living in phils

hi i just read ur message in Expat.com,glad to know if ur stayin in the philippines now?im jean currently in UAE dubai,but im from davao,,,philippines I recommend you that the safe place to live is davao city,,its very nice,,,glad to know u more,,,,,

Davao and Palawan are the best places to stay in Philippines. Davao though has more flights (Domestic and direct to Singapore), the convenience of a bigger city and if you wanna get away from the chaos, you can go to nearby islands for a 20 minute boat ride, not to mention, its closest to the highest peak in the Philippines.

I agree, stay away from Manila.

mogo51 wrote:

I am wishing to move from Australia to retire in Phils, have had several areas recommended out of Cebu, Dumaguette, Palawan, Subic Bay, can anyone give me an update on rough costs. I am currently single but not wanting to stay that way, and wish to live reasonably but modestly.  I like being near the water but also cooler climates are appealing as it gets very hot there.  I have only been to Phils once and enjoyed Cebu.  Manila area does not interest me. thank you, ron

I would also recommend Davao City: a big city but less polluted, less busy, less noisy, less expensive than Manila (or even Cebu), and not so exposed to typhoons and landslides.
All the best with your projects!
Gerard

Cebu might be a good place for you to consider. There is a place there by the top of the hill that is cooler in climate, not very many people yet. The beach is just nearby like maybe an hour away. The city is about 30 minutes away. It has an international airport so it's a great hub to go to different places.

pinaymentor

+1 to Davao.  It may also be the safest city in the Philippines.

gerardh wrote:

I would also recommend Davao City: a big city but less polluted, less busy, less noisy, less expensive than Manila (or even Cebu), and not so exposed to typhoons and landslides.
All the best with your projects!
Gerard

i agree  davao city is best..i went to manila once before i went to singapore but i dont like it it is so dusty and chaos..davao is much better than manial and cebu to my opinion.im proud to say Davao is best

Ron
fellow Aussie here, living in Naga city, Bicol. I lived in Manila
I hated it hence moving to Naga, I must put in a plug for this area 1.fair bit cooler that Manila, 2. very little pollution, 3.no traffic kaos like in Manila, 4.30min on plane to Manila ($40AU) 5.food is very cheap espessially locally grown vegies
6. all major stores SM Mall,Roberinson,Pruegold 7. new housing subdivisions so house and lot cheap (2 bedroom units $37500AU)
Also a lot of Pommies, germans and other Foriegner here so much so they meet monthly for piss up
Pete

Hello Ron,
Another aussie that will be retiring to Phils. I have a place with my partner in Bacong just out of Dumagete, great spot near the water. Shopping 10 mins by car to Robinson Mall, great golf an hour away, plenty of access to other islands, airport in Dumagete with both major domestic carriers. It is safe and not to many people around and all good to me, so can't ask for more. Did I mention it is CHEAP! Go and have a look.
Cheers.

would be davao for sure... Nice beach, Mountains, at the same time, it is not a backward city. It has its own malls, a lot of activities to do at the same time.. davao retains its ambiance of being fresh , unpolluted heaven.

Davao is good choice, some filipino say safer than Cebu or Manila, country like town, huge, close to the sea, nature

Are u in Davao? That's cool!

Why is everyone suggesting Davao, when the majority of Mindanao is considered unsafe for foreignors. There are so many better places to live than there.

well.. i will say Manila/ makati and cebu is nice too, bohol,  palawan, and some other place.  Davao city itself is probably the safest city. Its being run by a iron  fist mayor. the unsafe zone is probably 8-10 hours away from the city itself.

You can also try Bohol, its a small Province in Visayas near Cebu.
http://bohol.gov.ph/??=home

Skiffle wrote:

would be davao for sure... Nice beach, Mountains, at the same time, it is not a backward city. It has its own malls, a lot of activities to do at the same time.. davao retains its ambiance of being fresh , unpolluted heaven.

I see everyone say Davao is nice but i thought Mindanao is dangerouse for foreigner i read its lot of kidnaping there?

