A peek at Naga City, Bicol
Today let’s head up north and look at Naga City, in Bicol. Anybody who has been around the Philippines much has heard of “Bicol Express,” which is a super spicy cuisine that reigns from Bicol (of course!), this is about the only part of the Philippines that specializes in spicy food! But, we are not going there to eat today, we want to check the place out and see how suitable it might be as a place to live.
Our guide today is Jim, who is a well known fixture on a number of Philippine related e-groups, and I’ve been reading his excellent posts and absorbing his knowledge for years. Let’s see what he has to say about living in Naga City. Jim has lived in Naga City for 4 years now, so he has a good feel for the place!
If you are looking for a place to live, apartments in Naga City can be found for P4,000 to P8,000, house rentals from P7,000 to P15,000.
When you visit Naga City, Jim says that you will currently find two malls, one of which is more of a discount mall. However, SM is scheduled to open a new mall in town in December 2008.
How’s the cost of living in Naga City? Let’s see what Jim has to say about that:
In general the prices for most things are cheaper in Naga than in outlying areas. The exception is seafood which is cheaper if you get closer to the point of delivery. Other items at the wet markets can be cheaper outside of Naga as well. In general Naga is cheaper than Manila and Cebu but more expensive than many outlying areas.
Within Naga City, roads are excellent! Good roads going south to Legazpi too, as is the road headed east to the Pacific Ocean. The roads headed north to Manila are generally in need of repair, though, and are currently getting that much needed attention. Taxis are not available in the City, but tricycles and Jeepneys are easy to find. If you want to fly, there is an airport in Naga City, although currently it has only one flight per day, and that goes to Manila. Additional air services are expected with the arrival of Cebu Pacific airlines in September 2008.
It would seem that the local population of foreigners is rather limited with only about 25 expats living in town, according to Jim. This could be a good thing or bad, depending on your perspective. Local foreigners try to get together every Wednesday around noon, although the location varies. The weekly attendance varies from the average of 4 or 5 up to as many as 10 at a given time.
Jim says that dealing with government offices in Naga City is very quick and painless, there is little corruption in the area. Getting a driver’s license can take about a half day, while paying property taxes only takes about an hour or so.
Typically, it is rainy in Naga City from July through December. The upside to the rain is that it also makes for slightly cooler temperatures during this time of the year. Typhoons can be a problem in the area, so be ready for that if you decide to settle in the area. Electricity is generally good, but expensive (like the rest of the Philippines), with few brownouts affecting the area.
The drinking water in Naga City is safe to drink, although Jim says that he prefers bottled water in most instances. I would imagine that they go through a lot of water up there, due to the spicy foods!
You can find some nice beaches if you head toward the Pacific Ocean, about 50 minutes drive from the City. Cable TV is also readily available in town, but not so much in the outlying areas.
Looking for imported items? Jim says that almost anything he needs is readily available in Naga City, with the only exception being different mustards. For the mustards, or other specialty imported items, it means a trip to Manila, about 9 hours by bus.
According to Jim, the crime rate in Naga City is quite low, the police are friendly and helpful too. He travels around town, day or night without any problems at all!
Thanks for your information and help today, Jim. We appreciate your willingness to introduce our readers to your home, Naga City, Bicol!
Hi Jim and Bob, I learned from another German friend the same opinion. He used to stay in Naga City several times and he plans to stay there for good with his Filipina wife. Interesting write up. Thanks a lot.
Hi Klaus – It’s not often that you hear about foreigners settling in Naga City, so I was happy to get this info from Jim.
Thank you for the Naga City review. We will be retiring to Naga this summer and appreciate the positive review. Although we have family living there and have enjoyed our past visits, it is always nice to hear positive comments from others who live there full time.
Hi Bob.
I really value your efford to tell us about different places to live in the Philippines. I read them with great interest, because I am searching for a place to retire myself. I am looking for a place that has sandy beach and horses, and not too many people. My Filipino wife tells me she will follow me wherever I wish to go. I love her dearly and I hope that there must be a place on the 7000 island in the Philippines that will be just right for both of us.
Hi Lonnie – Good luck on your coming retirement! I hope that Naga City turns out to be as great as everything I hear about the place!
Hi philip – Thanks for visiting, and I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying the overviews of the various cities. If you are looking for beaches, probably Naga is not the right place, but I’m sure you can find your ideal spot here! Keep reading!
Hi Bob&All Is Naga City not the hammerhead shark capital of the Philippines,if not the world?
Hi Guy – If it is, that’s something that I didn’t know.
I too am appreciating the look into the many facets of living in different places in the Philippines. And you couldn’t have found a better source thna Jim … Jim’s not only exert in Philippine living, he’s _the_ go to guy when it comes to issues affecting US military retirees in the Philippines … super guy, he’s helped many, including me, a lot.
