South Koreans, such as these tourists at Rizal Park, accounted for more than half of the two million foreign travellers who arrived from January to March this year. —RICHARD REYES
MANILA: On paper, the Philippines should be an expat’s dream. Money goes far. Smiles come easily. Making friends, by most accounts, is effortless.
But for many, the first days in the country are defined by smaller, human moments — moments that show how welcome can coexist with bewilderment.
“One thing I’ve personally noticed is inefficiency in certain everyday situations. A good example is supermarket queues — checkout lines can move at a glacial pace, yet no one seems particularly bothered by it,” one expat shared.
“It’s one of those cultural differences that can be frustrating at times, but is also just part of the rhythm of life here.”
That tension between warmth and weariness, ease and effort runs through how foreigners describe their lives in the Philippines.
In InterNations’ Expat Insider 2025 survey — one of the most widely cited global barometers of life abroad — the country placed 13th overall out of 46 destinations. It ranked well for how easy it is to settle in and how fairly people feel they are paid. At the same time, it fell near the bottom for overall quality of life.
For Dr Alicor Panao, an associate professor at the University of the Philippines and an Inquirer data scientist, that contrast defines the story.
“For expats, life in the Philippines is a mixed bag,” he said. “The country’s greatest appeal seems to be in the financial and social dimensions.”
A country that pays fairly and makes you feel at home
The Expat Insider 2025 report draws on responses from 10,085 expats of 172 nationalities, who rated 53 aspects of life abroad across five major indices: quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad, personal finance and expat essentials.
In that global snapshot, the Philippines stands out for two things: money and belonging.
“A remarkable 74% of expats feel they are paid fairly — far exceeding the global average,” Panao said.
“Beyond savings, the local culture is also exceptionally welcoming, making it one of the easiest places in the world to find friends and feel at home.”
That warmth shows up in the survey’s Ease of Settling In index, where the Philippines consistently ranks above many of its regional peers. Expats report that locals are friendly, social circles form quickly, and cultural barriers feel lower than in countries where language and formality often stand in the way.
For some, the welcome comes in moments that feel almost cinematic.
“Some guy saying he can’t sing but he sounds like Phil Collins when he’s finally convinced to sing,” one expat joked, listing everyday curiosities that made them feel, slowly, like part of the social fabric.
“My wife and I always joke about the dress code required at government facilities and say she needs to dress like Maria Clara to get in.”
These stories — half affectionate, half baffled — echo what the data suggest: a society where connection often comes easily, even if adjustment does not.
The other side of the welcome mat
But the warmth of people collides with the realities of systems.
“While the Philippines is a social paradise compared to neighbours like South Korea or Japan, it unfortunately ranks near the bottom for overall quality of life,” Panao said.
“Expats seem to be particularly frustrated by heavy traffic, unreliable public transport, and poor air quality.”
In the Quality of Life index — covering health care, safety, transit and the environment — the country trails destinations expats say are easier to live in, even if they feel colder or more distant.
The frustrations often surface in everyday errands.
“Lack of digitisation. I will use the bank as an example,” an expat shared online.
“To open a savings account, there are so many forms to complete along with providing 10 examples of your signature.”
Another reduced the experience to a joke that still carried a sting:
“How many people does it take to buy a lightbulb?” they asked, before listing the chain of steps — testing, boxing, checking, stapling and a security guard at the exit. “Returns are not a thing.”
For others, the strain is physical.
“Lack of sidewalks,” one wrote simply.
Another pointed to infrastructure that makes even short commutes feel like endurance tests.
Work culture, old rules
The workplace itself can become another source of friction.
“The workplace is also described as ‘inflexible,’ sticking to old-fashioned office rules rather than embracing modern perks like remote work,” Panao said.
“Ultimately, the Philippines is a place where a warm smile and a strong paycheck must balance out the frustrations of poor public infrastructure.”
In a global labour market where hybrid setups and flexible schedules are the norm, expats in higher-ranked countries often cite career mobility and work-life balance as deciding factors. In the Philippines, satisfaction with pay does not always translate into satisfaction with how work is structured.