You can also consider Batangas, since there are nice beaches there.  Also, since you mentioned that cooler climates are appealing, Batangas is just next to Tagaytay which is elevated and one of the coolest cities in the country.

you guys never know what Davao is...my friend an Iranian was afraid at first but since I was born in this place, I never experience any war and trouble here... even kidnapping of foreigners... hope you experience Davao yourself

jayann1991 wrote:

you guys never know what Davao is...my friend an Iranian was afraid at first but since I was born in this place, I never experience any war and trouble here... even kidnapping of foreigners... hope you experience Davao yourself

Just let me say. Your friend was probably muslim. So of course would be safer. As for you not experiencing problems. You wouldnt, because you are a local. You always hear of the Philippines army having gun battles with muslim extremists in Mindanao. Please take a look at the website dedicated to travel safety and then decide.

http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destinati … ines.shtml

yee, Australia have advise similar to NZ and while I think they may be jusified in some parts, we don't see crime at all in Naga City, granted we live in gated subd but we are doing business in Metro Naga on a daily basic albeit in day light hours.
I would like to say that in reading my local papers on the web
the crime in Tamworth(NSW)is very bad and breakins,assaults happen on a daily basic. this is a regional City comparable to Naga.
Pete

hi ron its me dave, you have to move to davao. Its a safe place and its a very forward looking city with  very good council and mayor and trying to improve life for everybody there and also they are very strict on their rules in the city. The cost of foods here is very cheap and affordable, im from the UK and my wife is filipina but i felt very safe here. email me angelgen421@yahoo.com

yes Davao for  sure, no problem well protected, lot  of  housing cheap food and  rent , i live  in the province  about 25K from Davao i built a house nice  and  quite place

Okieboy,

Glad to know you are enjoying life in Mindanao.  Have you visited other provinces/islands?  If you ever come to Luzon and head to Ilocos I would drop the Okie handle, not very good title for a male in Ilocano.

yes  i have  been all over  he  Philippines, i have  been coming here for  years Okieboy is  a  handle for  this  site  i am from Oklahoma

and  luzon is  the  last place i would live  in the  Philippines, besides the  weather  the cost  is  high compaired  to Davao

Allanna wrote:

jayann1991 wrote:

you guys never know what Davao is...my friend an Iranian was afraid at first but since I was born in this place, I never experience any war and trouble here... even kidnapping of foreigners... hope you experience Davao yourself

Just let me say. Your friend was probably muslim. So of course would be safer. As for you not experiencing problems. You wouldnt, because you are a local. You always hear of the Philippines army having gun battles with muslim extremists in Mindanao. Please take a look at the website dedicated to travel safety and then decide.

http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destinati … ines.shtml

if  you believe the  information they put out you would not  leave  your  house  any were in the  world, i hear  this crap all the time, i have  been here off and  on for  40years i see more  crime in the  western world,i can't remember the  last  time  a  gunman went into a school and  shot  the  kids

Okieboy wrote:

Allanna wrote:

jayann1991 wrote:

you guys never know what Davao is...my friend an Iranian was afraid at first but since I was born in this place, I never experience any war and trouble here... even kidnapping of foreigners... hope you experience Davao yourself

Just let me say. Your friend was probably muslim. So of course would be safer. As for you not experiencing problems. You wouldnt, because you are a local. You always hear of the Philippines army having gun battles with muslim extremists in Mindanao. Please take a look at the website dedicated to travel safety and then decide.

http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destinati … ines.shtml

if  you believe the  information they put out you would not  leave  your  house  any were in the  world, i hear  this crap all the time, i have  been here off and  on for  40years i see more  crime in the  western world,i can't remember the  last  time  a  gunman went into a school and  shot  the  kids

Its good to get that kind of information from the horses mouth. (Please excuse the expression) NZ is a well know nannie state and too busy telling everyone what they should be doing. Pisses me off to be honest. Would love to head down that way sometime. Is that where they have the Great Philippine Eagles? I'd give an arm to see one of them.

I've never been to Palawan, but that is the farthest from typhoons and storms to reach. The other ones you mentioned often get the worst. You might find Palawan very interesting. Cebu is ok, but Manila is never on my list to even build a house when I go back the  Phil. Traffic there is ridiculous.

When it comes to the cost of living, I think you would be well off considering your income probably being at a "higher tier" as compared to the Phil's general average monthly income.

You can live a modest life with 50k pesos.

Dumaguette,is  very  safe  and  nice place  and  very cheap too

Maybe they are recommending Davao, because they have lived there. I am an American and love Davao. I have lived here almost 5 years.

Statistically, it is by far and away one of the safest cities in the Philippines. Not just for locals, but foreigners as well. Statistics can lie, but when you have so many people, including myself, saying the statistics are correct... then it is a pretty good bet they are accurate.

