🇵🇭 Philippines
Moving to Manila
On paper the Philippines is one of the easier markets in Asia: English is an official language, leases are written in it, and a foreigner may sign one freely. The market itself is the hard part. Almost every rental condo is owned by an individual investor rather than a management company, so two identical units in the same tower differ wildly in condition, price and how quickly anyone answers the phone — and the portals are full of stale listings, the same unit posted at three prices, and brokers who do not control the flat they are advertising.
Manila — where your Insider lives- Full home search
- $499
- Starter, flat fee
- Search + setup
- $1,200
- Premium, flat fee
- Check one listing
- $49
- Visit, one place
The full guide
Everything else about moving to Manila
Five guides written for someone arriving rather than visiting — the housing market, the paperwork chain, healthcare, schools, and how to get around.
Where to live
Neighbourhoods in Manila
Your Insider walks these before they shortlist anything, and will tell you which one actually fits how you live.
Makati CBD
Professionals, first arrivalsLegazpi and Salcedo are walkable villages inside the old business core, with the deepest condo stock in the city. Older buildings are where the value is.
BGC & Taguig
Families, premium seekersThe newest and most planned district — wide pavements, international schools, retail on High Street. You pay for all of it.
Ortigas
Value seekersA second business district with noticeably softer rents. Excellent if you work there and punishing if you commute to Makati.
Alabang
FamiliesGated villages and a business park in the south. More space per peso, built around having a car.
Quezon City
Long-stayers, budgetHuge and varied, from leafy Teachers Village to the Eastwood and Vertis North hubs. Check the commute honestly before committing.
What it costs to rent
Indicative rents
Monthly, for a semi-furnished condo unit, excluding electricity and association dues.
Indicative only, last checked . Rents move; your Insider confirms what the market is actually doing before you commit to anything.
What catches people out
The Manila traps
Every market has its own way of costing newcomers money. These are the ones worth knowing before you start.
The post-dated cheque ritual
Many landlords want the year's rent as twelve dated cheques on a Philippine bank account, handed over at signing — awkward when opening that account takes weeks and an ACR I-Card. It is a convention, not a law: transfers and quarterly payments are negotiable if raised before you sign.
Association dues pushed onto the tenant
Building dues run roughly ₱60–120 per square metre per month and are normally the owner's. Plenty of leases quietly move them. On a 50 m² unit that is ₱3,000–6,000 a month you did not budget for.
The expatriate price
The same BGC unit is routinely quoted 20–30% higher to a foreigner in a Facebook group than through a local broker. Benchmark against comparable units in the same tower before offering.
A deposit clause that says nothing
Two months is a lot of money to leave undefined. The lease needs a stated deduction basis and a return deadline — sixty days after move-out is a reasonable ask — with a move-in inventory signed by both sides.
After the keys
The admin that follows a move
On Premium, your Insider does this with you rather than sending you a checklist. Timing in Manila: Two to four weeks, plus however long a local bank account takes if you need one.
Pick the district before the flat
Metro Manila is sixteen cities and traffic, not distance, defines the day. EDSA at rush hour turns 10 km into ninety minutes, so a smaller unit in the right district beats a larger one across the metro.
Establish what furnished means
Bare, semi-furnished and fully furnished separate the same one-bed by ₱10,000–15,000 a month, and fully furnished ranges from hotel-grade to a mattress and one air-conditioner.
Budget the electricity
Meralco rates are among the highest in Asia. Running air conditioning freely adds ₱3,000–8,000 a month on top of rent.
Verify the right to lease
Listings on Facebook Marketplace are a known scam vector. Nothing should move until the lessor's title, or written authority to lease that specific unit, has been seen.
Language. English throughout, including contracts. Filipino helps in negotiation and with older owners. Your Insider works with you in English and negotiates on your behalf in whatever the lease is written in.
Pricing for Manila
What a move to Manila costs
These are the fees in Manila, published before you start. No commission on your rent, no percentage of the lease, no success fee.
Visit
Your Insider visits for you- In-person visit by a local Insider
- Video walkthrough
- Area report
- Scam check
Starter
Full home search- Personal shortlist
- Viewings with video
- Lease negotiation & review
- Handover & keys
- Milestone-protected payment
Premium
Home search + full setup- Everything in Starter
- Bank, SIM & registration
- Utilities & internet
- Healthcare & school search
- First-week orientation
On the ground
Who you'd be working with in Manila
Every Insider has lived in their city for years and holds a verified ID. Smaller cities have one; the larger ones have several, so we can match you on language and on who is coming with you.
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