Originally Posted by bello85

I might have an offer in the pipeline to work in Manila, and before I agree I want to understand how things work and the cost of various things.

I've been doing my research and got some rough ideas already but thought it best to ask directly on here for some up to date information.

Apologies in advance if you think there are too many questions but thought it best just to put them all down on one thread, and maybe these questions answered will help others in the near future.

So here goes, if you could kindly help in answering the following:

The office is located between Mandaluyong and Pasig, which website can I use to start getting an idea of places to rent?

www.ayosdito.com Just go to property rentals under manila type in the places you mentioned and you will get a lot shown

Will £500 a month get me a nice 2 bed apartment?

What is nice, furnished, unfurnished? etc

What else do you have to pay for on top of the rent, and roughly how much per month? Electricity, Council tax, water, house insurance??

You will be expected to issue posted dated cheques for the rental with 4 months down payment, which you may find hard to get back when you leave. power is the second most expensive in Asia after Japan expect bills of 10,000 a month or more if you like air con when you are home. Could be cheaper if you have Inverter air con. You may also be expected to pay monthly dues on top. Ask about the xtras and be sure to secure a lease with all details spelled out

I will need a sim card with 3g data for my phone, what's the best provider in this area and how much will it roughly cost for lets say 1gb of data plus a decent amount of minutes and text? Or just some examples of deals that others currently have and the price.

Easy disposable cell phones for 1000 pesos with Globe or Smart(Smart is a brand in this context) sim cards easy to load. If you are looking at Internet Smart then you can get those but no idea of the costs

Best TV, Broadband and Phone deal and costs?

PLDT will provide 3mb and telephone land line no call costs in Manila area for about 2000 pesos per month

What kind of download speeds can you get currently for broadband?

1mb up to 8 mb with PLDT with telephone is 1700 to 4700 pesos a month. often have interruptions and speeds no where near what you are paying for.

Is the satellite anything like SKY TV in the UK?

Satellite is very limited many use on line streaming or cable tv . cable can be as little as 500 pesos a month for 100 channels if you like live sports then Internet streaming is the way to go


Average weekly cost for groceries etc for a single lad

Depends on your preferences, supermarkets are competitively priced and have imported food sections


Recreational Questions:

Is the nearest nice beach a bus or a plane ride away?

There no nice beaches anywhere close to where you are so expect to fly

Is there casino's where you can play texas hold em cash poker?

Plenty of Casinos, no idea what they offer

Is there Badminton clubs (links?) and what price for a session or membership?

No idea

Average cost of a 10 min/ 5 mile taxi journey?

Taxis are better these days with meters just make it clear that you expect the meter just say 'Meter po' Yellow airport taxis though a little more expensive are far less hassle

And most importantly Average cost of a pint of beer (I know this will vary on area but just to give a rough idea)

Sold in 330ml bottles you can buy in supermarket for under 25 pesos a bottom. Imported is available but is more expensive. Bar prices are always more expensive and for local beers can be anywhere from 50 pesos to 150 pesos depending on where you go

I will update this original post with the answers as I go along. Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by Hamish Healys

I’ve lived in Manila before as an expat. It’s a very cosmopolitan city and the living is easy. Yes, you should be able to get a nice, clean, decent apartment for 400-600 pounds. If your job’s going to be somewhere in Mandaluyong or Pasig. Your best bet to stay would be in Ortigas Center or Greenhills. A great-tasting beer will cost you on the average about $1 and most of the casinos around the city has areas for playing Texas Hold’em poker. or. there’s a club that holds daily tournaments on this. It’s at the Metrowalk, a commercial center also within the area. …the girls? They’re gorgeous!