Living in Metro Manila is EXPENSIVE

Just recently, the meta-search website iPrice Group released a study that compared the estimated average monthly cost of living for a single person in six leading cities in Southeast Asia. Surprisingly, Manila had the third most expensive cost of living in the region — only coming behind Singapore and Bangkok. On average, a single person must shell out an estimated monthly cost of P51,500 to pay for necessities like rent, food, transportation, and utilities. Metro Manila also has the second-highest rent prices in the region, only second to Singapore.

This comes as a shock since the estimated average net salary in Manila is only at P18,900 per month, the lowest among other ASEAN cities.

Closer to nature, closer to adventures

Beaches, mountains, clean rivers, lakes, rice fields? After all, where do you go when you’re completely bummed out in the city? Some man-made attractions in the city also offer an alternative experience for rappelling, surfing, and wakeboarding. But still, nothing beats Mother Nature crafting its own rock formations, waves, and sea breeze.

You don’t have to travel for hours to pull your windows down and enjoy gorgeous views. When you live in the province, every moment can feel like a music video.

Less pollution

Need we say more? Who doesn’t want fresh air?

Less traffic

While braving heavy traffic has become commonplace on all roads in the Philippines, there’s nothing like Metro Manila traffic. In Manila, it takes hours just to travel a few kilometers! The same can be said for nearby provinces like Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna, and Cavite, but the more you distance yourself away from Mega Manila, you’d see how much your travel time is reduced. Plus, we have expressways in the provinces too.

More time

When you’re not wasting hours of your day getting from Point A to Point B, you’d be surprised with just how much free time you have left. That’s time you can spend learning new skills, enriching your relationships, or even just kicking back and relaxing — the possibilities are endless.

Fresher food

Isn’t it healthier to just harvest produce from your own garden, or sometimes your neighbor’s? Growing your own produce straight from the farm gives a different kind of high. (Not the kind of high you get every 420, but a pesticide-free kind of high.) And even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can enjoy fresh produce at lower prices by just visiting your local market.

Manila isn’t the only urban hub out there

It could really be a challenge to detach from the convenience that city living has brought to your lives.

But to say that life is only convenient in Manila—you’re just living in your city bubble. FYI, there are other urban centers outside Metro Manila too, such as Metro Cebu, Metro Davao, and Cagayan de Oro. All of those are major commercial centers where malls, sports stadiums, Grab, Uber, and Food Panda also exist. It’s just a matter of perspective. And as more railway and airport projects are underway in the coming years, it’s only a matter of time when Manila would no longer be the Philippines’ go-to metropolis.

Thanks to the internet, you can work from anywhere

Ask yourself this: “With so many possibilities, why am I staying in Manila?” If you don’t come up with any compelling answers, consider that a sign to start packing your bags.

There’s life outside Manila. Life in the concrete jungle may be convenient, but what about outgrowing our comfort zone? You’ll never really know how survival in unfamiliar territories means unless you go and seek the great beyond.

Did we leave out any other reasons for you to move out of the metro? Comment below!