OpenTube

Why Expats Are Leaving Dumaguete… and Where They’re Going?

Mike's Philippine Retirement

17,279 views

Mike's Philippine Retirement. More and more expats are quietly rethinking life in Dumaguete—and some are choosing to leave.

In this honest, no-drama conversation, I sit down with Joe (Adobo Joe), who spent a full year living in Dumaguete before deciding it was time to move on. We talk openly about what Dumaguete does well, and the real-world issues that pushed him to look elsewhere: traffic, infrastructure limits, internet availability, rising costs, and the challenges of settling down too early.

Joe also explains where he’s going next—downsizing to a small apartment in Cebu Province, cutting expenses dramatically, and choosing a lifestyle that allows more travel while he’s still healthy enough to enjoy it.

This video isn’t about bashing Dumaguete. For many expats, it’s still a great place to start. But it may not be the forever home many imagine when they first arrive.

If you’re retired, living on Social Security, or considering a move to the Philippines after 60, this is a conversation worth watching.
✅ Share your experiences in the comments!
🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more honest expat advice.
👉 Subscribe for more real talk about retirement abroad, expat life, and dating overseas.

Thank you for your support
BUY ME A COFFEE
https://buymeacoffee.com/mikesphiliX

PayPal
https://paypal.me/MikesPhilippine

Join our channel to get access to perks:
@mikesphilippineretirement

Privacy Notice 🌟
Thank you for being part of this channel! We sometimes capture video or audio in public spaces here in the Philippines. We always aim to respect everyone’s privacy and do our best to blur or mask faces, especially children and bystanders.
If you happen to appear in any of our videos and you'd like us to make changes, please feel free to reach out anytime at mikesphilippineretirement@.gmail.com We’re happy to help!
We appreciate your support and understanding as we share stories and experiences from our journey.

HEIDI CAJES- C&G CONSULTING
VISA AND SRRV / 13A INFO
https://cgconsulting.ph/mike

HOW TO GET YOUR MAIL BACK HOME CHECK OUT
iPostal1
The Complete Digital Mailbox
a href="https://ipostal1.com/?ref=3647" target="_blank"

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Some of the links on this channel are affiliate links, meaning, at NO additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase and/or subscribe

FACEBOOK
Check out my Facebook page Mikes Philippine Retirement
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...

EMAIL
MY E MAIL ADDRESS FOR YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
mikesphilippineretirement@gmail.com

20 Comments

@nanealdiamond28 8 months ago Pinned

35k for anything a month isn't reasonable at at. Mike when you say that how much income are you making a month? Once you add 6k to 7k a month for electric and internet and cable tv, groceries and even a car payment or scooter rental your talking around 75k + and that isn't cheap. Expats come to the Philippines because they usually don't have a big monthly income. My monthly income is 144k and I've been here in the Philippines 7 years and I'll never pay more than 20k a month for rent .

@DShizzel 7 months ago

Been here 2 years, and in a couple months, we're moving to Antipolo. Love Duma, and sad to leave, but next phase is building our home there close to family.

@DHarri9977 8 months ago

The one thing he left out is that Duma or Negros Oriental as a whole doesn't have many major natural disasters or larger weather-related events, such as typhoons. Areas surrounding Central and Northern Cebu Island are more prone to certain weather and other natural events.

@alaskacpu 5 months ago

Nice Discussion. Our Lola owns a 12 apartments, same price, American style bathroom. We live there in 2011 while we built our dream home.
Most of our time is spent traveling in the Philippines, not the top 50 cities, but the cities that don't get noticed and filled with culture and history. :face-red-heart-shape:

@KevinLukosevage 8 months ago

I want the 6 month follow up. I've noticed when things seem to good to be true. Ouch watch out. This may be the family plan

@ericg9092 8 months ago

Great video. Joe, wishing you the best in your travels.

@Herbert-o8y 8 months ago

Thanks Mike for another great video. Joe sounds like what I want to do travel around the islands. Super nice price on his new place. 👍

@TropicalJoeyJoey 8 months ago

It is very nice there, very beautiful but I found myself bored, I like a little faster Pace like Cebu City. Taxis never cost that much in the city, and I like the wide variety of restaurants, inexpensive local ones ranging to the higher price ones at the mall. For me it's a good balance. But I totally understand that it might be a little busier than some might like. I guess this goes for everywhere Cebu or dumaguete. Make sure you always break the big bills into smaller bills haha. I feel like sometimes a lot of the problems we can solve ourselves. But best wishes to everyone in the Philippines regardless of where they choose to settle for themselves. We only have so much time on Earth, and we need to make it as pleasant and peaceful as possible.

@LeslieWood-qb8do 8 months ago

Good video and video sound,

@Chris-gi9ch 8 months ago

He lost me on his complaint about traffic to downtown, and traffic safety on the scooter. It's the same thing from my condo situated outside of downtown in Davao. The same driving style as well. I just slam 2 Red Horses and rip through it!

@josephcredo4182 8 months ago

smart move...check all the diffirent cities...dont just get stuck in 1 city...nice...hope you find the right city for you mate. God Bless!

@doortech8227 8 months ago

Great Video Mike. Thanks for doing the interview Joe. Very informative and interesting 👍
Good luck with the move Joe. U hope you and your lovely wife are very happy there ❤