Illustration

Moving to Cebu

Land in Cebu. Sleep in your own apartment that night.

We find it before you fly. We meet you at the airport, any hour. We answer your calls for two weeks.

See which parts of Cebu fit you 6 questions · 2 minutes Or write to Ilshat

You'll be talking to Ilshat. He lives on Cebu and replies himself within 24 hours. WhatsApp +63 908 966 0215

What this is, in one breath

For retirees on $1,500–4,000 a month, coming alone or as a couple.
Your apartment is chosen before you fly. You're met at the airport and move in the day you land. Then a real person answers for two weeks.
One price, paid in two halves. Nothing to any landlord until you have stood in the apartment.

How it works

Five steps, from your first message to your second week

Ilshat · real photo

Step 1

You write. Ilshat answers.

Email, a call or WhatsApp — you choose. Ilshat replies himself within 24 hours. Ask anything. Nothing is paid yet.
Illustration · the kind of building Valery looks at

Step 2

You pay the first half: $1,000.

First we both sign a written agreement. Then you pay by bank transfer, on an invoice from Ilshat. The name on it is the name of the man you spoke to. Only then does Valery start.
Illustration · a viewing in Cebu

Step 3

Before you fly, you choose.

Valery finds 5 to 10 apartments for your budget and area. He sends photos and video of each. He talks price and terms with the owner. You pick one, and the owner holds it for your date.

No money goes to any owner before you have stood in the apartment. The lease, its deposit and the first month's rent all happen on the day you land.
Illustration · met at the airport

Step 4

Landing day. You move in.

Valery meets you past customs. A car is ready and your SIM gets registered. At the apartment you walk through it, read the lease line by line, sign, and move in.

You are met whatever time you land, 2 a.m. included. No hotel night, no "see you in the morning." Valery has never missed a pickup.

The second $1,000 is paid that day, once the lease is signed and you are in.
Illustration · a phone that gets answered

Step 5

Two weeks, a real person on the line.

Call or WhatsApp Valery for 14 days. He meets you in person when it matters. You also get a written sheet: taxi app, groceries, visa office, nearest hospital, SIM top-up.

Where you will live

Real numbers for real areas, not adjectives

Our Cebu map, with the 15 areas of Cebu City and nearby coloured from weaker fit to great fit

Open the map

We work in Cebu City and the towns around it: 15 areas on our map. Most of the search is on Mactan, in Lapu-Lapu City, where the good condos are. Here are four. Rents are for a studio or 1-bedroom, July 2026. Scores run 0 to 10, and higher is always better: a high flood score means low flood risk.

Mactan

Beaches, the airport, and resort life on the island

Rent $280–650 a month

Nearest ER Mactan Doctors’ Hospital (Basak, Lapu-Lapu City), 20 min

Safety: 6/10
Quiet: 5/10
Flood: 5/10
Air: 6/10

IT Park

Walkable, modern, managed — and one of Cebu’s priciest addresses

Rent $330–730 a month

Nearest ER Perpetual Succour Hospital (Gorordo Ave, Lahug), 8 min

Safety: 9/10
Quiet: 5/10
Flood: 8/10
Air: 6/10

Lahug

Green hills next to the action — the expat middle ground

Rent $240–650 a month

Nearest ER Perpetual Succour Hospital (Gorordo Ave, Lahug), 5 min

Safety: 8/10
Quiet: 6/10
Flood: 6/10
Air: 6/10

Liloan

Quiet seaside town north of Cebu City, flood risk on record

Rent $150–240 a month

Nearest ER Liloan Community Medical and Emergency Center, 25 min

Safety: 6/10
Quiet: 6/10
Flood: 2/10
Air: 7/10

Want to live out in the province, away from the city? We can do that too, but we agree the price for it separately.

Answer 6 questions and the map shows the three areas that fit you.

Start with the 6 questions Or open the whole map

Your money

What you pay, when, and what comes back

$1,000to start. Valery begins the search only after this.
$1,000when you are in: the day the lease is signed and you have the keys.
$800 backif nothing suits you before the flight, or you change your mind. $200 stays for the search work done.

You pay by bank transfer, on an invoice from Ilshat. The name on the invoice is the name of the man on your call.

We are paid once, by you. We take nothing from landlords on rentals.

The people

Two people, real names, both on Cebu

Valery Predko

On the ground, from the search to your second week

On Cebu since July 2024. Speaks fluent English. He has helped more than 120 people settle here.

Ilshat Sharapov

Every message and call before you pay

On Cebu since 2024. Answers your questions, your paperwork worries and sends the invoice. Replies himself within 24 hours.

Three things that happened with landlords

Why Valery does this

His own first landlord kept 10,000 pesos of his deposit over a rusted shower tap. He built this so it does not happen to you.

When an owner changed the price

The owner agreed 35,000 pesos, then asked for 45,000. By morning Valery had found an equal apartment in the same building at the first price. The client moved in the night he landed, internet already on.

