Where do expats live in philippines?

You get them all over the country.

Some nationalities may favour one place, others may favour another.

Some expats love to live near other expats, others prefer to live near locals, and away from expats.  Some like the Cities, some prefer the provinces.

Clark in Pampanga is popular for many Americans and Australians etc, with the availability of food etc from back home. Sausage Rolls, Apple Pies, Meat Pies etc.  Even SM Clark has a good range of western food. etc..

I was at a mall recently in Pulsar and saw more American looking Expats there than any other nationality. I don't see that many Americans at a mall in the USA.

Makati, Lesgazpi village !

I did some checking... from the 2010 statistics.

31.12% of foreigners lived in National Capital Region - Metro Manila.
22.32% lived in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi)

The largest number of foreign nationals in the Philippines was shown in the NSO figures as:

16.90% United States of America with 29,972
16.18% China with 28,705
6.53% Japan with 11,584
5.08% India with 9,007

The percentage is of the total foreigners.

Hello, Not sure how much this will help but a little more info anyway. I stayed on the outskirts of Davao City last year.; Actually Davao City is very safe for ex-pats due to the mayor. It was nice being near Samal Island and the resorts there. The amount of security can be a little unnerving at times. You must pass through security entering all the malls. Maybe it would make some people feel safer that they are doing it but had the opposite effect on me. Also when I went to a a large parade downtown all went fine but looking up on the rooftops there were snipers and spotters scanning the crowd.
The airport is supposed to be international but very difficult to find international flights without a stop and usually a layover in Manila or Cebu. There are direct flights however from Singapore. One of the retirement sites I was reading named Dumagette City as the number one expat retirement location in the Phils. Many people seem to like it there very much.

Alexw08 wrote:

Hello, Not sure how much this will help but a little more info anyway. I stayed on the outskirts of Davao City last year.; Actually Davao City is very safe for ex-pats due to the mayor. It was nice being near Samal Island and the resorts there. The amount of security can be a little unnerving at times. You must pass through security entering all the malls. Maybe it would make some people feel safer that they are doing it but had the opposite effect on me. Also when I went to a a large parade downtown all went fine but looking up on the rooftops there were snipers and spotters scanning the crowd.
The airport is supposed to be international but very difficult to find international flights without a stop and usually a layover in Manila or Cebu. There are direct flights however from Singapore. One of the retirement sites I was reading named Dumagette City as the number one expat retirement location in the Phils. Many people seem to like it there very much.

there are even international airports that dont have any international flights  ,flights between cebu and davao are very cheap  with airasia and cebu pacific  if booked few weeks /months in advance  .

22.32% lived in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi)   and they are still alive?

Yes there are cheap flights to Cebu and to Manila from Davao City if you do not travel so much maybe not a big issue. I do not want to have a stopover each time I want to leave the country.  I am not sure about Air Asia but Cebu Pacific has a horrible record of delayed and canceled flights; I used them once going to Boracay from Davao City the connecting flight from Cebu was cancelled causing a 4 hour delay then on the return leg the trip to Cebu was cancelled and had to take the 3 hour ride in a cramped van for the flight to Cebu. If you were flying out of Manila to another country and you booked the flight to Manila on Cebu Pacific and it got cancelled making you miss the flight then you have no recourse;.
After my experiences with Cebu Pacific I would rather pay the extra money and fly Philippine Airlines.it is a shame that they do not offer more direct international flights from Davao and even though I felt relatively safe I don't want to live in a city where they feel the need to have snipers on the roofs every time they have some king of public celebration.I understand many people are happy to live there but I gave it a try for 6 months and just was not what I was looking for.,

greenetravel wrote:

22.32% lived in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi)   and they are still alive?

I did wonder about the figure for that area too, but then I guessed that the region may be popular for Muslim foreigners to settle.

Bohol.
There must be Thousands of 'em.

I HAVE LIVED IN NEGROS AND CEBU...BOTH ARE GREAT...ITS DEPENDS WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR IN YOUR LIFE...

