Is it worth driving in Metro Manila? Living in Makati, with weekend trips to Tagaytay and the like

It depends on the person. Owning a car isn't practical unless your Makati place comes with a parking space. Cars here are fairly cheap, and long-term rentals usually aren't worth the money. A decent used car runs around $15k–$30k. Make sure you bring a competent mechanic to check for flood damage and suspension wear. My setup is to take Grab around the city every day, and keep one SUV for trips out to the provinces or for times when Grab isn't reliable (holiday season, typhoon season, etc.). 1. License: a foreign license is valid for the first 90 days after you arrive. After 3 months you're supposed to get a local license, but in practice they don't really check. 2. Insurance: comprehensive insurance is pretty cheap. 3. Makati coding: Makati's coding runs all day with no exempt hours, except for hybrids or EVs with green plates. 4. Driving: driving here is different. If you've driven in other chaotic cities, you'll get used to it. It's mentally tiring (you have to watch for jaywalkers, reckless drivers, spaced-out drivers, motorcycles, animals, and so on), but it's not that bad. You have to drive a bit aggressively like the other drivers, otherwise you'll keep getting stuck at intersections. Overall, I found that the extra cost of keeping a car is worth it.

I came from the US and now drive in the Philippines. Metro Manila traffic is really bad. It tests your patience and your nerves. People here don't drive by the rules. Lanes, stop signs, and traffic lights are just suggestions. People suddenly swerve into your lane, cut in, and honk for no real reason. The roads also aren't built very well. You have to keep watching for obstacles and be careful about people coming from the opposite direction. If you're a good driver you'll be fine, but know that it's not easy. Taking Grab in the city isn't a bad idea, but if you have a car, it's better to practice driving. The more you do it, the better you get at finding your way around. With a foreign license you can only drive for a limited period. If you plan to drive long-term, you need to get a Philippine license. The process isn't that hard. I applied and got a temporary license the same day, so I could legally drive. They mail you the original. I'm not sure about Makati since I've never driven there, but I understand that if your plate is restricted, you can't drive at all on your designated day, rather than only during certain hours of the day like in other areas. Like with the routes to other places outside Manila, the best time to go to Tagaytay is late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Otherwise you spend way too long on the road. If traffic isn't bad, it only takes a couple of hours.

Live in Tagaytay and go to Manila to hang out on weekends.

I'd say go for it. Just try it. If it were BGC I'd have answered differently (getting in and out at bad times is really hard). I don't know if you'll be commuting every day, but it's best to live close to work or on a route where the roads aren't terrible. But without a car (or a motorbike, which I much prefer for getting around the city), you'll fall into the trap of _not renting_ on most weekends because of the paperwork and hassle, and you'll stay stuck inside the Makati/BGC bubble. There's an adjustment period with traffic and driving, but after a few months it wasn't that much harder than driving back home. It's chaotic, the norms and etiquette are different, and you have to concentrate a lot more... but you can totally do it. The key is timing. If you can avoid rush hour, life gets a lot better.

If you travel early in the morning (4–5 AM) or late at night (7–8 PM to 4 AM), you can generally avoid the worst of the traffic. Avoid 6–8 AM and 4–7 PM especially, since that's when schools and workplaces start and end.