best place to live, dumaguete versus cebu

[mark ocallaghan]

i may settle in dumaguete or cebu. countless hours have been spent pondering the question. probably the 2 biggest considerations are affordable accommodation and cleanliness, lack of beggars. i have lived in ukraine for 10 years off and on. its much cleaner and 2nd world instead of 3rd world. the problem is that its too far from sydney, women have become very difficult and the winters are so cooold. mind you, its cheaper to live in lviv than in cebu. so, im out of here, looking for new horizons in s e asia. i need ok air con accomm long term for about $350 aud/m and is internet, cabel tv, etec etc about about $150 aud/m. cebu and  dumaguete. can anyone give me info, links, etc. jollyg was very helpful, maybe you will be again, and your mates. thanks.

[Jollygoodfellow]

Mark I moved your topic into a more suitable forum. I know you are just getting the hang of it so just letting you know that you choose the forum which suites the topic the best, example, visa questions go into visa forum etc 

[Dave Hounddriver]

Choosing between Cebu and Dumaguete is a coin toss, depending on your preferences.  You will find expats who love one and hate the other, some expats who love both, and some who hate both.  Best to check out both and see what suits you.  The colorful opinions you read on the Internet are just that, colorful opinions.

[robert k]

1 hour ago, mark ocallaghan said:

i may settle in dumaguete or cebu. countless hours have been spent pondering the question. probably the 2 biggest considerations are affordable accommodation and cleanliness, lack of beggars. i have lived in ukraine for 10 years off and on. its much cleaner and 2nd world instead of 3rd world. the problem is that its too far from sydney, women have become very difficult and the winters are so cooold. mind you, its cheaper to live in lviv than in cebu. so, im out of here, looking for new horizons in s e asia. i need ok air con accomm long term for about $350 aud/m and is internet, cabel tv, etec etc about about $150 aud/m. cebu and  dumaguete. can anyone give me info, links, etc. jollyg was very helpful, maybe you will be again, and your mates. thanks.

The budget sounds doable but clean and no beggars? I don't think so. I recommend you have a look see anyway.

I will say this, the more foreigners and tourists there are in an area, the more beggars you will see.

[frosty (chris)]

Before you make a decision you would want to try and spend sometime in both places and remember what looks good for 2 or 3 weeks can look completely different in 2 or 3 months. I hear good things about Duma and quite a few members reside their so maybe they will chime in and give you the lowdown. Me I live on Mactan Island across the bridge from Cebu, I really know nothing about the place (Cebu) except that it's usually hot, dirty, full of traffic and people and the only time we go there is to buy bread from SM Mall or to meet friends.
Mactan for us fulfills all our needs, plenty of malls, resto's, traffic not too bad but you have to pick the time of day, there is an Immigration Office close by, 20 minutes visit for a new visa and not that I am in the market for a lady but there are some very beautiful ladies to be seen in these parts.. The beaches are close by but not what you are used to if you are from Sydney.

As has been said many many times it really is a matter of boots on the ground, different strokes for different folks, good luck in your search, do hope you find something that suits you.
 

[Jollygoodfellow]

3 hours ago, mark ocallaghan said:

 

i may settle in dumaguete or cebu.

 

Is there a reason for these choices? 

[mark ocallaghan]

they just seem to be the best places.  any ideas

[mark ocallaghan]

2 hours ago, frosty (chris) said:

Before you make a decision you would want to try and spend sometime in both places and remember what looks good for 2 or 3 weeks can look completely different in 2 or 3 months. I hear good things about Duma and quite a few members reside their so maybe they will chime in and give you the lowdown. Me I live on Mactan Island across the bridge from Cebu, I really know nothing about the place (Cebu) except that it's usually hot, dirty, full of traffic and people and the only time we go there is to buy bread from SM Mall or to meet friends.
Mactan for us fulfills all our needs, plenty of malls, resto's, traffic not too bad but you have to pick the time of day, there is an Immigration Office close by, 20 minutes visit for a new visa and not that I am in the market for a lady but there are some very beautiful ladies to be seen in these parts.. The beaches are close by but not what you are used to if you are from Sydney.

As has been said many many times it really is a matter of boots on the ground, different strokes for different folks, good luck in your search, do hope you find something that suits you.
 

thanks for the info chris

[JJReyes]

Why not consider living in both places? The advantage of being retired with a monthly income is flexibility. So long as you are not in the habit of collecting "stuff" simply pack your bags and move on after a few weeks or months.  I think you are still searching for an ideal location to settle. There are other places aside from Dumaguete and Cebu. Once you find it, start a website, take photographs and become the local expert for the growing international retirement community.  

 

[Sander Martin]

There is no "best place to live". Its all very individual and depends on the person and their needs.

I agree with other guys on the fact that go and see if those places are for you. Both have heaps of foreign expats and are easy to navigate.