Why You Shouldn’t Get A Golden Visa
The tide is turning among Europe’s golden visa programs. A wave of more restrictive policies, more expensive minimum thresholds, and...
Read moreKathleen is the Live and Invest Overseas Founding Publisher. She has more than 30 years of hands-on experience traveling, living, and buying property around the world.
Cebu City, sometimes known as the Queen City of the south is the capital of Cebu Island. With nearly a million residents, this is a busy, vibrant place and the commercial hub of the Visayan Islands.
Outside of the city you’ll some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world: narrow coastlines with bright blue waters and limestone plateaus offset by rolling hills and rugged mountains. Fortunately, Cebu is protected by outer lying islands from the fierce typhoon winds that beat on some parts of these islands most years. Winter in Cebu (October to February) can be delightful; temperatures are about 75 degrees Fahrenheit and accompanied by gentle breezes.
Expats in Cebu come from all over the world, but the majority are from the United States, England, and Australia, plus a few from Germany. There are good numbers of men aged 45 to their mid-60s who’ve come so their pensions will stretch much further than they would back home and, often, to restart their lives with new wives and new families. English speakers will have no difficulty at all here, as English is an official language of the Philippines and most people are fluent.
Cebu is home to Mactan-Cebu International Airport, from which it is easy for retirees to fly back to U.S. And Mactan-Cebu makes it just as easy for family and friends to fly in for a visit. To top it off, the Philippines offers generous residency visas for retirees.
The two big advantages of the Philippines in general are the cost of living and real estate costs. This is a popular destination among retired U.S. military, because the people are friendly, the health care is good, and a military pension buys a better-than-comfortable standard of living.
While Cebu is one of the more expensive places to live in the Philippines, it’s still possible to live extremely well, on a modest budget.
Housing options in the city itself vary greatly. From one- to three-bedroom apartments, with separate quarters for live-in help, and three-bedroom, three-bathroom condos to lower-end apartments further from the heart of the business city, which most likely don’t have running hot water. Should you have your eye on one of these more basic apartments, rest assured a water-heater can be installed easily and economically.
Start Your New Life Today, Overseas
Expense | Monthly Cost | Notes |
---|---|---|
Rent | PHP 19,113 | |
Gas | PHP 425 | Used for cooking. |
Electricity | PHP 1,274 | No air conditioning installed. |
Water | PHP 425 | |
Telephone | PHP 425 | Monthly cellphone contract (700 pesos if landline is desired). |
Internet | PHP 1,700 | Wireless. |
Cable TV | PHP 1,274 | |
Groceries | PHP 8,495 | |
Entertainment | PHP 10,618 | |
Total | PHP 43,749 |
Click here for currency conversion at today’s exchange rate.
The tide is turning among Europe’s golden visa programs. A wave of more restrictive policies, more expensive minimum thresholds, and...
Read moreGood-Weather Tagaytay Is Emerging As A Top Choice For The Retiree On A Budget The city of Tagaytay is one...
Read moreThe tide is turning among Europe’s golden visa programs. A wave of more restrictive policies, more...
Read moreWe've all read axioms about travel... "It's not the destination, it's the journey... " Or this from J.R.R. Tolkien: "Not all those who wander are lost... " Or this gem from Caskie Stinnett, which rings so true to me: "I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine." Why, when choosing to retire abroad, must it be a matter of exchanging one home in one location for another in a new location? One daily routine for another?...
Read more© 2008 - 2024 Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.
Sign up to receive the FREE daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter and we’ll immediately email you our editors’ latest research report…
RETIRE OVERSEAS AND LIVE LIKE ROYALTY
Are The Philippines Your Dream Destination?
© 2008 - 2024 Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.