I'm new here. Can I live well on $1800 a month in Cebu

monthly rent in cebu ranges from php1,500(bed spacer) to php25,000(condo unit at fuente osmena area). it all depends your taste and style of life

Well 1,800USD might be a lot for local Filipinos, but for foreigners that are used to different standards it might be hard to fit within the budget.

Because of my work I'm in Cebu almost every week but live in Manila. Cebu is cheaper but the difference is not that much. You should be able to find a secure condo, small, for 18-20,000PHP/month. Add electricity costs from aircon and other usage 3-4,000PHP, internet/phone costs 1,500PHP at least, water 300PHP and then all the other things you would spend on.

if you are  paying these prices you are  getting ripped  big time, you should have  a  nice  condo maid and  driver

i can see you are  probity a young man who has  never  been in the  real world, and  are  pretty soft, most  expats  have  some  balls and  would  never  consider  your  life  style

Okieboy wrote:

i can see you are  probity a young man who has  never  been in the  real world, and  are  pretty soft, most  expats  have  some  balls and  would  never  consider  your  life  style

You shouldn't tell that kind of things unless you know me. Assuming things is a wrong way to approach. You don't know where did I came, but I have made my success from nothing, as I used to have nothing at all. For 20 years I have made my own living now and I know Philippines very well.

It all depends how you live, but I'm just giving information based on my knowledge and based on my friends budgets living in Cebu. I only gave my opinion and said it might be hard, but possible depending how you budget. But still 1,800USD doesn't make you live very well as you mentioned, it is enough but not for very well. Even sudden medical expenses might cost you hundreds of thousands.

If this is how you answer after asking for comments and advises, I think your comment is not nice. I hope the best on your life.

Mike Wei wrote:

I don't even spent $1800 a month here in the U.S.  With rent as low as $150 a month I would think that you could live on $500 a month or less.  Most people there make less than $5000 a year and they get by ok. 

Am I missing something?

Definitely in US or even in my home country 150USD will give a nice apartment in a safe neighborhood. That could be around 10% of the normal salary in US, just guessing. But when you come to Philippines and you take the same 10% of the local salary and are in 1,200PHP class, you won't live in a nice neighborhood.. You have to actually happy if you even live as a foreigner with that amount.

150USD would give you a ok place, but not within the same standards as in US. That would cost you double. Same goes to the food, price could be cheap but it won't give you the same quality.

You can survive with any amount in the Philippines, but it depends on yourself. If you're looking for the SAME standards as in foreign country, I would say that you will spend more here, unfortunately.

Or you can always move to a province and live better, be the only foreigner in the city. Then you will really save on costs.

Considering the time now 2014..I would like to know how it would be possible for a single older
man from the states to live in Cebu and have a little office there and nice place to live?
how many dollars would I need per month?

A lot less than Vegas, can survive on $1200-$1400, live rather well on the original $1800 posted on here.  Need to get used to the food and the humidity.

Living well on $1800 a month in Cebu? (or most other cities in the Phil)?   A general rule that can be used is based on the SRRV (Special Resident Retiree's Visa) requirements for calculation purposes.  Example: the PRA (Phil Retirement Authority) [www.pra.gov.ph/‎ ] requires an income of about $800/month to qualify.  It has been reported that that amount ($800.00/month) is about double the average income for local Phils.  This amount is very close to some Central/South American retirement requirements.  I think most will find that whether retired under a SRRV or remaining on a tourist Visa, the same basic expenses will apply except the SRRV eliminates the ACR-I Card expense and 59 day Visa extension needs.  However, the $10,000.00 min. requirement for the SRRV must be weighed against the total annual costs of Visa extensions, ACR-I card and other reports required for the tourist Visa.

Housing in Tagaytay is a bit more than other locations within the NCR and for sure much more than most provinces.  Even in Tagaytay one can find a place and with water and electric added to the total cost, they can have housing for under P17,000/month (17K/ 45.30 = $375.00/ month as of Jan 2014).  However, one must look at the total cost where utility availability/reliability and local produce prices are a factor.  Additionally, the % of brownouts/blackouts will have a direct affect on your life/food preservation needs.  I have tried to avoid any area where the power is supplied with rolling brown/blackouts.   IF a person decided to live in most of the hotter "lower to sea level areas", they will need to factor the A/C usage and costs (ranges are from P5-8K/month).  Whereas in the Tagaytay area, there is seldom a need for A/C so the cost saved on A/C is shifted to the increase in housing/rental rates. 

