Quote: (01-11-2015 01:37 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:
Based on my limited experience, I would say Manila is a better place to live than Jakarta, at least because pretty much everybody speaks English. Small things matter, like getting your utility bill or power outage notice in English as opposed to Indonesian or being able to read instructions on your SIM card package and connecting to the internet right away without having to walk around looking for a cell phone shop with English speaking staff who will help you.
Yes, day to day living in Manila, especially the Fort, is easy. It’s very simple to take care of all the little things in life here. Note that foreigners working in Manila do not live in Manila. When people are talking about Manila it’s Makati/Ortigas/Fort/Rockwell/etc. Manila is a shithole and there’s little reason to go there.
Quote: (01-11-2015 01:37 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:
If I were to choose a city to stay for a few months or more, I would probably not go to Manila or Jakarta unless I got a job or business connections requiring me to be there. I would look for a second tier city such as Cebu, Davao or Dumaguete (I haven't been to any of them yet, though, so can't speak from experience). Depending on your situation in SF, you may find that you'll be spending almost as much to live in Jakarta or Manila. While food and services are generally cheaper, rent is not cheap at all if you need a decent apartment in a nice neighborhood.
My monthly bills here, for a 650sqft apt in one of the best parts of the city, are around $1000 for rent, power, internet, cable, and water. If you live in SF proper you’ll be paying 2x to 3x that plus everything else. Things like having a maid clean here saves you time and money too. Overall I think Manila isn’t the best value but it’s acceptable.
To each their own, but I tried Cebu and quickly grew tired of it. I found the air quality nearly as bad, the housing selection was very poor, the costs not much cheaper, and the city to be very provincial with really not much to do. Overall I prefer Manila as it has more variety, higher quality of expats, far better nightlife options, millions more girls, places you can actually take a walk, more parks (though very few still) and overall it's more cosmopolitan/international.
I don't think I could live anywhere in the Phils without extended breaks and travel.
Quote: (01-11-2015 01:37 PM)Brodiaga Wrote:
Both cities suck when it comes to air quality and environment. The air quality is so bad that you might as well start smoking because you're fucking up your lungs anyway. Canals, at least in Jakarta, are so full of garbage and filth that the filthy water doesn't drain to the ocean anymore, so basically the city is slowly drowning in its own filth. I heard that the situation is pretty similar in Manila, though not as severe.
Yes, air quality and environment does suck here. You can try to mitigate it by living in in areas near gold courses and without jeepneys. Again, if you live in Manila you’ll never really go to ‘Manila’. I’ve only been a couple times. You won’t be passing slums on the way to the grocery store here.