What is the average cost of housing in Cebu?

If you are thinking about moving to Cebu, cost of living in probably a key consideration. Expats commented about the cost of housing...

"The cost of housing in Cebu varies depending on the location and type of property. Generally, the cost of renting an apartment or house in Cebu is relatively affordable compared to other cities in the Philippines. Prices for a one-bedroom apartment in the city center can range from around 8,000 to 15,000 Philippine Pesos per month, while outside the city center prices can be as low as 5,000 Philippine Pesos per month," remarked another expat in Cebu, Philippines.

"I haven't done a study to find the average. But for anecdotal evidence: My wife and I looked for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment. (3 bedrooms so we'd have one for us, one for the housekeeper, and a guest room. 2 baths so if someone is taking a shower and you have to go, you're not left hopping on one foot until they get out.) Prices we found for such a place were around 20k to 50k pesos per month. Obviously depending on how nice it is, location, etc. We settle on a place for P23k with AC in every room, fully furnished, in a gated community with 24 hour guards. I think that was a good deal, but not a jump up and down and shout great deal. If you're a single person looking for 1 bedroom, or if you'll take a place that isn't furnished, you can pay less. If you want something big and fancy with a pool and a private garden, expect to pay more. Places farther from city center are cheaper -- my wife wanted someplace close to malls etc, so we're in the middle of Mactan. I've heard of expats getting 1 BR apartments for under P10k -- I think that's doable. Housing prices in the Philippines seem to vary widely. Two very similar places could have very different prices. I see much more range in price here than I saw in the US. So it can make a huge difference if you take time to shop around. Two things to consider: 1. Filipino apartments are often very small. If you're looking at on-line listings, pay attention to the size of the apartment. One bedroom apartments are often like 25 sq meters. 100 sq meters is a big place by local standards. 2. Landlords often ask for 2 months rent for a security deposit and 2 months rent in advance. So you have to put down 4 months rent to move in. I come from the US where it's common for apartments to have "move in specials" where the first month is free and there's 1 month security deposit, so this was a real surprise to me. Make sure you have the cash to move in. Also, this is often negotiable. I suspect the high move in cost is more of an initial negotiating position than they really expect to get that, but I don't have enough experience to know. I came here from Michigan, which has a fairly low housing cost. A 2 BR apartment in my area was around $1000 - $1500 per month. If you're coming from New York City or Los Angeles, $3000 a month would probably sound like there must be something wrong with it that they're giving it away so cheap! Rents here are WAY lower than in the US," said a member in Cebu, Philippines.

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