Mguy's Manila Price List

[mguy]

Here is where I'll try to put down some of the prices in Manila. If you need to request anything please put here and i'll try to find out for you.

Let's not list rent prices as it varies too much. Let's talk about goods.

[mguy]

Food.

The best way to know the base line of prices is to go to public markets. I like going to public markets, but its really ghetto as ghetto can be, and I seem to get acne break outs every time I go there. Anyways..

I'm trying to be a pescatarian so expect lots of fish purchases

Yellow Tail Tuna = P200/kg $5/kg
Bangus (milk fish) = P130/kg $3.5/kg
Tilapia = P120/kg $3/kg

Mangoes = P80/kg $2/kg
Coconut!!!! = $.50c per coconut!!!! and i love coconuts

Tomatoes = P80/kg $2/kg
Onions = P80/kg $2/kg

I also have my own part-time maid. haha. ok.. then.
2k/month = $50 a month + give bonus on xmas

[mguy]

inspired by americaninbangkok, one can get a good massage for P200 or $5 an hour
in the states you would be luck to find massage at $60/hr

(im a healthy dude and its cheaper to be healthy here)

Fruit shake runs at $1.50 for 16oz with banana/berry/orange + boost
In the states a similar fruit shake would cost $7

Gym membership is where they get you. This one costs $100/month -- so fck that and just go for runner's build.

Facials (no homo) run at $10 but it had done more damage to me so i wont be coming back.

[mguy]

Had my iphone unlocked for P500 or $12
The back (was cracked) redone for another P500 or $12 and now it's cracked again. Fck. So will just buy a cell phone cover.

[mguy]

Cell phone kills me.. as I keep making phone calls. I'll be updating to a plan. Do not get pre-paid if you will be macking on girls! $10 lasts me 3 days. lol

Internet is P1000 or $25 for 2mbps speeds. You can upgrade to P2000 or $50 to 5mbps. They have a variation of deals and schemes. I'm staying long term and I have proof of income so they are able to hook me up. Bring your ACR card (foreigner card).

Your cheap DVD date in her house runs for P100 or $2.5 for 3 DVDs. If I had a condo I will probably be a DVD guy here and get breaking bad and switch girls per 3 episodes. Everyone torrents here which probably explains high inet prices. Someone who isnt me torrented too much and ISP sent someone who isnt me a letter. haha

[mguy]

Ill start logging my dating costs to give you guys an idea what is involved.

[Rock]

1. Great meeting u the other day mguy!

2. With the cellphones, get at least a Globe and Smart SIM, then join unlimited talk and text promos on each for just like 20-20 Pesos a day or even much better deals for full week or month. Then u can have unlimited texting to all networks and unlimited talk within each network. I think something like 85% of people use either Globe or Smart or at least it a percentage like that of the locals I know.

3. I think cheapest rent u can realistically aim for in a decent studio for good area of Makati, Ortigas, or Global City is 13-15K per month plus a few K for Internet, cable, electric, and water. But many of the better condo buildings have fully usable and well enough equipped gyms so that saves yr gym membership bill right there.

4. Learn the LRT, MRT, and especially jeepney/FX/bus routes. Unless you can afford to have a helicopter on call to transport you around, you will find that taxis are often impossible to get or require hour plus taxi que wait during rush hours and rainy times.

[Rock]

Mguy, Lad and other Philippines insiders. I have an important question for you - HOW DO YOU GET FAST RELIABLE INTERNET IN THIS COUNTRY???

So far, I've tried prepaid Globe packet Wifi, prepaid Smart packet Wifi, and postpaid SIM Globe packet Wifi. They all suck!!! Work halfway well like 30-40% of the time and even then you usually cannot watch vids.

Everywhere I go in this country, hotels, offices, etc. the Internet is down frequently and when it functions, it does so at dial-up speeds so often. I've never been anywhere save some countries in Africa where the damn Internet was so slow, unreliable, and frustrating. Even in Haiti it was better!

Is there a solution? Pay 10K Pesos a month for some sort of connected person inside account? PDLT fixed line (prefer free to roam wireless such as mobile wifi or packet wifi)? Some cable or satellite package?

I mean, how do people manage in Phils without fast Internet? There must be a way? What is it???

