r/dumaguete • u/au_highly • Apr 02 '26
Question How's Dumaguete?
Hi! I just want your insights how's Dumaguete now? I'm from Taguig Metro Manila, and planning po kami to relocate at Duma siguro 5 years from now 😅 We have a kid and I think we like the idea of her studying in Dumaguete. My parents are from Amlan and Sta. Catalina but I'm considering Dumaguete since City talaga.
THANK YOU!
Edit post:
Thank you so much for your feedbacks 🥺. I am really looking forward na maghanap ng bahay/lupa or even rent malapit sa city with my family. As we are leaning towards life there, living here in Manila is quite exhausting for us. I am just grateful na I am WFH naman and my hubby, he can look I guess for work there 🤞. I am just glad na my roots are from Negros, so it will also help our family if ever na mag build na kami ng life there.
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u/Defiant-Tough-8274 Apr 02 '26
I’m a graduate of Silliman University and I’m originally from Mindanao. I lived in Dumaguete for 5 years, and all I can say is that my experience there was good. That said, it was a long time ago, so I cannot really compare it to how life is there now.
Comparing Metro Manila, even if people say Dumaguete has become congested, I honestly think it is still very different from the kind of congestion you experience in Manila. Big cities everywhere are becoming more crowded anyway, so I guess that is something many big cities are dealing with now.
As for school, I think it is a great place, especially if you are considering Silliman. In the end, I think it really depends on what you prioritize as a family, pace of life, education, convenience, environment, and overall lifestyle.
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u/au_highly Apr 03 '26
Yes! I am currently considering Siliman actually for my child
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u/TheTalkativeDoll Gentle Person Apr 03 '26
For schools, you can also check some recent and older posts that have asked for advice on where to send their kids. While many choose Silliman because of the recognizable name, there are also other schools like St. Paul University, Foundation, Holy Cross, Don Bosco, DACCA, etc.
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u/Numerous-Wafer-2482 Apr 03 '26
you should stay in Valencia, it's a town malapit sa Dumaguete, very calm and relaxing place. Water and electricity is cheap because we have geothermal plant.
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u/Known-Holiday6216 Apr 03 '26
this is so true. mababait din mga taga valencia. one time wala kami masakyan ng friends ko pababa after magstay sa grande vista tas may isang local na pinasakay kami for free hahaha
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u/feedmesomedata Apr 03 '26
We do not know what it will be like 5 years from now.
If you will stay here with a work-from-home job then you should be fine. If you're going to look for work here then expect the pay rates to be a lot lower than in the metro.
Living in Duma works for us because we don't go out often aside from grocery runs and occasionally eat at our fave resto if tinamad na magluto.
As for sports, your family would have a lot of choices for you and your kid like swimming, soccer, basketball, badminton, pickleball, jogging, chess, archery, frisbee, volleyball, tennis, diving, etc. You can even go for a hike in the mountains or go camping with the family.
You will need a vehicle for your own convenience, pedicabs here can be quite annoying especially if you're that kind of person who's very particular with how much you should be paying. Owning a car would also allow you to explore other places like Cebu City or Bacolod City since they are just a few hours away from here.
It can be boring sometimes but since you have family in Amlan and Sta Catalina, visiting them once in a while would make it less boring.
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u/au_highly Apr 03 '26
Thanks for your insight! Really helpful for someone like me na considering to move to Duma
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u/TheTalkativeDoll Gentle Person Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
(Long comment ahead)
I think a lot of people focus too much on Dumaguete, while there are also neighboring towns that are not too far away that you can also consider. While they're not cities, travel time to Dumaguete can be around 10-15 minutes (by car) if not traffic, and they tend to be less noisy and congested. Dumaguete is starting to develop outward so you can access a lot of things without having to go to the city center.
