What is the best place in the Philippines for a foreigner to retire?

Want some good suggestions with some reasoning. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. in boracay
2. You can rent my condo if you want? It's in the Central Business District of Manila.
3. Boracay: If u wanna have fun.........beach style Province (ex: Iligan City): Simple Life Unknown Islet in the Philippines: Your Own Private Paradise
4. You better buy the lot of my Mom on an island. It is a good place to live in. If you are interested, do get in touch with me.
5. if you insist on retiring in the PI...travel to Angeles and talk to the Americans there.....dont buy right off the bat...plenty of time and plenty of choices.....dont get stuck out in the boonies.......contact the local vfw there too
6. I'd suggest somewhere away from Manila . That leaves a lot of places I know ,but I think any would work . I myself like the subdivisions outside of Angeles city .
7. It depends on how you want to live / what you want to do. Puerto Galera is good if you want a calm place and still be able to get to Manila easily whenever you want or need to. The Subic area is similar. Coron is also a nice area, but very rural. Boracay is nice, but I think would get boring after a while and it is expensive. Angeles is only good if you like 24/7 beer drinking and prostitutes. There isn't much to do there besides that, and it is far from the sea. I had the impression that the foreigners living in Angeles were bit "low class" compared to Puerto Galera for example.
8. I live in and like Angeles. some good restaurants relative to other provincial areas, lots of hospitals in our area, plenty malls, and of course the bars and girls. If you want scenic beauty this is not the place though.
9. Cebu - because of it's history. This is also the oldest city in the country. Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the country and the main center of commerce, trade, education and industry in the central and southern parts of the archipelago. It has five-star hotels, casinos, white sand beaches, world-class golf courses, convention centers, and shopping malls. The UK-based Condenast Travellers Magazine named Cebu the 8th best Asian-Pacific island destination in 2005, and 7th in 2004.
10. For you? He he. Judging from your knowledge of massage parlors in Thailand, you'd probably enjoy Thailand. The Philippines has enough DOM's. LOL.. that's dirty old men. Leave our country alone!!
11. I have been retired and living in Iloilo (Panay island, 3rd largest) located in the Visayas (middle). We rarely get hit by a typhoon like the northern part of the Philippines. I am retired US Navy, 45 yo. Married to a local gal. Iloilo is a small but growing city with a small expat population. We have no major industry here so no pollution like Manila or cebu. It's also about 1/3 cheaper to live here. Our industries here are Colleges and farming. We have 5 major shopping malls, supermarkets with imported foods, 2 golf courses and many nice resorts and resturants. There are 3 good well equipped private hospitals here with a fourth opening jan 6th that will also be the only heart center in the Visayas. Rent here varies from P 10,000 ($200) for a 2 br apartment/duplex to P20,000 ($400) for a 3/4 br house. A 3br townhouse type apartment is P 15,000 ($300). These are in nice gated/guarded subdivisions. Easy to get around by cab/trike/jeepney. Helpers are cheap. A live in maid starts at P1,500 ($30) a month plus room and board. A full time driver is P 3,000 ($60) to P 4,000 ($80) plus room and board. Boaracay is only a 2.5 hour drive away. The neighbouring island of Guimeras is only 10 min by pumpboat. Bacolod City on Negros is only 1 hour anf 15 away by fast ferry. The casino Philippino and Golden Fields are there. Might not be "the best" place to retire, but it's a good place to start looking. Write me offlist if you'd like to know more. Paul in Iloilo
12. Davao is another nice city especially for family life. It would not be the best location if you are looking for the fast life and lots of entertainment. It is located in Mindanao, but I believe the U.S. State Department does an injustice by warning against travel to Mindanao without removing Davao from the warning. The city is clean, no pollution problems, fine hospitals, the only 911 system in all of Asia, and the local government is great. In fact the 911 System has the most modern equipment available. I rent a new three bedroom, three bath home in a secure subdivision for 18,000 pesos (50 to $1). My water is less than $3 a month, electricity (A/C) less than $75 a month. A full time housekeeper can be gotten for less than 150 pesos a day although I choose to pay 2000 pesos a week. Doctor visits run about 300 pesos. I do not use my insurance co-pay on medication because paying for the medication outright is cheaper than filing with insurance company and paying co-pay. There are adjustments anyone must make when they leave their home country for a new life, but those adjustments are much easier in the Philippines since the majority of people can speak and understand English and signage is in English.
13. Hi, pretty much anywhere is nice, i go to cebu a lot, plenty of retired foreigners on mactan island and in the city itself, but you'll find retired foreigners in every city and even out in the sticks. hopefully the website below can help you.