Expats in Cavite Area

[juniper27]

Hey folks and hope this thread finds everyone doing well. My filipina wife and I have been considering a move to the Phillipines. As for myself, I grew up in the south, ex-navy (not retired) and have visited Subic Bay once back in the early 90s and various other SE Asian countries during my time. I'm also white/asian so should be able to meld in as long as i don't talk because i only know english.

We currently live in Virginia, I'm self employed as a computer consultant working to get everything to the point i can make a living exclusively online and she's a medical assistant. As you well know, here in the states we like everyone else have been working our butts of for less and less as time goes on. Her family lives in the Cavite area so we are naturally looking for place close by. She said Tanza would be a good choice so i was wondering if there are many expats there and if anyone can give me brief description about the place, cost and the living conditions there. I would love to have maybe a 2 or 3 bedroom condo or townhouse/house and hopefully a small car for us to get around.

[TheEndofDays]

Tanza is a very provincial town in Cavite, unlike Tagaytay, which is a tourist spot, and Dasmarinas/Imus/Bacoor which are relatively closer to Manila so don't expect a thriving expat community over there. If your wife hasn't renounced her Filipino citizenship, you may opt to build a landed house instead as there aren't any condo developments as I far know. Cost of building a house will definitely be lower than Manila.

[juniper27]

Thank you for your response TheEndofDays and sorry if this is a stupid question but what does provincial mean? I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere or out in the country because i do enjoy the living conditions I have now. We're in a bedroom community close to a major city so there are plenty of restaurants and shopping center where we are. In addition, high speed internet access is a must so i can keep working.

I asked my wife but it's been 20 some odd yrs since she's been home. She plans on visiting this fall. If any expats from Cavite area please pipe up.

[Gene and Viol]

Originally Posted by juniper27

Thank you for your response TheEndofDays and sorry if this is a stupid question but what does provincial mean? I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere or out in the country because i do enjoy the living conditions I have now. We're in a bedroom community close to a major city so there are plenty of restaurants and shopping center where we are. In addition, high speed internet access is a must so i can keep working.

I asked my wife but it's been 20 some odd yrs since she's been home. She plans on visiting this fall. If any expats from Cavite area please pipe up.

Provincial in this instance means any of the provinces in the country OUTSIDE of Metro Manila.
Internet here is poor at best no matter what company you choose for service. All companies do all they can to get you signed for a two year (mandatory) service contract. That will be the end of their "good" customer service and relations. It's hit and miss and depending on the provider you choose, internet at times can be out as long as an entire day.
For places to live, try the Subic Bay area or Baguio City. Both are fantastic places and are as modern as you will find in the Philippines with shopping malls etc.


Gene

[Phil_expat]

Originally Posted by Gene and Viol

Provincial in this instance means any of the provinces in the country OUTSIDE of Metro Manila.
Internet here is poor at best no matter what company you choose for service. All companies do all they can to get you signed for a two year (mandatory) service contract. That will be the end of their "good" customer service and relations. It's hit and miss and depending on the provider you choose, internet at times can be out as long as an entire day.
For places to live, try the Subic Bay area or Baguio City. Both are fantastic places and are as modern as you will find in the Philippines with shopping malls etc.


Gene

I do agree with Gene! A friend of mine that is still working (online) built a home for his family in Samar. Because of the extremely slow internet speed there his home is empty and he is living in Angeles. A lot faster internet speed but still slow compared to U.S. standards.
Here are my suggestions: visit here first. If you decide to move rent first before buying. Philippine family tends to arrive with no notice with bags in hand. I suggest living at least 2 hours away from family. Manila does have good hospitals but poor quality the rest of the Philippines. If you have any health issues I would suggest a few hours from Manila.
If you wife is a Philippine citizen (easy for her to regain if she gave it up), you can get a 13a visa. There are no extensions needed with 13a.

[Gene and Viol]

Originally Posted by Phil_expat

I do agree with Gene! A friend of mine that is still working (online) built a home for his family in Samar. Because of the extremely slow internet speed there his home is empty and he is living in Angeles. A lot faster internet speed but still slow compared to U.S. standards.
Here are my suggestions: visit here first. If you decide to move rent first before buying. Philippine family tends to arrive with no notice with bags in hand. I suggest living at least 2 hours away from family. Manila does have good hospitals but poor quality the rest of the Philippines. If you have any health issues I would suggest a few hours from Manila.
If you wife is a Philippine citizen (easy for her to regain if she gave it up), you can get a 13a visa. There are no extensions needed with 13a.

