When it comes to Living in the Philippines, my experience is mostly in Mindanao. I have visited a number of other parts of the country, but I’ve only lived in Mindanao, so it’s hard for me to know what it is like to live in some of these other places. Luckily for me, though, I have friends in many of these other places who can help us know a little more about the place where they live! Today, my friend Dave Starr (also visit another of his sites here) has graciously agreed to tell us more about Marilao, Bulacan, where he has been living for the past 14 months now.
Marilao, as I said is in Bulacan Province in Luzon. It is just north of Manila. Dave says that Marilao is a bedroom community of Metro Manila, and a lot of people commute between the two places.
If you are looking to rent a place in Marilao, you might be surprised at how affordable of prices you can find! I know that I was surprised at Dave’s answer, because I expected that a place that close to Manila would be considerably higher than what he said! Dave says that rents are typically between P5,000 and P12,000 per month! Hey, not bad! Actually, Davao is even more than that, because here, a minimum of P10,000 is what you should expect! Dave also says that you can purchase a house for P1M to P3M or so. Not bad!
As for amenities, you can find just about anything that you might need! Dave says that Malls, Fitness Centers, Swimming Pools, Movies and Restaurants are all readily available in the area. For eating out, most people go into Manila for that, where you can find just about any time of restaurant that your heart (oops.. I mean stomach) desires!
Dave says also that the cost of living is quite reasonable in the Marilao area. An expat couple can live comfortably on a budget of $1,000 or less per month. Dave says that one of the reasons why he lives in that area is because of the inexpensive health care available, and the fact that if he needs something that he can’t find locally, it’s a quick drive into Manila where he can find virtually anything that he might want or need. By now, you know the item that I look to for a quick feel of the economy and cost of living… a lechon manok. Dave says that he can get one for just P110 within walking distance of his house! Wow, this shocked me, as we haven’t seen a lechon manok for that price in years now!
Dave goes on to say that the roads in his area range from “excellent to horrid” with the main problem being excess traffic. Having traveled in Manila (as most of us have), I can certainly understand the “horrid” part! For transportation, Jeepneys and tricycles are readily available. Taxis can generally only be found for call out service, and are expensive if they have to come out that far from the City. Dave says that you can ride a Jeepney all the way to Manila for P17, and FX (which is like a car service) can be taken to Manila for P45. If you need to catch a flight, this area is served by both NAIA in Manila and also the new airport in Clark, in Angeles City.
There are quite a few foreigners living in Marilao, Dave says there is at least a foreigner on every block in his neighborhood. However there really aren’t any organized get together activities for foreigners. As far as dealing with Government offices for things like driver’s licenses and such, Dave mainly goes into Manila to handle things like that.
Dave says that the weather in his area is the standard for Northern Luzon – Monsoon rains from April through September, but fairly dry the rest of the year. For household water needs, Dave pays about P350 per month. That water is drinkable, but not very appealing. He prefers to bring in bottled drinking water for about P60 per week.
Let’s see what Dave has to say about the electricity in the area:
Our electric is good. Brownouts are nearly unheard of. In one year we had a 4 or 5 hour outage due to a tropical storm that battered Manila and a 6 hour pre-announced maintenance outage. Two aircons, TV, etc our average for the past year has been 371 kWh per month, 121 PhP per day. The actual cost here last month is 10 PhP per kWh $0.24 USD per kWh …August’s US DOE figures say the US-wide average kWh cost is $0.10, so you can figure 2.5 times whatever you US electric bill is now and come pretty close.
What Dave says about electricity jives with what I know about it too.
Unfortunately, good beaches are hard to find in this area. Dave suggests that you would need to drive to Zambales, Bataan, Cavite or Batangas to find a nice beach to enjoy.
For any desires for imported goods, Dave goes to a membership store called SR, which he says is a “weak imitation” of Sams or Costco in the USA. Dave mostly buys coffee there, and says that for such imported goods you should expect to pay about double of the price in the USA. Pretty typical, I’d say!
Dave goes on to say that the people in the Marilao area are very friendly, and actually even go a little overboard in helping foreigners when they see them. He says that this is particularly true if you go to do anything at a government office, where generally you are invited into the manager’s office, and very well taken care of!
When it comes to entertainment at home, it’s easy in Marilao! Cable TV is P550 per month, and will generally be installed the same day that you call. There are about 50 channels on the local cable, but only 8 or 10 of those have something that you actually want to watch! About the same as back in the USA! Broadband internet is readily available, starting at P999 per month and going up from there!
