Living here is not the same as vacationing here
Vacationing in Siargao is all cocktails and photo-ops. But living in Siargao? That’s dealing with brownouts mid-shower, dodging stray dogs on your morning run, and your neighbors doing karaoke at 6 in the morning (still annoys me at times even though I’m a Filipina and we all like to do karaoke).
When I first moved to Siargao, I had visions of morning surfs, acai bowls, and an easy-slow-steady-island life. And yes-some of that came true. But let’s just say that I learned a few things the humid, chaotic, and wonderfully way. Here’s everything I wish I knew before living in Siargao.
1.Finding the Right Accommodation with a Kitchen
Finding the best spot to live in Siargao is easy, but finding the right homestay? Hmm not so much.
August of 2023, we decided to move to Siargao in hopes that somehow the small island will become home. On our first few months we eat out, partied, drinks, surf, coffee, gym and repeat. It’s not long when we realised that we’re spending a lot of money on food and coffee alone! Dont be like us.
How we solved it? Find a better place to live and simply…. cook our food and make our own coffee.
So if you’re planning to live in Siargao but also wanting to stay on a mid-budget range lifestyle. Here are some of the best Homestays/ Hotels you should add on your list if you’re planning to move to Siargao.
This homestay has wide rooms, kitchen, a lobby, and mid-budget range good for someone who’s travelling solo or couple who’s planning to stay long term on the island.
The best part of the house is probably the kitchen and lobby where you can relax and read or even get work done – no need to go to a workspace studio.
If Zara (the owner) or Ate Joy and her husband (the caretakers) are not around, the dogs – Matcha and Pino greets us, wagging their tale + a very small cat named Ming Ming who somehow manages to catch up with the big dogs (suddenly appearing wherever we are 😂).
Ate Joy and her husband took good care of us, after 2-months, they both became good friends of ours. I definitely recommend this place!
Trust me. It’s a lot bigger on the inside.
Kitchen is very wide, almost everything you need for every dish is available. They also have a generator which can run for 4 hours a day – very helpful for emergencies.
There are a few as well in the North side of the island that I highly recommend!
2. Siargao’s Rainy Season
You probably decided to come around March to October (during the dry season) where its sunny and all happy days. Siargao meanwhile, during its rainy season from November to February is entirely different.
It’s nearest Mainland is Surigao City about 3-4 hours away from Siargao’s touristy area, General Luna. Because of this, the power line is not always stable, it could break due to heavy rain or wind. So expect a brownout every now and then.
Another thing to keep in mind, during the dry season there is a rotational brownout every Sunday, just to maintain the power supply in the whole island – your homestay caretaker will let you know ahead.
I’m not here to discourage your dream to live in this tropical paradise, but this should be your fair warning of what to expect if ever your planning to stay long-term and in between the typhoon months or the rainy seasons.
What got us through during Siargao’s rainy season challenges and some of the longest brownouts is the Bulalo at Sidlakan, Lechon at Kanin Baboy, and perhaps our humour lol.
3. Managing Cost of Living
It’s easy to overspend if you’re not careful.
It might not suprise you as much but Siargao is actually expensive – just like any other tourist destination prices are way above the roof!
Coffees, Resturant, House Rentals, Bike Rentals, etc. – I’m not going to say that everything is kinda-affordable. Lets just say that you might not be able to afford eating out, buying drinks.. every single meal, everyday!
Some rentals can be overpriced so its best to look for it online (with reviews) or learn how to haggle.
Dont get me wrong we still eat out, get coffees, etc. but only twice a week! When we want to try a newly opened Restaurant or just a reward after a long week. Remember, living here is different than vacationing here.
4. Building a Community on the Island
What makes Siargao alluring isnt just the beaches – it’s the people.
Having friends on the island makes your experience even better. Exchanging ideas about where to’s, and advices which ones to avoid. Community is everything.
Its easy to make friends and get to know people who lives on the island to be part of the community:
- Join group Yoga Classes, surf with locals, do CrossFit, join Arts Night, or get invited on Coco Space Community on WhatsApp!
Quick summary:
- Choose accommodations with kitchen facilities to save on meals.
- Prepare for frequent power outages, specially during the rainy season.
- Budget wisely; island life can be more expensive than expected.
- Engage with the local community.
We lived in Siargao for 6 months and we enjoy most of it! There were a lot of times where our patience was tested, but we look back at it now and laugh wondering how did we survived that.
Some people dream of staying forever, and some realises they miss the comfort of the cities, or to continue travelling the world. Siargao might not be your forever home and that’s okay.
We left Siargao on December of 2024 to start travelling around the world. But here I am, jotting this down nearly 6 months after we left, still in awe looking back at our life on the Island we once called Home.
One of the best Airbnb we stayed in Siargao
A life + travel visual diary 
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