Asian Dating Tips

Forget Japan where dinner for two can cost you $200. And forget major cities like Beijing or Shanghai in China…or Singapore or Malaysia. Your best bets for living cheaply would be Thailand, Indonesia, Vietman, and the Philippines. If it is important to be among people who speak English, your best bet is the Philippines. This writer has found Cebu City on the island of Cebu to be the most congenial. Manila is crowded, suffers from intolerable air pollution, and can be costlier than other locales in the Philippines. Cebu is the second largest city in that nation and offers all the communication benefits a westerner wants such as ready Internet access, phone, fax, abundant ATMs and great shopping. In a mall such as Ayala you will find numerous upscale luxury stores for the finest in clothing and jewelry.

An American friend of mine rents a six-bedroom house for $380 US a month. He has two live-in maids and a live-in cook costing him about $45 US each per month. In fact, it was his website message that he “lives like a king” on $1,000 a month that drew me to Cebu for the first time. I have returned 4 times since and am thinking of living there part-time.

Hotels can range from $40 to $200 a day, depending on your need for luxury. I stay at the Cebu Midtown Hotel for $45 a day and I am one who requires comfort. The rooms are clean, the restaurant fine. Moreover, the hotel is centrally located and right next to Robinson’s Mall where you will find not just diverse shopping but plenty of girls to return smiles with. $2 US will take you by taxi to just about anywhere in the city, and a decent meal for two can be enjoyed for $10 or less. Flights are frequently available to other cities from Cebu, and Cebu itself is reached by air from Manila. Houses, condos and apartments are plentiful for rent or purchase.

Remember, too, that there are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines. If you live on a tight budget, you can live elsewhere than Cebu on well under $1,000 a month.