So what is it like living in Angeles City? A foreigner planning to move and relocate to Angeles City can be comfortable in the nicely sized expat community in the area’s 33 barangays. Angeles City itself has a relatively small population of about 250,000 people but a considerable percentage of that is made up of outsiders. There are many foreigners and expats who live in Angeles City, including the children and descendants of the ex-GI Americans from the US Military.
The city’s history as the site of the US Air Force Clark Air Base does not help much in this department either. Even if the Americans have long been gone, some (older, much older) people have gotten used to the American GIs spending and paying them in dollars back in the day. Even if the Americans were just giving them the smallest one US dollar bill thinking that it was really nothing, it still translated to paying almost 50 pesos for what should have been only a 10, 20, or 30 peso product or service. This bad habit was one of the causes of the prices becoming higher than what they should be, and for the local people of Angeles City to not accept any amount that’s less.
Another way that the former US Air Force Clark Air Base affected Angeles City is by bringing about the proliferation of numerous girly bars and nightclubs during and even after the glory days of the base. These girly bars and nightclubs are something that all expats should take into consideration before even thinking of moving into Angeles City. Granted that some expats really do relocate to City of Angeles solely for the nightlife, sexy bar girls, and cheap beer that these strip clubs and go-go bars have to offer, these places are really in the business of prostitution (and to an extent including human trafficking and sex slavery) which is very much illegal in the Philippines.
Field Avenue in Balibago in Angeles City is the place where the strip joints are located and heavily concentrated. Here you will find the Filipina commercial sex workers who are more times than not driven to peddle their flesh just to be able to put food on the table. Poverty is a very big problem in Angeles City and in the Philippines. As much as prostitution is against the strong Catholic morals that are dominant in the Philippines, desperately poor Filipino women and their families are often left with very little or no choice. Prostitution in Angeles City is looked at as a way of getting out of their extremely impoverished conditions.
The first thing that an expat needs before living in Angeles City is of course, a place to stay. Finding one should not be a problem because there are many housing facilities in Angeles City for expats to choose from. Single rooms, 1 or 2-bedroom studios, condos, apartments, townhouses, and mansion style houses are available in Angeles City. A quick search on the internet will give thousands of results for those looking for housing in Angeles City.
If you want to live very simply and cheaply, there are places in Angeles City that you can rent for as little as US$50 or even less depending on your negotiating skills. Remember, you get what you pay for so expect below bare minimum essentials when you rent places at these prices. Don’t expect more than a simple basic room with maybe a threadbare mattress on a wooden bed frame. Consider yourself lucky if you get shared bathroom with a toilet seat.
The mid-priced housing in Angeles City could cost you somewhere between US$120 to US$150 rent per month. At this rental price, you can get a full sized house with 2 to 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, a kitchen, a car garage, and even a yard. Some may also wish to rent these kinds of houses that are located within compounds, villages, and subdivisions in Angeles City. These places usually have better security services and have guards at the village’s gates 24/7. If you need and feel safer with the extra security, it is only an additional US$100 or a little bit more on the monthly rental price of these kinds of houses.
Philippine law prohibits foreigners from owning land properties but there are ways around it. Expats can choose to buy a house and lot in Angeles City. US$30,000 can already buy you the house with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, car garage, and yard that rents for US$150 to US$400 a month depending on its location. Buying may be a good option for some expats who find the rental prices in Angeles City increasing much too rapidly than they would like.
The prices paid for utilities in Angeles City are about the same as in the US. A full sized house with a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a computer, and 2 or 3 television sets can run an electricity bill amounting to US$50 to close to US$100 every month. The water utility bill is approximately US$10. The price for cable TV is a little under US$10.
The telephone bill is set at about the same price (if you only make local calls), although you can get by with a mobile phone in the cell phone-crazed country of the Philippines. A mobile phone bill is relatively cheaper to maintain in the Philippines, especially if you make a lot of expensive calls abroad. Your telephone and/or cable service provider in Angeles City can also connect your internet and vice versa. Internet with the cable and telephone service would cost anywhere from US$20 to US$50.
