Buying a condo in Mactan really means choosing one of several quite different areas on an island split between Lapu-Lapu City and the Municipality of Cordova. The resort coast at Punta Engaño and Maribago has the beach projects and the highest prices; Mactan Newtown is a planned township; the central barangays around Basak and Agus, near the airport and economic zones, hold most of the affordable and ready-for-occupancy stock; and Cordova is the gateway to Cebu City by the CCLEX toll bridge. The trade-off is roughly lifestyle and shoreline against price, commute and tenant base.
Key points
- Pick the area by daily use: airport and ecozone work, Cebu City commuting, resort lifestyle, or a self-contained township.
- Listed starting prices on our Mactan project pages run from ₱2.4M (an RFO studio in Basak) to ₱19M (a one-bedroom at a beachfront resort residence), as of 3 October 2026.
- Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova set their own local taxes and permits; Cordova’s transfer tax is a provincial tax.
- For listings rather than guidance, see our Mactan Island properties page.
Two local governments, three crossings
Mactan Island is divided between Lapu-Lapu City, which covers most of it — including Mactan–Cebu International Airport, the economic zones and the east-coast resorts — and the Municipality of Cordova at the southern end of the island. Three crossings link the island to mainland Cebu: the Mactan–Mandaue (Sergio Osmeña Jr.) Bridge and the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, both landing in Mandaue City, and the 8.9-kilometre Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), a toll bridge opened in April 2022 that runs from Cordova to Cebu City.
The LGU matters after you buy. Under the Local Government Code, a city may levy basic real property tax of up to 2% of assessed value and a province up to 1%, plus a 1% Special Education Fund levy; the transfer tax on a sale is a provincial tax of up to 0.5% of the higher of price and fair market value, which cities may set up to 50% higher. A Cordova unit therefore pays real property and transfer taxes under Cebu Province’s ordinances, and a Lapu-Lapu unit under the city’s. Actual rates are set by ordinance, so ask the assessor’s office or the developer for the latest tax declaration rather than relying on the ceilings.
The areas at a glance
| Area | Character | Lowest listed start on our pages | Usually suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punta Engaño (north-east peninsula) | Resort hotels, beachfront residences, coastal mid-rises | ₱4M | Second homes, retirees, resort-linked leasing |
| Maribago (east coast) | Resort strip, large resort-community estates | ₱7.57M | Buyers who want beach and resort amenities on site |
| The Mactan Newtown | Megaworld township with offices, hotels, school, retail and a beachfront | ₱11M (project range) | Buyers who want work, school and shops inside one estate |
| Basak, Agus and the central barangays | Near the airport and the Mactan economic zones; mid-rise and garden walk-up projects | ₱2.4M | First-time buyers, zone and airport workers, long-term leasing |
| Marigondon | Residential barangay with newer mid-rise and garden projects | ₱4.39M | Owner-occupier families wanting more space per peso |
| Suba-Basbas (south coast) | Quieter coastline; beach-town project | ₱6.5M | Beach buyers who also cross to Cebu City |
| Cordova | Municipality on the CCLEX side; low- and mid-rise projects | ₱3.7M | Frequent Cebu City commuters |
Starting prices are developer list prices on our project pages as of 3 October 2026, for the smallest unit type in the projects listed below. They usually exclude parking and some charges and do not show availability; ask for a dated computation.
Projects by area
These are Mactan projects on our site whose developer we could confirm from the developer’s own website or filings. Other projects we carry, mainly in Suba-Basbas, Cordova and Barangay Mactan, are not listed here because we could not confirm the developer from an official source.
| Area | Project | Developer | Status (per developer or our page) | Listed from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punta Engaño | Balai Punta Engaño | BE Residences | Under construction | ₱4M studio |
| Punta Engaño | Vertex Coast | Priland | Pre-selling | ₱5.7M studio |
| Punta Engaño | Aruga Mactan | Rockwell Land | Pre-selling | ₱18M 1BR |
| Punta Engaño | The Residences at Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort | AppleOne Mactan | Completion date 31 Dec 2023 per developer | ₱19M 1BR |
| Maribago | Tambuli Seaside Living | Tytans Properties and Development | Ready / in progress | ₱7.57M studio |
| Mactan Newtown | Positano Mactan | Megaworld | Pre-selling | ₱11M range |
| Mactan Newtown | The Pearl Global Residences | Megaworld | Pre-selling | ₱12M range |
| Mactan Newtown | La Victoria Global Residences | Megaworld | Pre-selling | ₱14M range |
| Basak | Brentwood Mactan | PrimaryHomes | Ready for occupancy | ₱2.4M studio |
| Basak (Cagodoy) | Plumera Mactan | Johndorf Ventures | Ready / in progress | ₱2.7M studio |
| Basak | Royal Oceancrest Mactan | PrimaryHomes | Ready for occupancy | ₱3M studio |
| Basak | Paseo Grove Mactan | Priland | Under construction | ₱3M studio |
| Agus | Primeworld District Mactan | Primeworld Land Holdings | Phased; some towers turned over | ₱3.4M 1BR |
| Marigondon | Royal Oceancrest Mactan 2 | PrimaryHomes | Pre-selling | ₱4.39M 1BR |
| Marigondon | Soltana Nature Residences | Taft Property Venture Development | Pre-selling (our page) | ₱6.4M 1BR |
| Suba-Basbas | Costa Mira Beachtown Mactan — Tower 3 | Cebu Landmasters | Pre-selling | ₱6.5M studio |
| Cordova (San Miguel) | Balai Cordova | BE Residences | Pre-selling | ₱3.7M studio |
Listed-from prices as of 3 October 2026 on our project pages. “Range” means the project’s overall listed range; unit prices are on request. Megaworld tower prices and the Sheraton Residences’ current sales status should be confirmed with the developer.
