Best Safe Cheap Beach Town in the Philippines
You may hear that towns with large expat populations or white sand beaches have higher prices. Indeed, both cause inflation. It is also true that creative bargain hunters find affordable ways to live almost anywhere.
We have been on the lookout for the best safe beach town in the Philippines. A beach town with just enough expats to create a soft landing. But without white sand beaches, that causes a parade of arriving expats and higher prices.
We had been hearing about a quiet, safe beach town in the Philippines for over a year. So we decided to investigate. I generally recommend soft landings for new expats. A soft landing happens when you move overseas to an area that has at least some expats.
A small community of expats who have lived in the area for a few years will help you learn where to eat, shop, and entertain yourself. That is why I call it a soft landing.
But you should also form friendships with locals because they will teach you about the customs and traditions of your new country, which will help you integrate more fully. Locals can also teach you how to live affordably; most expats can’t.
So when we left Boracay in the Philippines, we decided to investigate a quiet, safe beach town called Roxas City. We really enjoyed our time here, and we would recommend it as a place to investigate retiring in the Philippines.
Indeed, it provides a soft landing for helpful expats from Canada, the USA, the UK, and the Maldives. But the black sand does not attract as many expats, so the prices have remained reasonable.
As I tell you about Roxas, I will show you the video we took with our feet on the ground here in 2025. There is no AI-gathered data or video in this report. This is 100% our work. Be careful of people recommending places they have never been.
My name is Dan. I left the United States in 2007, and I have lived in or visited 73 countries over the last 18 years. I have 291 written reports teaching people how to retire early overseas or slow travel the world for cheap.
I have over one hundred reports of the best places to retire overseas, where I share our favorite markets, restaurants, and things to do. Each report also provides a line-item estimate of the basic costs of living for both low and middle-range budgets. I also report what I learn about desirability factors such as visas, health care, walkability, and other things retirees should consider.
This video discusses the cost of living in Roxas City first and then shares retirement desirability factors, such as visas, healthcare, walkability, and other considerations that retirees should take into account.
Estimated Cost to Retire in Roxas City, Philippines
Here are our estimated basic recurring costs of living converted into US dollars if the two of us moved to Roxas City on a tight budget. We will also include more typical or middle-range expenses that other expats might spend to give you another data point.
These estimates do not include everything that it would cost you to live here since we don’t know your lifestyle and needs. But I will give you a link to other optional costs that you can add that are more specific to your personal lifestyle and needs.
Rents: In a YouTube interview I did in Roxas City with an expat named Marion who is from the USA, he shared that apartment rents go from about $300 USD per month on up in Roxas.
So, I will estimate that our rent would be $350 per month for the lower range. For the middle-range expat estimate, I will use $750 per month in rent, as they may want a second bedroom or more space.
Make sure to read how I find perfect apartments around the world.
Utilities: Roxas City is at sea level, so we would need to run our air conditioner for much of the year. We estimate that our utilities will run about $75 USD per month for electricity, gas, and water.
The utilities for the larger place would be about $115 per month USD.
Groceries: Based on our time here and the money we spent on groceries, we estimate about $300 USD per month on groceries for the two of us. We would shop mostly in the public market where the vegetables, fruits, rice, and meats are cheaper. We would cook and eat mostly at home.
Middle-range expats will shop more often in expensive grocery stores, buying imported food from home, so we estimate about $400 per month for them.
Restaurants: If we went out to eat twice per week, once for date night and once for lunch somewhere, plus some street food, we would spend around $55 per week or $220 per month in restaurants for the two of us. We would eat in mom-and-pop-style restaurants when possible, but also in the expensive tourist restaurants once a week or so.
Middle-range expats are likely to spend more in expat-style restaurants serving foreign-style food, so I estimate about $350 per month for them.
Cell Phone Data: The cost to recharge our prepaid service is about $6 per month. My Android phone will act as a hotspot so we can both be on the internet at the same time when we are out of the house together.
