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City life in the Philippines offers expats a familiar and comfortable lifestyle with access to international communities, diverse food options, convenient transportation, and abundant activities, which are often lacking in provincial areas.
The video explores why the host prefers city living in the Philippines, specifically Dumaguete, over provincial life. A primary reason is the value of having expat friends who share similar Western experiences and a common interest in international cuisine. While appreciating Filipino friends and food, the host finds it easier to connect with other foreigners for shared experiences and dining preferences, noting that such opportunities are more abundant in cities than in rural areas.
Accustomed to city life, the host emphasizes the appeal of urban dynamism, convenience, and the variety of people and activities available. This includes easy access to transportation, diverse restaurants, and a general sense of familiarity. The host contrasts this with the potential isolation and adjustment difficulties of living in smaller towns or provinces, where daily life might be too simple or too far removed from desired conveniences and social interactions.
Transportation is another key differentiator, with cities offering multiple options like buses, ferries, and flights, whereas provincial life often necessitates owning a motorbike. The host highlights the freedom of movement and convenience that city transportation provides, which is often unavailable or impractical in rural settings. Furthermore, the host discusses how provincial areas can lead to boredom due to limited activities and a sense of being an outsider, contrasting it with the vibrant and engaging urban environment.
Expat city living in the Philippines offers a familiar lifestyle with access to international communities, diverse food, and convenient transportation. Provincial life, while potentially simpler, may lack these amenities and social opportunities. Cities generally provide a more dynamic and comfortable environment for many expats.
Expats often choose city living in the Philippines for the convenience and familiarity it offers. Cities provide access to a diverse expat community, a wider variety of food options, and better transportation networks. This urban environment can prevent boredom and offer more social interactions.
Cities in the Philippines offer a significant advantage by fostering a diverse expat community. These communities provide shared experiences, cultural references, and a sense of belonging, making it easier for newcomers to adjust. This is often more readily available in urban centers than in more isolated provincial areas.
Transportation in Philippine cities is generally superior, offering options like buses, ferries, and flights for greater mobility. Provincial areas often rely heavily on motorbikes, which can limit travel options and convenience for expats accustomed to more varied transit. City transport provides more freedom and accessibility.
Provincial life in the Philippines can sometimes lead to boredom for expats due to limited activities and fewer social opportunities compared to cities. While offering a simpler lifestyle, the lack of diverse entertainment and conveniences might be a drawback for some. Cities provide a more engaging and varied experience.
Philippine cities offer a wide array of food options, including a significant number of Western restaurants and familiar cuisines that cater to expat tastes. This variety is often a key factor for expats seeking comfort and a taste of home. Provincial areas may have more limited dining choices.
Expats often prefer cities in the Philippines for greater access to diverse social circles, particularly other foreigners who share similar Western experiences. Cities also offer a wider array of dining options, including familiar Western cuisine, and more dynamic environments with varied activities and conveniences. The convenience of transportation networks in cities is another significant draw compared to the more limited options in provincial areas.
Living in the countryside in the Philippines can be cheaper than in cities, especially for expats accustomed to higher living costs. While some expats might find provincial life too simple or isolating, others adapt and find it more affordable. This allows for a more relaxed lifestyle and potentially greater savings compared to maintaining a more expensive urban existence.
Transportation is a key factor for expats in the Philippines, with cities offering a variety of options like buses, ferries, and flights. This provides greater freedom of movement and convenience. In contrast, provincial life often requires reliance on a motorbike, which may not be ideal for everyone and offers less flexibility.
Avoiding boredom in the Philippine provinces as an expat can be challenging due to limited activities and social interactions compared to cities. However, some expats find fulfillment by integrating into the local community, pursuing personal projects, or maintaining a comfortable home base. The key is often finding personal interests and a suitable living situation that aligns with one's lifestyle preferences.