Bicol is a very under-rated area of the Philippines … it’s a lot less crowded than many other areas of Luzon, has nice people and beautiful mountains as well as beaches … as well as spicy food.
So far I am seeing a lot more similarity than differences as far as rental pricing … I wish future survey posters could mention more their basic utility costs … water, electricity, stove gas (LPG … thats gone up 40% here in a year, which coupled with a 20% Dollar drop means boiling a tea kettle costs me 60% more tha last year) and the price of a lechon manok … our own Big Mac Index.
Hi Bob and everybody,
…off the topic but timely… MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS to Bob, his family and all great people visiting this site.
ted from Canada
Hi Dave Starr – Yes, Jim is a very nice and helpful guy! I am happy that he was willing to help us out and teach us about Naga City.
Hi ted – Merry Christmas to you and your family!
My mom is from Naga City, she says the only problem living there is the typhoons, hehehe!
And on a bad typhoon water will reach your waistline, LOL LOL!
Hi Cheryll Ann – Hmm… I didn’t know you had family from Bicol! Yes, I have heard that the typhoons can be frequent and also quite powerful up there!
hi bob,
this may be off-topic but you might want to check out this site from Bacolod:
http://www.ifconi.org/
International Friendship Club Of Negros Island Philippines is one of those orgs organized by expats for expats in Bacolod city. neat huh?
Hi JJ – thanks for sharing that. A lot of the pages on the site have no information, I’d like to learn more about them!
CWC ( Camarines Sur Watersports Complex) is just half an hour away from naga city proper. It is one of the place to visit when you’re in naga. If you’re into wakeboarding, then try going to CWC. They have great amenities out there. You can check out their website > http://www.camsurwatersportscomplex.com
^^,
Hi tiff – OK, I let your comment through this time, because some of my readers may find it useful. The comment seems more like an Ad for CWC, though. If you wish to advertise on my site, let’s talk, and I am sure that we can come up with an advertising package that would suit you.
Hi Bob, I am courting a girl in Naga City and plan to meet her early next year. Your review here is excellent and a big help to me as I make my plans.
I plan to buy or rent a nicer condo or home and I was wondering if you could recommend any realtor and or website showing homes? Thanks again, Mark
Hi Mark – firstly, you cannot legally owned real estate in the Philippines, if you’re not a Philippine citizen. As a foreigner, yes, you can owned a condo legally, but as far as I know there are no condo units in Naga City.
Also, shopping for Philippine real estate online is not a wise move. Philippine real estate is not generally sold online, or advertised online, and most Philippine real estate that you find online is specifically geared toward attracting foreigners, and the prices are highly inflated. The best thing to do is just come here drive around and look for signs on houses. That’s how real estate is done here in the Philippines for the most part. You’ll find a few agents, for instance, we have one agent in Davao who frequents this site, Leah, she is quite honest and does a great job, however, that’s not normal here in the Philippines.
The only way that you can legally buy property here, Mark, is that you put the money out, and the properties in your girlfriend’s name. From the sounds of what you say it sounds like a young relationship, and thus I wouldn’t recommend this method. For example, in my case, I’ve been married for 18 years, my wife is Filipino of course. With that kind of long-term relationship I’m comfortable buying property and just putting it in her name, but if I was in a short relationship and not even married. It’s something I wouldn’t even consider.
Good luck to you.
Thanks for the very informative response Bob. I will not be making
any decisions regarding a property until I arrive there. For retiring
there how far do you think $1400 monthly would stretch?
Standard of living etcc..?? How long have you lived in Naga?
Thanks again Mark
Hi Mark – I don’t live in Naga – I’ve never even been there! As it says in the article, I interviewed a friend there for the story.
You can live a decent life on $1400/mo, but nothing outlandish.
It’s nice to read different views about the place- Me too, my husband and I are considering a retirement in Naga, Pili, or in the neighbourhood- I was born and raised in Pili,,,I have spent some years in Europe (Germany) and now in the US,
I think Naga city will be the place for us- people are very friendly- cost of living is cheap- It’s a neat city. If you would like the beach scene, there are choices to go not so far, Caramoan, Pasacao, Sabang…or if you’d like a little adventure you can also go to Sorsogon, in the neighbouring province of Camarines Sur. I will be there this coming May or June to search for a possible properties- Goodluck to you all!
Bob, you’re a wonderful source of information- keep up the beautiful work…
I am trying to track down a valid email address for Jim. I am strongly considering moving to Naga with my Filipina wife who is from there. I need advice on how well I can live on a Army retirement pension. Thanks for any help,
Eric
Hi fran – Sounds good, I hope that you and your husband enjoy your retirement in Naga City!
Hi fran – thank you very much, I appreciate your kindness.