Post: #1

how much budget is need by travelling to the philippines 2 weeks?
what is your advice?

Post: #2

depends on where you stay. If you want to stay in hotels in Makati, you are not going to find anything for under 1200 pesos a night (roughly 30 american dollars). That's pretty much true for a private room anywhere in Manila.

The exception is hostels and pension houses. Pension houses are like cheaper versions of hotels, they call the same thing "guesthouses" in Thailand (lodging is for some reason more expensive here than in Thailand, though almost everything else is cheaper). They tend to be dirtier, less nice, and usually have more cockroaches. many of these can be had for 250-500 pesos in many parts of the provincial areas.

Hotel rates tend to be around 700-1000 for a cheap hotel, almost anywhere in the country, more like 1200 in manila, and higher in makati (most of the high end malls and clubs are to be found).

Taxis are cheap. 5 bucks takes you most places in manila, which is a sprawling behemoth of a town with massive traffic, that sometimes takes an hour to get across. If you take taxis from Ermita/Malate, they will often try to scam you (that area is also bad for pickpockets, solicitors, etc.) But taxi fare can add up if you use it a lot of course.

Food can be cheap, but it's of low quality (at least the local food), and consists of little else besides cooked meat in sauce, and fish, and sometimes animal organs and other gross shit you don't want to put down your throat. 4 or 5 bucks a meal is pretty decent normally. There are tons of malls here, so it's very "americanized", and every western brand is here practically. Western prices for food are pretty normal there. If you get a place with a fridge, just go to a market and get vegetables, otherwise your health WILL decline to shit. Trust me.

Post: #3

thanks for the reply.

i was planning, for a hotel 20-30€ a night (30-40 $).
for the rest i planned 30 - 40 € a day (40-50$).Could this work?
Roundabout between 50 - 80 € a day (65 - 100 dollar)

Post: #4

Rurik, can you break down the cost of nightlife in the places you've been in the Phils? Beer, mixed drinks, entry fees, ect., vs. the cost of booze and food in bakalas. This usually becomes a large chunk of the budget for a lot of us players. Thanks.

Post: #5

I am staying in an apartment in Makati right now. Cost php1800 per day ($45). Better rates available for a month, but do not seem to be able to negotiate the daily rate down for 1 - 2 weeks.
Would rate it 2.5 - 3 star if it was a hotel. About 200 sq ft, air con, kitchenette, hot shower, "guest friendly".
Location is really central, major hotels all around here. Nightlife in the immediate area is all p4p.

I have yet to figure out where the "normal" women go out to at night to dance and drink in Manila?

Agree with everything Rurik says.

Post: #6

In Makati, cost of living is probably just slightly less than a nice big city in middle america, like Houston or something. The only difference is that Makati is the #1 nightlife, business, economy spot in the country.

If you do decide to go baller status and get a 5 star hotel though (150 USD and up), you get a lot for what you pay for.

San Miguel light, san miguel pale pilsen (my favorite), and red horse (a stronger beer by the same company) are all pretty cheap, even at bars.

Mixed drinks seem to be about 4 or 5 american dollars, or higher. It's not really that cheap.

Another thing is withdrawing cash. Many atms only allow you to take out 4000 pesos (100 dollars) each time, and charge a 200 peso fee (roughly 5 bucks). Something to keep in mind.

I think cover for Republiq (the nicest club in all of Philly, located near the airport in Resorts World Hotel in Paranaque) is like 12 bucks, or maybe 20 bucks. Not that bad, considering.


The provinces tend to be cheaper, though I noticed a difference in some cities.

In Boracay and Puerto Galera, I don't think are cover charges. The places I went to were open air bars mostly, though I didn't spend much time in each.

If you get a month to month pad in the provinces, you aren't probably going to spend more than 400 a month including utilities. But pick wisely, because a month in the wrong town will be boring as a motherfucker.

Post: #7

(04-14-2012 05:08 AM)Rurik Wrote:  In Makati, cost of living is probably just slightly less than a nice big city in middle america, like Houston or something. The only difference is that Makati is the #1 nightlife, business, economy spot in the country.

If you do decide to go baller status and get a 5 star hotel though (150 USD and up), you get a lot for what you pay for.

San Miguel light, san miguel pale pilsen (my favorite), and red horse (a stronger beer by the same company) are all pretty cheap, even at bars.

Mixed drinks seem to be about 4 or 5 american dollars, or higher. It's not really that cheap.

Another thing is withdrawing cash. Many atms only allow you to take out 4000 pesos (100 dollars) each time, and charge a 200 peso fee (roughly 5 bucks). Something to keep in mind.

I think cover for Republiq (the nicest club in all of Philly, located near the airport in Resorts World Hotel in Paranaque) is like 12 bucks, or maybe 20 bucks. Not that bad, considering.


The provinces tend to be cheaper, though I noticed a difference in some cities.

In Boracay and Puerto Galera, I don't think are cover charges. The places I went to were open air bars mostly, though I didn't spend much time in each.

If you get a month to month pad in the provinces, you aren't probably going to spend more than 400 a month including utilities. But pick wisely, because a month in the wrong town will be boring as a motherfucker.

Strange, i always took out 8000 to 10000 pesos with the BPI atm's. The 200 peso fee is correct and it sucks.

Post: #8

Another thing is that produce (vegetables, fruits) in markets are very expensive, along with a lot of other things.

They need to be imported. Even consumer electronics in malls etc. are many times more expensive than in america.