Yep, I don't think there is any better place than the Philippines for cheap places for people from the U.S.
English speaking needs a bit more emphasis. Not only does nearly everyone speak English, but English is an official language right along with Tagalog. Most signs are in English. you have little to no need to learn Tagalog. When two Filipino's from different parts of the country have a conversation, they are just as likely to speak in English as they are in Tagalog. It's likely they get more practice speaking English in their day to day living unless they live in Tagalog speaking areas.
You missed a huge point. You can stay there for a year without having to do a visa run. You just have to renew your tourist visa regularly. It's fast and easy.
I would suggest also looking at other areas of the country. I live in Dumaguete which isn't too big and not too small. There are houses and apartments all over the city for $100 - $150 / month. There are even pretty decent hotels you can live in for around $300 / month (which of course comes with paid everything.) A nice month to month foreigner run apartment would cost around the same. I haven't tried to live in Manila but I'm assuming it's generally more expensive than the rest of the country.
Right, I wouldn't go through AirBnB here. Just do a search for hotels in the city you are looking at and that should give you an idea for prices for the short term. The best way to locate houses and apartments is to drive around the city collecting phone numbers and to talk to other foreigners. Stay in the hotel while you are getting familiar with the city and see what kind of deal you can negotiate for long term stay. You don't have to stick with that deal, just keep it open as a fallback option. There are some sites where you can get prices for rentals and purchases, but those are sky high. Your only option is boots on the ground.
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Yep, I don't think there is any better place than the Philippines for cheap places for people from the U.S.
English speaking needs a bit more emphasis. Not only does nearly everyone speak English, but English is an official language right along with Tagalog. Most signs are in English. you have little to no need to learn Tagalog. When two Filipino's from different parts of the country have a conversation, they are just as likely to speak in English as they are in Tagalog. It's likely they get more practice speaking English in their day to day living unless they live in Tagalog speaking areas.
You missed a huge point. You can stay there for a year without having to do a visa run. You just have to renew your tourist visa regularly. It's fast and easy.
I would suggest also looking at other areas of the country. I live in Dumaguete which isn't too big and not too small. There are houses and apartments all over the city for $100 - $150 / month. There are even pretty decent hotels you can live in for around $300 / month (which of course comes with paid everything.) A nice month to month foreigner run apartment would cost around the same. I haven't tried to live in Manila but I'm assuming it's generally more expensive than the rest of the country.
Do you know where you can find a good place to rent without already being on site ? AirBnB obviously costs a lot more
Right, I wouldn't go through AirBnB here. Just do a search for hotels in the city you are looking at and that should give you an idea for prices for the short term. The best way to locate houses and apartments is to drive around the city collecting phone numbers and to talk to other foreigners. Stay in the hotel while you are getting familiar with the city and see what kind of deal you can negotiate for long term stay. You don't have to stick with that deal, just keep it open as a fallback option. There are some sites where you can get prices for rentals and purchases, but those are sky high. Your only option is boots on the ground.
Crash in a hostel for a week and figure it out when you are there. Eliminates lots of risk.