The choice between city and provincial living in the Philippines depends on individual expat preferences. Cities offer convenience, diverse social opportunities, and varied amenities, which appeal to those seeking a dynamic lifestyle. Provincial areas can offer a more affordable and potentially calmer experience, but may require greater adaptation to local culture and fewer familiar comforts.
Expats often find it easier to connect with other foreigners in cities in the Philippines, as these areas tend to have larger expat communities. Shared experiences, cultural references, and similar dining preferences make it simpler to form bonds. While provincial areas may have fewer expats, integration into the local community is also a common path for some.
0:02 So, No Country for Old Men, huh? So today, we're going to talk about whether or not we could live as an expat in the province here in the Philippines and my reasons as to why or why not. So let's get into it. Good morning, YouTube. Alex here, and in today's video, I want to talk about why I could not live in the province and why I live in Dumaguete.
0:25 The first reason is that I like having foreigner friends. I like having expat friends. Now, I also like having Filipino friends. The difference between the province in the Philippines and the city in the Philippines is that there are more opportunities to hang out with other foreigners in the cities, and not just Americans, but also friends from the UK, friends from Japan, friends from Australia. It's just really exciting; it gives an international feeling to life in the city.
1:00 I find that the one thing that I really enjoy about my foreigner friends is shared experiences. There are certain things that we experience in the West that are not as common here in the Philippines, and it's nice to have friends that have experienced some of those same things. Also, if you want somebody to go out with you to a foreign restaurant, then I find a lot of Filipino people prefer Filipino food, whereas a lot of my foreigner friends are more interested in international food.
1:33 And so that's another thing where if I want somebody to join me for international food, then it seems like it's easier to find a friend from another country to join me for something like that. I found that in provincial areas, expats are far and few between, and this is something I'll tackle later in the video. The businesses that cater to foreigners are just not as common there, if they exist at all.
2:00 I've had friends mention, "You get far enough outside of Dagupan and you see sorry, sorry stores, hardware stores, and Karen areas, and that's it. There's nothing else out there." Really, I found the Mad Monkey Hostel here. So, this is one of those things that is really appealing if you are a traveler and you want to meet other travelers. You can come here, and I don't think this kind of place would exist in a provincial area.
2:34 They've got Western food, they've got hostel beds, something that is just not super common in the province. Looks like they've got the generator here too, in case the power goes out. It's a really nice luxury. It's also nice to be able to meet up with friends for coffee. Like, if you research popular coffee shops here in Dumaguete, you'll become familiar with Ground Zero, Tom and Toms. There's also Sun Ravel Bose Coffee, and these places offer fantastic coffee.
3:06 And if you want to just meet up with somebody, get together over a cup of coffee, have a conversation, catch up, these places will offer you solid opportunities to have these experiences. I've met quite a few friends at different coffee shops here in Dagupan. There's such a wide selection. I feel like the two things the Philippines does not get enough credit for is the architecture and then also the coffee scene. Both of these things are very cool, and Dagupan is no exception.
3:37 There's just so much tasty coffee and cool architecture to look at here in the city. I find expat friends to be valuable in many different ways. It's not really possible to quantify this value. Just know that I think all of us need people we can commiserate with. And, oh, that was strange to you? Or, oh, that was weird to you? Oh, yeah, man, that was an odd experience.
4:01 There's so many times where I'm doubled over laughing when I talk to guys like Mike or guys like Paul about things that we've had in common. "What did you think about that? What did you think about this?" And things that are very normal for Filipinos can be very strange for us foreigners. And so that's something I really enjoy. I find a lot of humor in having other foreigners around.
4:32 Also, it just helps with feeling less lonely. I think when you move halfway around the world and you may not speak the local language, you don't really know anybody, it can be helpful to have some friends that are from back in the States, and from back in Australia, wherever you happen to be from, that you can relate to and you can talk to. You share that common language. You both lived in Las Vegas, you both lived in LA, New York, that kind of thing.
5:00 The next point is that I like Western food, and I like Filipino food too, but I'm more accustomed to eating Western food. There are very few cities in the US with a large enough Filipino population to support Filipino restaurants. The result of that is that I've never gotten in the habit of eating a lot of Filipino food. I like Filipino food, but it's just not what I'm used to having all the time.
