Doable plan for the Phillipines?

[joesp]

I have read this forum for the last hour to try and figure some stuff out. It's hard to believe for example some of the stuff I've come across: rent is 15,000 pesos ? I assume this is in a nice part, it's in Cebu, but that doesn't look like anything close to 3rd world rent prices. My main idea here is to continue with my online work from south korea for 2 weeks a month, then go to another country for the other 2 weeks. I know I can get service on my Korean cell phone in some countries, depending on the hardware, so as long as I can answer my phone and have good internet service, there really will be no difference between staying in Korea or somewhere else less stressful to live. I was hoping this "somewhere else" would be (a) cheaper and (b) have cable internet. If somebody could help me out here, I am perfectly capable of doing research on my own, but if somebody can tell me what cities in the Phillipines I should do research on. Would it be the case that I will in fact have to pay rent like 15,000 per month to be in nice enough of a neighborhood where there would be cable internet? I assume this would also be city center (the only 2 cities I know of at this point are Cebu and Manila). Does this sound like a doable plan for the Phillipines? I would appreciate some help about the rent and which cities I should look at rental prices in. thanks a million (won). Joseph.

[Mr Lee]

I have read this forum for the last hour to try and figure some stuff out. It's hard to believe for example some of the stuff I've come across: rent is 15,000 pesos ? I assume this is in a nice part, it's in Cebu, but that doesn't look like anything close to 3rd world rent prices. My main idea here is to continue with my online work from south korea for 2 weeks a month, then go to another country for the other 2 weeks. I know I can get service on my Korean cell phone in some countries, depending on the hardware, so as long as I can answer my phone and have good internet service, there really will be no difference between staying in Korea or somewhere else less stressful to live. I was hoping this "somewhere else" would be (a) cheaper and (b) have cable internet. If somebody could help me out here, I am perfectly capable of doing research on my own, but if somebody can tell me what cities in the Phillipines I should do research on. Would it be the case that I will in fact have to pay rent like 15,000 per month to be in nice enough of a neighborhood where there would be cable internet? I assume this would also be city center (the only 2 cities I know of at this point are Cebu and Manila). Does this sound like a doable plan for the Phillipines? I would appreciate some help about the rent and which cities I should look at rental prices in. thanks a million (won). Joseph.

Hello again Joseph, rents will depend in where you end up within the Philippines. Cebu is a big island and Cebu City would be where rents would be higher but on the outside of the city proper rents get lower. The p15,000 you read about would probably be a studio within the city proper where an apartment outside the city could be from p5,000 to p10,000 depending on what you need in size. As for getting phone service and dsl outside the city, that would not be a problem in most areas. I could tell you about other places that would be less such as Cagayan de Oro on the top of Mindanao but while rents would be in the lower range, electric reliability seems to be poor in most parts of Mindanao right now and that would include CDO.  One of my friends lives about a half hour outside Cebu City proper in an area named Talamban and he has a nice one bedroom apartment with a nice size living room and has reliable Internet and I believe he said the rent was p8,500 and since he works on the Internet, he needs fairly fast dsl speed and seems to be happy. I also seem to remember a member who lives in Baguio and said he pays around p6,000 a month rent and since it is cooler there, the electric bill would be lower for less need of aircon, and he was also happy with his dsl speed. So each of us will have different views as to where you should live and get the best deal but we picked Cebu City because it has many first world items such as shopping centers. Possibly post your questions in the sections provided for them and members will also give you their opinions. There are Help files up on the top left which tell you how to work all aspects of the forum if you wish to learn more about how to do things on this type of forum.Enjoy and hope that is of some help.

[Sampaguita]

I have read this forum for the last hour to try and figure some stuff out. It's hard to believe for example some of the stuff I've come across: rent is 15,000 pesos ? I assume this is in a nice part, it's in Cebu, but that doesn't look like anything close to 3rd world rent prices. My main idea here is to continue with my online work from south korea for 2 weeks a month, then go to another country for the other 2 weeks. I know I can get service on my Korean cell phone in some countries, depending on the hardware, so as long as I can answer my phone and have good internet service, there really will be no difference between staying in Korea or somewhere else less stressful to live. I was hoping this "somewhere else" would be (a) cheaper and (b) have cable internet. If somebody could help me out here, I am perfectly capable of doing research on my own, but if somebody can tell me what cities in the Phillipines I should do research on. Would it be the case that I will in fact have to pay rent like 15,000 per month to be in nice enough of a neighborhood where there would be cable internet? I assume this would also be city center (the only 2 cities I know of at this point are Cebu and Manila). Does this sound like a doable plan for the Phillipines? I would appreciate some help about the rent and which cities I should look at rental prices in. thanks a million (won). Joseph.

Here is a section that has some costs that should give you some ideas on prices http://philippines-expats.com/index.php?showtopic=2588&view=findpost&p=11758

[joesp]

thank you both. I think this forum has the single (?) problem of everybody retaining the prior posts inline, which creates really long posts ... Anyways, no offense, good link there I am reading it now. Joseph.

[Mr Lee]

thank you both. I think this forum has the single (?) problem of everybody retaining the prior posts inline, which creates really long posts ... Anyways, no offense, good link there I am reading it now. Joseph.