Thanks much to Dave for taking the time to tell us about Marilao on the general area!
Bob, I understand totally what your saying and I agree completely. I also would say that Marilao still might be an ok place to live-who knows unless you go there. Your friend obviously likes it and I am sure he would also be concerned about pollution if he were concerned. He did state he choses to drink the bottled water-smart man considering. Ron
Hi Ron LaFleur – Ha ha… 😆 that last line gave me a chuckle! 😛
Hi Bob, Reading about Marilao intrigued me so I did a google search to check it out. The very first thing I found was a site that listed it as one of the 10 most polluted places in the world. (www.minesandcommunities.com) Apparently the amount of Chromium and lead that is dumped into the river there (Meycauayan River) has caused large health concerns. This could explain the low cost of living. I wonder how accurate this report is? I am disappointed because from what I read in your site I thought wow-what a good place to live-not not so sure. Ron
Hi Ron LaFleur – Having never been to Marilao it would be impossible for me to judge this. I will say this, though, the Philippines is a highly polluted country. Unless you really get out in the boonies you won't escape pollution no matter where you go. For example, here in Davao, which is rather remote to all the big factories and such, the water of the Gulf of Davao is so polluted that the Dept of Tourism suggests that humans should not swim in the Gulf here in the Davao area. Now, if you take a short trip to Samal Island the water is clean there (for now). Raw sewage is dumped right into the Gulf, so there is no need to wonder why it is polluted! 😮 For anybody who is deeply concerned about pollution (as we all should be), it is very important to research the place in the Philippines where you intend to live, and avoid densely populated areas in most cases.
My family was originally from Bulacan. Marilao used to be a "liberty spot" for US servicemen a few decades ago. Unfortunately due the concentration of factories in the area it has become an industrial city. All the rivers are black with pollution if you have seen the Pasig river. There rivers in Marilao are worst. One advantage is that the mosquito that carries the dengue virus cannot survive in these waters.
Hi Bobby – Interesting info! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Bob,
I really love these city guide articles. I hope lots of them get done.
Reading that sentence in the fifth paragraph about making a "quick drive to Manila" made me realize how living here in the states for the last six years has changed what I consider "quick driving" to be. I live on the Virginia- North Carolina, and when I drive at 70 mph (112 km per hour) on the expressway I'm usually one of the slower cars on the road.
When back in the Manila area, I normally thought that being able to get up to 25 miles an hour and stay at that rate for an entire half mile was "making good time."
Oops, insert "border" after "North Carolina" in the previous post.
Hi Kevin K. – I will be doing as many City Overviews as I can. It is just a matter of finding people in various areas who are willing to write such articles, or answer a questionnaire.
You cracked me up about the 25 MPH thing… you are so right, though! 😆
Hi Bob,
When living in Guam and traveling often to Manila, my children liked it when I brought back software games that I could always find at stores in Green Hills Mall. If, after I was through shopping I had "only" an hour to get from there to the airport, I could never make it on time. The distance between the two is only a little over 6 miles! When my mother uses the expression "patience of a saint" I always think of Filipinos in Manila traffic. They never freak-out. They are far superior to me in this regard.
Hi Kevin K – I'm like you! I don't have the patience for Manila driving! 😆
A couple clarifications .. I made a mistake on the manok .. it is P130 at the little kiosk I was thinking of … inflation hits us all I am afraid.
Some may already know about the Economist’s Big Mac Index … it’s quite interesting, compares the price of a Big mac in many countries around the world … don’t care much for them myself, but it is an “apples to apples” yardstick:
http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9448015
The price differentials around the Philippines are harder to pin down than just the simplistic “away from Manila is cheaper” rule of thumb. many things are that way, other things are more expensive in ‘the province”. I had, but have lost, an official Phils government reference that stated the costs of living in Manila were 100%, in provincial capitals 80%, in other 3rd class an lower provincal cities, 60% (all municipalities are government categorized as 1st, 2nd, 3ed, etc.) In my limited travels, though, I don’t think that overall there is that much variation .. but on individual items, certainly might be.
When I drive to Manila … 10 to 20 kms, depending on “where” in Manila, I use the NLEX for the first 6 kms and speeds of 100+km (close to 70MPn are routine there. After that … anybody’s guess … that 1 hour from Greenhills to the airport is certainly a common time frame.