5:29 I've talked to numerous different Filipino friends, and they've all told me they much prefer Filipino food over Western food. They'd much rather have what they're used to than what I'm used to, and I don't blame them at all. But it's nice to go out and have meals with friends, and so I like to have places that I can go and have pizza at, or a burrito, or a hamburger. These kinds of dishes that my Filipino friends are just not as interested in, and that taste really good and remind me of home.
6:02 Sometimes you feel a little homesick as an expat. I feel less and less homesick over time, but it is nice to get a taste to home. We all have our comfort zone. I've never seen such a tall fence. I mean, that is like Fort Knox. I happen to like Filipino food a lot, but then a lot of my Filipino friends are working a lot, they don't always have the free time to join me for a meal.
6:27 So if I want friends to join me for a meal, it's often with my friends who are older and retired, have the free time, and have the appetite for Western cuisine. The cool thing about Dumaguete is there's tons of foreign restaurants here, more than I can count, and more than you can eat at in a long time. Of course, Zete is not the only city with Western food here in the Philippines. You've got Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, that all have plenty of great Western food.
7:03 From my experience, and the experience of my friends that live in these places, most popular cuisines will be represented here in solid numbers. Here in Dumaguete, I managed to have Vietnamese food, Korean food, Japanese food, Chinese food, American food, Mexican food, and that's just off the top of my head.
7:29 The next point here is that I'm used to city life. I always lived in sizable cities, except for a few short stints in some small towns. I've always lived in bigger cities. It's just what I'm accustomed to. It's just what I enjoy, and for me, it's just a big adjustment to live in a province or small town. I've tried it a few times, and there's things I really like about it, but I just miss living in the city.
7:54 I missed the dynamism, I miss the convenience, I missed a variety of people. I miss that there are lots of different kinds of people, people from different countries, people from different cities, people in different stages of life. You just get so much variety when you're living in a city. I like having a variety of activities to do. I like the access to the airports. I like the variety of restaurants, and it's what I'm accustomed to.
8:18 I'm used to that level of convenience. I'm used to these different kinds of unique opportunities that only exist in cities. I don't see myself ever changing. You know, I grew up in a city of like two million people, and to go down to a town where maybe there's 5,000 people or 10,000 people, I think I would just struggle in the long term there. I think as I get older too, healthcare will become more of a concern, and I won't want to be so far away from healthcare options like we have here in Dumaguete or in larger cities.
8:50 I do find that the largest cities in any country can be a bit overwhelming at times, but you don't have to go to the absolute largest cities in any given country to have some of those city conveniences. Being able to go to the shopping malls, being able to have that one-stop shop experience, being able to hire a driver for the day easily, being able to just meet people that are more used to being around other types of people.
9:16 I mean, I think if you're in a very provincial area anywhere in the world, you're going to have a lot of people that aren't used to being around outsiders, aren't used to interacting with foreigners, aren't used to speaking English even, or they're not used to your accent, right? If you go to some parts of the South and you're from New York, they're going to say something like, "You ain't from out here, are you, boy?" Plus, I think in rural areas, it's harder to find beautiful Catholic churches like this one. It's really a centerpiece here in Dumaguete for both local believers and tourists alike.
9:54 I also like the walkability factor. I like being able to walk around and handle errands, and that's a big thing I noticed when I moved from the province of Dumaguete out in Bohol to the city proper, where I could get around super easily on foot. Here, I can hire trikes. These things are just harder to do or harder to handle out in the provincial area.
10:17 The next reason is transportation options, and there's no way around it. If you're living in a province, you've got to have a motorbike. There's no other solution other than to have a motorbike. Maybe you buy a car, or a truck, but for most people, they're going to want to have a motorbike. And if you're in a city, you've got options. You've got the Ceres buses, you've got ferries, you've got planes if your city's got an airport. You may make friends that have cars that can give you a ride here or there.
