AslikeI find this a new member, I finds this a very good forum. I have been considering Dumaguete as a possible place for retirement when I leave Thailand. Many favourable points have been raised about life there and it does seem to provide all I am looking for. My concern is that my gf is from North Luzon, only speaks Tagalog, which she tells me is not understood in Dumaguete, only Visayan. I do not want to make life difficult for her, she has had it tough enough for last 10 yers or so. Has any other members had the same situation? How did their partners fare in the new environment? Could you also give me some idea of the best areas to stay, I like to be near but not necessarily on the beach, a few hundred metres or so, is ok. I like to walk along the foreshores, near shops but not in theheart of town, on the perimeters would be fine. Housing costs? 2-3b/r pref. 2 bathroom, house or condo, furnished, safe, clean and tidy. Thank you all, great forum.
They certainly do understand Tagalog in Dumaguete and the surrounding areas. All those drama-drama shows my girlfriend watches on TV are in Tagalog, Cinema 1 is in Tagalog, all those stupid game shows are in Tagalog. I know my girlfriend and all of her family and friends are very capable of speaking Tagalog (perhaps they have an accent when they speak it but they do speak it and they are understood when they do). When my girlfriend and myself have went to other islands around the country I can tell when she starts speaking in Bisaya then catches herself and starts over in Tagalog. I would find it hard to believe that communication would be much of a problem for your girlfriend. The chances she will not find someone who either speaks Tagalog or English is pretty slim. Bisaya and Tagalog share many of the same words and the sentence structure seems to be pretty much the same. She will just need to pick up the Bisaya vocabulary and slang (much less a challenge than us native English speakers face). I would think it shouldn't take her any longer than 6 months to learn the language.......I'm sure it will come much faster to her than Thai did (if it ever did). Sounds like you should be looking for a place in Bacong or Dauin. Bacong being closer to Dumaguete, Dauin being about 15 minutes further but has better beaches (and likely cheaper rent). In Bacong you can expect to find comfortable place for around 12-20k a month near the beach. I would expect to pay 10-18k in Dauin for the same level of comfort. The further away you get from Dumaguete the cheaper the rent should be. I live up in Valencia (up the mountain) myself and it's been awhile since I've looked for a place but this is what I would expect the prices to be. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm off on the prices.
[DOUBLEPOST=1425370962,1425370827][/DOUBLEPOST]Thanks again for somemore useful information. I like the feedback I am getting about Dumaguete, it sounds like to nice place to settle.
I believe Bacong and Dauin are pretty close in rental prices now. Bacong is closer to the mall and Dauin is a more charming town with lots of resorts. I recommend either town depending on your life style. The south highway is spooky at night because of the bikes and pedicabs without lights and the highway is not lit
