Tagaytay

[craftbeerlover]

My filipina wife and I are planning on moving to Tagaytay. Have a host of questions:
Is it easy and safe to have my retirement checks sent to a filipino bank? Are there other, smarter alternatives? Would we get a better price on a rental if my wife negotiated the price without me (not advertising she is married to an american), is it wise to get a place with A/C ONLY in the bedroom and maybe living room or can it be affordable to get A/C in most rooms? Any idea on the crime rate in Tagaytay? Medical care/facilities in Tagaytay? How much impact do typhoons have on Tagaytay? Guesstimate on cost of living - looking for a two or three bedroom place. Other than Baguio are there other alternatives for a place to live where the climate is a little more tolerable? For daily/weekly normal expenses, are people using debit cards to get cash? Credit cards??
If I have no foreign transaction fee on my credit card is it wise to continue using it and pay my monthly expenses online using my bank in the usa? Any other thoughts on living/moving to Tagaytay are appreciated.

[OnMyWay]

My filipina wife and I are planning on moving to Tagaytay. Have a host of questions:

Is it easy and safe to have my retirement checks sent to a filipino bank? Are there other, smarter alternatives? Would we get a better price on a rental if my wife negotiated the price without me (not advertising she is married to an american), is it wise to get a place with A/C ONLY in the bedroom and maybe living room or can it be affordable to get A/C in most rooms? Any idea on the crime rate in Tagaytay? Medical care/facilities in Tagaytay? How much impact do typhoons have on Tagaytay? Guesstimate on cost of living - looking for a two or three bedroom place. Other than Baguio are there other alternatives for a place to live where the climate is a little more tolerable? For daily/weekly normal expenses, are people using debit cards to get cash? Credit cards??

If I have no foreign transaction fee on my credit card is it wise to continue using it and pay my monthly expenses online using my bank in the usa? Any other thoughts on living/moving to Tagaytay are appreciated.

 

I don't know a lot about Tagaytay as I have only been there once for a day, but I can get you started with a few of your questions.  I think my answers are what you will get from most of the members here.

 

Is it easy and safe to have my retirement checks sent to a filipino bank?

I think most prefer not to do this.  They keep a US bank account and have retirement checks sent there.

 

are people using debit cards to get cash? Credit cards??

The preferred long term method to transfer money is to open 2 accounts at a Philippines bank:  One peso and one dollars.  You can write a check from your US bank to your Philippines USD account and it will clear in 3-4 weeks.  You control when you exchange from dollars to pesos, and there are no fees involved.

 

If I have no foreign transaction fee on my credit card is it wise to continue using it and pay my monthly expenses online using my bank in the usa?

You can use your credit card some places but be careful of the exchange rate applied.  You might lose money on the exchange.

You can't pay your Philippines expenses online from a US bank.

You can pay some expenses online from your Philippines bank, but not all.  I have to pay my electric in person.  Water online.  You can mail checks but not many do that, I suspect.

 

Would we get a better price on a rental if my wife negotiated the price without me (not advertising she is married to an american),

Absolutely

 

Guesstimate on cost of living - looking for a two or three bedroom place

Look online at Sulit.com to get an idea of high prices.  The good prices will not be online and you have to find them by looking at signs, etc.

[craftbeerlover]

Thanks OnMyWay,

Another question came to mind:  Bringing kitchen appliances etc.  I would imagine I need to purchase a voltage converter - any issues there, and can I get a decent one in the Philippines?

 

Cheers and thanks

[JJReyes]

1. No problem arranging automatic transfer of your social security checks to a Philippine Bank. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has agreements with central banks all over the world to do this  No fees. The local banks make their money in the foreign exchange transaction. Exceptions are Cuba and North Korea. Whether you decide on this course of action is up to you.

 

2. Tagaytay is at a higher elevation. You may not need air conditioning at least for most of the year. I doubt you will need it at night. The sloping land leading to the ridge line is conducive to creating breezes. 

 

3. Have your wife negotiate all major transactions. My suggestion is to confirm all agreements in writing. It could be in the form of send a letter of understanding to the other side.

 

4. Good hospital. There is one at the ridge. De La Salle University medical school is located in Cavite. South Luzon Hospital and Medical Clinic should be within 20 minutes. A world class medical facility is Asian Hospital closer to Manila but less than one hour from your location.

 

5. Most of your transactions will be in cash. Very little use of credit cards and checks. 

 

6. Tagaytay rentals might be more expensive because the area is a visitor destination. On the other hand, someone who owns a property and looking for a renter might give a good deal.

