured out what is good internet and bad (yep I am behind the times on all the tech stuff)聽聽

Basically I just need to be able to surf the web and send and receive emails, if Skype worked that would be a bonus.聽 I am not into downloading movies, etc and gamming.

This in no way is aimed at ABC, because he's one of the few that honestly tries to help with questions and concerns we have. However, I do want you to be cautious of the ones who complain about everything and nothing works. This can't be farther from the truth. This country has a very good infrastructure. The same internet in the west is the same one here. It's called WORLD WIDE WEB...FOR A REASON.

AS FAR AS SPEED. YOU CAN BOOST YOUR OWN BY GETTING TECH SAVVY.

As you stated you just want access and Skype... Well even a slow traffic will suit your needs. If you want to be able to not be recognized as a offshore user get a DNS....If you want to DL movies or watch YouTube聽 then get a speed booster.

In other words take complaining with a grain of salt.

1 member reacted to this post

pej1111 Serial expat

562POSTS

10 years ago

sirrobcentral wrote:
pej1111 wrote:
ABCDiamond wrote:
Which is more important ?聽 Good internet service is normally only in large cities.

And what do you call a good Internet.聽 Some people here say 1mb is good and聽 4mb is Fantastic

Thanks ABC, haven't figured out what is good internet and bad (yep I am behind the times on all the tech stuff)聽聽

Basically I just need to be able to surf the web and send and receive emails, if Skype worked that would be a bonus.聽 I am not into downloading movies, etc and gamming.

This in no way is aimed at ABC, because he's one of the few that honestly tries to help with questions and concerns we have. However, I do want you to be cautious of the ones who complain about everything and nothing works. This can't be farther from the truth. This country has a very good infrastructure. The same internet in the west is the same one here. It's called WORLD WIDE WEB...FOR A REASON.

AS FAR AS SPEED. YOU CAN BOOST YOUR OWN BY GETTING TECH SAVVY.

As you stated you just want access and Skype... Well even a slow traffic will suit your needs. If you want to be able to not be recognized as a offshore user get a DNS....If you want to DL movies or watch YouTube聽 then get a speed booster.

In other words take complaining with a grain of salt.

Thanks sirrobcentral, yep I need to get up to speed with it all (excuse the pun)

ABCDiamond Serial expat

873POSTS

10 years ago

I've been wondering what my current location gives for speed.
So I checked it.

What I was used to in Australia was 19.15Mb/s actual speed for a 24Mb/s connection with unlimited data for the equivalent of 960 pesos per month.聽 The cost here is 3,748 pesos per month, for the same speed.

Hence feeling this is slow here.

When I was in Makati I got this:

Globe does offer various speeds for different prices;

2Mb/s speed with 20GB data for 1,089 pesos
3Mb/s speed with 30GB data for 1,288 pesos
5Mb/s speed with 50GB data for 1,588 pesos
7Mb/s speed with 80GB data for 1,888 pesos
10Mb/s speed with 70GB data for 2,488 pesos
15Mb/s speed with 80GB data for 2,888 pesos
25Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 3,748 pesos
50Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 4.888 pesos
150Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 8,888 pesos

Subject to location, nearest transmission towers etc.

However, the standard Mobile connection, about 1Mb/s, is normally OK for emails etc.

pej1111 Serial expat

562POSTS

10 years ago

#10

ABCDiamond wrote:
I've been wondering what my current location gives for speed.
So I checked it.

What I was used to in Australia was 19.15Mb/s actual speed for a 24Mb/s connection with unlimited data for the equivalent of 960 pesos per month.聽 The cost here is 3,748 pesos per month, for the same speed.

Hence feeling this is slow here.

When I was in Makati I got this:

Globe does offer various speeds for different prices;

2Mb/s speed with 20GB data for 1,089 pesos
3Mb/s speed with 30GB data for 1,288 pesos
5Mb/s speed with 50GB data for 1,588 pesos
7Mb/s speed with 80GB data for 1,888 pesos
10Mb/s speed with 70GB data for 2,488 pesos
15Mb/s speed with 80GB data for 2,888 pesos
25Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 3,748 pesos
50Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 4.888 pesos
150Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 8,888 pesos

Subject to location, nearest transmission towers etc.

However, the standard Mobile connection, about 1Mb/s, is normally OK for emails etc.

pej1111 Serial expat

562POSTS

10 years ago

#11

ABCDiamond wrote:
I've been wondering what my current location gives for speed.
So I checked it.

