Generally prices here don’t have any fair rental scheme or any other type of system that stabilises the cost. Generally people set their own values and the more you look round the better the deal. For a 1 bedroom property I would expect to pay around P8,000+ depending on location often you will find cheaper properties in the provinces but often lack facilities.
Cebu city and Mactan are more expensive than other areas of Cebu island primarily because of tourism and the commercial centre of the island but also things like Electricity rates are also higher but I believe the electricity issue is also down to the fact of the numbers of people that steal electricity by tapping the wire. There was an Expat I was talking to over a year ago who seen my bill is P1,600 a month and wondered why his was P18,000 at which point on an electrical inspection he found the internet cafe next door had actually tapped his line after the meter. There has also been an 80% increase in costs in some areas due to low water at hydro dams which meant that the coal and gas fired plants had to compensate for the lowered efficency result being everyone had to pay more.
For a rough comparison guide of how much things cost here you will find 1 beds are all around the same price. But 2 – 4 beds vary from anything from P10,000 upto and above P40,000+ a lot of this has to do with location as well as things like is it in a gated community. Generally I would expect to pay P20,000 for a 2 – 3 bedroom house inside a sub-division. It won’t be a big house as generally sub-division houses are small room sizes but at the same time it can offer a secure environment to live in if you want peace of mind.
On the other hand I do prefer to live outside in the local community as it offers more space. You will find for the same sort of money you will get a decent property with garden moving you up from around 150sqm in a sub-division to maybe 400sqm in a private compound. House won’t be as modern but at the same time I think the extra space is worth it.
Security issues depend on location as well, many Expats choose to live in Sub-divisions partly out of paranoia. Certain areas of Cebu you couldn’t pay me to live there due to high crime rates as well as drug abuse. This is why we live further out in Minglanilla it offers a town feel at the same time doesn’t currently have the same crime issues but no doubt will catch up in the next decade at which point we will still be in Minglanilla but move further away from the roads.
The road structure is also a deciding factor when looking to rent a property because most main roads with sub-divisions suffer with severe congestion at certain times of the day and its not all about moving traffic. Habal habal (motorcycle passenger vehicles) as well as peddle cabs and tricycles park right on corners congesting up streets. Personally I would if I could make it illegal to park within 100ft of any street corner to allow easing of congestion. So be warned that when you visit a property may look great in the morning but at night the vehicles and also food stalls appear depending on location. A friend of mines property is a nightmare to access at night due to a market opening up all along the street which not only narrows it you then get lazy people parking right next to the stall instead of moving off the road.
Originally posted 2010-11-12 02:14:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