A diverse society, seen from the outside
For many foreigners, part of the country’s appeal lies in how visibly layered — and unevenly distributed — its diversity is.
The Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2020 Census of Population and Housing shows that the Philippines remains, overwhelmingly, a society shaped by local ethnolinguistic groups. About 26% of the household population identifies as Tagalog, followed by Bisaya/Binisaya (14.3%), Ilocano and Cebuano (8% each), and Ilonggo (7.9%).
Those who reported foreign ethnicity make up just 0.2% of the total household population, a sliver in a country of more than 108 million people.
Within that small group, however, the profile is far from uniform.
PSA data show that two out of every five people who reported foreign ethnicity are of Chinese descent. Of the 230,917 individuals who identified as having foreign ethnicity, 102,577 — or 44.4% — were Chinese, followed by those with Indian ethnicity (10.2%), American ethnicity (6.0%), and Swiss ethnicity (6.0%).
The top 10 foreign ethnicities together accounted for 81.9% of the total foreign-ethnicity population.
For many expats, these numbers help explain a common reality: foreigners remain highly visible in daily life, especially outside business districts and international enclaves.
Some experience that visibility lightly, even playfully. Others feel it in quieter, more personal ways.
“I find lack of manners and politeness the most frustrating. One example, letting the door slam on the person behind you instead of holding it for them,” another wrote.
“It’s frustrating, but I’m just accepting it’s the culture. Otherwise, it’s nice here, and I love all the attention I get.”
It is within this contrast — between being warmly received and constantly marked as “not from here” — that many expats begin to understand what it means to live in the Philippines not just as a resident, but as a guest in a deeply rooted social landscape.
The rising cost of staying
Financial comfort, one of the country’s strongest selling points, is not immune to change.
According to a 2019 Mercer global cost-of-living survey, Manila jumped 29 spots in a single year, ranking 109th out of 209 cities for expat living costs. Mercer mobility leader Mario Ferraro warned that the rise should “signal its public and private sectors to take a deeper look” at what was driving the increase and how it might affect the country’s competitiveness.
For some expats, the pressure is felt most in handling money itself.
“For me, dealing with money has been the most difficult part,” one expat told INQUIRER.
“Even when I use well-known remittance and transfer services, transactions can be unpredictable — most go through smoothly, but some take much longer than expected. And it often feels like there’s a charge attached to almost every step, whether I’m moving funds, withdrawing cash, or paying for something online.”
Even digital solutions can fail at critical moments.
“Mobile wallets don’t always work when the signal drops,” the expat said.
“In many places, there’s no public Wi-Fi, and inside buildings it can be hard to get a stable connection to complete a payment.”
Why they come and why they stay
Long before global surveys tracked expat satisfaction, scholars were already asking why foreigners choose the Philippines.
In his study, “A Preliminary Study of Foreign Nationals in the Philippines: Strangers in our Midst?”, political scientist Jorge V. Tigno noted that the country has never been a major immigration hub compared to its neighbours, such as Thailand and Malaysia.
But those who do come are drawn by a mix of factors: widespread use of English, cultural familiarity with the West, and relatively low barriers to social integration.
The country, he observed, quietly hosts a population of retirees, students, foreign workers, and long-term residents — groups whose experiences often fall outside official migration narratives, even as they become part of everyday life in cities and towns across the archipelago.
A place of contradictions
Near the end of many expat accounts, frustration gives way to something more layered.
“I’m only here for work, and it’s already taxing my sanity,” one expat wrote.
“I value timeliness, efficiency, and honesty, which is clearly at odds with the populace’s lifestyle.”
Still, the survey data show that a significant share of respondents plan to remain in their host countries long term, reflecting how social experience, finances and daily convenience weigh differently for different people.
Taken together, the ratings and personal accounts point to a country that draws foreigners in with ease of connection and affordability, even as everyday systems and infrastructure continue to test their patience. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