What I was used to in Australia was 19.15Mb/s actual speed for a 24Mb/s connection with unlimited data for the equivalent of 960 pesos per month.聽 The cost here is 3,748 pesos per month, for the same speed.

Hence feeling this is slow here.

When I was in Makati I got this:

Globe does offer various speeds for different prices;

2Mb/s speed with 20GB data for 1,089 pesos
3Mb/s speed with 30GB data for 1,288 pesos
5Mb/s speed with 50GB data for 1,588 pesos
7Mb/s speed with 80GB data for 1,888 pesos
10Mb/s speed with 70GB data for 2,488 pesos
15Mb/s speed with 80GB data for 2,888 pesos
25Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 3,748 pesos
50Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 4.888 pesos
150Mb/s speed with Unlimited data for 8,888 pesos

Subject to location, nearest transmission towers etc.

However, the standard Mobile connection, about 1Mb/s, is normally OK for emails etc.

Thanks ABC, VERY VERY Much appreciate

japsredona New member

9POSTS

10 years ago

#12

You must choose to live in Subic Bay here in Olongapo! Very relaxing ambiance, near the seashore. You can do lot's of outdoor sports like kayaking, surfing, swimming, running, practical shooting and a lot more! Malls, market and schools are quite near too

聽 Lot's of pretty girls as well

2 members reacted to this post

MaroBautista Serial expat

258POSTS

10 years ago

#13

japsredona wrote:
You must choose to live in Subic Bay here in Olongapo! Very relaxing ambiance, near the seashore. You can do lot's of outdoor sports like kayaking, surfing, swimming, running, practical shooting and a lot more! Malls, market and schools are quite near too 聽 Lot's of pretty girls as well

Our good sir already has a girlfriend. The option of living in Subic because of the beautiful girls is already off the table. Subic would be nice but I would suggest you try Laguna. Why? It has cities but not large cities and it has everything. Good schools, hospitals and malls.

dirk c Serial expat

264POSTS

10 years ago

#14

i wil not tel anny one he has to live here or there ,but ,soon my wife and me wil move away from Davao city to live very provincial fore the folowing reasons :
we do not realy enjoi city life
Davao gulf is to poluted by the raw suige flowing in to it from th rivers
the air quality is not good from the heavy city trafic and some more minor reasons not to stay there
so we wil go Caraga Davao oriental , becorse :
it is very rural quit and peaceful place to live
clean beaches (great surf to)
good fishing grounds for the big game fishing i plan to do
nice reefs for snorkeling or diving
it is were my wife was born so we have family nearby (we have family in Davao to)
clean air ,non poluted sea and beaches
what the internet conserns ,if the quality is to bad we wil get satelite internet and have great quality ,the instalation (disk and so on) is not cheap but that is only a once done cost an the monthly costs are similar to kable or fiber internet
only wen a heavy thunderstorm passes over the signal wil be lost for a wile ,i consider the quality and speed of the net i wil have as compensation he
so ppl do reaserch (and do it well) before commiting , i took one yr and a lot of diskussing options with my wife before we took a dissision .
hope this was help to others
greets Dirk

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fmarte New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

#15

I suggest you visit Cebu as well. You can choose to live in any of the 44 municipalities. Whether you want to live outside the major metropolitan areas, close to the city, or within the city itself, Cebu has a lot to offer. Just ask any of the multinationals living and working here. Whatever your decision will be, I wish you the best.

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jonnyboy Active member

69POSTS

10 years ago

#16

Tagaytay. . . .

1 member reacted to this post

kickintheass Member

15POSTS

10 years ago

#17

Everyone has their own favourite place.
Why not do some travelling. Take a year to decide where you want to live. Spend some time in different places.
If you do find a place you like and want to settle there it's best to rent so you can always move on if things change. With long term rental you can get some great bargains.