The deposit

Owners here often ask for two months of deposit. Valery talks them down to one. That is money you keep.

If an owner changes the terms after we agreed, we walk away and find you another place, at our cost.

How to check we are real

If something happens

A hospital, and a person who picks up

In the areas we cover, the nearest emergency room is 5 to 25 minutes away by car. Every area on the map shows its own number.

Nearest emergency room for four example areas
Area	Nearest ER	Drive
Mactan	Mactan Doctors’ Hospital (Basak, Lapu-Lapu City)	20 min
IT Park	Perpetual Succour Hospital (Gorordo Ave, Lahug)	8 min
Lahug	Perpetual Succour Hospital (Gorordo Ave, Lahug)	5 min
Liloan	Liloan Community Medical and Emergency Center	25 min

For your first 14 days you can call or WhatsApp Valery. You also get a written arrival sheet. It names the nearest hospital, the taxi app, where to buy groceries, the visa office, and how to top up your SIM.

US Medicare does not pay for care here. Insurance after 65 is a real question, and we will not pretend it isn't.

What healthcare in Cebu costs

The price

$2,000

Paid in two halves: $1,000 to start, $1,000 on the day you move in.

What you get

5 to 10 apartments found for your budget and area, with photos and video
The price and terms talked through with the owner for you
Met at the airport, whatever time you land
A car arranged and your SIM registered
A walkthrough and the lease read with you, line by line
Moved in the day you land
14 days of calls and WhatsApp, and a written arrival sheet

What you pay separately

Your flights
Visa fees
The apartment's own deposit and rent, paid to the owner on the day you land

$800 of the first $1,000 comes back if nothing suits you before the flight.

Start with the 6 questions Write to Ilshat

Proof we live here

What the work looks like

Real photos are marked. The others are illustrations of real steps.

Linda and Robert P. laughing together at a café table in Cebu — Real photo Linda and Robert P., our clients from Tempe, Arizona, now in Banilad

Valery driving a client through a Cebu neighbourhood, both talking in the car — Real photo Valery driving a client around a neighbourhood

Valery and Ilshat talking with an older couple over coffee at a table in a Cebu office — Real photo Valery and Ilshat with a couple, in Cebu

A retired couple at home in a furnished Cebu apartment — Illustration An apartment ready before a client arrives

A couple reading a lease at a table with Valery — Illustration Reading the lease line by line

Valery and three clients outside a building in Cebu after a viewing — Real photo Valery and three clients after a viewing

Valery showing a couple around a supermarket — Illustration The nearest supermarket, first week

A retired man on a balcony looking out over green hills and towers — Illustration Morning on a new balcony

A couple shopping at a local wet market — Illustration A market morning

Valery talking terms with an apartment owner in a lobby — Illustration Agreeing the terms with an owner

Retirees having breakfast together at an outdoor café — Illustration Breakfast with people who moved here too

Valery and a couple walking through IT Park in the evening — Illustration An evening walk in IT Park

A floor-to-ceiling window with a view of hills and the city — Illustration The view from a rented apartment

Planning to buy, not rent?

We help with that too: a short-term place to stay while you look, price ranges by area, vetted agents, and Valery beside you at viewings.

Tell Ilshat what you have in mind

Questions

What people ask first

Is this a scam? How do I know you're real?

Fair question, and you should check before you pay anything. /about#verify lists our real names, our +63 WhatsApp number and a video call where you see us. You only ever pay on an invoice from Ilshat. Nothing goes to any owner before you have stood in the apartment.

What happens to my money if it falls through?

If none of the apartments suits you before you fly, or you change your mind, $800 of your $1,000 deposit comes back. $200 stays, because Valery already did real search work. We say this plainly, not in fine print.

What if I hate the apartment?

You see photos and video of five to ten apartments before you fly, and you pick. If none of them suit you, take the $800 refund above instead. If an owner changes the deal after you agree, we walk away and find another place — at our cost.

Will people hit me up for money?

It can happen anywhere you're seen as having savings — family, new friends, even a partner. It isn't specific to any one place; it's a "foreigner with money" thing. Keep your finances private at first, and ask Valery if a request ever feels off.

Do I have to get on a call?

No. Email, WhatsApp, or the contact form work fine, and Ilshat replies himself within 24 hours. A call is offered for people who prefer talking it through — it's never required.

Is Valery licensed?

No. This is a private arrival service, not a real-estate brokerage. Valery finds apartments for you, talks to owners on your side, and meets you on the ground. He does not sell property, and we take nothing from owners on rentals. If you want to buy, we bring in a vetted agent.

All questions

Write to Ilshat

Ask anything. A real person answers.

Pick the way that suits you. Nothing is paid at this stage.

WhatsApp +63 908 966 0215 Email [email protected] Book a call 15 minutes, at a time that suits you

Ilshat replies himself within 24 hours.