[Jester]

Your cheap DVD date in her house runs for P100 or $2.5 for 3 DVDs. If I had a condo I will probably be a DVD guy here and get breaking bad and switch girls per 3 episodes.

KISS principle!

[mguy]

The internet question. The most meaningful answer I got was, "the higher the price, the better it is" and "don't skimp on internet" -- everyone complains.

I'm running wi-tribe they gave me modem and it runs on air. I have a 24 hour trial period and I'm still testing it out. Come to think of it I should have gone for the speed sticks from globe as it has less hardware. I have download speed of 1.5mbps (shud be 2mbps) what a shit fck.

Internet pricing is as complicated as derivative pricing. There is no escaping having to shell out the cash. I would advise you to get basic and let your usage determine your plan. Doesn't really matter what provider as they all suck/are good but really depends on 1.) your location. Check which telecom has best infrastructure for the area that you are operating in. These telecoms are colluding to extract as much from the market. Internet should not be this expensive! wtf but that is life.

Anyways, here is what is recommended by the power-users. They say get "dsl" over "broadband" I think PLDT is the dsl provider of choice. Their plain starts at P2k which is $50. They also don't like anything that is marketed as "broadband". I think the current market condition is shifting to 4G which should be in market within the year. This would cut the price across the board -- but these fcker telecomms will want to delay as long as possible.

The best internet to be had with unlimited everything and good speeds costs P5k.

Here are the tips.

Always try for the 24 hour period. The reason is that the infrastructure is limited and your location determines not only signal strength but the amount of bandwidth that is given in your market.

Don't get it over the weekend. best to try it out on weekdays as to test your peak.

I think a plan will be worth it over topping it off. Globe has a P550 deactivation fee which is ok in my opinion.

The structure of your building will cause interference, which is why it is crucial to go for the testing period.

One of the girls im dating has DSL for her apartment and she has basically "group bought" the service. She highly recommends this set-up.

Do not download too much shit or they will "rate-limit" your service. This happened to me, I got a letter, then all of a sudden my internet slowed to a crawl. They will traffic shape your service.

Internet in the Philippines costs more than in the USA in nominal terms. I'm surprised no one is entering market to take advantage of the blaring gap. One could blame collusion and government protectionism for this.

In happy news, the offices seems to be running normal internet speeds. Starbucks also has decent internet.

[Taco]

Mguy, Lad and other Philippines insiders. I have an important question for you - HOW DO YOU GET FAST RELIABLE INTERNET IN THIS COUNTRY???

That's a question I asked myself everyday for over a year.

You will need a DSL cable internet line of at least 5 Mbps going to your house, this will cost about 2000P/month($50).

You will need a Filipino citizen with a postal ID living at your residence to fill out the application form I don't know if a foreigner can do it. You shouldn't have to pay any money until the technician shows up to install the line. Also, make sure you provide the technician with cola and snacks and get his name and phone number. If your internet line goes down you'll have to call him to fix it and if he doesn't like you that might take a week. PLDT wouldn't install my internet so I use Globe, I pay for 5 Mbps and actually get 2.5 Mbps but I'm happy with it.

Incidentally, I ran a speed test on a free computer at Hong Kong airport 2 weeks ago it was 94.88 Mbps! I've never seen a speed test red line like that before. They have the fastest internet in the world.

[mguy]

You can do it with an ACR card I was told.

[Taco]

You can do it with an ACR card I was told.

That's good to know, I'll use mine if I need to apply again.

[Rich]

useful information, Mguy, thanks

[mguy]

I went to a friends condo. Did a speed test. 75MBPS on a friday afternoon (peak hours)!!!

Yes dude. He said he tops at 94MBPS which is as fast as any Asian country. This is residential.

I asked for his service. Here it is.

http://pldthome.com/surf/fibr/about

Nobody can now say Philippines has slow internet as it has blazing fast internet. One can say Philippines has expensive internet.

Here's for the rest of us:

http://www.expatch.org/2012/09/26/inter ... ippines-2/

I returned my wi-tribe as they seem to be a bandwidth capacity buyer (without infrastucture) and thus has limitation on their model.

I might go for PLDT myDSL. Which is Php1000 + P1500 installation fee.

Also I locked myself in a Globe plan for P500 monthly.