When the topic of getting "state-side" food items is included, one can also look at the few places where they can shop at "S & R" (a Costco-like membership store), and find many imported USDA meats, products and even California fresh milk/Florida Orange Juice can be purchased. 

I find that a good balance for myself as an American expat (that still wants a bit of both worlds) is a location where it is cooler and still reasonably close to US food products.  This is my balance…….  I am happy to be away from the local "double-dead" meat sources and happy to be 1 hour drive from where I can get 100% California Rice and other products that I enjoy without a quality compromise.  Of course, this comes at a price boost that must be factored into the monthly budget since S&R prices are higher. 

Regardless, I find that with a larger frost free refrigerator and the proper adjustments for S&R shopping once a month, my needs, wants and wishes are at a happy balance….so far!

U can rent in lapu lapu city near mactan airport  php 7000 . This area is subdivision.$1800 is a big money in philippines ...

Cebu mactan is very nice near the beaches ... I think your budget is more enough...

I am trying to find  a city to retire in the Philippines. I think I am leaning towards Davao. I like that it is out of the path of hurricanes and it seems like a safe city. I worry about the militant Muslims a little, but from what I hear.,they pretty much stay in the Southwest side of Mindanao.  Housing seems a little expensive, but I can only look at whatever is advertised on the internet. I envy you guys that are over there right now. I'll be there in four years. It's getting so crazy over here in the US. Good luck everybody . I enjoy reading all your posts

Hi !

Are you still in Philippines? just in case you need a place to stay in cebu to nearby beaches, i have a brand new unit for rental...do contact me if interested.

Hi !

Are you still in Philippines? just in case you need a place to stay in cebu to nearby beaches, i have a brand new unit for rental...do contact me if interested.

fritz80 wrote:

Are you still in Philippines?

no

i was in cebu  4  years ago now am in davao  u can live  with 800 or 1800 or any amount depends on what  life u  want how close to filipino style or  totally like  foreigner?

E X A C T L Y !!!!!

greego-gio wrote:

i was in cebu  4  years ago now am in davao  u can live  with 800 or 1800 or any amount depends on what  life u  want how close to filipino style or  totally like  foreigner?

Hi!
i have lived here, married, with a child etc and done the lot here! My advice is you cant do any business here in any way because its a complete waste of time! If, you want to do business go to China or other parts of Asia. I am leaving here in a few months but lived before in China... its fantastic compared to here! Cebu and Manila are shit expensive and total Krap and you have been warned!
i currently have poor water, no electric, poor signals and its all too much!

tom duffy wrote:

Hi!
I am leaving here in a few months but lived before in China... its fantastic compared to here!

Unless you like fresh air.

Although not to Beijing standards, the air is really awful in Cebu and Manila. It caused health problems for me in the 16 months I lived there.

Bob

im not sure why anyone would need 1800 usd to live anywhere in the Philippines. I lived in Cebu and rented a brand new fully furnished condo for 320 per month.. 150 for utilities and 250 for food.. maybe 200 more for walking around money.. I never spent more than 950-1000 per month

BobH wrote:

Although not to Beijing standards, the air is really awful in Cebu and Manila.
Bob

Agreed, but once you get up country the air is great.
In China the smog covers thousands of miles and is getting worse.

coreya wrote:

Check out my blog on all your living in the Philippines questions. I have a special section called Living Costs. Should help you there.
My Life in the Philippines from 2005 to the present

Your blog seem to be offline,is locked by password anyway.

Mike Wei wrote:

I don't even spent $1800 a month here in the U.S.  With rent as low as $150 a month I would think that you could live on $500 a month or less.  Most people there make less than $5000 a year and they get by ok. 

Am I missing something?

I am not sure if I understand well but where in the US you can rent a decent place to live for $150/month?
Here in Toronto,you may rent a parking spot for that amount.
I believe that in order to make a fair comparison you have to compare Cebu and Manila to similar cities as iportance in the US,let's say New York and Boston.
From my experience (and take it with a grain of salt as I have only visited the Phils but not lived there) to have a similar lifestyle that you have in Canada with 3000/month you only need 1300-1500 in Cebu.
How much you need or how much is too little or too much is always a subjective and personal thing.

