Cagayan de Oro Cost Breakdown: What a Freelance Photographer Actually Spends

so here's the thing about living in cagayan de oro as a freelance photographer-you never know if you're gonna be shooting a wedding this weekend or eating canned tuna for dinner. but hey, that's the life, right? the city's got this weird mix of chill vibes and hustle energy that either fuels you or slowly kills your soul. let's break it down, messy style.

*rent: if you're lucky, you can snag a decent one-bedroom in centro for around ₱12,000/month. but if you want something with actual windows and not a glorified storage unit, bump that to ₱15,000. utilities? add another ₱2,500. internet that doesn't make you want to throw your camera out the window? ₱1,500 for decent fiber.

food: groceries for one person who actually cooks (rare, i know) run about ₱3,000/month. but let's be real-most days it's ₱150 for a decent carinderia meal or ₱300 if you're feeling fancy at a korean joint in uptown. coffee? ₱120 a pop at the local third-wave spot, and yes, i need it to function.

gear & misc: camera repairs, memory cards, hard drives-call it ₱2,000/month average. transportation? jeepneys are ₱9, taxis start at ₱40. if you're booking gigs outside the city, gas or bus fare adds up fast.

here's a quick table so you don't have to do the math:

weather's wild here-one minute it's sunny enough to blind you on a rooftop shoot, the next it's raining so hard your lens fog won't clear for hours. but hey, that's cdO. nearby, you've got camiguin for volcano hikes and bukidnon for that highland escape when the city gets too noisy.

overheard at a shoot once: "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere-but good luck with the brownouts." locals say the job market's tough unless you've got connections, but there's a growing creative scene if you know where to look.

for real-time reviews and spots, check out tripadvisor's cdO page or the cdO subreddit for the unfiltered gossip.

tag a fellow creative who's tried to make it in cdO-you know who you are.

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