The Cebu Retiree Honest answers · Fixed prices
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Retire in Cebu with your eyes open.

We live in Cebu, and we help Americans settle here every week. We don't sell real estate and we take no commissions — we tell you straight what it really costs, where your money goes furthest, and how to land safely.

Both free · No sign-up to look around.

Cebu City Mactan Moalboal Bantayan ✓ Typhoon tracks ✓ Quakes Rent by area: ₱18–45k 🔒 Safety rating ★★★★ 🔒 The Cebu Living Map — real costs, safety, typhoon tracks. Free to open.
  • Fixed prices, published up front
  • No real-estate commissions
  • We live here in Cebu
  • Research current as of 2026

Start here

Two free ways to start

The Cebu Retirement Quiz

About three minutes. It tells you honestly whether Cebu works on your budget — and which neighborhoods fit.

Sample result What you'll get back:

Your Cebu Fit: 82%

Your best-fit area
Your realistic monthly budget
Your visa path
Start the free quiz

The Cebu Living Map

Rather see it than read it? Real monthly costs, town by town, all around Cebu.

Open the free map

Why you can trust our answers

We don't sell real estate

We take no commissions from anyone

Every price we charge is published on this site

Most "retire abroad" advice comes from someone who earns a commission when you buy. We don't. We live here, we publish our prices, and when a place is overpriced we'll say so — we have no reason not to.

Photo: A1 — Cebu waterfront, real photo (shotlist; team photo A2 lives on /about)

We live here.

The Cebu Retiree is run by a team that lives and works in Cebu — we help Americans settle here every week. The prices on this site are the prices. The answers come from the ground, not from a brochure.

Meet the team →

Questions we hear every week

What are your fees?

Everything is fixed and shown up front. A guide is $29. A personalized written plan for your exact situation is $297. A one-on-one call is $99, and it comes right off the price if you go further with us. Our hands-on Soft Landing help runs from $249 to $1,497 depending on how much you want us to do. No surprises, no commissions.

Do you take a cut on the apartment — do you sell real estate?

No. We don’t sell real estate and we take no commission from any landlord or developer. That’s exactly why we can tell you when a place is overpriced — we have no reason not to.

Why should I pay when there’s free info online?

The free stuff is real — start with our free quiz and map. You pay us only when you want it done for you, safely, by someone on the ground who speaks your language and answers to you, not to a seller.

Is this immigration or legal advice?

No — it’s practical, educational research from someone who lives here, current as of 2026. For legal or tax specifics we’ll always tell you to confirm with a licensed professional.

How do I start?

Take the free quiz — it takes about three minutes and tells you honestly whether Cebu fits your budget. Read the breakdown we send you. When you’re ready for more, the guide, the map, and our team are here. No sales calls, ever.

See all questions and answers →

Free letters from the ground

The Cebu Letter

Honest numbers from the ground in Cebu — what things cost, what's changing, what we'd tell a friend who's thinking about the move.

We won't share your email with anyone, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll get — the first five letters

  1. 1 Your result — and what you’ll get from us
  2. 2 The real monthly budget in Cebu — line by line
  3. 3 The visa question, answered simply — SRRV (Special Resident Retiree’s Visa) vs. long-stay
  4. 4 Healthcare and the Medicare gap — what it actually costs
  5. 5 The five expensive mistakes — scams, contracts, wrong neighborhood

After that: occasional letters when prices change or something worth knowing happens. No spam.