Why do I see some people prefer Bangkok over Manila?

Sarju

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Lives in Bangkok (2017–present) 6y

Why do I see some people prefer Bangkok over Manila, though I visited both of them and I found Manila is more elegant, advanced, and better planned?

Originally Answered: Why do I see some people prefer Bangkok more than Manila, though I visited both of them and I found Manila is more elegant, advanced, and better planned?

It’s a matter of perspective & it’s about where you are in terms of your net income in hand. I have lived in PH & TH for couple of years. To begin with-

1. Getting visa for Philippines for most countries is painful, whereas Thailand gives you Visa on Arrival
2. In terms of banking, TH is a lot more advance. You will find money exchangers & ATMs every few blocks
3. In terms of Food options, TH offers a lot more variety than PH; again PH is much much far ahead in terms of Quality of food. I have seen some of the best patisseries,cafe & pizza joints in Manila that I don’t find in Bangkok. TH street food is top class value for money. The food courts are not as stincky in TH as I found in PH. For vegetarians, PH is a lot tougher place than TH.
4. Shopping yes TH offers much bigger & wider options than PH. I would however say that PH is cheaper than TH on many counts if you convert to $. May be it has to do with currency itself as well as taxes.
5. Public transport in Bangkok is class apart. They know their traffic constraints. And so BTS & MRT are really helpful. Manila on the other hand is not as well planned city & I didn’t see new fly overs either.
6. In terms of safety I would rank Bangkok higher than Manila. Venturing late night in Bangkok is no problem at all. But I wish malls were not closed at 9–9.30 pm on weekends.
7. If you want to holiday, Philippines gives you 1000s of options to choose from.. the best serene beaches. Something Thailand cannot match. I would love to go to Philippines for holidays. We all know Thailand for it’s night life but most people don’t know that Philippines too has an equally wonderful night life.
8. In terms of people, you will generally find Filipinos a lot more friendly, they will always smile even if you pass by .. more than happy to stop & chat with anyone anytime.. they just love to talk. I have attended weddings in Manila, believe me no one can party as well as them. They say there is fun in Philippines.
9. I do see the poverty in Manila which is worse than Bangkok. But make no mistake, it’s to do with lower education & social issues like single motherhood that many women / parents chose in their early life. The province are really poor; and frequent storms (20–30 every year) have brought a lot of loss to property especially in provincial areas.
10. Despite low education, Filipinos speak excellent English because it’s a catholic & very close tightly networked community I would say. They are God-fearing & always ready to help the fello Filipino; something I didn’t see in Thai community as much.
11. For schooling, Bangkok offers far better & many international schooling options compared to Manila.

12. Bangkok is much better on WiFi & mobile network compared to Manila. My mobile works even in elivators & our of city remote places. I remember it took me a lot longer to upload any video on social media when I was in Manila.

I will add more as I remember. In nut shell, vacation in Philippines, socialize & make friends in Manila & retire in Philippines. But otherwise live in Bangkok, make livelihood in Thailand.