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I received an e-mail from Rick Smith about some local prices that he found out about. I’m going to copy/paste that here, but I will correct any spelling errors and as many grammatical errors as I can find.
——————————————————– Some pricing in Calbayog and the area, apartment rental, 2 bedroom,1 cr, type P5000 – P7500 per month, Cable P285 – P300 a month, Water billings min charge P287 a month just for having water more if you use more of course, typically family of 2-3 will run the min, each month. Electric deeply depends on needs and usages your personal comfort levels, For us air con most the day, a fan all night, refrig,tv,2 pc on all day we average P4900, a month depends on family visits and heat of the nights can be a lot higher lowest has been just under P3000 a month. Internet through Globe P995 a month and I think PLDT, DSL is near that or a touch higher if available in your area, I got the 2 Mb service.
Food items
Local bakeries are on about every street so fresh baked goods not hard to find shop around till you find the items that taste best to you, Loaf of sliced bread P65- 75, 30 eggs, because the size of the egg cradle we have 30 count is P150, No gallons or half gallons of milk here but a one liter box of milk about P89, 1 kilo raw sugar P45, white refined sugar about P52a kilo, multitudes of small plastic bags of spices and seasonings available mostly about P15-P20 each.
Meats:
Manok, chicken, can range P115- P145 per kilo depending on size and location of course, several roasted chicken stands abound here running from P120- P160 for a rotisserie roasted fresh chicken and its size. Lechon Baboy, roasted pigs can range P2000 for just bigger than a suckling pig to P6000 for a 60 kilo live pig, butchering and roasting can be done for P750 more delivered to your home on a long bamboo pole still steaming and dripping juices. You can also find places that will cook you glazed hams mostly in the P800 per kilo range.
Ground Pork about P198, Pork tenderloins P299 a kilo.
Fresh daily seafood:
Shrimp P300 per kilo in the medium to large size the extremely large Sugpo, can run P400 a kilo but you might only get 10-12 Sugpo, per kilo then. Lapu-Lapu or grouper fish, P300 per kilo, Tilapia P140 per kilo, Best to buy early as the fish is brought in daily and not packed on ice all day long as back in the states and not refrigerated.
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Well, well, well, no spelling errors. Since there were none, I didn’t even bother to check for grammar. I did notice that he says bread is P65-P70. He must be talking about the good bread. You can get a loaf of bread at the bakeries for as low as P20, but those are small loafs. A regular Filipina style loaf of bread is around P30. Of course the bread that I normally eat cost P62 last time I checked.
I’ll have some additional prices for things in the area soon. It’s on my list of things to do, but I have to wait until Holy Week is over because the businesses are closed.
Salamat, Y’all
Can anyone here tell me, where would one buy piglets in Samar (Calbayog or Catbalogan) areas?
Any information would be appreciated a phone number would be highly appreciated.
Thanks all.
Ken.
Sorry for the late comment here but still catching up on your blog. Our little 1 br/ 1 cr/ kitchenette/ dining room/ living room house in Capoocan is 5000/ month with costs otherwise the same as Rick. Additionally we spend about 750 – 900 for cooking gas. It’s quiet but not exactly a garden spot. My wife found it through word of mouth. The landlord lives on the river just this side of the bridge. Nice house. He has several rentals in the area some very nice up to 10,000/ month. With the bridge out and the market on the other side of town now it’s a little inconvenient.
I measured our apartment year ago 81 sqm or just equal to 1000 sq ft, all one floor, prvt front patio about 12′ x 15’and dirty kitchen on south side whole length of the apartment about 45’x6′. Which switched to Solar? LPG it is just a few doors down Magsaysay Blvd from us now so one call and new tank at our door in 5 mins looking at the last bill P859 for 11 kilo? tank it lasts us about 3 months. they place and connect new tank remove the old tank in and out in just a few minutes.
Being on the North side of the river has got to be a pain with Rosales bridge out all the traffic hitting Jasmine bridge now and the market demolished alongside the river mover father south out by us on Magsaysay Ext. But we get about 10x’s the traffic and all the buses coming thru town now until the new highway is completed at least.
Rick I think the footprint of this house is about 20 x 20, lol. We bought a living room set and it really filled the place up, hehe.
OMG Mark, our 2 bedrooms 14×9 ft both have queen beds one has 2 queens, computer and stand, Master bedroom has 2 clothes bureaus, and another PC and stand, CR about 4 1/2’x 41/2′ we added the instant hot water heater to it for showers, rest our place living room, dining room kitchen all one large rectangular room, our kitchen has med fridge combo, microwave and a dish drying stand plus a 9×4′ bamboo table with eight chairs Next time an Apartment opens p in our combo I will ask John to post the notice.around it. Coffee brewed every morning, air con on soon as it gets too humid, your welcome to stop by anytime.
Rick,
Your place sounds perfect. I would love to find a place like that. I need a place in the city where I can have better internet than our barangay. We have the one apartment but it is much smaller than your place and more expensive.
Hi Guy. Do you mind if i join in this conversation?
Im Thomas, British expat now living in Calbayog.