Mr. Audi---   *I believe what Mike Wei is saying is that rents in the Philippines are as low as 150 dollars a month*

hey Tommie......Can you provide the info or name of the condo unit you lived in Cebu? sounds like something i would be interested in.

@ tom duffy.....you probably stayed in a remote are in cebu, and for sure ur a thrifty alien! same faith will happen to you in China, try to make a quick survey as to how many foreigners are in cebu enjoying their life w/ less than 1k$ a month. I spend more than 1K $ a month for my 2 kids in manila, my sisters and brothers family spend less than 400$ a month it is totally depends on what life style you are going to have. now do the math and adjust your LIFE STYLE before yellllinng to loud....!!!

[Moderated : off topic]

Ok all , hi everybody !!
I will maybe stop this sometimes stupid dial ...
The original question was : Is it enough with 1800 USD to live in Cebu ??
And , anyone who knows and lived in the place , even only 3 month ,,, will say ..... YES !   
Sure some filipinos can feel insulted with such talkings ,, because for most of cebuanos , 1800 usd is ,,, huge money .
So , sure , you can even live with 500 usd ,,, because some filipinos do it with 250 usd or less , and are still alive ,, and happy , and healthy if god wants it !!
For my part , i lived there for several month witgh 1200 usd , this was ok , really ,,, i negociated a long stay in a good basic clean hotel usually rated at 1300 php / night .
And this was the most expensive option .
Once you solve your accomodation , you can live like a normal guy , roaming with locals , around the island , spending little money , eating and living with locals (my way) ... or drinking bottles of whisky or champagne in expensive disco at mango square ,,, so you can spend 4000 usd/month (ahah) .

angeldr wrote:

hey Tommie......Can you provide the info or name of the condo unit you lived in Cebu? sounds like something i would be interested in.

sorry for such a late reply.. I didn't notice your post angel..
I been trying to remember the name of the condo.. but my memory is not what it used to be
its in I.T. Park. theres a mercury drugs on the corner and also an Inasal chicken restaurant
its a brand new condo.  fully furnished and I paid 14,000 pesos per month
the owner asked for 16k but I told her I will only pay 14k and she agreed
i been here in Philippines for 5 yrs and i never paid more than 1000usd  per month (total monthly for all my expenses) for anyplace i have lived. and i have been all over the Philippines. i usually move every 6 months

sara7c wrote:

Hello friends i just want to share with you all on how i was able to receive help from Dr ekaka from the ekakaspelltemple@yahoo.com   i was so helpless and did not have money to take care of my two kids and my partner lost his job, a friend of my directed my to Dr ekaka that he also help her with lotto spell which make her what she is today and i thought it was just a main talk but i had to give it a trier since i had no work, i contact him after which he told me what to do and when to play the lotto which i did i was so surprise when i find out that i won $1,5 million it was just like a dream to and even my husband still can't believe that we are no longer poor thanks to dr ekaka for your help

HAHAHA!  GREAT JOKE

Gambling by the poor is a serious social problem.

You absolutely can. That's around P80,000/month and that's more for a individual man with a simple living. You can even purchase a condo unit for yourself and still have extra for your day-to-day expenses. You might want to check out  AppleOne Banawa Heights, a condo-type private Subdivision that offers a 2.8 hectares of exclusive community living! Its not just a stand alone building, and there are amenities & shops within the subdivision so that you dont need to look anywhere else. For only P14,000-16,000/month you can own your unit even if you're a foreigner..you only need a check and I can definitely recommend where to easily open your account. Please drop me a message or email me so that I could set an appointment at the showroom, Im hoping you're in Cebu these days. Hope to meet you soon! These are my contact details: brad.atwork09@gmail.com / 0922-517-8255 / 0917-559-7465 Have a great day!

You must have a very negative personality.
Im a pureblood Cebuana. and Cebu is definitely a place to die for.

@ moon goddess -

moongoddess28 wrote:

  You might want to check out AppleOne Banawa Heights, a condo-type private Subdivision that offers a 2.8 hectares of exclusive community living! Its not just a stand alone building, and there are amenities & shops within the subdivision so that you dont need to look anywhere else. For only P14,000-16,000/month you can own your unit even if you're a foreigner..you only need a check and I can definitely recommend where to easily open your account. …….

