11k per month is much higher than average wage. 20k puts you in the top 5% in the Philippines.

And if a criminal sees a white dude in an 11k apartment, they will just see a white guy

i mean how do you want us to answer?

my current place is in the $500ish range after all utilities, much bigger and nicer then that place jspill posted, and i spend lil under $1k a month


I could easily find a cheaper place, just would be in a worse location or renting from someone i dont trust to return deposit/fix problems

I've also stayed in $300ish a month places like the one jspill just posted


last year i looked at one that was $700ish a month that was probably even smaller then what jspill posted but in a sick building with nice furniture and great amenities...... but it was so tiny i couldnt pay 700 for it


so the place you had in gramercy is about the size of what jspill posted? just a small lil studio with no couch?

you can get a pretty good feel for the area/likelihood of getting robbed just by walking around the area

also most places here have a security guard at the front door which lowers the chances... but doesn't eliminate them


the only times i can think of any of my neighbors being robbed were in cambodia when A) they think someone hopped over the wall at the back and went door to door looking for unlocked doors and snuck in a guys room when he was sleeping and took his phone and wallet and B) two pro's were trying to be with the same guy and either m3thie stole from the guy or (the more likely option imo) the other older ugly lady stole from him and blamed it on m3thie so the guy would let her stay with him and kick m3thie out


imo people here are more about crimes of opportunity than kicking in doors, sure if they know they can get a huge score from your room they may try it but if you don't flash money you would probably be ok, particularly if there is some security at your place

I lived north of Cebu in a rural-ish area outside of a larger town for 2 1/2 years, before moving into town to gain Internet access (see below). I had a great time.

A family let me stay in one room...rent-free. Actually, it wasn't rent-free, as I bought food and a few other things for the house and took a member or two of the family with me to Cebu when I went.

The house was very basic, made of cement. It did have running water and electricity, however. I paid the electric bill, as I consumed comparatively lots of electricity.

There was no Internet reception and I rented a (very) small space in town for my computer set-up (1000p/month from a relative of the family).

Neglecting unnecessary stuff (such as an expensive karaoke rig), I spent slightly less than $1k a month. There wasn't much selection as far as restaurants, so I didn't spend much on that unless I ventured into Cebu. I did that once or twice per month.

I got to know almost everyone in my barangay and everyone was very friendly and didn't try to take advantage of me. I believe this is because that would bring shame to them, as my host family was "responsible" for me and they were respected.

The last year, I moved into the city, as I said to gain Internet access so I didn't need to wake up every morning at 5:30 a.m. and travel into town.

With help, I found an extremely comfortable four-bedroom FURNISHED house with a huge living room and kitchen and a huge yard for 10k pesos. The bedrooms were good-sized.

This was "Filipino price" and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have received this price without help from friends. The landlord did, however, know that a foreigner was moving in. He did not previously know my friends that arranged it.

The house was a bit worn-down and I'm sure a lot of posters on this forum wouldn't be happy with it, but it was perfect for me. I honestly don't care about having new and perfect accommodations. There was nothing seriously wrong with it though.

It was constructed of wood, with nice wood floors. For some reason, I cannot remember the bathroom/shower, but it was indoors. No hot water.

So here is my theory: Find a Filipino friend *that you can trust*, be generous (but no need to be overly so), and they will be a loyal friend and help you with things you didn't even realize you needed help with.

I know many foreigners have pessimistic views of Filipinos, their trustworthiness, and their motives. But treat a select few as you would your good friends back home and you will be richly rewarded...getting better deals on things (they know how and where to look, and if they don't one of their friends does), schooling you about Filipino culture (this is INCREDIBLY important to really appreciate life in the Philippines!), introducing to others who have similar interests as you, and so many other things you will discover.

Many foreigners want nothing to do with having Filipino friends and integrating into the society. I have nothing against those people, unless they are going to whine and complain nonstop about Filipinos and their ways (which was true of over half of the foreigner acquaintances I knew--I tried to avoid them as much as possible).

I'm very surprised that people don't take the time to make good Filipino friends while living in the Philippines. The life experience is completely different. You'll appreciate the country and its people in ways you never could otherwise.

Before traveling to the Philippines, I recommend everyone read the book "Culture Shock: Philippines":

http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Shock-...ck+philippines

This will give you a basic understanding of things you would never even consider about the culture, even when associating frequently with Filipinos. You still won't fully understand the culture, but you will begin to understand the many seemingly "un-understandable" (as a Filipino friend says) actions that are taken by Filipinos.

Oh, and I never once felt threatened while in the Philippines, but I was watched over by my host family.

What was the name of the town/province you were living in before you moved into the city?

By far the most insightful post in this thread in the past few years.

I lived in Danao City. It was a nice place to live for that time, but I would recommend researching a bunch of potential places to stay. And preferably narrow your list down to four or five towns and visit them all before actually deciding on place (assuming you'll be there for a year or so).

While there are many positives about Danao City (aside from having friends there), a few glaring negatives stand out:

1. Trashy. People throw their trash anywhere without a second thought. I'm sure many regions in the Philippines are like this, but I was surprised to find how clean some of the other regions I visited were. Ilo-Ilo, Bohol, and Bacolod were all nearly spotless.