No offense taken. I also agree that members should only address the post they are answering and not let them pile up, unless the prior posts also directly relate to their answer and then they could just do quotes but not everyone knows how to work all functions of the forum, so sometimes we do get pile ups and then some members get mad when one of the Forum Support Team edits their post to clean it up. Can't win most times but thanks for your comment and we will pass it up to the owner for him to look at.   :cheersty:

[joesp]

This forum is not VB forum, so by default it includes the

tags and the prior posts in it, and people don't delete them ... the way to accomplish this is to not automatically put the text in from prior posts when somebody posts a reply. Back to the topic, the discrepancy between 3rd world country expenses and the expat living expenses you can see in the link you posted has got me thinking. I can only guess that foreigners (as people of other nationalities are called in South Korea) are pushing up prices by crowding into certain neighborhoods. Perhaps, not just for real estate speculation, but also for world-class amenities like shopping, western food, and English services. If most Phillipinos cannot find a job at 2 dollars a day, that means that if they did find that job at 2 dollars a day, they make about 700 dollars a year, yet the foreigners in that thread are averaging 13,000 USD a year living expenses. I also thought about how they could afford that while living in the declared 3rd world country that is the Phillipines. Think about it. If the average Phillipino makes 2 dollars a day, the foreigner salary maybe will be ... what, 50 per day? If it is 50 per day, working for a Phillipino company, that would mean yearly salary of 50 x 300 = 15,000 per year which seems to be two months rent for people in Cebu, let alone anything else. it doesn't sound like anybody can work in the Phillipines and support spending 13,000 dollars a year. In essence, they would do like I'm planning, work over the internet for 1st world wages from a 3rd world country. Or, everybody is saying you can't come to the Phillipines unless you have lots of money already which means to me that these people aren't planning on supporting themselves by working within the Phillipino system ... maybe this would make a retirement place, where expats would go to buy a property ...I haven't heard anybody say what they say on the Thailand forums, namely, you can live here for very cheap as was also true in Indonesia. Most people have a Phillipino wife to take care of and pamper with luxery. Anyway, it doesn't sound appealing to me. I can do JunSae and put down 40,000 USD for an apartment and live rent free in South Korea why should I have to pay more to go live in a 3rd world country? the weather? the women? the food? not good enough, I'm ready to say heck with the Phillipines and am instead thinking of Indonesia or Thailand.

[Jollygoodfellow]

This forum is not VB forum, so by default it includes the QUOTE tags and the prior posts in it, and people don't delete them ... the way to accomplish this is to not automatically put the text in from prior posts when somebody posts a reply.

Glad you pointed that out,hope no one else thought this was VB

Anyway, it doesn't sound appealing to me. I can do JunSae and put down 40,000 USD for an apartment and live rent free in South Korea why should I have to pay more to go live in a 3rd world country? the weather? the women? the food? not good enough, I'm ready to say heck with the Phillipines and am instead thinking of Indonesia or Thailand.

Cant argue with that,I think Indonesia would suit you,hope you enjoy it there. :cheersty:

[Mr Lee]

As they say josep, different strokes for different folks and surely the Philippines is not for everyone and you are correct, many parts such as Cebu City are no longer as inexpensive to live in as it once were but since you mentioned buying an apartment, we too bought a condo and all we pay for each unit is about $20 a month condo dues and about $100 a year in taxes and then we have to add about $10 a month for water, about $30 a month for a phone and dsl, $150 a year for cable and then electric would be what a person needs, some in our building spend $20 a month and we use the aircond 24/7 most hot months and it cost us a max of $175 a month but I am spoiled and have medical issues which require cleaner air. Again different strokes for different people. As you seem to have pointed out, the Philippines is a great place for retirees living on pensions of $1000 or more where they can live comfortably and could not have done so back in their own countries or origin. I have also met many people living within the Philippines who work online and make their living that way, as well as some who own their own business and seem to make a decent living doing that. Some parts of the Philippines are cheap to live, the ones you mentioned such as Manila and Cebu can be inexpensive or expensive, depending on where you would end up. Rents range from a low of living in a nipa hut to almost nothing, to those guys who spend thousands of US dollars a month to live like the rich and famous and why they go to live in a third world country when they could have easily lived in a first world country for that amount, can usually be summed up by saying their wives, gf's, families or jobs but not always. Anyway you are smart to be doing your homework, and yes there are much less expensive places to live and it is all going to depend on your wants and needs. Good luck in your travels and we hope you find that special place that you will then call home.  

[MikeB]

I have to agree about the reposting over and over comment.joesp - have you considered Australia?

[Singers]

This forum is not VB forum, so by default it includes the QUOTE tags and the prior posts in it, and people don't delete them ... the way to accomplish this is to not automatically put the text in from prior posts when somebody posts a reply.

Glad you pointed that out,hope no one else thought this was VB

Anyway, it doesn't sound appealing to me. I can do JunSae and put down 40,000 USD for an apartment and live rent free in South Korea why should I have to pay more to go live in a 3rd world country? the weather? the women? the food? not good enough, I'm ready to say heck with the Phillipines and am instead thinking of Indonesia or Thailand.

Cant argue with that,I think Indonesia would suit you,hope you enjoy it there. :cheersty:

Nagoya, Batam, Indonesia is a place you might consider. ?Using Singapore as a Hub with its excellent Medics, shopping, IT supplies. The ferry to Batam is 40 minutes and a good entertainment district. Cheap rents there.BATAMIt's about 8 years since I was there. -- Smiling Hill It was started/run by an Aussie and was an Oasis of calm and friendship. He had some small houses to rent in the "compound" as well as rooms in the main building...Good luck.UK Tom Edited May 24, 2010 by Singers