The Mindanao you and the article are referring to does exists, but to find it you would have to drive east over the mountains for 3 or 4 hours or drive north over several mountain ranges for 6 to 8 hours. Now you are in a rough neighborhood. But even then, to get into trouble you would need to be waving a flag and acting stupid.

There is no place in Davao I can not safely go. literally, no neighborhood. Whereas, in Atlanta or Dallas, you drive 5 minutes and end up in the wrong neighborhood and you are almost guaranteed trouble. Davao is safe.

himugyech,
Interesting your blog on Lllocos, Luzon.  I am in Thailand now, but have a partner who is Filipino (thankfully), she is teaching here.
Speaks fluent English of course and is a fantastic woman.
She tells me it is a nice place to live, I have been told San Fernando, San Juan and Bagio are nice places to hand the retired hat?  Any advice would be appreciated. Mogo.

Davao is extremely save, but every time I go there, I get so tired of the traffic problem. Why everyone needs to go by taxi or have his own car? I love General Santos City. Most people have motorbikes and traffic is flowing. And its save too. I think the comment here someone wrote that going some city in USA can be more dangerous is really true. Filipinos are not big trouble makers anyway - unless you are the one attacking them.

mogo51 wrote:

himugyech,
Interesting your blog on Lllocos, Luzon.  I am in Thailand now, but have a partner who is Filipino (thankfully), she is teaching here.
Speaks fluent English of course and is a fantastic woman.
She tells me it is a nice place to live, I have been told San Fernando, San Juan and Bagio are nice places to hand the retired hat?  Any advice would be appreciated. Mogo.

Of course you need to visit the Philippines to see first hand what is available for how much.  The first question is "Where does your partner's family live?"  You should start my investigating places at least 100 miles from the family.  Generally the further north you go on Luzon the less expats you will see. The places you mentioned are all good spots to live, with the interior mountains being cooler and more expensive (Baguio).  The biggest negative about going further out in the provinces is the lack of western contacts and activities.  I know of no good waves or surfing spots on the west coast of Luzon, and from what I heard the northern coast will never be mistaken for the north shore on Oahu.
Good luck in your search.

Hi and Thanks for the reply,
Long past surfing (never really was one) but like to be near the water, for walks and a quick swim if the water is clean enough. 
Yes I understand your comments about distance equals less westerners and that is important.  Like to keep in touch with western civilisation, keeps us sane I think.
Also with you on distance from parents, but gf's are ex governnent employees and she does not support them, only her son at Uni (in last year now).
Best for me when the times right, is to go and spend some time at the places mentioned.  A lot of positive talk here about Davao, went there once for a few days and did not see much in that time, but seemed ok.
She wants to work for another couple of years here, so have some time to do some research. Thanks for your help.

If you do not believe the family will be a burden, then perhaps it will be a plus.  Can you say where?  It may help her to be able to speak the local dialect.  I mentioned the lack of waves because many like to observe the sea and the surf, but much of the Pacific is like Lake Michigan.

I would have no problem living withing reasonable proximity to her family,but she has never even raised such a proposition.  I am fortunate, she is very sensible and rational.
Yes, I know what you mean, that is the thing I love about being near the sea, walking along the beachfront and watching the surf is just so relaxing and allows one to send out all the shit on the waves, hopefully never to return = but alas, rarely works that way.
I come from Gold Coast, Australia and we are blessed with beautiful beaches there, with walkways everywhere along the water, one of the few nice things still left there.  But living in a Nanny state is so overpowering.

Hi,

I would definitely recommend Baguio City if you are looking for a place to retire with a cool climate. Swimming and surfing is roughly an hour away in San Juan, La Union. The cost of living is relatively cheap compared to Manila and food is cheap since fruits and vegetables are produced in the area. And with the construction of TPLEX, travel time to major airports (i.e. Clark)/cities will be greatly reduced.

Hope this helps.

Many thanks for the blog, my gf has lived there before and we have discussed that location, but will be down the track a bit as she is keen to continue teaching in Thailand for a few more years.

You can buy a nice smaller house for app $60-70kl in an elevated area if you look around.  Expats can live comfortable on $1000/month

The way to overcome the problem is to hire a driver to be on call for you for very good price plus his food when he is driving.  That way if there is an accident you will not get sued for much.

That is what i will do when my wife and i retire next year as i did not like the traffic either

Well, Davao is the best; love the place, quiet, peaceful and cooler... Cebu's nice because of historical sites but Manila, too many buildings and pollution(almost got an asthma attack).... I always get late when I had to go somewhere...