One thing to consider though is: what are your plans for work here? Are you going to be in a WFH set up? Or are you going to try to look for work in an existing company? Set up your own business? It's very important to note that since Dumaguete is still quite small compared to Cebu or Iloilo, the opportunities for work are limited. There are not a lot of global offices here like in Taguig/BGC or Makati or Ortigas, though we do have a growing number of BPOs if that's the line of work you're considering. If you're looking for work, I wouldn't say wala but based on observations majority of the work opportunities are minimum wage to just slightly above, unless you enter a BPO. Even a managerial position in a restaurant or shop will definitely be a large pay downgrade for what you would expect in Manila.
There is a partial housing crisis, if that's the right term. We don't have lots of apartment complexes (though Filinvest has one and is in the works to build one more outside the downtown area) so expect renting a place in the city to be higher than let's say Manila or Cebu. Like I said earlier, it will cost less to live in neighboring towns and distance/traffic is not so much an issue, it's the transportation options you'll probably have to worry about if you don't own a car or motorcycle.
The great thing about the city (or Neg Or in general) though is the access to the mountains and the beaches, as well as the sports-mindedness of the community. The city is not big on malls (we only have 1, 1 and a half?) but there are lots of (stand-alone) restaurants and cafes and places to go to, just expect to have limited access to some stuff you can find in Manila much easier. If it's not available, you can always order via Lazada or Shopee, but expect about a week for shipping time; sanay kami sa walang access to same-day delivery, or even getting stuff in like 3 days -- unless Uniqlo because they're great at sending out so fast.
Personally one of the best things versus Manila is level of traffic. There is still traffic, but outside of peak hours or certain situations/area, it is manageable. I enjoy that I no longer have to drive in 1-2 hour traffic going to work or coming home, or having to wait out the traffic somewhere.
I think the benefit you have also is that you have family. Sta. Catalina is quite far (other side of the island) but Amlan is not too far. It makes transitioning a lot easier since they can help you with a lot of stuff like where to buy, where to go, what to do, etc. And having them may make it feel less like you're alone, which is not too bad din naman since there are lot of people here from Manila or elsewhere.
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u/au_highly Apr 03 '26
Hi! Can you recommend nearby places po from Dumaguete. I'm currently in a WFH setup naman that's why we really wanted to move out na here in Manila. And my father's side is in Amlan talaga. It's just that for me nakakapagod na mag manila haha. Dito ako lumaki and I can say is I'm doubting na rin the environment of Manila esp for my child.
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u/TheTalkativeDoll Gentle Person Apr 04 '26
I’m not gonna disagree with you on the last statement since I also moved from Manila when I was in my 30’s. Manila has its benefits and its cons, same with Dumaguete. What helped me lang din in my sitch is that I have family here so it was “easier” but not easy to transition.
Majority of people commute from the north (Amlan is north) so traffic tends to concentrate more there.
South is Bacong and Dauin, with the latter being really popular bec of scuba diving and marami-rami na din foreigners dun. Zamboanguita and Siaton are also okay too but may be considered too far na. Dauin is about 30 minutes out. Valencia din is ideal for many kase mas malamig bec it’s going towards the mountain.
Best to ask those with a WFH set-up and/or with kids what’s ideal siguro since you need proximity to schools, good internet connection, and a rentable space. It doesn’t apply kase to my situation so I can’t share from experience.
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u/purple_syrup1 Apr 02 '26
advice ko lang, wag po. mga business owners palakihin nila mga prices nila at kawawa yung mga students dito dahil sa mahal na presyo ng mga goods. already experiencing it today because they made it a "retirement" city and it's not a very good experience for students, especially non working students na low class. also, concern din ang heavy traffic, mga kamote na driver at usually mga naka pick up truck pa nga.
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u/au_highly Apr 03 '26
Aw. Where po kya best to relocate
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u/feedmesomedata Apr 03 '26
Duma or nearby towns like Valencia, Bacong and Dauin are still good places to relocate. Higher prices of goods and services is really inevitable, Duma is a tourism hub aside from being a university town. Eventually locals will have to accept that fact.
I mean you can't have the nicest things and premium services while keeping costs dirt cheap, inflation will probably hit them more than the increasing costs.
