Some things that have stimulated my interest in Bacolod to the point of considering a visit just to check out that one place.

-- A big city where you don't need a vehicle.

There is a main road in town where most everything is on or radiates from it.

Public transport options are excellent and cheap. Not limited to tricycles or jeepneys. You've got aircon buses and of course Grab and Bolt (very affordable). Depending on where you live, many walkable areas. The city has wider streets and SIDEWALKS.

-- A lower budget place that still offers a lot.

Iloilo is arguably a higher quality and more expensive choice.

I think Bacolod will always be more affordable than Iloilo for multiple reasons -- no world class river walk, no close access to white sand beach islands, fewer top medical care options (apparently only one in Bacolod). A great white sand beach option near Bacolod is 90 minutes away though.

-- Multiple large shopping malls. Two of the "Costco" style bulk stores (two different brands).

-- A growing but not big expat scene. Nothing like Drama-guette. Locals aren't anywhere near sick of seeing foreigners. (GIve them time I suppose.)

-- A city identified with culinary culture both local and international. A growing scene and wide adoption of Grab Food delivery.

-- Many many condos at different prices points (so lots o competition) including one with a direct indoor walkway to a major mall.

-- What I've hears is an efficient immigration office.

-- A Chinatown (shopping and food)

-- Cleaner air / less traffic than big cities like Cebu

-- A famous annual festival

-- Reputation for some of the friendliest people in the country

-- Not a place for seeking wild nightlife. Most retired people are good with that.

-- Of course not specific to Bacolod but English widely spoken, and retirement residence security offered with the SRRV visa.

Peso for your thoughts?

Beyond Budget: Unveiling the Real Reasons Expats Love Retiring in Bacolod - RichestPH

www,richestph.com/beyond-budget-unveiling-the-real-reasons-expats-love-retiring-in-bacolod/

Beyond Budget: Unveiling the Real Reasons Expats Love Retiring in Bacolod

Bacolod, Philippines isn’t just a cheap place to retire, it’s a vibrant city offering a compelling lifestyle that attracts expats seeking a fulfilling second chapter. The “City of Smiles” boasts a unique blend of affordability, community, cultural richness, and surprisingly good infrastructure, making it more than just a budget-friendly option.

Beyond the Peso: What Makes Bacolod Special?

Forget the generic “tropical paradise” descriptions. Bacolod offers a specific set of advantages that resonate with expats looking for a slower pace of life without sacrificing comfort and convenience. It’s a smaller city compared to Manila or Cebu, which translates to less traffic, less pollution, and a stronger sense of community. Imagine knowing your neighbors, having storekeepers greet you by name, and enjoying genuinely friendly interactions daily. This is Bacolod. Consider that the Philippines is one of the top destinations for retirees per Global Retirement Index as evidenced in a report by International Living. This shows the country’s attractiveness for retirees.

You want to live in BaconLand?

PI is always feeling the brunt of passing or direct hits from Typhoons. Same reason I didn't consider retiring there & Florida, Keys, USA, or Caribbean Islands. Way too many nasty storms passing by, or worse, one hits land.

Same with Vietnam, aside from no real retirement visa for long stay. Stop looking, and simply enjoy what we have here.

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You want to live in BaconLand?

I'm not a fan of pigs in a blanket.

7 hours ago, KhunLA said:

PI is always feeling the brunt of passing or direct hits from Typhoons. Same reason I didn't consider retiring there & Florida, Keys, USA, or Caribbean Islands. Way too many nasty storms passing by, or worse, one hits land.

Same with Vietnam, aside from no real retirement visa for long stay. Stop looking, and simply enjoy what we have here.

That's a very good point.

I do know that some locations there are much lower risk.

Unfortunately both Bacolod and Iloilo have that risk.

I checked and Iloilo's risk is higher.

My understand is that when looking for lower houses, you should always check for the history of flooding in that location.

However, if you live in a high rise condo not likely to be flooded out but some risk of the windows being blown.

There are always pros and cons.

For example Portugal is popular with expats but has a history of great earthquakes.

Golly be or should I say Jollibee!

Bacolod still has Food Panda in addition to Grab of course.

Food and Grocery Delivery in Bacolod City Negros Occidental | Best Restaurants and Shops | foodpanda

www.foodpanda.ph/city/bacolod-city?page=2

OK, I got this from youtube so would need to verify but based on that personalized care (cleaning, cooking, shopping, unskilled assistance with aging issues, etc.) sounds like it is much more affordable than in Thailand.

I noticed on videos of condo tours larger units usually have small "maids quarters" including closet sized bed space and even a separate toilet and shower.

Hmm.

Well the video I'm referenced said that in Bacolod anyway you could employ a full time live in helper for the shockingly low price of 120 USD a month. You would also be responsible for their food and assorted incidentals but wow that is so low it makes me feel white guilt just think about it.

Obviously skilled nursing care would cost more but probably also affordable.