Morning guy, you mean there are places with slower internet than Angeles ?? Hahaha.
For sure, best to visit here (6 months minimum) if possible before comitting to buying a place or living here at all. Things and places are not always what they seem. I love my wife's family but agree with you. Important to live far enough away from them to avoid many unannounced visits. They have no concept of courtesy in any form and will forever show up to stay for days on end.

Gene

[toteng]

I think the best place to be is Bacoor, Cavite. Most of the new developments in Cavite, in fact in Metro Manila, are focused in the Bacoor town (which will be a city in the next few months). I live in a place near the stretch of DaangHari road. It has direct access to the Alabang Business District, where good schools, high end malls, nightspots, and hospitals (including Asian Hospital, the best hospital in the Philippines) are located. If you live in Bacoor (along Daang Hari), Alabang is just a 10 minute drive. The villages there, including mine, have decent cable and internet services.

Houses there, depending on how plush the village you want to live in, cost from US$60,000 to $100,000.

Originally Posted by juniper27

Hey folks and hope this thread finds everyone doing well. My filipina wife and I have been considering a move to the Phillipines. As for myself, I grew up in the south, ex-navy (not retired) and have visited Subic Bay once back in the early 90s and various other SE Asian countries during my time. I'm also white/asian so should be able to meld in as long as i don't talk because i only know english.

We currently live in Virginia, I'm self employed as a computer consultant working to get everything to the point i can make a living exclusively online and she's a medical assistant. As you well know, here in the states we like everyone else have been working our butts of for less and less as time goes on. Her family lives in the Cavite area so we are naturally looking for place close by. She said Tanza would be a good choice so i was wondering if there are many expats there and if anyone can give me brief description about the place, cost and the living conditions there. I would love to have maybe a 2 or 3 bedroom condo or townhouse/house and hopefully a small car for us to get around.

[fmartin_gila]

Now that 60K - 100K USD kind of knocks the hell out of one of the major advantages of going to the Phills doesn't it? My Lady's sister has a Job (she is an Engineer) at one of the major Corporations in Cavite but has to commute to Karangalan Village where she owns her home as she can't afford to live in Cavite.

PLEASE NOTE: Not trying to start anything here but that cost of housing is the same as some parts of the US and is one of the major reasons for considering going to the Phils.

Fred

Hi Juniper,

I live in Tagaytay City which is in Cavite Province. All in all, I like it here. It is very cool here, most of the time which saves on you electric bill, not needing aircon. Tagaytay is tourist area overlooking Taal Lake which has the smallest active volcano on an island in the lake. It is quite picturesque. The cost of housing may be a little higher depending on what you are looking for. I rent a nice townhouse for P10,000 and there are others in my neighborhood that go for a little less. I have seen places that go for P5,000 but aren't as nice. We have 24/7 security and most residents are weekenders only keeping it quiet, most of the time. We are a short block from the highway where much public transportation is available. There are many nice subdivisions where you can buy a beautiful home, putting it in your wife's name of course. Tell you what. Hit me on private message and we can arrange to talk if you want. Drawback is there is no mall here but a short trip to Dasmarinas offers 2 malls.

Mikey48

[Gene and Viol]

Originally Posted by Mikey48

Hi Juniper,

I live in Tagaytay City which is in Cavite Province. All in all, I like it here. It is very cool here, most of the time which saves on you electric bill, not needing aircon. Tagaytay is tourist area overlooking Taal Lake which has the smallest active volcano on an island in the lake. It is quite picturesque. The cost of housing may be a little higher depending on what you are looking for. I rent a nice townhouse for P10,000 and there are others in my neighborhood that go for a little less. I have seen places that go for P5,000 but aren't as nice. We have 24/7 security and most residents are weekenders only keeping it quiet, most of the time. We are a short block from the highway where much public transportation is available. There are many nice subdivisions where you can buy a beautiful home, putting it in your wife's name of course. Tell you what. Hit me on private message and we can arrange to talk if you want. Drawback is there is no mall here but a short trip to Dasmarinas offers 2 malls.

Mikey48

Mike, My family and I were there about a month ago. Beautiful place! Tell ya what I like are the fancy sidecars for motor bikes. We are gonna buy a sidecar for out 155cc this year and sure would like to get my hands on one like I saw in your area!

Gene