I’ve rented apartments on a monthly basis in Manila several times over the last 3 years, and it is definitely the best option if you plan to stay for more than 2 weeks. A decent hotel room in Manila is easily 2,000 to 3,000 peso while you can get a very nice apartment for as low as 30,000 peso. That’s why I suggest everyone that wants to stay there longer than 2 weeks to look at apartments. Many apartment buildings have internet connection, housekeeping, swimming pool as well as a gym included in the price, so you’ll get much better value for your money.
I’ve lived in the Makati area and the Malate area and it is those areas I know best, they are also the areas most foreigners would be interested in staying in though. Makati is a little more expensive than Malate and a more upscale area, there are also more options when it comes to monthly rentals here. If you plan to only stay for a month I suggest trying to find a place where you can rent from a rental office, so you don’t have to deal with a large deposit with a private owner. Several rental offices in large apartment buildings also let you make your deposit with your credit card if they require it, something I found that to be an advantage as I don’t want my say 30,000 peso deposit back in cash the day before leaving the country. If you want to stay in Makati, Sunette Tower is a good option, while Boulevard Mansion is a nice choice in Malate. In the area around Burgos street in Makati there are lots of options though, so I suggest walking around there and checking out most of the buildings before deciding.
Craigslist is also a decent option for finding an apartment to rent in Manila, but most of the apartments listed there has a minimum 6 months lease. Very often it is not the apartment owner that is listing apartments at Craigslist, but actually a rental agency. This is usually a good thing for you though, since they will have many apartments listed and often can drive you around to check out several at the same time. From my experience you can easily manage to negotiate the prices listed at craigslist down at least 10-15 %. When it comes to electricity it is usually not included, so that will be another 4,000 – 8,000 peso monthly with air condition depending on how much you use it obviously.
Tags: apartments, Burgos, condo, Ermita, long term stay, Makati, Malate, rental