I lived in Cebu for nearly six years, and I’ve recently moved to Manila. Cebu is a safe city with nearly everything you could need to live comfortably, and what you can’t find at one of the many large supermarkets, open-air markets or malls, you can order on Lazada (the Asian “not so” equivalent to Amazon), BUT…there are very few jobs for expats that would support a standard of living like that in a developed country. I’m retired from the U.S. Military and a disabled veteran, so my income is more than enough, and I had a very uncommon job for a few years (pre-COVID) as Director of an English Academy that catered to wealthy Korean families. I can’t over-state how uncommon that was. However, there are several decent (certainly not exceptional by developed country standards) internet providers who offer high-speed fiber, and most malls and coffee shops will also have wifi, so a U.S. based web business or remote job is ideal. I should also add that since wages are so low in the Philippines (P25,000 Php, or about $460, a month), what is generally a deterrent, can also work in your favor, if you are inclined to starting and running a business. Educated Filipinos (there are many colleges in Cebu, and they’re cheap) speak decent English, so with the labor shortage in the U.S., outsourcing is a hot market.
I’ll touch on safety: The police are largely worthless, and I’m not exaggerating. The concept of “law enforcement” is non-existent. There are 100’s of thousands of police, but they’re only interested in the profession for the kick-backs and bribes they can receive. Otherwise, they’re impotent. With that said, as an expat, you have two saving graces: 1) Filipinos are easy-going, not nearly as high-strung as Americans. So, they easily let things slide that might cause an escalating confrontation in other parts of the world. As well, they’re generally non-violent; gun ownership - while allowed - is not common, and retribution by the offended is typically swift and expected. 2) As an expat, if you’re white, you’ll be called an “American,” no matter where you’re from, and all other races are “foreigners.” As such, you’ll get “hands-off” treatment. Be courteous, friendly, smile, treat people well, tip, complain empathetically (when it’s for the common good, not because you’re not getting your latte the way it’s served in the U.S.), and you will be amazed at how well you are treated. Now, I’ll add here that in certain situations, Filipinos are downright discourteous. That ugly part of the culture rears its head in two very obvious places; on the highway, where it’s “every person for themselves” in an already terrible road system, and, anytime there’s a line (que) for anything. When the dinner bell rings, same scenario, “every person for themselves.” It’s the same for getting in and out of the elevator, on an off the bus…you get it. While that’s non necessarily a safety issue, it is a huge annoyance.
Accommodations are easy to find and about a third to half the price of the U.S., at first glance. There are many 2 bedroom apartments or townhouses in Cebu for P20,000 to P25,000 a month ($365 to $450), and many of those are furnished. BUT…there are a few points that make those prices more understandable: 1) all of Asia is the same…accommodations are small. I had a 3 bedroom, unfurnished apartment with 4 bathrooms, in Talamban (a Barangay in north Cebu City) for P25,000 a month, and in Apas, I lived in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment for P18,000 a month, and every room was about 2/3 the size you’d expect in an American house or apartment. 2) Air-conditioning is not standard anywhere (but it should be!). A semi-furnished place usually means there is air-conditioning, but an unfurnished place will usually have provisions (an opening and wiring) for A/C, but the A/C unit will be at your costs. I’ve bought 6 window units since I’ve lived here, which are noisy, and inefficient. 3) There’s no such thing as hot & cold running water. Every spigot has one handle…and the temperature of the water is whatever the temperature outside is. Ha ha! A lot of the time, that means a slightly cool shower, sometimes a warm one, but in the mornings…a cold one. The only option is to install single, electric hot-water heaters in the shower, which work great, but like the window A/C’s, are very inefficient. 4) Building standards leave a lot to be desired. While apartments, townhomes or condos in the price range I’ve outlined will be generally aesthetically pleasing, a close inspection will reveal shoddy building practices, and that’s true at every price level, unless you build a custom home AND oversee the construction yourself. Insulation hasn’t been invented here, and neither has dual-pane, insulated windows. Everything is nearly 100% concrete, beam and column construction (which are normally strong), but the walls are constructed of very low PSI hollow blocks that actually crumble if you step on them. It’s a national embarrassment. Once the wall is constructed it looks nothing like a concrete wall in any developed country, so to cover the massive imperfection, an inch of concrete mortar is lathered on, with no surface preparation at all. So nearly all buildings have major cracking. Wiring? Again, the ground wire does not exist here. So that hot-water heater you install in the “wet” shower, will not be grounded. Concrete floors are never level, not in homes, malls, banks…anywhere…then tiles are installed right on top of the crooked floors, and you guessed it…they’re all cracked. Doors and windows aren’t square, lighting fixtures will be the cheapest thing the builder could find, and the same applies to faucets. “Unfinished” also means there’s no refrigerator (I’ve bought 5) and no oven. A large swath of the Philippines’ population still cooks with wood, but about half use LP gas. But where is that LP gas tank located? Outside, where it would be safe? No! It’s right there beside your over. OMG! So, while you may think…”Wow, a 3 bedroom apartment for $500 a month!,” just keep in mind that you will be sacrificing quite a bit of quality and comfort for that price, or, you’ll need to make an investment (on a place you don’t even own), to live safely and comfortably.
I’ll add one more thing about accommodations. If you’re thinking of retiring here and building a home, a) foreigners cannot own land. Your Filipino husband or wife can own the land, but if that relationship ends, they get a free house. b) Land in the cities (and even the countryside) is VERY expensive. A residential lot in Cebu will run P10,000 or more PER SQUARE METER. 500 square meters (an 1/8th of an acre), is considered a large lot, and the total price would be over $90,000. c) When you find land, it’s more than likely (not an exaggeration) in a family dispute, which you will not know about. Unlike the U.S. where a title company searches the ownership records of the land and then issues you a Title Policy to guarantee their work, here…it’s buyer beware. Happens every day…someone buys a piece of land, builds a house, then the brother who was working in Saudi Arabia comes home to find you’ve bought his land from his sister. BEWARE! d) If you don’t have the know-how to build the home yourself…don’t even think about it. I’m just going to stop right there…IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE SKILL AND EXPERTISE TO OVERSEE THE CONSTRUCTION, YOU WILL GET RIPPED OFF AND YOU’LL GET A LOW-QUALITY HOME!
I didn’t say all of this to scare you away, just to make you aware of the realities of living in a third-world country…with very little (if any) interest in becoming a developed country.
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