11 hours ago, Jingthing said:

-- Many many condos at different prices points (so lots o competition) including one with a direct indoor walkway to a major mall.

Do they have bum guns ?

Health care you ask?

Healthcare Haven: Access Quality Medical Care Affordably in Bacolod - RichestPH

www.richestph.com/healthcare-haven-access-quality-medical-care-affordably-in-bacolod/

Like in Thailand, you need to pay for it or you're out of luck (or life).

Taxation -- good news.

Taxed only on income made WITHIN the country.

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

Do they have bum guns ?

Many do.

Seems a little out of the way and if it's 90 minutes to a beach, not for me.

Don't know what nationality you are but Trump not doing us any favors with the Muslim contingent. I'm in Puerto Galera now and when they hear me speak, no help. Went to buy ice cubes yesterday, got resound no and the guy was seriously glowering at me. Non Muslims all good.

20 hours ago, Priorexpat said:

Seems a little out of the way and if it's 90 minutes to a beach, not for me.

Don't know what nationality you are but Trump not doing us any favors with the Muslim contingent. I'm in Puerto Galera now and when they hear me speak, no help. Went to buy ice cubes yesterday, got resound no and the guy was seriously glowering at me. Non Muslims all good.

It's 90 minutes to a white sand beach. There are closer beaches though. A feature of Iloilo and Davao City are closer access to islands with great beaches. There are great beaches going south from Dumaguete. Bacolod is on the water and has ferry service but it's not a beach city. Bottom line is how often do you really go to the beach? It's different living in a place and a holiday.

A negative compared to Thailand in the Philippines is that you need prescriptions to buy meds at pharmacies.

Something that expats or possible expats to the Philippines usually know is that those considering Bacolod usually are considering Iloilo as well.

Thinking about this some more with my individual situation in mind, I can now see some major advantages for Iloilo (and some cons as well).

Before going there, here are some more pros for the Philippines in general over Thailand --

Driving on the right (if you're used to that)

NO TAX on income outside the country. This could be BIG.

Iloilo contrasted with Bacalod

International airport with direct flights to Bangkok. This could be a big deal when transitioning between the countries as there would likely be multiple trips involved.

Also good for visa runs if you start with only tourist visas extended. Advantage Iloilo,

A smaller city so possibly easier to deal with without a vehicle. In either case, where exactly you locate in either city has huge implications. Advantage Iloilo,

More advanced modern infrastructure overall. Advantage Iloilo

Wide very modern roads (I don't drive in Thailand at all but I might consider it in Iloilo as it would likely be quite similar to driving in a mid sized U.S. city.). Advantage Iloilo,

Closer to white sand beaches (as said before) Advantage Iloilo.

Closer to many mountain escape types places. But you need a vehicle to access. Advantage to Bacolod.

Both cities have active culinary scenes with delivery services, local and international. Advantage to Bacolod as a bigger city.

People are reputed to be less super friendly than Bacolod. Depends on your temperament which is better. For many people, super friendly all the time can feel annoying.

A boom town with a very high demand for housing pressuring costs. If renting, risk of being priced out of the most desirable locations. Advantage Bacolod

Smaller annual festival. Depends on your temperament which is better.

Reputedly much better quality health care. Huge for retirees. Advantage Iloilo.

World class river walk. If you live near it, you can really take advantage of it. Advantage Iloilo.

Unlike Thailand where the vast majority of expats settle in a few places -- Pattaya, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket choosing where to live in the Philippines is much harder as its so spread out across so many islands and it might take years to visit all the possibilies.

For Thailand, I had visited all the top choices and it was very easy to choose between my finalists (Pattaya/Jomtien and Chiang Mai) rejected Chiang Mai because of the burning season.

So for anyone trying to figure out where best to explore in the Philippines there is a new free tool that I think is quite remarkable!

I took the quiz and the results were pretty much what I thought they would be after a lot of research.

Iloilo City (now my top place of interest)

Davao City which is my radar but I think it may be too spread out, but it's better for close beach access than Iloilo or Bacolod.

Bacolod (this topic)

Cagayan de Oro (I know of it but for some reason it doesn't appeal)

So here is that resource:

ThatParadiseLife — Find Your Perfect Life in the Philippines

www.thatparadiselife.com

Based on your answers in the quiz, your results are probably going to be very different than mine.

Well I'm now going to hold off on even thinking about an exploratory trip until the fallout from Trump's war of choice clears (if ever) as the Philippines has been especially badly impacted.

There is talk of cancelling a lot of flights so I wouldn't want to be stuck there looking for a boat out.

On 3/15/2026 at 8:50 PM, KhunLA said:

PI is always feeling the brunt of passing or direct hits from Typhoons. Same reason I didn't consider retiring there & Florida, Keys, USA, or Caribbean Islands. Way too many nasty storms passing by, or worse, one hits land.

Same with Vietnam, aside from no real retirement visa for long stay. Stop looking, and simply enjoy what we have here.

Exactly right, maybe a few months out of hurricanes way, and then back to Thailand.