We have lived near Tagaytay for 7 years and found it great , we have the countryside, clean air and best of all low humidity and temperatures always 5 or 6 degrees cooler than Manila.
Yet we are only 90 minutes from Makati and 60 minutes ( on a good day) tom Naia
One of the main concerns of expats is security, In the Countryside it is not as much concern as in the City. Although subdivisions seem to offer security , walls and guards, infect it is not always the case.
We live in a barangay , 7km from Tagayaty , and our security is the whole barangay, like聽 a village we know all the people and they know us , so we have had no problems at all in 7 years.
Sub divisions are certainly more expensive than 'normal' land, and many sub divisions are only partly full and therefore聽 owner cannot maintain the whole of the subdivision without loss . so the common facilities, pool etc , are poorly maintained.
Far better in my view is to buy land and build a property yourself.
My view
COLEMI14,
We purchased in an "unfinished" subdivision, but in our case the owner lives in the subdivision and maintains the amenities most likely because she and her sister call it home, though the roads and utility installation remain incomplete. It does not affect us but it will affect other land owners in the sub division who are planning to build in the future.聽
The subdivision dead ends on a steep ravine with a wide running stream and three waterfalls, the owner spent a bundle on building walkways, benches, pools and picnic areas, all of which are maintained daily.
Our area has dependable water from the Silang water district and we paid a little more than a $1000 U.S. for the power to our home with labor supplied through agreement by the subdivision owner.
We know of other subdivisions in the area that are either unfinished or if finished, very few of the lots have been sold and the amenities, like the pool are either not maintained or poorly maintained. One of the more expensive subdivisions in the area has had quite a few problems with crime even with guards, though the traffic coming and going from the college within its walls makes it hard to account for who is entering or leaving and why. One property owner is selling and moving to another community to escape the chaos and disorganization, though the golf course in the new community made have had a little to do with the move.
As far as living in the country, i would imagine it depends on just how far out in the country you are before added security is needed. In your case living in close proximity to others in a nice neighborhood or barrio / barangay and knowing your neighbors as we do helps.
Do you have people on the property aside from your immediate family 24/7 who look out for the property when you are not there?聽 If so, that would take the place of a security guard and added to the neighbors watching out for one another, would give you great security.
The property outside a gated subdivision is definitely less expensive in most areas and if your budget can afford you a nice place in other than a gated community that is a plus, though a recent story of another gentleman and his wife living in a gated community in Batangas with guards in a new large two story home with two new vehicles in the driveway served as an invitation for a robbery by some young men who admitted that the home looked like a good place to find some items worth stealing, IE laptops, computers, etc.聽
We know of a few expats living close by in a less expensive part of the area in homes they have either built or remodeled and the only complaint seems to be with regard to crowing roosters, barking dogs and karaoke parties, though they also seem to have no problem with security issues.
So I guess it comes down to location, what you can afford on a monthly basis and how much you can spend on the land and the home.聽
聽 With enough money a nice piece of land can be turned into your personal paradise, with palms, fruit trees, a big garden area and maybe even a pool if the beach is not close by.
Some might prefer a kubo on the beach with no utilities and a few candles for light and a hand dug well for water.
It can be a cheap or as expensive as you make it I guess, and if you are living in a kubo with only the clothes on your back I would imagine your security would not be much of an issue seeing as how you would not look like a very good choice for a robbery as there is nothing to rob.
So what is the cost of land?聽 500 per sq. meter or 10,000 per sq. meter or more, it depends on the land and where it's at.聽
My two cents,
TeeJay
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We just only been here for聽 2 yrs and we are near to everything like schools, SM stores, HMR, Harbor, parks聽 fresh and wet market and so on and you can do a lot of errands in 1 day at no traffic 