RE the pollution … I believe the report Frank saw was part of one called the “Dirty Thirty” which has been out a year or so, highlighting the 30 most polluted cities in the world. Marilao is indeed on it. This is a gold jewelry processing center and was formerly the leather tanning capital of the Philippines … both processes tend to be very “dirty”. Bulacan is, let’s say, the New Jersey of the Philippines. It is not unique, however. Heavy metal pollution is a big issue in many areas of the Philippines … the more industrialized, the greater the risk.
As far as marilao being a “liberty town”? That would be anew one on me … there are plenty bars here as there are in virtually any Philippine town, but there were never US forces staioned closer than Manila or the former Clark AB … and to “take liberty” here a service man would have had to pass a 70 lm past more than a dozen towns between here and Angles City, let alone Angeles City itself.
I’m on my way over to my FIL’s house, I’ll ask “daddy”, he’s been here since the Imperial Japanese Army was ‘taking liberty”, perhaps he has a war story or two 😉
I really like this idea of Bob’s, I’m learning a lot, I hope he was able to get many more “actual living there” reports.
Hi Dave Starr! Thanks for choosing Marilao to live in, and I am glad that you are enjoying the place. I am a true blue Marilenyo (native of Marilao) but have been living abroad for a about a decade now. Every year I go home for vacation. And it is really surprising to see a lot of foreigners every now and then. I thought once, is there a “retirement home” already in Marilao? I don’t mean it the bad way, but what I meant is a place to “retire and enjoy”. A visit to SM Marilao on a any given day would prove that there are foreigners living in Marilao and in nearby areas. For me, it means a positive note. Given the Philippines bad image abroad, a foreigner must have second thoughts coming here, what more living here. Btw, I was thinking where did you buy this lechon manok at P110? Coz, the last time I bought this in December 2010, it cost me higher. I saw your “adjustment” too, though. I know there is a red strip area in Abangan, going towards Bocaue, with “sizzling bars” and motels, but I don’t recall Marilao being referred to as “liberty town”. I think it is too far away from that image. But these bars are there. Generally, Marilao is a fine place to live!
Hi Dave Starr – Thanks for coming back and giving some additional info about Marilao.
Things I like about Marilao;
– just a neighbor town of Meycauayan where I born & live
– Popular's – putong pulo
– SM Marilao
– Starbucks coffee @ Petron Station
– Latian
– cheap movie watching @ SM Marilao
– supermarket @ SM Marilao
– strolling @ SM Marilao
– swimming pool resorts
– most of my needs were found here!
Bulacan is the place where some of our national heroes were born. Malolos which is the capital city has some historical places. If you like history then this is the place to visit. I was born also in Marilao and I could remember how clean it was. Industrialization has brought a lot of changes and good things to our place but unfortunately there are some negative impact as well. I’ve been away from home a number of years already but I heard the local municipal gov’t are doing something about the river. Marilao is good place to live as it is commuting distance to Manila.
Hi Lindy – Thanks for sharing your list of favorites in Marilao! That might help some people add it to their favorite list too!
Hi! I am living in Marilao and I was browsing for articles on Internet connection options and got here in your site. We live on the upper part (Abangan Norte to be exact) of the town. I was happy with your article. I think a lot of people are interested in buying a house, since we're almost in Manila. Less than half an hour on the Expressway, we could reach SM North EDSA. So if people are not satisfied with the local mall, they could always go there.
But I think it's god to note what's missing in here. Actually, the town's progress (IMHO, since I live here) is a bit slow. One thing, Internet cost is high and problematic. Also, water in our area isn't satisfactory. My family needs to keep water in the evenings since there's nothing available in during the day.
On the happy side, government forms are within reach since the City Municipal of Marilao has an NBI office (do we have everywhere? on malls? I don't know). There's an SSS office on the nearby town of Meycauayan (although one could never an ID on that office)
And yes, the people are kind enough. I think there's less crime rate. Our subdivision is in the middle of beer and karaoke houses but we never had problems with anyone. My siblings would bravely go to internet cafe across the street before midnight and could safely return home.
But I still want my Internet connection!
Hi Arlene – thanks for your comment!
Bob,
I know a little bit about Marilao myself. That was the first place that I stayed in the Philippines. In fact the name of the hotel was johncis (you may be able to correct my spelling David Starr). Prior to moving to Bohol. I lived in San Jose, Patag just outside of Sta. Maria… My first son was born in Bucaue at BMMG hospital. The good thing about that time, the closest (white) expat lived in Fairview. Ha-ha I enjoyed being the only "Joe" in the area.