 

7. Good beaches are available within 30 minutes from Tagaytay. Lakeside is also interesting with opportunities to use motorized outriggers. I believe there is also a sailing club. You will also enjoy an abundance of tropical fruits growing in the area.

Edited September 17, 2013 by JJReyes

[OnMyWay]

Thanks OnMyWay,

Another question came to mind:  Bringing kitchen appliances etc.  I would imagine I need to purchase a voltage converter - any issues there, and can I get a decent one in the Philippines?

 

Cheers and thanks

 

If you have high end expensive small kitchen appliances, you might want to bring them and use a converter.  If you only have cheaper appliances, you might get rid of them and buy new here.  Remember also that the converters will clutter up your spaces.

 

High end appliances are very expensive here, but you can get cheap Chinese stuff for low prices and they work fine.

 

Converters cost more here so if you decide to use some, it would be better to buy them online in the US.  Buy the types that are converters and regulators for expensive electronics.  You want to protect any expensive electronics with regulators, but for small appliances that are not on all the time, just a regulator is fine.

 

I had a few small regulators that I brought with me and when I bought my new TV and home theater here, I bought a Panther PVR 1000 watt regulator at Handyman, and the price was 4495 pesos.  You can probably buy similar in the US for a lot less.

 

http://www.panther.ph/category/products/automatic-voltage-regulator/

 

I like the Panther because it has two 220 outlets on the back and a 100, 110 and 220 on the front.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I was looking at a very similar volatge regulator but it just seemed too expensive.  Lightning hit a coconut tree right next to the power pole and my computer blew up.  Kuripot! 

 

So OnMyWay is right ha ha.  You need a voltage regulator.  Bring one if you can because it will most likely be cheaper.  Ship it in a balikbayan box because they don't have weight requirements, and they are a bit heavy.  I had some travel converters I was using but the power here is so crappy all but one quit working within 2 months.

[OnMyWay]

I was looking at a very similar volatge regulator but it just seemed too expensive.  Lightning hit a coconut tree right next to the power pole and my computer blew up.  Kuripot! 

 

So OnMyWay is right ha ha.  You need a voltage regulator.  Bring one if you can because it will most likely be cheaper.  Ship it in a balikbayan box because they don't have weight requirements, and they are a bit heavy.  I had some travel converters I was using but the power here is so crappy all but one quit working within 2 months.

 

I was curious what one like the Panther would cost in the US.  I bought regulators from this site in 2006 before I moved to Germany, and at that time they had good prices, good shipping and service.

 

http://www.world-import.com/1000d.htm

 

A 1000 watt similar to the Panther costs $69.99, but the shipping will be around $30.  It probably is better just to buy this type in the Philippines because the weight is 26 lbs and the shiipings costs will negate your savings.

 

If you are in Chicago you can go to the store and then it might be cost effective.  You can check Radio Shack and other electronics stores too.

 

When I moved to Germany I bought several of this type from them:

 

http://www.world-import.com/transformers-type-A-UD.htm

 

and they worked fine.  When I moved back to the US I gave them all away except for 1 that I needed to for a 200 volt appliance I bought in Germany.

[OnMyWay]

I was looking at a very similar volatge regulator but it just seemed too expensive.  Lightning hit a coconut tree right next to the power pole and my computer blew up.  Kuripot! 

 

So OnMyWay is right ha ha.  You need a voltage regulator.  Bring one if you can because it will most likely be cheaper.  Ship it in a balikbayan box because they don't have weight requirements, and they are a bit heavy.  I had some travel converters I was using but the power here is so crappy all but one quit working within 2 months.

 

That reminds me that I do not have one on my desktop computer!  I think we are grounded here so that adds some safety, but I probably should get one.

[Thomas]

I was looking at a very similar volatge regulator but it just seemed too expensive.  Lightning hit a coconut tree right next to the power pole and my computer blew up.  Kuripot! 

 

So OnMyWay is right ha ha.  You need a voltage regulator.  Bring one if you can because it will most likely be cheaper.  Ship it in a balikbayan box because they don't have weight requirements, and they are a bit heavy.  I had some travel converters I was using but the power here is so crappy all but one quit working within 2 months.

Yes, need a regulator for the voltage fluctuations,

but I guess a cheap regulator don't manage a close lightning hit.

 

Back when I moved to the Swedish forest many years ago, I bought some cheap ones, which have saved some things for me, but failed mostly. Even the most expensive ones =15 000 SEK = 100 000pesos wasn't sure to manage a close lightning hit...

[jpbago]

Lightning hit a coconut tree right next to the power pole

 

Just curious, did the lightning strike knock off the coconuts? Maybe explode them from boiling.