Four examples, one per buyer type
For beach property, see our Mactan beachfront guide, which separates projects with their own beach from those that are only near the coast.
Getting around: what to test before you buy
All road traffic between Mactan and the mainland uses one of the three crossings, so the right area depends on where you will go most often. Projects in Basak, Agus and the central barangays sit between the airport and the economic zones; the Punta Engaño resorts are at the island’s north-eastern end; Suba-Basbas and Cordova are on the southern side of the island, where CCLEX comes ashore. We do not quote fixed travel times: developers’ figures for the same trips vary widely and rarely state a method. Drive or ride your actual routes at the hours you would travel, and price in CCLEX tolls if you will use it daily.
Questions to ask in each area
- Resort coast: Is the beach part of the property or someone else’s? What are the short-stay rules and the association dues?
- Mactan Newtown: Which estate facilities can residents use, and do estate dues apply on top of condominium dues?
- Central barangays: Is the unit RFO or pre-selling, and what is the realistic turnover date? Which employers and schools are nearby for tenants?
- Marigondon and Suba-Basbas: What do the hazard maps show for flooding at the address, and how is the access road during heavy rain?
- Cordova: Is the barangay on the contract the same as the marketing address, and which permits office handles leasing?
Frequently asked questions
Is Mactan part of Cebu City?
No. Mactan Island is divided between Lapu-Lapu City and the Municipality of Cordova, both in Cebu Province and separate from Cebu City. Two bridges connect Lapu-Lapu with Mandaue City, and the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway connects Cordova directly with Cebu City.
What is the lowest-priced condo in Mactan on your site?
As of 3 October 2026, the lowest listed starting price among the Mactan projects in this guide is ₱2.4M for a studio at Brentwood Mactan in Basak, which PrimaryHomes lists as ready for occupancy. Plumera Mactan studios are listed from ₱2.7M. These are developer list prices that change and usually exclude parking and some charges; they do not show availability.
Should I buy in Lapu-Lapu City or Cordova?
Think about where you will travel most. Lapu-Lapu holds the airport, the economic zones, the resort coast and most of the condo supply. Cordova suits buyers who will cross to Cebu City often, because CCLEX lands there, but it is a toll road and the condo choice is smaller. The LGU also decides who sets and collects your real property and transfer taxes.
Which part of Mactan is better for renting out a condo?
It depends on the tenant you are targeting. Areas near the economic zones and the airport suggest long-term tenants who work there; the resort coast suggests short stays, but only if the building’s rules allow them. We do not publish rent or occupancy figures for Mactan without a dated, sourced data set — ask us for current asking rents in the specific building.
Narrow Mactan to one area first
Tell us where you work or travel most, your budget and whether you will live in the unit or lease it. We will suggest the area that fits, send two or three projects there with dated computations, and note which are ready for occupancy.
Get a Mactan area shortlist WhatsApp +63 917 550 8229Sources and notes
- Mactan (Wikipedia) — island divided between Lapu-Lapu City and the Municipality of Cordova; airport on the island; secondary source, accessed 5 Oct 2026
- Philstar — CCLEX now open to motorists — 1 May 2022; 8.9-km toll bridge between Cebu City and Cordova, opened 30 April 2022
- Local Government Code (RA 7160), Secs. 135, 233 and 235 — transfer tax and real property tax ceilings for provinces vs cities; actual rates are set by local ordinance
- Megaworld — The Mactan Newtown — 30-hectare township; residential towers include La Victoria Global Residences, The Pearl Global Residences and Positano Mactan
- Aboitiz Economic Estates — MEZ2 — 63-hectare PEZA-registered estate in Lapu-Lapu City
- PEZA — Mactan Economic Zone, Lapu-Lapu City (scope of works, May 2024) — PEZA-administered Mactan Economic Zone in Lapu-Lapu City
- Developer project pages — Cebu Landmasters, Tytans/Tambuli, Rockwell, AppleOne (Sheraton Residences), BE Residences, Priland, PrimaryHomes, Johndorf Ventures, Primeworld Land and Taft Properties, accessed 5 Oct 2026 — see our Mactan beachfront guide and project pages
- Prices — developer list prices recorded on our project pages, as of 3 October 2026; no quote dates are stored and prices change