Ok thanks I will probably give both a look, I am wondering ifI am looking in Cebu City which area for safe somewhat affordable housing. I can do 6 month lease but reluctant to do more. It has been many years since I was there except stuck at the airport thanks to Cebu Pacific. It seems I remember a nice area in the hills above the city not sure what it was called and also Lapu Lapu City I am curious about. I would have around 600 to 650 to spend for a 2 bedroom apartment or condo. Any area recommendations with that budget in mind. Also I see quite a long rainy season in the area with more than 100 inches of rain in June (that was for Negros but would assume they are similar due to close proximity) Maybe it is like some places I have been where you know it will probably rain but will stop at some point in the day?

Alexw08 wrote:

Ok thanks I will probably give both a look, I am wondering ifI am looking in Cebu City which area for safe somewhat affordable housing. I can do 6 month lease but reluctant to do more. It has been many years since I was there except stuck at the airport thanks to Cebu Pacific. It seems I remember a nice area in the hills above the city not sure what it was called and also Lapu Lapu City I am curious about. I would have around 600 to 650 to spend for a 2 bedroom apartment or condo. Any area recommendations with that budget in mind. Also I see quite a long rainy season in the area with more than 100 inches of rain in June (that was for Negros but would assume they are similar due to close proximity) Maybe it is like some places I have been where you know it will probably rain but will stop at some point in the day?

When looking at places, also take account of exact location and transport options to shops etc., unless you have your own transport, bike car etc.

At my last place I was within walking distance of everything, but now, at a new place, it looks like I am going to be spending about 2,000 pesos a month on various travel costs.  I am glad I am paying 7,000 pesos less in rent

i stayed in Lapu Lapu in 2013, found a decent condo for 20k per month, furnished, month to month, but it was a promo.  Worth looking at various advertising places to see if they are still doing them.  I just saw an advert again, for 22,700 pm

Hello JOE CLOUGH,

Thank you to lower the caps while writing on the thread 

Although I'm sure you were not shouting at anyone 

Thank you,
Marjorie

My flight from Manila to busuanga was cancelled 5mins after being seated. Due to loss of daylight. No runway lights in busuanga. Cebu pacific ordered shuttle bus to hotel overnight and rescheduled a flight for next morning. Couldn't fault them. All pid for by Cebu. Quit griping!

Alexw08 wrote:

Yes there are cheap flights to Cebu and to Manila from Davao City if you do not travel so much maybe not a big issue. I do not want to have a stopover each time I want to leave the country.  I am not sure about Air Asia but Cebu Pacific has a horrible record of delayed and canceled flights; I used them once going to Boracay from Davao City the connecting flight from Cebu was cancelled causing a 4 hour delay then on the return leg the trip to Cebu was cancelled and had to take the 3 hour ride in a cramped van for the flight to Cebu. If you were flying out of Manila to another country and you booked the flight to Manila on Cebu Pacific and it got cancelled making you miss the flight then you have no recourse;.
After my experiences with Cebu Pacific I would rather pay the extra money and fly Philippine Airlines.it is a shame that they do not offer more direct international flights from Davao and even though I felt relatively safe I don't want to live in a city where they feel the need to have snipers on the roofs every time they have some king of public celebration.I understand many people are happy to live there but I gave it a try for 6 months and just was not what I was looking for.,

most likely there are snipers in your own country too during big events  but maybe you arent looking for them as much as in davao  ?   wouldnt it be a good idea to check out what your flight options are before going to live there?  even cebu doesnt have that many international flights compared to manila  ,even if u booked a flight with phil airline and that was delayed or cancelled     -then have no recourse either if flight is with another airline   .

I think the percentages have changed with respect to where expats in the Philippines come from.

jasonkennedy wrote:

I think the percentages have changed with respect to where expats in the Philippines come from.

But what have they changed to ?

Actually I have been to many big events in the USA and seen snipers on rooftops, Maybe they will have in Boston but nowhere near where I live in Florida and I look around just as much being a photographer. There should be more International flights from Cebu I agree .I did not go there to to Davao City to live but to give it a look and see how I liked it after six months which I did and i was mistaken to believe there would be International flights from the International airport .  I cannot tell you of any incidents in any area near where I live that i can tell you the last time a bomb went off in a movie theater but I can in Davao City . I did not enjoy having my vehicle searched and then my bags searched upon entering the mall each time. If it makes yo feel safer good on you but not for me. The in country flight reliability of all the airlines except Philippine Air is horrendous. I would not expect to be bussed three hours from one airport to the next to complete my in country flight. I probably; will pass on living there as there are much nicer places IMHO to live including the USA. Maybe my experience would have been different in another part of the Phils but have no way to know .If you love it there great for you as I did not, That is why I made the post inquiring about some different areas in the Philippines,

More Aussie's,  Brit's,  Koreans,  and  now  Russians.