Unless I have read your words wrong, I am very bothered by your post.  Clearly, you are giving misleading information…. 
The FAQ from the "AppleOne Banawa Heights" URL says the following:
"A Can Foreigners own real estate properties in the Philippines?
By law, only Filipinos are allowed by Philippine laws to acquire by purchase, transfer or assignment any lands in the Philippines. However, Foreigners may be able to acquire real estate properties in the Philippines by any of the following:
Lease the Property…..
Through a Filipino Trustee or wife…..
Purchase land as a Balikbayan…..
Buy A Condominium Unit...
Form a Corporation….
Inherit the land if your Spouse dies"

However, to illustrate my point, there are other condo units in Cebu (i.e., "One Manchester Place at the Mactan Newtown Cebu" that are offered to foreigners and the URL clearly states, "Individual Condominium Certificate of Title (CCT)".  Note: I have no interest in or connection with either!!

When you respond to foreigners here and offer your services, you need to be very clear and give honest information.  Perhaps you can clear this up with simple answers to the following questions:
1.  Can condos with TCT be sold to foreigners? Yes or no?
2.  Are the AppleOne Banawa Heights condos you mentioned being sold with TCT?  Yes or no?
3.  Since you offer units that a foreigner "can own" does it include CCT based sales, is this notice stated in your post or the company URL?  Yes or no?

Are you misleading the reader in hopes a person will come along and later find out (after deposits  in your recommended bank, etc) that he/she can't purchase any of your units as a private single foreigner (i.e., "For only P14,000-16,000/month you can own your unit even if you're a foreigner..you only need a check and I can definitely recommend where to easily open your account"?

To be clear for all forum readers, can a foreigner, as a single person buy, register and own (not Lease, not via a Filipino Trustee or wife, not a Balikbayan, not as a Corporation and not Inherit) one of the "AppleOne Banawa Heights" condo units (that only carry TCT)?  Yes or no?

My apologies in advance if I have misread your words.

… a quick follow up:

I do not see a response from "moongoddest28" to my post on this matter and one must wonder why??  Nonetheless, my point is clear and Expats must be aware of many forms of deceptions and clear violations of Philippine laws on this topic.

Example:  In RA9646, Article I, Sec 3 one finds a lists of all terms and it shows the following natural persons: 
a. "Appraiser",
b. "Assessor",
e. "Real estate developer", and
g. "Real estate service practitioners" (as being "a duly registered & licensed" natural person, as follows:
1. Real estate consultant,
2. Real estate appraiser,
3. Real estate assessor,
4. Real estate broker
5. Real estate salesperson.*
*No examination given for sales persons but they must be accredited by the RE Board.

Article IV, Sec 27 also states:
"Any single act or transaction embraced within the provisions of Section 3(g) hereof, as performed by real service practitioner, shall constitute an act of engaging in the practice of real estate services."

Article IV, Sec 29 "Prohibition Against the Unauthorized Practice of Real Estate Service", states:

"No person shall practice or offer to practice real estate service in the Philippines or offer himself/herself as a real estate service practitioner, or use the title, word, letter, figure or any sign tending to convey the impression that one is a real estate service practitioner, or advertise or indicate in any manner whatsoever that one is qualified to practice the profession, ……… "

None of the 20 pages of RA9646 contain the words or phrase "Property Specialist".

Hello,

We are going off topic here, can we please go back to the main subject of that discussion which is : I'm new here. Can I live well on $1800 a month in Cebu

Do note that this topic concerns mainly salaries and cost of living, thank you !

Priscilla 

Sure you can live with that budget on a very descent way. Good house, nice food  as long as you will not be trap with a gold digger and u will not be trap to a woman that you will be the one to finance the whole family.

I agree I've been here a year now and I won't live any where else

There is no need to register to read my blog at: timotraveling.blogspot.com
It is about traveling and living in the Philippines. Check it out yourself.

Better to live outside of the big cities due to air pollution.

Cleaner air can be found i General Santos City and Cagayan de Oro on the island of Mindanao.
Travel around a bit and check out places for yourself before deciding where to live.