# Where to live?



## GregShires (Oct 31, 2013)

I'm getting married to a Filipina in July and then returning to states for six months before I make the final move back. My question is my wife is from Cavite City just south of Manila so is most of her family who all seem to be great people but Her and I both don't want to live close to them [200to300miles] So can anyone tell me about some nice places to live maybe close to the water with a good cost of living. My wife doesn't know any where but Cavite City area and Manila and I don't want to live in Manila. I will appreciate any info that I can check out


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

It depends what your needs are, Subic/olongapo area is popular with expats, or somewhere like Dumaguete or Bacalog on ******.


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## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

*Where to Live*



GregShires said:


> I'm getting married to a Filipina in July and then returning to states for six months before I make the final move back. My question is my wife is from Cavite City just south of Manila so is most of her family who all seem to be great people but Her and I both don't want to live close to them [200to300miles] So can anyone tell me about some nice places to live maybe close to the water with a good cost of living. My wife doesn't know any where but Cavite City area and Manila and I don't want to live in Manila. I will appreciate any info that I can check out


Greg,

It really depends on where you and your future wife want to live. It also depends on how much income a month you make which determines your living expenses every month. You might consider Bacoor, which is between Manila and General Trias, General Trias, where my wife and I live, Dasmarinas, even Tagaytay. All of these places are in Cavite Province. It is better for you to marry locally, either civil or church wedding, your choice. There are many other places that you can live, Cebu City, it just depends on your choice. Once you do make your final move here, your wife can petition you for permanent residency. There are lots of threads here on EXPAT the provides links and information. You also have to understand that until the Permanent Residency is in effect, you will be a year on probation before the final step is done. During this year you can travel anywhere within the country but are forbidden to leave. I would suggest that after you two marry, find a place where you can buy the land, in her name, and a house, in both your names. Your wife will also need to make changes on her passport, NBI clearance, Barangay Clearance, Postal Photo ID, etc. It took my wife and I 26 days to get married and we followed the procedures as required by the Marriage License Bureau in Manila. 

Good luck and best wishes.


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## billygoat993 (Jan 18, 2014)

Try Sta Rosa laguna, not tgat traffic compared to cavite. There are villages high end to low end. If u like to go cavite or makati its easier cause not to far. If u intend to build value of property here go up fast.


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## GregShires (Oct 31, 2013)

Thanks billygoat sounds like a good place to check out


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## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

You might also check out Baguio, it is about 10 degrees cooler there but it rains more. It is about 5 hours North of Manila.


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

One thing you'll have to consider is that living conditions within a given area can change markedly within a relatively short period of time. The same thing is also true for certain metropolitan areas of the US, but when a community south over here, it really goes south.

My wife and I have been coming to Mactan Island, (near Cebu City) since the early 1980s, and we always dreamed of building a house in Lapu Lapu City. During the 80s & 90s it appeared that the economy was slowly picking up here, and that the infrastructure were also slowly being upgraded. This trend continued until approximately 1998, when suddenly the economy took off like a rocket, and then suddenly there were new motorcycle dealerships and shopping malls opening up all over Mactan Island. The local economy took a big hit in 2001, and a lot of building projects were simply abandoned unfinished. Things seemed to somewhat stabilize by 2004, but once again the bottom fail out of everything in 2008, and the local economy never recovered since then, and now the local government doesn't seem to have any money to fix roads. To make matters worse, the local government encouraged people to get licenses to drive tricicabs, as a means to counter high unemployment, and now the local streets are absolutely clogged with thousands of tricicabs, all competing with one another for passengers. Additionally, a lot of the tricicabs drivers use a stimulant drug known as shabu (similar to meth, I'm told) and that has caused a crime problem in our area.

I guess I would recommend taking a drive through any area you are considering, and look to see if there are a lot of abandoned constructions projects, which look they have been sitting empty for several years. (There is an old unfinished highrise hotel near my house, where a lot of shabu dealers, addicts and prostitutes are now squatting.) Also, I would recommend going to a nice family owned business, such as a small restaurant or store, and ask the people what they think of the area. If you're dealing with educated locals, usually they are willing to give somewhat of a reliable accounting of the local area. Maybe you'll bump into a fellow expat who can also give you their views on the local community. Ask polite questions such as "How long have you lived in this area?" "How do you like living here?" How has the area changed in recent years?" Intermix these with other polite questions and you should be able to get some useful info.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I'm just amazed how much Lapu Lapu City has changed during the past thirty years, and until 1997 or so, it still seemed somewhat like a rural community. Now however its an overgrown mess with little or no planning, and with little hope of getting back on track. Avoid barangays where the use and manufacture of shabu seems to have a strong presence, and when you see a lot of abandoned construction projects, that usually means that the local government has some serious corruption issues. I saw some beautiful communities in the mountains of Bohol, but I have not been back there since the big quake, and I don't know how well they've done since then.


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## GregShires (Oct 31, 2013)

thanks Maxx62 some very valuable info and as a former cop I know how to go thru and area and determine what going on in the neighbor hood probably the same any where you go


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## GregShires (Oct 31, 2013)

thanks again great info, that what I like about this site good informative replys


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## Glen48 (Jul 6, 2012)

I live in Plaridel about 5 minutes from the NLEX has all you need including Walter mart and Robinsons.. rent a 2 bed unit for 2500 3500 PM ,,go every where on a bike


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