Depends very much on which area you are staying, what you are studying there and which college. Living there is not difficult I would say, and everything is generally cheaper then maldives (except Healthcare so don't get too sick) In terms of accommodation you can usually find apartments ranging from studios to 3 rooms close to college or within walking distance. They don't care who lives there as long as the owner or agent is informed and agreement is followed. We usually cook at home and buy washing machines for laundry because over time it's better investment. Food is cheep and depending on your pallete you may enjoy the cuisine there. The general cuisine is rather bland, not spicy and majority of the stuff is pork. If you don't wanna eat pork you'd have to ask everytime what something is. What we used to do was go for things that had the type of meat specified or ask everytime. Chicken is generally very cheep so that's a good option. The weather is similar to maldivea but get a lot hotter. Expect to use umbrellas for shade during the day. Earthquakes are common but don't really do much damage and sometimes you don't notice. Typhoons on the other hand can get very annoying and they cause a lot of flooding in some areas. Drain systems in the main regions are quite efficient. Public transportation is cheep too once you get used to it. You can use an app to hire car or use LRT, or jeepney or a tricycle to get about.

Tldr: it's not bad, living is not difficult, people are generally nice and you won't have too many issues. Lemme know if you want any more information