Find a place outside Metro Manila. The Metro area is overcrowded; traffic is an absolute nightmare; and new housing developments are trending toward “pocket-sized” living. Condominium units are getting smaller but not getting any cheaper. Two-bedroom condos that are only 800 square feet or less are going for seven to eight million pesos (AUD190,000). If you’re coming from the Sydney Eastern Suburbs, that might be acceptable, but the place is claustrophobic and is overpriced.
Those who are constrained by family matters to remain in Manila might consider settling down in Subic Freeport. It has a nice environment, clean air, relatively cheap housing, beaches, and only three hours from Manila via North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the new SCTEX (Subic-Clark-Relax Expressway) which is as good as any interstate in Australia.