Thinking Of Moving To Manila...Few Questions First Please?

U.S. $3,000 to 4,000 a month up.  Manila is high priced.  $500 to $1,000 a month rent furnished you sound more $1,000 a month. $15 to $20 a day for maid, Eating out $2 to $30 a meal,  I live like a prince in CDO. 25% cheaper here than Manila on $2,000 a month with wife and 1 child here.  Going out is expensive any were as well unless you go native here.  Were I go out most here beer is 30 peso. a meal 200 peso. Middle class place. Figure 40 peso in Manila and 300 peso for a meal there. Lease 6 month to a year is normal. Beggers yes we have them here do not give them money. Most have family working near were they beg.  I do buy one a meal every now and then if they look hungery but no money. Wi Fi has to be better than were I live. On $1,200 a month U.S.  You are looking at a 1 room apartment in Manila simple but with air. + utilities. and still cover all your other cost.  I would recommend a smaller town but not to small.

[Moderated: No free ad on the forum]

There are a lot of monthly rentals around Burgos Street area of Makati.  Red light district area, but it does check off all your boxes. Convenient, relatively safe, wifi in most restaurants, bars, etc.  My friend was looking for a cheap place and pays p25k for a 1 br.

If you drop in one of the 3 main bars during the afternoon (HB, HJ and HZ), someone will give you more info.

living In manila sucks.. its dirty.. it smells and the girls are scammers (most, not all).  much better to pick one of the many provinces to live. there are still bars and malls and the girls can be trusted (again most, not all)   plus the rents are much cheaper and so is the food.. less pollution and traffic is also an advantage
in the big cities like Cebu and manila I paid a total of 900-950 per month with a lifestyle similar to yours.. however living in the province I pay about 600-700 usd

Scotsman84 wrote:

3. What's the Wifi like in general in Manila?

I would be spending the bulk of the day online so would need reasonable Wifi in apartment and coffee shop. I don't do much downloading just browsing mostly.


4. Is it generally pretty safe in Manila for someone who's not stupid?

In BKK it feels safe as houses. I was never worried about safety and never had any problems or know any who had any who didn't deserve it.

Could leave laptop and phone on desk in coffee shops, bars, restaurants etc whilst you went to the bathroom without issue and walk around with laptop without fear of being robbed.

Similar or not?

Have heard reports about relentless begging from kids and even presentable looking adults stopping you in the street to tell you sob stories and plead for money which is off putting.


Hope you can help.

Thanks in advance.

Re question #3: Wifi is really slow almost anywhere, even with the more expensive plans. My 7-year old son even has a joke about it: It's not just loading, it's "sloading".

Re question #4: In Manila, you are stupid if you leave you laptop and phone on desk in coffee shops, bars, restaurants etc while you go to the bathroom, and if you walk around with laptop without the slightest thought that it could be robbed.

yes bad things will happen if u will be clumsy and dumb enough on ur things...its Good to be here in Manila ...u just have to be wise mostly when it comes to communicating with strangers and not to trust them easily....

regarding wifi...try Globe...smart and PLDT hs been tested and both are not that good ....

scotsman -sent pm

Thanks for the replies so far. Interesting stuff.

U.S. $3,000 to 4,000 a month up.  Manila is high priced.

That high, really?

I wouldn't come to Manila if that's what I need to spend a month just to have an OK lifestyle.

$500 to $1,000 a month rent furnished you sound more $1,000 a month

Wow. There's no way I'd pay this much for an apartment in somewhere like the Phils.

$15 to $20 a day for maid,

Would just be looking to get someone in once a week.. In BKK I paid just over $5 for this.

I would recommend a smaller town but not to small.

I'm not interested in small towns. I'm a big city guy. I want something that compares to BKK and from what I'm reading it's either Manila or Cebu.

There are a lot of monthly rentals around Burgos Street area of Makati.  Red light district area, but it does check off all your boxes. Convenient, relatively safe, wifi in most restaurants, bars, etc.  My friend was looking for a cheap place and pays p25k for a 1 br.

If you drop in one of the 3 main bars during the afternoon (HB, HJ and HZ), someone will give you more info

Thanks for the information but not wanting to live in the RLD. Not my thing.

I was under the impression Makati was a nice area...is that not the case?

25k PHP is considered cheap in Manila?

That's more than double what I paid in BKK. Wasn't expecting that at all.

living In manila sucks.. its dirty.. it smells and the girls are scammers (most, not all).  much better to pick one of the many provinces to live. there are still bars and malls and the girls can be trusted (again most, not all)   plus the rents are much cheaper and so is the food.. less pollution and traffic is also an advantage
in the big cities like Cebu and manila I paid a total of 900-950 per month with a lifestyle similar to yours.. however living in the province I pay about 600-700 usd

Yeah the same can be said about BKK, it's dirty, it smells, there's pollution, scams etc....but I love it.

So that doesn't put me off Manila yet.

I don't want to live in the provinces, a small town or anywhere else. A big, vibrant, city only.

$900 a month sounds good. More like what I was expecting.

I been to BKK and I was awed how it kind of look like Manila, while walking around Lhao prat, sukhumvit, Bang Kapi these roads I felt like I was just walking around Manila, I think its just that in Bangkok its a bit more safer and just a bit cleaner, the city lights up at night just like in Manila, All crimes happen in every place,city,country whatever no matter how safe It is a matter of how u take care of yourself in a foreign land. If it happens children on the streets begging for money or telling stories the best thing is to walk continously and totally ignore, we locals do that bec sometimes we don't know whether they are telling truth or cheating. Manila mode of transport sucks for foreigners (sad to say for a local) but its the truth, our trains are nothing compare with the Bkk mrt and the Sky Train BTS, but maybe if u can get used to our mode of transpo then u can try them, we have called 'jeepneys' its like the one in bkk if u have seen them the pickup car model they put sitting place at the back so many people can ride, Can't advise you on ē cost of living I have no idea, but just to let u get a picture of how little the diff between ē two cities. Bangkok is a good place, love it, people are rich in culture and diversity only few can speak english and its really fascinating how Thai people value their language, unlike here the western culture is very much embrace and practice. Hope you make the good choice Goodluck.

someone here is high-balling you.. 20 dollars a day for a maid in the Philippines?
your looking at maybe 5 dollars day for a maid in the city and 2 dollars a day in the provinces..
that's what I pay here in the province and that's what I have paid in manila when I lived there
my condo I rented in cityland Makati I paid 20k a month for a great furnished condo on the 26th floor, and there was many on the lower floors with not as nice furniture for under 15k..
im really not sure why anyone would need to pay 3000 a month to live in manila..
in the province I pay 6-700 usd a month for everything..
whatever you choose, goodluck

tommieboy999 wrote:

someone here is high-balling you.. 20 dollars a day for a maid in the Philippines?
your looking at maybe 5 dollars day for a maid in the city and 2 dollars a day in the provinces..
that's what I pay here in the province and that's what I have paid in manila when I lived there
my condo I rented in cityland Makati I paid 20k a month for a great furnished condo on the 26th floor, and there was many on the lower floors with not as nice furniture for under 15k..
im really not sure why anyone would need to pay 3000 a month to live in manila..
in the province I pay 6-700 usd a month for everything..
whatever you choose, goodluck

This was more like what I was thinking.

Was surprised to see such higher figures being quoted.

Guess everyone has different standards of living and what one person thinks is a good deal another thinks is overpriced.

I don't need to live like a king but I'm not into slumming it either.

Thanks for your advice.