Cheers.
Hi guys, sorry. Think i need stronger reading glasses..
So where do you live in Calbayog Thomas? I’ve heard of the name “Thomas” going around. I wonder if you’re the one they are talking about. Heck I could have met you already for all I remember.
do u have ur landlord cp number–thks
The apartment that we are renting in Calbayog is on Rama Street between Nijaga and Roselle. We pay P7,500 per month for two bedrooms, one CR. It is tiny, tiny, tiny. I wouldn’t want to live there full time.
Rick is right. There isn’t anyway to find places to rent except to get out and look around or have someone who knows someone.
Just had an American visitor lin late Jan. come to Calbayog he stayed at Maru Krisel but was in our apartment on several occaisions, he thought our place the best apart he has seen in PH , this is his 7th trip here in as many years usually has a 5 week stay here.Since Gary mentioned his address I will to UJ knows where |I live having been here b4, Magsaysay Blvd, south of Pido, turn left across from Ortega Warehouse up the long driveway next to the yellow apartments on Magsaysay, continue up the driveway through the gates into our compound, our place is the far back right hand side can’t see it from the community courtyard, we have a pretty private patio, and a dirty kitchen he whole length of our apartment outside, then inside it is 2 bedrooms, One CR, our Kitchen good size holds the 9’x4′ kitchen table hand made of bamboo comfortably and the living room hold 2 large chairs coffee table sofa and our TV/videoke center, approximately 81 sq meters about 1000 sq ft. here ,all on one floor , i can;t handle stairs our rent P6000 a month, recently a 2 story apartment was available, bigger than ours with a secure 2nd floor balcony, 3 bedroom, 2 Cr for P10,000 a month it rented quick, since we been here over 2 years only seen 3 apartments come up open to rent, and most fill in less than a few weeks by word of mouth from existing tenantry to friends, We are basically in the middle of the Magsaysay growth explosion between downtown and the new Robinson Mall site, new market and bus terminal.So it is a pretty good location over all, been here in town long enough now the trike drivers know me on the street yell out Acaso Apart. or Magsaysay Ext, to me to see if i want a ride home, wish I could still get around in my Golf cart but still can’t find a mechanic that can fix it, so save my money for a new one someday.
Yes Rick and Flor have a nice little apartment there. Actually I think their apartment is bigger than my house, but we have no rent. It is a good location, right next to downtown and on the extension road heading out to the where the new market is and where Robinson Mall is suppose to be building. They haven’t started building yet though. I think Gaisano Mall will get done first, but they are still in the clearing out the old market stage.
I get tricycle drivers yelling at me too, but they usually say “Ciriaco” or “Bagacay”. I’m usually out for a walk, not a ride, but if I’m ready to ride I usually go with the ones that say “Bagacay” over the “Ciriaco”. Usually I just select one that is coming down the road though.
Good post Rick,I didnt think you could get glazed ham there,have you ever purchased any and ifso how was it?The price of an apartment sounds pretty good,would that be in a nice area?Do you know of any place that might rent a car without a driver,I have in the past rented a car in subic and driven to samar,nice trip but takes up to much time.Thanks for any info.
I know of a car driver in Tacloban but not of any car rentals here in Calbayog might be able to get a rented motorcycle but no car dealerships in town , like UJ mentioned previously might be able to charter a van from a couple places but i know of nothing without a driver besides motorcycles. The hams run about P800 per kilo cooked, you have to pick up yourself, Kings Court makes them, and Carmelo’s on Magsaysay makes them those 2 places I know, the Glaze is basically Pineapple pieces and juices baked over the Ham. You can buy Hams cheaper from the market but getting them baked is the tricky part , maybe UJ’s next door bakery will take on the baking of hams sometime too.
I didn’t know that neither of those places had ham. P800 per kilo is a bit high. I like ham, but I don’t think that much. Maybe on occasion.
I think I’ll work on getting my own oven for the house. I’ll ask Titing about that ham baking though, just in case the situation arises.
They don’t do it on a regular basis UJ, you have to special order it, pre-pay for how many kilos you like then pick it up the next day. We have had the “ham
enada” from both places i prefer Kings Court the most but during the holidays their time and ovens fill up quick request early.
Several nicer areas of town , depends on how much traffic you like, with the Rosales bridge work going on much traffic has moved to our side of town increasing traffic on Magsaysay Blvd at least 10X we are in brgy Rawis nice gated compound area my rent P6000, brgy Carmen had some nice Apartments one my friends lived in P7500, I know some more expensive places right on the ocean, and I know of many cheaper, or smaller that I personally would not be interested in, Biggest problem is no rental or real estate service has listings you have to basically go out find a place and ask or know someone that might know.
So we need a good real estate set up here. Sounds like a good business for someone. It’s just easier to get the land and build a house for most expats, or rent an apartment type dwelling.
I wonder how all this building up will affect the housing and taxes?
There are ways around land tax ETC. If you have the money to buy a large generator i can help you to build a nice house at half the price of a 2 bed condo, on a sandy beach island. Approx. 1 hour on a boat to the mainland..