10:50 You've got different options to get around town. But if you're in a provincial area and you don't want to ride a motorbike, maybe you're prone to certain health issues, maybe you don't feel comfortable learning, maybe you're not the most coordinated person, like I'm not the most coordinated person, then you may not feel comfortable riding a motorbike.
11:09 It's so beautiful here in the Philippines. Look at this place, it's spectacular. I love the nature in the Philippines. It's such a relaxing environment here. It's, uh, it's something.
11:21 The environment here, it's something to behold. If you're expecting to live in a provincial area but without a motorbike, I don't know how you're going to do that. One of the top reasons I could not live in a provincial area is I like my freedom of movement. I like to be able to just walk out to the main road, hop on a trike, and be downtown.
11:42 If I want to fly to the big city, I can be down at the airport in a short time, hop on a flight, and I'm in Manila or Cebu an hour later, hour and a half later. Not a big deal, maybe a couple hours to Manila, maybe like an hour, hour and a half to Cebu from Dumaguete. I think the biggest mistake that people make when they think about living in the province is they think, 'Oh, it'll just be like living in the country in the United States.'
12:23 Wow, you're very high up. What's your? Oh, Eastern Dreamer. Uh, yes sir. Dreamer, uh, yes sir. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Very good job. You're working very hard.
12:33 A lot of these people that may think, 'I want to live in the province in the Philippines,' they may think, 'Oh, it's just like the United States where, okay, maybe I'm in a rural area, maybe I'm in a small town, I just hop in my car and I'm in the city in 30 minutes, 45 minutes.' It's not like the US where you might just hop in a car and you're in the big city 30, 45 minutes. You've got your Arby's, you've got your Wendy's, you've got your McDonald's, you've got your Walmart store. You could go 30, 45 minutes, an hour, and still be in a provincial town.
13:09 The only difference is you've got different stores, different hardware stores, but the products are all going to be the same. It's not going to be a meaningfully different experience versus the US where, okay, yeah, I live in a small town or I live way outside of a small town, but I go to the city. I can run into friends, I can go to stores I recognize with products that I need, I can do my grocery shopping, that kind of thing.
13:39 You could be three, four hours away from a city of substantial size, depending on the provincial town that you decide to go to. And it's not to knock life there; life there is often simpler. But I think for a lot of people accustomed to life in the US or the UK, Australia, it's going to be too simple, too laid back for them to enjoy.
14:02 But not only that, but it's just going to be too far away from doing the things that they want to do, living the way that they want to live. If they're single, moving out there, I think that's going to be even more challenging because if you don't like the ladies that you run into in town, that may be it with the motorbike. You may feel like, 'Well, I can ride a motorbike,' but let's say you do want to go to a town a couple hours away to go shopping, how much can you carry on that motorbike?
14:31 For me, I don't feel comfortable riding, but even if I did, I would know, 'Hey, if I want to go stock up on this or that in the big city, if it doesn't fit in my backpack, man, I'm not going to be able to get it back home.' And I may have to go without. So I may spend all this time going to the store, I may even find things that I want, but then I don't have the storage capacity to get them back to where I live. So that was another big thing that came to my mind when it came to why I couldn't live in a province.
15:01 Transportation is going to be way more complicated and difficult to pull off. Yeah, maybe you could buy a car, buy a truck. It's going to be hard to find parts for those kinds of vehicles in the province. It's going to be hard to get a mechanic that can work on these types of vehicles out there. I've heard of some expats in provincial areas traveling one, two hours each way every day just to get the chance to go to a Jollibee.
15:30 If you're afraid to ride a motorbike, I don't blame you. I'm afraid to ride them too after seeing a number of incidents over my last year and a half in Southeast Asia. They're just not for everyone. If you don't prefer that option, it will limit where you can live. I think it does rule out a lot of provincial areas that you might otherwise want to live.