You can get around Angeles City via public transportation. Public utility vehicles in Angeles City include tricycles, jeepneys (modified jeeps from the Philippines’ Japanese era), buses, and taxis. Starting fares are relatively cheap: for the first kilometer it is approximately US$1 for tricycles, US$0.15 for jeepneys, US$0.20 for buses, and US$0.50 for taxis.
Be careful of deceitful drivers who try to extort anyone who looks like a foreigner out of more money. Know and do your research on the regular fares in Angeles City before venturing out of your own.
If you would rather buy your own mode of transportation, prices of brand new cars in Angeles City are also about the same as in the US. It might also be a better idea if you buy your vehicle from Manila because as previously mentioned, Angeles City charges much higher “foreigner prices” for anything, including automobiles.
A medium sized Japanese made sedan would set you back about US$20,000. A bigger SUV would be well over US$30,000. Motorcycles are generally much cheaper because they are assembled in the Philippines and are not taxed if they are under 200 CCs. Prices of brand new motorcycles are somewhere in the US$1,000 range. In addition, gas in the Philippines right now is close to US$1 per liter.
You can also choose to buy secondhand cars or motorcycles as your main mode of transportation. However, be careful of stolen or “hot property” vehicles as there are many of them in Angeles City. There are also those that are illegally purchased and have taxes that have not been paid. Check the authenticity and the background of the vehicle’s registration with the local Land Transportation Office before purchasing.
Some things that you can save on in Angeles City are food and labor. These two things are very inexpensive not only in Angeles City, but in the entirety of the Philippines.
You can bargain for the freshest vegetables, meats, and seafoods at the local wet market in Angeles City, but it is almost guaranteed that a Filipino local will be much better at haggling and get much lower prices than a foreign expat can. You can easily find a Filipino or a Filipina helper to do this for you.
Luckily, the local supermarkets, shops and restaurants cater to the tastes of the many foreigners and expats living in Angeles City. Finding a good restaurant that serves a delicious hot meal with nice serving portions is not that hard to find at all in Angeles City. You can take your pick from the various eateries in Angeles City, ranging from hole in the wall cafeterias to fine dining restaurants. Filipino restaurants usually specialize in Chinese food, but you can find other international cuisines such as American, Italian, Japanese, and others as well. US$10 is certainly more than enough for dining out in style in Angeles City.
It also isn’t that hard to find imported meats, food, and other products in Angeles City, especially with the Freeport zone being so accessible. However, some places charge exorbitant prices, putting a 100 percent or more profit mark up on any imported goods. Watch out when buying anything imported as these things can carry much higher price tags than what you are willing to pay for them.
As for labor, it is very easy in the Philippines to get someone to do your errands for you. You can have a different person for gardening, cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing, and even for going to the market. General services like these will only cost you about US$4 to US$7 per person per week. Many expats choose to have a live-in maid to help them with the cleaning, cooking, gardening, and basically with anything around the house. A live-in househelp may be much better and easier for you especially if you have a lot more errands and household chores to be done. Salary for housekeepers who are “stay-in” is about US$40 to US$60 per month.
Living in “The Entertainment Capital of Central Luzon” certainly has its perks. For one, there is always something to do and some place to be in Angeles City. You can participate in the jumping nightlife, if girly bars and strip clubs are your thing. Beers and drinks may be cheaper here compared to abroad but make sure to tip the girls handsomely when you go barhopping. You may also find it difficult not to fall for the charms of the Filipina bar girls. Of course not all women are the same but just as well, remember the old adage “you may take the girl out of the bar, but you can’t take the bar out of the girl” before taking home a Filipina bar girl to meet your mother.
Things to try in Angeles City include hot air ballooning, go-kart racing, motorcycle racing, drag racing, and sky jumping. You can also go bowling, fishing, or golfing. You might want to experience the ultra-light plane ride courtesy of the local flight clubs in the former Clark Air Base.
Adventurers can go on lahar (volcanic ash) trek, a trek on Mount Arayat, or on an aerial tour of the historical Mount Pinatubo. Gambling may be done in the numerous casinos in Angeles City.
Local festivals of Angeles City that you can experience are the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, the La Naval Fiesta, the Tigtigan Terakan Keng Fiesta, Fiestang Apu, and the Sisig. Read about Choosing your lifestyle in Cebu
