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Philippines | What is the average cost of housing in Philippines? | Expat Exchange
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Street Vendors in Manila, Phillipines

What is the average cost of housing in Philippines?

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

"Lower than Sydney by miles! Condos can be had for 20k/mo and up, all the way to 70k/mo if you are getting a good allowance or feeling rich. Furnished adds far more than the cost of buying stuff, so if you are staying more than a year consider going unfurnished," commented one expat who made the move to Manila, Philippines.

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"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," remarked another expat in Cebu, Philippines.

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What is the average cost of housing in Philippines?

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About the Author

Betsy Burlingame Betsy Burlingame is the Founder and President of Expat Exchange and is one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. She launched Expat Exchange in 1997 as her Master's thesis project at NYU. Prior to Expat Exchange, Betsy worked at AT&T in International and Mass Market Marketing. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in International Business and German.

Some of Betsy's articles include 12 Best Places to Live in Portugal, 7 Best Places to Live in Panama and 12 Things to Know Before Moving to the Dominican Republic. Betsy loves to travel and spend time with her family. Connect with Betsy on LinkedIn.

Street Vendors in Manila, Phillipines
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