Shipping to the Philippines – Living in Manila

If you are looking for a long-standing removals company with a reputation for reliability, here at Greens we specialise in international removals to the Far East and shipping to the Philippines, as well as to all parts of Asia including Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.

The Philippines is an archipelago of thousands of beautiful islands and offers a relaxed place to live with glorious weather and picturesque sandy beaches. Each year a number of British people move to the Philippines for work reasons or to settle there on a permanent basis. Although many expats choose to live in scenic areas outside the cities, some decide to move to more populated areas for easy access to the workplace, educational facilities, hospitals and retail establishments.

At Greens Removals, we know that moving house – and even more so moving to a new country – can be a stressful experience. However, with more than 30 years of international removals under our belt, we have moved thousands of people overseas and it's our job to make shipping to the Philippines as easy as possible for you. We provide full packing and unpacking services and door-to-door removals to and from the main cities such as Manila, Quzeon, Cebu, Davao, Zamboanga, and Antipolo, as well as to the more remote areas and islands. Click on the link below to find out more about our UK international removals service.

Shipping to the Philippines – Click here to find out more about shipping to Asia and to get a competitively priced UK to the Far East removals quotation.

Read on to find out what you can expect as an expat moving from the UK to the capital of the Philippines, Manila.

Moving to Manila, the Philippines: About Manila

Manila has attracted a number of expats from all over Britain who have taken up posts in banking, finance, advertising, the media, in call centres, the petroleum industry, or one of the many IT and technology firms. While most gain employment in one of the many large, international companies such as Lloyds Banking Group, others work on a self-employed basis in arts, sports, or website development.

The city is the second largest in the Philippines after Quezon, and although more than 1.5 million people live in Manila, there are as many as 12 million inhabitants in the wider capital region, Metro Manila, which encompasses as many as 16 cities. Of those cities Manila is the political and economic hub and is home to the largest seaport in the country which forms an international gateway for shipping to the Philippines.

Living in Manila, Philippines

If you are moving to Manila, one of the biggest attractions is the low cost of living. Depending on where you settle, you can live a comfortable life in the Philippines on around £700 a month but this is mainly in the countryside locations. Any savings on rent of course frees up cash to spend – and Manila has plenty of places to shop, enough to rival any Asian city! For serious shoppers, you can set aside at least a day to visit the SM Mall of Asia, the 4th largest shopping centre in the world. You can also find some excellent, colourful markets too, where you can pick up a bargain or dine for less than £1.

You will find it easy to get out and about as the main official languages are Tagalog (also known as Filipino) and English. Almost everyone speaks a pretty good standard of English, which all helps make it easier to adjust to your new life the Philippines.

For those moving house to the Philippines with family, schools have a good reputation in Manila. If you are choosing a school for your children, International School Manila is an American educational facility catering from pre-school years upwards, and the British School Manila also accepts children from nursery upwards. The British School has some excellent facilities including free after school clubs, offering everything from martial arts to football, chess and ballet classes.

As well as attracting families, many retirees move to Manila as the medical facilities and expertise are superb. There are a number of hospitals including the Medical Centre Manila and Philippine General Hospital, which is a national university hospital with as many as 1500 beds, including 500 private ones.

For any foreigner moving to the Philippines, one thing of note is that you can buy a property, but not the land it stands on. As a result most expats rent a home, such as a house or serviced apartment or live within a gated community. Another luxury you can usually expect, which you don't get at home is hiring a maid or a driver, and if you hire help full time, you may need to provide staff accommodation.

One of the most prestigious areas for expats to live in Metro Manila, the greater metropolitan area, is Makati city. Forbes Park is a plush gated community with a polo club and a country club. Even in the Philippines this sort of luxury doesn't come cheap. However, this is high end living and overall the cost of accommodation in the Philippines is fairly inexpensive.

For house moves to and from Asia and the UK, contact Greens removals, the experts in international reAreas. – or click here for a removals quotation to the Philippines.