TLaff Member

11POSTS

10 years ago

#18

You have got to put your foot down up front and tell her you want to live Ina place your happy with but not to far from her family so she's happy. You want some travel time between her and her family or you will be feeding them every day and night! You want some expenses that they can't afford to comeoverallthe time:)

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Earthrooster New member

5POSTS

10 years ago

#19

Hello Pij visit sites about Dumaguete City. All your wishes will come true in this Islands. Please feel to contact me for more info. dollyantique@yahoo.com :-)

1 member reacted to this post

danish12 Member

23POSTS

10 years ago

#20

Hi,

Davao is the best place to be

dinky2408 Contributor

122POSTS

10 years ago

#21

Pej,
I have heard Dumaguete is a nice place but have never lived there. A compromise to your situation would be to live on the outskirts of Davao, where you will have access to hospitals, schools, colleges and Universities and not too far from GenSen.At least Davao is reasonably safe, the traffic is horrendous and driving you have to be a defensive driver.However the open聽 vegetable and fruit markets are very reasonable, where you can also buy fish. Internet speed varies.The Malls are also a good place to pretend your in a developed county. Rent first, then decide if to buy.
Dinky

danish12 Member

23POSTS

10 years ago

#22

Hi,

Does anyone know how do I rent to buy a house in Davao. Would appreciate a contact

thanks

MaroBautista Serial expat

258POSTS

10 years ago

#23

danish12 wrote:
Hi,

Does anyone know how do I rent to buy a house in Davao. Would appreciate a contact

thanks

Hi sir, I think it would be advisable if you post your inquiry in the housing section of the forum for better results.

dinky2408 Contributor

122POSTS

10 years ago

#24

Danish,
You need to decide where you want to live in Davao and do you want to be in a gated community in a house or a Condo, then what size of place do you require. All the Condos developments have an office that rents out property. Otherwise if you use an agent they will want a fee. Red Planet Hotel formally Tune Hotel could be a place to stay temporarly until you rent.
Dinky

danish12 Member

23POSTS

10 years ago

#25

thank you Maro

1 member reacted to this post

dirk c Serial expat

264POSTS

10 years ago

#26

personaly i found it quit easy to find houses to rent ,these were quality houses with al aplyancys in working order for les than 7000 peso a month these houses were not in inclosed comunitys but in Panacan rlocation i rented a completely renovated house 2 bedrooms al wals tiled so very clean price 6000 a month
a walk around in these barangays and you find similar places to rent if you want i'l do a few walks for you and send you pictures with prics of what i find with the locations or go to the person i gave you in the mesage she can help you to
greets Dirk

danish12 Member

23POSTS

10 years ago

#27

Thank You Dirk. Appreciate it

steve7 Member

1POSTS

10 years ago

#28

My wife and I live in Carcar City, Cebu. We are a 90 minute drive away from Cebu City where there is anything you could possibly need. Malls, S&R Wholesale Club (similar to Costco/Sams Club) where you can find many American foods and household items, the Cebu Doctors hospital, several fine colleges. In November the SM Seaside City mall opens. The largest mall in Philippines and 4th largest in the world. Just a 45 minute drive to the south are some of Cebu's nicest beaches. A 90 minute drive to the west will take you to Moal Boal. Here in Carcar it is more relaxed and quiet and the open countryside is just 15 minutes away. We have a good city college as well as 2 excellent private schools. Also a plane ride to Davao or GenSan from Cebu City is only about 90 minutes. We have flown to CDO in just over an hour at a cost of about P12,000 round trip for the 2 of us. There is rarely any severe weather here as in other areas. Some high winds and unusually heavy rains are what we see here. No Floods, quakes, volcanos, mudslides or other scary stuff! Carcar was awarded "Cleanest City" in the province a month ago. There is a very nice little caf茅 here where expats (and their families) enjoy the best western style and Filipino foods in Carcar. It's called Sugar's Caf茅. Inday Sugar makes killer spaghetti and meatloaf as well as pancit bihon and the best coffee in town. This is a meeting place for expats. There is also Gaisano Grand, Super Metro, McDonald's, Jollibee, and many historical sites such as the Mercado mansion, the city museum, and our church, St. Catherines. Carcar is known for it's excellent Chicharon and ampao. Expats walk anywhere without fear here. Crimes of any kind are rarely heard of. There is a large private group of Cebu expats on Facebook to which I belong. A very active group where you can find help, advice, friends and laughs every day. Internet service is about average for the province. Sometimes great, sometimes slow. But not as bad as others. Cignal satellite TV is great. Carcar is not the big city and it is not the hinterlands. It is comfortably in between. Just big enough to have what you need but not so big to be a pain in the butt!