Middle-range expats are likely to pay for two data plans, so $12 per month for them.
Laundry: We paid about $2.16 per week for drop off and pick up, wash, dry, and fold laundry, so $9 per month for laundry. This would be about the same for the middle-range expats.
Water: R/O water in twenty-liter bottle jugs delivered would be about 50 pesos per jug, so 10 jugs would be about $10 USD per month. This would be about the same for the middle-range expats.
Internet: Our Internet would be about $36 per month. This would be about the same for the middle-range expats.
Transportation: Roxas is kind of spread out, but the area we would spend most of our time in is within a 15-minute walk. But we may ride a few tricycle taxis or Grab Taxis to other parts of town and spend about $30 per month on transportation.
Middle-range expats are likely to spend more on transportation, like a used car or scooter, so gas and expenses would be about $150 per month.
Alcohol (Optional): San Miguel Pilsen Grande beers (0.5 liters)are about 120 PHP or $2.15 USD each in stores, which is about two beers. But you will see regular-sized San Miguel Pilsen beers in bars and restaurants for about 100 PHP or $1.79 USD each. We would drink mainly at home, so we estimate about $110 per month in alcohol for the two of us.
The middle-range expats are likely to drink more expensive and craft beers and more often in restaurants and bars, so we estimate about $250 per month for them.
Entertainment (Optional): We would budget about $200 per month for entertainment for the two of us.
Estimated Costs to Retire in Roxas City
|
Roxas City Philippines |
Lower (USD) |
Middle (USD) |
|
Rent |
350 |
750 |
|
Utilities |
75 |
115 |
|
Groceries |
300 |
400 |
|
Restaurants |
220 |
350 |
|
Cell Data |
6 |
12 |
|
Laundry |
9 |
9 |
|
Drinking Water |
10 |
10 |
|
Internet |
36 |
36 |
|
Transportation |
30 |
150 |
|
Total |
$1036 |
$1832 |
|
|
|
|
|
Alcohol |
110 |
250 |
|
Optional Total |
$1146 |
$2082 |
|
|
|
|
|
Entertainment |
200 |
300 |
|
Optional Total |
$1346 |
$2382 |
We gathered this data with our feet on the ground here in May of 2025. The above lower estimated cost of living would be if the two of us lived in Roxas on a tight budget. The middle estimate is just an example of what other expats might spend if they moved here.
To understand what it would cost you to live here, you must put your feet on the ground, see how you would choose to live, eat, and entertain yourself, and add it all up. It doesn’t matter what anyone else spends because we are all different.
You should also add anything to the above table that you spend money on in your home country that is not listed in the above table. Presumably, you find those things necessary in life. To do that, visit Numbeo Roxas City and add anything not mentioned in the table.
Never move anywhere until you have visited first personally to verify the living costs for your lifestyle and needs. I am not guaranteeing these prices. These are just my notes and estimates from the time of my visit and this post. Your costs will likely be drastically different depending on your lifestyle and the time since this post.
More typical expat living costs in the Philippines range from about $1200 to $3000 per month. But people spending that much also have higher incomes or pensions. They often report spending more on entertainment, eating out, and alcohol. Many also have more expensive cars, houses, or apartments.
Also, if you are going to try to retire cheap offshore, make sure to read my report, the Two Biggest Risks of Retiring Early for Cheap Offshore, which explains why you should have emergency funds available for unexpectedly large expenses.
Where We Stayed
Here is where we stayed in Roxas City. Since we didn’t stay long enough to negotiate a 12-month lease, we had to pay the higher Airbnb rates. Here is our process for finding cheaper places for longer stays as we slowly travel the world: How to find great apartments around the world.
Roxas Livability Factors and Retirement Desirability Score
Here are the factors I think about when I consider a place for early retirement potential. After I discuss each factor, I will assign an overall retirement desirability score for Roxas. I am writing the following based on my personal experience here.
