The city of Dumaguete has been labeled as one of the best places to retire across the globe, according to the 2014 Retire Overseas Index released by the Overseas Retirement Letter.
The report stated that Dumaguete’s ranking was brought about by the affordable cost of living in the City, the tropical climate, the warm English-speaking community, and the beautiful beachfront scenery, a news release from the City Tourism Office on Friday said.
The scoring used for the ranking was based on criteria that are crucial to retirees such as climate and beautiful sceneries.
The Overseas Retirement Letter also reflected Dumaguete City as the second most affordable place to retire with a monthly budget of US$910 (about P39,130.), next to Nha Trang in Vietnam with a monthly budget of US$680.
The budget were created based on expenses of house rentals, groceries, basic utilities such as electricity, phone, water, internet, gas and cable, and entertainment expenses.
This has not been the first citation received by Dumaguete City. Yahoo Finance and US News Money early this year also identified Dumaguete as one of the nine Most Affordable Places to Retire with a monthly budget of US$1,000 (P43,000), ranked 4th in the list.
Their report described City: “In addition to its welcoming, friendly, English-speaking people, Dumaguete boasts a warm, tropical climate, and lots of opportunities for outdoor activities. It sits right along the ocean, with attractive beaches to the north and south of town.”
“Being known as a University town, foreigners have the opportunity to make friends with educated professors and aspiring students, take classes, and enjoy cultural opportunities not typically found elsewhere in the Philippines, including theater, ballet, art shows and libraries,” the report added.
Forbes.com also featured Dumaguete City as the 5th among the Seven Best Places to Retire around the world.
In its report, it defined Dumaguete as a City where one will find “one of the best places for beachfront living on a budget”.
It also pronounced Dumaguete as inexpensive with great beaches, expats, balmy climate, and good health care.
“This is a testament that indeed, Dumaguete City under the leadership of Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria, with its world-class ambiance, continues to live by the legend of its name Dumaguet meaning ‘to swoop’, or its power to attract and keep visitors. The City has indeed progressed not merely to attract visitors [for a visit], but to lure its visitors with its charm and splendor to stay,” said City Tourism Officer Woodrow Maquiling Jr. (PNA/PR)