Everywhere, from the cities to the jungles, or at least on the edge of the jungle.  Wouldn't surprise me if a few lived right in the jungle too.  I knew one that lived in a small cubo, (native house) on the side of the road.  He had no electric and no running water.  He did live near the sea though and shared he enjoyed bathing in there and going fishing for his food.  (I'm not sure he is still living there though)  As there are many places to live, you can find an expat living there.

If u like the guite life Bicol is great, we live in Naga it has everything one could need as well as a fair few expats to have a beer with
Peter

Tagaytay and surrounding upland areas. Cool weather, expensive or reasonable that's up to you and your lifestyle. We love it.

I have lived all over the Philippines but have settled for Dumaguete.
Has everything that I need, and I always feel safe here, although I dont
hit the night life....... not a teenager anymore. lol.
Only my opinion, but I am sure other places that I have not been to
would also be just as good...MAYBE.
Good luck.

I still live in the USA but will probably make the move within the next year or two.  I've been on a number of blogs for years, and I can tell you the most popular destinations with North Americans (apart from the national capital region) are Tagaytay, Naga, Dumeguete, Cebu and Davao (those are not in any particular order).  I think for most (but not all) its important to be within several hours at least of decent medical facilities.  All the cities I mentioned above have those.  Alabang is nice and the Asian Hospital is there which is top notch, but Alabang is very expensive.  On the other hand its got every modern convenience and you can get to Manila in an hour.

I have lived in Davao City for a number of years. We have a law and order Mayor, world class drinking water and we are out of the Typhoon zone. Most things are available here, but travel overseas is requiring a stop over, but unless you fly out a lot, this is not an issue. Rents are much cheaper than Manila and Cebu.
Regards, Norman Allard

In view of ur transportation concerns I will suggest you look to Mendez or Silang, Cavite.. Bus to Manila every 30 minutes or less. Also elevation equals cooler air. We love Tagaytay. May you find your preference.                                                                blvdbum

I live in Pampanga, where do you find this shops I am Australian

samangelevski wrote:

I live in Pampanga, where do you find this shops I am Australian

If you are still living in Concepcion there is that brand new Waltermart and several new stores further in town. RCS is right next to the public market and KFC is just about done being built. Then there is the Angeles jeepney that takes ya just outside of SM mall at clark. If you're looking for food items from OZ, there are the duty free shops on Clark and also Johnny's Supermarket in Mc Arthur Hwy in Angeles. Pretty good choices I'd say 

I see you know lot about Concepcion, you right about all left out we have Poorgold here too, but have you seen them, 4 supermarkets and they so close to each other, i have been to all and yet buy not much from there, the quality is not to international standards, so most my meat shopping is done at S&R and not there is new one as from October S&R at Dau, I am not sure but what I see is nothing fresh in Supermarkets, not sure where you combing from, but if you are local need to check out close by Countries, it is shame this is Asian country but if you try to compere it, they are like light years apart.

samangelevski wrote:

I see you know lot about Concepcion, you right about all left out we have Poorgold here too, but have you seen them, 4 supermarkets and they so close to each other, i have been to all and yet buy not much from there, the quality is not to international standards, so most my meat shopping is done at S&R and not there is new one as from October S&R at Dau, I am not sure but what I see is nothing fresh in Supermarkets, not sure where you combing from, but if you are local need to check out close by Countries, it is shame this is Asian country but if you try to compere it, they are like light years apart.

We spend much time in and around Concepcion as my wife is from and still has a family farm in Castillo. The only problems I've noticed most stores there and most places is the lack of enough parking. Puregold is pretty good, especially the one in Clark. Expensive but good. We actually live just a short distance outside of Magalang town and not too from from the Angeles Flying Club.
I moved here from the States quite a few years ago but certainly not to find everything on an international standard. To do that one would likely have to live in Makati or a like area in Manila.
I'm told that S&R is pretty good but have yet to join and use them. Where we are I have found the local public market good and what they don't carry we get at either Purgold or Hypermart in either Dau or in SM. Living in a 3rd world country can be pretty rough but can also be what you make of it. Lots of good here as well as some drawbacks. Not enough though to ever cause me to leave

Navajo52 wrote:

samangelevski wrote:

I see you know lot about Concepcion, you right about all left out we have Poorgold here too, but have you seen them, 4 supermarkets and they so close to each other, i have been to all and yet buy not much from there, the quality is not to international standards, so most my meat shopping is done at S&R and not there is new one as from October S&R at Dau, I am not sure but what I see is nothing fresh in Supermarkets, not sure where you combing from, but if you are local need to check out close by Countries, it is shame this is Asian country but if you try to compere it, they are like light years apart.

