Maybe im missing something but i dont get what you're saying??? How would having a girlfriend make things less expensive there? I have a gf here and i can tell you things certainly arent less expensive lol.

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Yes I mean outside regular expenses/bills. Food, drinks and consumable household items.. it would also be sufficient for some jeepney or mrt/lrt use but based on staying within walking distance.

I'm considering a move to either cebu or boracay, looking to spend about $1300 p/m on a 2 bedroom. Can i get something decent for this? Can't find much online so I'm considering just showing up and house hunting. Be great to hear from anyone living in either. I'm looking for a place near a nice beach and a lively nightlife is a must. Am I looking in the right locations?

Cheers in advance.

Just arrived in Manila. Staying at a hotel in Malate for a night and getting organized/apartment hunting tomorrow.

Looking to meet people in Manila and settle down here for a few weeks/months. Open to do pretty much whatever. Drink, food, poker, tennis, bleh. PM me.

Whats up 2+2 philippines. Just posting here to tell you all how jealous I am that you guys are there and Im stuck here in the states. I had an awesome two week trip back in May and have been planning to return ever since i left. However poker is just not cooperating.

Some cool observations i made in the Phils.
Costumers instead of customers
Eat all you can instead of All you can Eat
1$ for cigs instead of 6$+
Lots of 80's rock balads, ok this common here on some radio stations.
1$ San Miguel's instead of 3$ Bud Light"s
Financing SCHEMES. This sounds so shady in American english


Though the average pinoy has a much tougher day to day to struggle, the attitude towards life seems to much more positive then it does here in the US. Maybe this is just form a tourist perspective but after spending two weeks in the Philippines it's really hard to listen to my American friends complain about every thing under the sun. We have it so good here!

Having a girlfriend there doesn't necessarily make things less expensive (although she can negotiate prices for you and eliminate the endless Kano Taxes ) but it does somewhat change your lifestyle. How much you need to live on depends mostly on how often you eat out, go bar hopping, go travelling etc.

Presumedly, if you're a singleton, you'll want to be out and about as much as possible, $1K per month really isn't going to stretch too far. If you have a regular girlfriend living with you there and you're both happy maybe just eating out once or twice a week and maybe a few beers or the occasional bit of touring somewhere then the $1K per month can go pretty far.

i talked to someone living in eastwood who tried the lambo stick and said it was complete crap, guess ill be getting the sun or smart stick.

im leaving saturday for manila, anybody got any recommendations on where to extend my visa, possibly near the sm fairview area in QC?

I've been in Cebu for 2 1/2 years. I'm no pro but I do know about the poker scene. There are several clubs around for live poker and it's safe. Lots of the locals are extremely calling stations and don't really care about pot odds. There are also bigger tournaments played regularly but you might have to travel to/from Manila to access all.

Internet has improved a lot, and usually it's ok. In Cebu, it's about 1000 peso per MB, and 12 MB(SkyBroadband) is the biggest you can get(7000 peso). I had that for a while, but the quality of the line was no good. 3MB from PLDT might be your best option. Biggest concern is blackouts that do occur, so you might want to look for a place with backup generator. In addition to DSL, you should also have a USB pay-per use device. It's ok as a backup but that's about it. Finding your best option is generally to talk to neighbors. A provider that works well one place may be hell in another. Even on the West Coast near Toledo, where I live, services from the same provider varies a lot. I'm very happy with my line, which is almost never down. I live in the province and we have much less blackouts than Cebu City. Quality of the line is also much better than in Cebu.

Living in Cebu City you can lead a western lifestyle if you like. Have your coffee at Starbucks, lunch at TGIF, buy expensive wines or cheese, dine at faboulous restaurants, but it will of course cost you. In short, imported=expensive, local stuff=dirt cheap. Right now I live like a stranded hippie at the beach among the locals, almost as far as you can get from the fancy city life(I had that life for the first year here).

Girls, they are everywhere so don't worry about it. Some good, some bad. Live and learn. Obey the law and you can stay here for as long as you like, but you have to leave the country every 16 months.