2. No usable beaches. Well, there was an OK pay beach a few kilometers to the south, but Danao City's water was filthy from sewage runoff and it was mostly a bunch of big, jagged rocks that the waves would slam you against.

3. Poor Internet. The mayor's family would not let any other Internet companies into Danao City. SmartBro and Globe had 3G wireless, but I had to have a huge antenna put up (at my expense).

I started with SmartBro, but transferred to Globe after five weeks of non-functioning Internet. Long story, but they kept sending servicemen out who said the problem was not at my location, but at the company.

The company always said they had fixed it or nothing is wrong. I talked to seven different managers, ultimately losing it and probably gave them the biggest chewing-out of their lives.

FINALLY, they sent three techs out and they determined that it was a problem with the cell tower, and EVERYBODY in the coverage area had the same problem. By then, I had arranged to switch to Globe. I had a similar four week problem with Globe later. AAAARG!

I was promised a refund by one manager. Later, I was told that she no longer worked for SmartBro and they would not honor the refund. Whatever!

4. Very poor availability of good foods. Restaurants? Jollibee, a pseudo-pizza place, a roadside burger stand, and three resorts (two of which had decent food and meals cost around 250p not including a drink). Of course, if you are fine with Filipino-type foods, there were plenty of options.

There is a fair-sized supermarket, but it has the usual assortment of...20 types of canned corned beef, 20 types of canned "meatloaf", 50 types of "juice" (sugar-water drinks) and freezers full of hot dogs and fish balls.

The local market had a fair selection of fruit. The vegetables were somewhat lacking in quality. I didn't trust the chicken, as it was unrefrigerated. They had many types of fish (usually mostly scavengers) and shrimp, but it was likely caught in areas with large sewage run-off. The shrimp and squid both tasted like dirt.

Found a pretty good apartment in Davao for 9k a month. Got it with the help of my gf and she pays half the rent. It includes Wifi (3mb connection though, got wifipocket as backup), refrigerator, water cooler, 2 bathrooms, ac in the bedroom and a tv. Pretty sure this will be the best value for my money here as she spent quite a lot of time searching for it.

GF looks fit.

I'd say you should consider giving your gf a discounted price on the rent, at least maybe for the first month or two. Or you pay half base rent she pays half base rent, you pay all the utilities yourself.

I suggest this not only because she probably makes less money than you do, although maybe that is not the case,

but...

the main reason I suggest it is because there is no way no how you'd be paying that price if it wasn't for her. Her presence will also ensure you don't get cheated on the utility bill.

I'd say that's worth giving her some sort of discount on rent/utilities not asking for it to be straight up 50-50.

dylan do you do 6 month lease?

do you have any ideas on how much a month to month place near the malls would be?

You have a fair point. Although I'm already paying like 80-90% for everything else like groceries, trips etc. But I don't mind since she does all the cooking, cleaning and does basically anything I ask of her. I'm still living a cheaper life than I did in Thailand. Also, let me make it clear that I never asked for a 50/50 split on the rent, I just asked her what she thought is fair and that's what came out. She does have money as she does modeling, but I never asked her what she makes so not sure if she makes more money then me. But she'll be going back to school this year, and I'll consider taking up the full rent for however long I find myself staying here.

No 9k excluding utilities is on a monthly stay basis. I have no idea what you'd pay near a mall. I'm about 10-15 minutes away from SM Lanang by transport.

Well as long as you are both happy with the arraignment as is and it works well for you guys then power to you, keep doing it that way.

How's the internet at Grammercy?

I was going to be visiting next week and want to check out some condos.

Looking for a nice spot near the green belt mall or maybe at grammercy that I can grind online on. I don't mind paying up to about 1k (u.s.d) per month just need to be able to play poker online and have a nice bachelor pad with a gym. If it has tennis that's a nice bonus. Also, month to month is mandatory.

Thanks!

p.s. anyone wants to meet for a drink or some coffee next week hit me up.

If you want tennis near greenbelt check out the condos in salcedo village. You can look at the makati sports club there for tennis (although I believe there's a membership fee).

As far as I know, you can't get tennis in a condo

Yeah - I had a tough time finding anywhere to play in manila.

I'm more concerned about a nice gym with a good bachelor pad setup that I can grind on.

5 minute walk or closer to green belt.

unless you guys come bangkok, 2 rooftop tennis courts where i live. room is $300/mo

http://imgur.com/a/cAzS4

Where is your grinding station ?

Is that near the bts?

Seems like a great deal...At that price I could possibly keep a unit year round and just be out there for a few months out of the year....

But you need to have a 6 month lease?

12 min walk to MRT or 20b bike taxis wait outside condo. Or 45b bike to BTS. Or security call taxis to the door

there are $500 rooms on 1 month leases, the $300 ones are hard to find for that, unless you just offer to pay more. 6 months easier. everything is negotiable.

those were pics from the agent before i moved in

in a new room in same building now



i grind in bed lol

e-sarn hooker for good luck?

Gramercy internet is PLDT Fibr which is as good as it gets for residential internet. It's ******edly noisy here at night, though. Month to month is very doable if you have a broker, but it's not an option through Gramercy leasing.

Can you expand on what you mean by noisy?

How many definitions of the word noisy are there?