Walkability: Medium Desirability. Roxas is fairly walkable in the central area where we stayed (above). The only time we took tricycle taxis was to go to the beach or to one of the larger malls halfway to the beach. And tricycle taxis are less than a dollar, so it was not expensive. If we lived at the beach, we would need to go to Roxas Central more often, so we would need to spend more on transportation or get a scooter and two helmets.
Internet: High Desirability. It is possible to get about 100 MBPS up and down in Roxas for about $36 USD per month. We used my smartphone as a hotspot when we needed connectivity outside the home or when the power was down.
Food: Medium. There was a reasonable assortment of restaurants, both foreign and domestic. But this might be challenging for new expats who miss food from home.
Transportation: High. The tricycle taxi system is efficient and cheap, about 30-50 PHP per person each way to get across town.
Weather: High. The hottest month in Roxas is generally May, with an average daily high of 32°C (90°F) and an average nightly low of 26 °C (79°F). The coldest month in Roxas is generally January, with an average daily high temperature of around 29°C (84°F) and a nightly average low of 24 °C (76°F). The most rain falls from June through November, with October being the rainiest time.
Things to Do: Medium. This is a medium-sized town in the Philippines with about 200k people. There is dining, fishing, scuba diving, swimming, boating, yoga, partying, live music, etc. Just normal life.
Healthcare: Medium. There are a few hospitals and clinics in Roxas that will be able to handle everyday health problems. But for more difficult procedures and or diagnosis, they may stabilize you and send you to Metro Manila or Cebu. More generally, the best health care in the Philippines is in Cebu City and Metro Manila.
Expats: Medium. We saw very few expats walking around Central Roxas. This would be a great town to live if you were more interested in integrating into the local culture than hanging out exclusively with expats. However, the Roxas expats are some of the friendliest and helpful expats I have encountered in the Philippines. They will help you get acquainted when you first arrive. You will see expats mostly in the beach area and the larger mall near the beach. The sure-fire place to meet expats in Roxas is the Canadian Beaver bar right on the beach. Tell them Dan and Qiang said hi.
Even if you do find an expat enclave, make sure to make friends with both locals and expats for a richer experience. I explain why in my report, The Top 10 Mistakes International Retirees Make.
Real Estate: We saw new small homes in Roxas City starting for around $40k USD. You will find a booth on the ground floor of this large mall offering new homes for sale.
I never recommend buying real estate until you have lived somewhere for at least 2 to 3 years. I have a report explaining Why Retired Expats Should not Buy Real Estate Overseas for the first 2 to 3 years of living somewhere new overseas. Make sure to read that before deciding to buy real estate overseas.
In the Philippines, you can’t own land directly in your name. Some foreigners get a long-term lease on land before they build, others take title in a corporate name, and others get married and put the property in their Filipino wife or husband’s name.
But do hire a local lawyer if you decide to invest in real estate. Do not use a lawyer referred to you by someone with a conflict of interest with you, such as a new local spouse, a real estate broker, or your spouse’s family.
Visa: High. For your exploratory visit to the Philippines, citizens of many countries can obtain a 30-day free visa stamp upon arrival at the international airports. Plus, you can extend your tourist visa for a total of 36 months in the Philippines without bothering with a retirement visa. The monthly visa extensions cost about $38 USD per month, regular or $55 per month expedited. After 36 months, you just leave the Philippines and go to another country, and then fly back to start the whole 36-month process over again. For this reason, almost nobody I have met in the Philippines bothers to get a retirement visa. These rules and costs change without notice, so verify at the time you read this.
Roxas Overall Retirement Desirability Score: High. If you prefer a medium-sized, quiet, safe beach town, without a large pool of other expats, then Roxas just may be the place or you. Overall, it is a very nice place to live.