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fmarte New member

8POSTS

10 years ago

#29

Hi, suggest you spend a week or two in Cebu. 7-14 days is enough time for you to check out the 44 municipalities. Cebu has much to offer. If you're the person/couple/family that spends most of your time in your home or place, then Compostela, Liloan in the Northern part of Cebu) or Naga, Carcar and further on to the South of Cebu is the ideal location for you. Should you prefer a close proximity to the city proper, then Cordova, Canduman (in Mandaue), Talamban are among the places that provides you access to public, commercial and business establishments and facilities. Whatever your decision will be, I wish you happiness and fulfillment on living here in the Philippines. Be safe.

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Rudy_o1 New member

5POSTS

10 years ago

#30

Wherever you end up living, my advice is to stay as far away from your GF's relatives.聽 Otherwise you are going to end up having more dependents than what you wish to have.聽 Have your GF fly or sail wherever you are and see if you can convince her to remain with you.聽 But don't get me wrong.聽 Sometimes having relatives closer helps to start with, but by my experience, you may wish they don't know where you are.

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Munchie Serial expat

273POSTS

10 years ago

#31

pej1111 wrote:
ABCDiamond wrote:
pej1111 wrote:
*聽 Not in a large cities
* Good internet service.

Which is more important ?聽 Good internet service is normally only in large cities.

And what do you call a good Internet.聽 Some people here say 1mb is good and聽 4mb is Fantastic

Thanks ABC, haven't figured out what is good internet and bad (yep I am behind the times on all the tech stuff)聽聽

Basically I just need to be able to surf the web and send and receive emails, if Skype worked that would be a bonus.聽 I am not into downloading movies, etc and gamming.

If your near a Globe tower, Globe WI MAX rocks..799p a month, unlimited. Speed is never a problem.

1 member reacted to this post

jonnyboy Active member

69POSTS

6 years ago

#32

Tagaytay in Cavite - has everything you are looking for . . .

mafkbpis New member

4POSTS

6 years ago

#33

Been in Mandaluyong for some months now but I am trying to find a better place to settle down long-term. My current location is fine as far as basic living needs are concerned but a decent apartment costs 60K a month, which is a bit too expensive for my taste. Granted, this is for a very large 2-room suite, far bigger than any other equivalent apartment I have seen but the price is still a bit too much for long-term stay (and I do like living in a huge apartment).

On one hand, my basic needs for living are quite modest, so I could be happy in quite many places in the Philippines. On the other hand, I need good internet to do my work, which severely limits my options. I was shocked to find large regions with literally zero landline connection options. Even my current office in Ortigas business district has an unsatisfactory internet connection quality on some of the days.

My biggest obstacle right now is simply the inability to find any reliable information online. Talking to a random local real estate broker only resulted in being given a list of ads, which was not very helpful as they were not even tailored to my needs, nor did I receive any expert advice on the selection. I plan to send out more queries but so far it seems quite hard to even get an overview of the options available, due to real estate business seemingly being performed over the phone and in person, rather than there being sensible catalogs available online. The site Lamudi seems to have the most sizable list but even that feels like I am only scratching the surface - the amount of listings is so tiny that it cannot even be 1% of the market.

Am I missing something obvious? How can I find places to rent without visiting in person? Locals just tell me Facebook is used for everything but I find almost nothing real estate related there.

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jonnyboy Active member

69POSTS

6 years ago

#34

Ask 10 experts for advice on anything in the Philippines and you will get ten totally opposing opinions - that includes lawyers and real estate peddlers. Nothing is straight forward here, , , ,

GoDees Serial expat

224POSTS

6 years ago

#35

Hello Mafkbpis
I am living in MHT Residences (google it) , Mandaue, Cebu. It is a larger than average 2 bedroom unit at P20,000 unfurnished plus P1500 monthly dues. We have PLDT fibre, slows in the afternoon as does everywhere in the Philippines. Easy access to shopping, transport and medical. Plenty of spare apartments at the moment, that is the good news. Bad, next door to shipping container storage, noise and dust,聽 owner has little regard for residents concerns and complaints, typical filipino. Parking another P2200 a month. I think it is over priced but you might be able to haggle.聽聽 regards聽 Bruce

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Okieboy Serial expat

659POSTS

6 years ago

#36

I don't have a problem with Gensen I go there alone all the time 3 hrs from Davao , i live about 30 kilometers from Davao going to the hinterland 20 minutes from my house you need a jacket and some times a fire at night, I don't see a problem with Gensen it is your girl friends home there