Philippines is an interesting place for poker players. On your first visit, do some traveling, and not only to one city. Check out Manila, Cebu, Davao and Dumaguete. It's pretty cheap traveling here and there are flights between all the cities.

I'm sure you've figured this out by now, but I'll go ahead and discuss my experience with Cebu Banking:

BPI Need Passport AND ACR-I Card OR Philippines Driver's License OR Letter of Good Standing from American bank
BDO Need Passport AND Driver's license
HSBC Need Passport AND Driver's license
Metrobank Need Passport AND ACR-I Card

I wouldn't recommend any bank that isn't on this list.

I opened my bank account at BPI with just a passport but I had a friend who already was a BPI customer with me. Its all about if they want you as customer or not.


http://immigration.gov.ph/index.php?...=128&Itemid=72

Note that the Makati office was closed last time I checked. I can't find any office in QC so I would recommend Peza office on Roxas Blvd, Pasay. Pretty far though if you're in Fairview so maybe use a travel agency to extend it for u.

Hey, I don't know about the prices in Boracay, but you can definitely get something pretty nice for these prices in Cebu City. Try checking out city lights gardens in Cebu City. Looks pretty nice from the pics though I've never actually been inside.

What are some good sites to find western/upper scale accommodation in Manila? Do any of them do shorter terms such as 3-6 months? Or usually only just 1 year? If deposit is 1 month then 1 year is fine. What are some good safe modern living areas near the action?

For BDO & HSBC, is it Philippines Driver's License, or any Driver's license?
Thanks.

Any driver's license.

just got in QC today, anybody got a couch i can crash on while looking for a place or wanna meet up have some drinks, show me around or something?

I'm curious what it is that you find miserable about his life.


I'm guessing it's...

1. Jeepneys and buses instead of taxis.

2. Cooking or eating at cheap Filipino cantinas instead of nicer higher end restos

3. Not going out drinking and partying very often.


Is that pretty much it...?

obv

No, because I take jeeps/mrt, eat most of my meals at home and don't drink/party often.

I say miserable because the guy doesn't mention any forms of recreation. No girlfriends, no activities with friends, no hobbies, no classes, no travel. Basically, no fun.

How much do u spend Paul (a quick rent/elec/food as those are the bulk of your expenses?) I think I saw a post where u broke it all down but I can't find it now. thanks

I know him. He has a lovely wife, they have a nice rented apartment. He makes some extra fixing computers for expats in Cebu. He doesn't drink, and is perhaps not very social. Maybe because he is not the typical expat but seems to manage ok although he has to watch his spendings.

Many expats here live a pretty quiet life with their family without much party or traveling.

Others enjoy party and traveling. If that's the kind of life you want to lead, 1000 USD(43000 peso) is not enough. That being said, if you're a single guy, renting maybe a shared apt with a friend, staying healthy, you don't need a lot. You could head back and forth to the local pub for 16 peso, and have a few beers for 40-50 peso each. If you don't mind traveling cheap like on a V-hire(minibus), you can get pretty far for 100 peso. You have to watch your spendings but if you know how, life can be fun here!

Here are my monthly averages from October 2008 - June 2011:

Rent (incl utilities, cable, internet): $661
Food (incl groceries, household items): $472
Luxuries (everything else): $573
Transportation (taxis, MRT, jeeps): $49
Travel (flights, hotels, etc.): $424

Only expense I didn't include is furniture, which in total has been around $3.6k for my current place.

www.housinginteractive.com, and http://www.pearlslettingagency.com/. I've heard only good things about housing interactive, though I've never used them. I've used pearls lettings without any problems twice. Overall I'd say it's a decent option, although they overcharge for electricity and I've heard a few bad reviews.

im going to try and open an account at BPI or BDO today, whats the best method for funding a new US$ account here in philippines from my existing US$ account bank in the states? get cash from atm and deposit, wire transfer?

Two things I can't really get a feel for after reading a bunch of pages from this thread:

In Manila:
- How long does the average apartment hunting last (so that I know about my hotel reservation)?
- Do you guys pay you rent in cash or is there a more convenient way?

Thanks a lot.