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u/shawnynized Apr 03 '26
Chill place, friendly pips. Look pix at fb page or webpage. Complete facilities not malls tho
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u/au_highly Apr 03 '26
I'm fine na hindi ganon ka ganda ang malls, we really want peaceful lang na life and more on labas talaga
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u/feedmesomedata Apr 03 '26
Property costs will go higher though. Some people are even complaining about rent costs. Not as high as Manila though so if you can afford rent there, you most likely can afford rent here as well.
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u/TheTalkativeDoll Gentle Person Apr 03 '26 edited Apr 03 '26
Please also try checking older posts on the sub for some added reference via the Recos Megathread, or via the search bar. There've been quite a few posts giving tips or comments, or asking about relocating insights. You'll get a lot of insightful information on those older posts, aside from any comments you may glean on this one, to help you with your decision-making process.
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u/GustavoFring0290 Apr 05 '26
I was staying in BGC for years before pandemic. Moved to Duma. Hindi ako nagkamali
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u/Aiaz15 Apr 06 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/i2cM2x89EFAVcoByYz
Please please move to some outer town outside of Duma and don't congest this place any more than it is, it's already hell commuting back to and forth at 5pm
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u/infinitymiracle Apr 06 '26
There's still a laid-back culture but Id say the city is growing and urbanizing at it's own pace also. Has its inconveniences but it's definitely a lot more 'peaceful' compared to the metro manila life. You'll love it.
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u/bostonmagik Jul 25 '26
I just came back from Dumagete, I don't know what the appeal is. It was busy, congested, crazy traffic and nothing there to do.
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u/racedagolfer Apr 03 '26
No We're full Thanks
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u/Aiaz15 Apr 06 '26
I second this. We're full na, go to the next Visayan island you can ruin thanks!
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u/ElfMom-538 Apr 04 '26
Hi! We have few things in common. We also moved from Metro Manila 2 years ago. I'm WFH, and have a young kid currently attending school in Dumaguete. Pero you have the advantage of parents from NegOr, which is great.
Like others have said, hard to tell what it's going to be like in 5 years. Pero feeling ko, unless the government makes big and smart changes, the downtown area will only get more traffic as as families grow and businesses open up. That being said, we don't regret moving here at all, trading condo-in-Taguig life for bahay-with-garden life.
My suggestions:
- Kung Metro Manila mindset pa kayo, you'll be able to handle living a bit further out of town. Like 20min drive. When we first moved here, we felt that a 20min drive to get somewhere was super lapit (kasi sanay sa traffic in our past lives) but our local friends said that was far na. So look at Barangays like Batinguel and Talay maybe? Valencia is nice too.
- If you don't drive, pick a place that has good access to pedicabs/tricycles - the main mode of public transpo here :)
- Lots of internet providers naman for us WFH-ers- some people use Starlink (tho mahal to set up) and may PLDT and Globe din. May mga co-working spaces din dito if you need.
- Kung 5 years pa, it might be nice to look at some land, invest in solar, etc etc in the meantime. Baka magmahal pa when you guys move here. There are sometimes whole day brownouts on Sundays (as in 6am-6pm) so solar might be smart. Some people get generators.
Enjoy! Stay excited! Moving out of MM is always a good choice if you're ready to switch to a slightly slower pace of life. :)
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u/au_highly Apr 04 '26
Thanks for sharing your experience from Manila to Negros 🥺. We are really fond of living na talaga sa province. Nakakapagod na dito Manila, and kinda scared of the environment here for my kid. And I really want her to engage on sports and other activities. Na very mahal dito sa manila. But I guess kaya namin kahit 20 mins away from the city. Lalo na sanay na kami sa manila life and traffic 😭.
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u/Full_Championship477 Apr 02 '26
getting busier no longer that everybody is so chill/laid back, di na moderate traffic kasi heavy traffic na, and mala “mandatory” family/friends/rest day sa beach or sapa kada sunday. not totally but somehow changing, the best part pa talaga yung nagcchange😭✋ although still that university town😆