Pea tours a rental property in Valencia, about 15 minutes from Dumaguete City, showing what a mid-range budget gets you in the Philippines compared to Western prices. Rather than the usual "how cheap can you go" approach, she deliberately showcases a larger home suited to expats with families or in-laws.
Property overview and pricing
- Location: Valencia, Negros Oriental — about 15 minutes from Dumaguete City
- Valencia is popular with expats because of its cooler temperatures (higher elevation than Dumaguete)
- Rent: 27,000 pesos/month ($540 USD) on a one-year lease
- Signing bonus: 5,000 pesos ($100 USD) off the first month's rent
- The property sits on 500 square meters of land
- Not in a formal neighborhood — no real zoning, just off a small dirt road (which Pea says is common in the Philippines)
Exterior and grounds
- Fully fenced with high walls all around the property — Pea emphasizes this is secure
- Garden area with flowers and enough space for a swing set or trampoline
- Pet-friendly — you can keep dogs or cats
Interior tour: five bedrooms
- All bedrooms are air-conditioned with conventional window-type AC units
- Pea notes that in Valencia you may not need AC at night due to the cooler elevation, but it's there for summer
- Master bedroom has a walk-in closet and an attached bathroom with a bathtub — Pea highlights this as rare in Filipino homes
- One bedroom across from the master could serve as an office
- The living room also has AC and a fridge
- A caretaker was staying in one of the rooms at the time of filming
- The owner promised to install an additional AC unit in one of the bedrooms before renting
Kitchen and dirty kitchen
- Main kitchen is spacious with working outlets in the prep area, a stove, and a range hood
- There's a large "dirty kitchen" outside — Pea explains this is where your Filipina can cook dried fish so she doesn't stink up the main house
- The dirty kitchen has two sinks and lots of prep space
Bathrooms
- Total: two and a half bathrooms
- One has hot and cold shower with a regulator for the water heater
- Pea notes the common bathroom is missing a mirror and that Filipino houses in general tend to lack sufficient electrical outlets — "you need to plug in your razor or hair dryer"
Laundry area
- Covered space to hang clothes so they won't get wet during rainy days
- Washing machine present but noted as not working at the time
Interview with the Nanay (caretaker)
- House was built in 2002; the family moved in around 2005
- Owned by the caretaker's daughter
- Electricity outages are very rare in this area
- Water pressure is good
- Very peaceful at night — except for the roosters, which Pea says are everywhere
Cultural notes Pea weaves in
- Shoes off at the door: Pea explains this is a Filipino thing (and more broadly Asian) — you leave shoes outside when entering a home
- She mentions the "dirty kitchen" concept multiple times as something foreigners should understand — it's a standard second kitchen in Filipino homes for pungent cooking
- Pea left the property owner's contact information in the video description for interested viewers