15:48 But then you find out it's really rural. It's not just a little bit rural; it's super rural. And I'm not going to be able to get around very easily. And I might be limited to a couple of resorts, for example. If the power goes out, are you willing to hop on a bike and ride an hour just to get access to Wi-Fi? If the electricity goes out, what if all of your batteries have just run out of charge?
16:12 All these things become way more complex where I know my buddies, when their Wi-Fi goes out, they just come into downtown Dumaguete. They could find a coffee shop with Wi-Fi. And if their power went out and they really had to have power, they could check into a local hotel. If their car car broke down and their bike was out of commission at the same time, somehow they could probably walk to a hotel pretty easily from where they live in the city.
16:36 The final point is that I get bored in the province. I just get bored. I quickly run through the things that there are to do, and I don't know what to do with my time. There are lots of lovely people in the province. I've spent time in a number of provincial areas in the Philippines, including in Mindanao and here in the Dumaguete area. I just do what there is to do. Typically, there's like a beach that you go to, you spend time there, you stay in a resort, and once you've seen the beach, you've done the hike.
17:09 There's only so many times you could do that before it becomes redundant. As beautiful as this country is, and I often say it's the most beautiful country in the world, I just become desensitized to these activities. I struggle with sometimes intermittent internet where the internet is not always cooperating. I miss my Western food within arm's reach here in Dumaguete City. I don't know what there is to it. I'm not sure if you feel this way. Let me know down in the comments if you get bored in the province and it stinks, because I think the people are often friendly and welcoming and kind and curious, much more curious than the people who live in expat hubs.
17:51 There's only so many times I want to engage in those activities before I miss what I'm accustomed to. And what I'm accustomed to is life in the city. And so, yeah, getting bored in the province, I think it happens to a lot of guys. I've heard the same feelings expressed about the provincial areas in the United States and also in Canada, also in Australia, pretty much any country you could think of. People moved to the big city for job opportunity, for entertainment, for nightlife, for dining.
18:23 I would say the job opportunities are top of mind, but all these ancillary things are important to people as well. And I think for expats who may have had to live in the big city, they feel like the province will be appealing, but they don't quite realize what that entails. That they're not going to necessarily have the conveniences that they are expecting, like they would have in their home country. And it may be that they end up pretty bored, feeling like, 'Man, you know what? I was expecting this or I was expecting that, and it didn't turn out to be that way.'
18:59 Maybe they feel like they won't get tired of it, but then after a week or two, they do. I find that after like three or four days, I'm missing the city. I'm ready to go back to the city. I want to come back to the city and spend time in the city. And while I enjoy and appreciate my times in the province, I appreciate the opportunity to disconnect from technology. There's nothing quite like the comforts of being in the city, the conveniences of being in the city, the glow of the neon lights, the vibrant urban landscape with all the oddball characters we have here in Dumaguete.
19:39 It's comforting in a way. I think for many of us, we're used to the simulation of the city. We're used to having all kinds of stuff going on all the time. We're used to the nightlife and entertainment options, and we don't want those to go away. We don't want to give those up. We don't want to live without those. I get bored in the province, I run out of stuff to do. I don't think I could ever live in the province. This is more pronounced in some countries than others, but all around, it's just much more preferable for me to focus on life in the city.
20:12 As a side note, when I am in provincial areas, I often feel like everybody knows everybody except for me. I feel like everybody has all these shared experiences. They've all gone to the same schools, they have all been neighbors, they've all grown up around each other. They remember the one time five years ago or this one time ten years ago. You feel kind of out of place when you hear these stories, like, 'Ah, I don't know who that is. Never met that person. Didn't grow up around here. Don't really remember the old mill,' you know, all these stories that really tie rural communities together.
20:47 You can become acutely aware that you're not part of the group there. So let me know what you think down in the comments section below. Could you live in a provincial area? Are you focused only on cities? Some of us are made for city life, some of us prefer the country life. Additionally, give us a thumbs up, it helps with the YouTube algorithm. And finally, subscribe to the channel down below if you want to see more content like this, and we'll see you soon.
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