We spend much time in and around Concepcion as my wife is from and still has a family farm in Castillo. The only problems I've noticed most stores there and most places is the lack of enough parking. Puregold is pretty good, especially the one in Clark. Expensive but good. We actually live just a short distance outside of Magalang town and not too from from the Angeles Flying Club.
I moved here from the States quite a few years ago but certainly not to find everything on an international standard. To do that one would likely have to live in Makati or a like area in Manila.
I'm told that S&R is pretty good but have yet to join and use them. Where we are I have found the local public market good and what they don't carry we get at either Purgold or Hypermart in either Dau or in SM. Living in a 3rd world country can be pretty rough but can also be what you make of it. Lots of good here as well as some drawbacks. Not enough though to ever cause me to leave

Just wondering what S&R is?

Thanks in advance.

pej1111 wrote:

Navajo52 wrote:

samangelevski wrote:

I see you know lot about Concepcion, you right about all left out we have Poorgold here too, but have you seen them, 4 supermarkets and they so close to each other, i have been to all and yet buy not much from there, the quality is not to international standards, so most my meat shopping is done at S&R and not there is new one as from October S&R at Dau, I am not sure but what I see is nothing fresh in Supermarkets, not sure where you combing from, but if you are local need to check out close by Countries, it is shame this is Asian country but if you try to compere it, they are like light years apart.

We spend much time in and around Concepcion as my wife is from and still has a family farm in Castillo. The only problems I've noticed most stores there and most places is the lack of enough parking. Puregold is pretty good, especially the one in Clark. Expensive but good. We actually live just a short distance outside of Magalang town and not too from from the Angeles Flying Club.
I moved here from the States quite a few years ago but certainly not to find everything on an international standard. To do that one would likely have to live in Makati or a like area in Manila.
I'm told that S&R is pretty good but have yet to join and use them. Where we are I have found the local public market good and what they don't carry we get at either Purgold or Hypermart in either Dau or in SM. Living in a 3rd world country can be pretty rough but can also be what you make of it. Lots of good here as well as some drawbacks. Not enough though to ever cause me to leave

Just wondering what S&R is?

Thanks in advance.

Good Morning,

S&R is a membership type store. It's parent company is Costco in the United States. I think their yearly membership cost is something like P700. Not bad for the items they carry.
Here's a link to their Home Page and they have a list of locations.


Navajo52

Costco is not related to S&R.

FortuneFavorsTheBold wrote:

Costco is not related to S&R.

My information may be wrong but I had been curious about it and found what I thought was a credable article saying it was.
Whatever it is, I'm gonna have to get a membership and give them a try.

I wouldn't waste the money. They are NOT at all like Costco in any way, shape, or form.

If it's only P700 or so it's not a big deal. On another forum, many of the guys say they are pretty good. Prices can be a bit high but from what I read they have good stuff and lots of hard to find items from home. We drove past the new one in Dau (close to Angeles City) before it opened. Pretty good size and I think worth the effort to check out. Have to admit; the Hypermart in Dau is on the way there for us and would probably be most inclined to just shop Hypermart and avoid further traffic and crazy drivers.

So you are close by, I or I should say we are often at MS Clark some times to watch Move or let our Kid play in one of kids play centres they have there, Shopping Centres are great, they do look good they have nice restaurants, which we eat in the every time we are there about 2 times a week, you may think I am silly driving all the way up there, but I am not what else can I do in province, most of the time I feel I am in jail here. then 2 times a week to Tarlac that is good one too, this is just how I kill the week, apart from that there is not much, I am yet to find some nice fun places, I think Angeles have few of them what I have seen on the net, waiting for cooler weather, but where is it strange this time last year was nice, but this year we going to miss out on cooler days, any way my name is Sam nice meeting you here