Markets, Restaurants, Services
Markets
Largest Public Market: This very large public market and the surrounding streets is where locals (and us) buy fruits, vegetables, meats, beans, and rice while in Rovas. They also have clothes, household needs, shoes, just about everything, plus mom and pop restaurants.
Robinson’s Supermarket and Mall in Roxas: This is a typical expat mall in the Philippines with retail stores, restaurants, and a grocery store. This is in Central Roxas.
SM Supermarket and Mall (and Groceries): This is a typical high-end mall in the Philippines with retail stores, restaurants, and a grocery store. It also has a movie theatre and a large food cart. This is between central Roxas and the beach.
Gaisano Grand City Roxas: This is a more local style mall and grocery store with retail stores, restaurants, and a grocery store. McDonald’s is across the street. This is in Central Roxas.
Roxas Restaurants
Filipino-ish ((Pesos below) 57 PHP Pesos to 1 USD at time)
The Central Yard Gastropub & Restaurant: Rosso wine Italy 600, Beer 75, french fries 129, steamed osyter 180 (12pcs)
Takoys Eatery: Location map is different name/ Fish with soup 80, Squid adobo 80, fried egg plant 30, rice 12
Coco Veranda: Mango cream 185, Molo soup 230, beer 75
Zugbao Bar and Resto: Grill chicken 145, Garlic brococoli 290, Garlic rice 45, rice 35
Mang Inasal: Grilled chicken with rice 132
Nanam seafood restaurant: Mango shake 140, brewed coffee 80, fresh orange juice 180
Deberte Fresh Buko: Fresh coconut 35php
Foreign-ish
Yellow Cab Pizza Co: Garden pizza, good wings
YuDi Brewing: 4-6 pm Happy Hour 50% – Rice pork bowl 120, Vegetarian pizza 399
Pancake House Roxas: Spanish omelet 290, Taco 99
JJC Seafood Chinese Restaurant: Mix veggie 300, spicy tofu 400
Mister Donut: Brewed coffee 55, Donuts 30, water 20
Canadian Beaver Bar and Grill: Beer 90
Dairy Queen: Ice cream
Services
Philippines arrival e-card: Complete a few days before entry.
RideOut Rentals Motorcycle Rentals in Roxas City: Rent by day, week, or month.
Laundry Hub: This is where we had our laundry cleaned and folded.
Roxas Nightlife
There are three areas in Roxas where you will find early evening and later nightlife.
YuDi Brewing: This is locally brewed craft beer with great a great happy hour and food. Here is the YouTube video of the American who started this bar and brewery.
Canadian Beaver: This bar is right on the beach and is run by Michael of That Philippines Life YouTube Channel. This is where you go in the early evening to chat it up with expats and learn about Roxas.
The Central Yard Gastropub & Restaurant: This bar is in Central Roxas. It is where you go to make friends with locals and listen to some of the best live bands in Roxas. Things get going here around 9 PM. The pricing is more local here.
JB Bar: This area gets started later at night, 10 to 11 PM, and goes until early morning. The JB bar had an outdoor band playing and an indoor nightclub playing funky dance music.
Sameplace by Dannvinchii Gastro Bar: This place, just across from JB Bar, also has two areas. One area is live band and the other is indoors with AC, where they have a hip-hop DJ that makes your feet move.
Things to See in Roxas
Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral: The church and parish of Roxas City is one of the oldest in Panay Island, having been founded by Augustinian missionaries in 1707. City Hall for Roxas is to the left as you face the front of the church.
Baybay Beach is a great place to go to catch the sunset and then enjoy any of the seafood restaurants along the beach, where you can enjoy the seafood capital of the Philippines.
Ruins of Alcatraz in Roxas: Some sources online say this was a prison from the time of the Spanish colonial period. Others say it was intended to be a 5-star resort that was left unfinished by a wealthy Filipino family.
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This is Dan of Vagabond Awake, the YouTube channel for VagabondBuddha.com. Thank you for stopping by. The world is your home. What time will you be home for dinner?