David- What's the name of the club (it is a number if my memory is correct.) just off to the right between the Mac Do and 7-11? Ha-ha. I bought my first bike from BGY (I believe was the name) in Sta. Maria…Don't go there. They do not operate a good business. If you have a chance I may have you say hello to a few of my friends and relatives in that area…LOL…If you are in the area and need the net stop by 'Brainstorm" just across from the JollyBee in Sta. Maria.
Bob:
Speaking of that…As you know from our conversations. I am going thru some tough personal times at the moment. But I would be glad to do a questionaire/blog on the Tagbilaran and Bohol area once I have the time.
Hi Mike K. – Interesting! I didn't realize that you had spent time in Marilao. I'll put together a questionnaire about Bohol and send it to you soon!
Bob,
I hadn't even thought of Bulacan lately until I read the article on Marilao. I spent 2 of my years living in that area. We have an uncle that was mayor of Sta. Maria and I have several friends there also. Ha-ha Marilao was the first place I lived in PI. and lets just say I was still single for the first 3 months or so. Nice place for the singles crowd as well 😆 I look forward to receiving your questionnaire and will get it back to you soon as possible.
Regards,
Mike K.
Hello Bob,
My wife and I grew up in Marilao and moved to Canada during our young adulthood. We still have siblings and relatives there (big families actually). Our visits to the Philippines made us notice the changes and the development of the Marilao area and the deterioration of the environment which always come with progression if not taken cared of.
Sorry about that, I pressed Enter accidentally……
I can remember, during our younger years, we used to wash our clothes in the river, take a swim and have picnics by the banks. Now, I cannot even dip my finger in that water. Can we blame the people of Marilao? Partly, yes. But they are doing something right now to clean up that river that flows from Manila to most of the Bulacan area. Most of the pollution are coming from Metro Manila in which the industries are dumping all their waste without any treatment. Will you be surprised why the place is polluted when most of the citizen are not disciplined enough to help, as well as the government?
Ver
Hi Virgilio – Thanks for visiting and sharing your comments about your time in Marilao!
hi i found the information about marilao very interesting i have a fiend there who wants me to visit I understand about the pollution i have visited manila 3 times now as my partner lives there but a poor part tondo but i love it there I am treated with respect by all i love boracay too i will be back at the end of november for 2 months that why i want to see more cebu and bohol are on my list nad will go to marilao too I dont think I will ever get used to the crazy traffic of manila but they just wait and move on I have a good knowledge of manila and tondo if you need anything take care
Allan
Hi Allan- Thanks much for your comment. I'm glad to have another friend on the site!
Hmmm. Interesting Comments to the previous pages.
Regarding Enviroment Impact to our Populated Area.
I would like to ADD. All over the world especially the poverty stricken Countries have these environmental catastrophy.
What should we do about it.
The World Govern Bodies of Environment have so much stuff on thir plate right now. and as a responsible adjucator of free will I reckon we as a small individuals should make it possible to better these flaws. Time and effort are the main factor here.
Does anyone else agree to this comment.
Hi Ritchie – Thanks for stopping by. Happy to feature Marilao.
hi bob!
i came across your site while searching for piggery farms in marilao for possible source of small scale business. and i really marvelled at your description of the place.
i live in meycauayan, the city right next to marilao. i've been staying here since 1991 and i can rightly say that marilao is somewhat a part of metro manila bec. of its proximity and bec we enjoy the very things that people in most cities enjoy.
there are mini-divisorias and flea-markets around marilao where fresh carabao's milk and white cheese are being sold, plus the affordable talaba, the fresh tilapia and the like.hahaha!
i've been to davao several times bec my bff lives there. i also like the place bec the people are sweet and simple.
how 'bout that?
Hi luvy – Thanks for visiting! I hope you will browse my site again!
Hi Bob,
Thanks for featuring Marilao. I live there since birth, but right now I am working here in Dubai. Indeed Marilao is a nice place to live in. Pollution is somewhat controlled. Local Government is doing something to irradicate this problem. (at least). I can say that I am really proud of my town. Have you already visited it? I hope so, for you to enjoy it especially the night life. Until then…Anyway I like your website…
Happy that you enjoyed it, Arman!
Hi Bob,
Why not try browsing Laguna, especially Los Baños. There are nice hot spring resorts there, bounded by mountain, and its’ not polluted I guarantee……..Nice people, nice place not to mention the best BUKO PIE. Love my place…
Why not try Laguna? Because I am very happy in Davao! Why don’t you give Davao a try, Marvin? 😆