Lol Shey - eventhough I think your maid is pretty good, thanks to some good training, you're over paying. I got a maid through my girlfriends mom for 3k a month and she eats what we make, so about 4k a month
Apartments are all relative, you can get shitty condos in any of the major cities in Manila (Makati / Ortigas / Quezon) for cheap, and nice ones will always cost more.
Differences in renting is this, for the most part, they require terms like 12 year lease, 3 mo down / 3 advance and 9 post dated checks for decent condos. Cash out front, but you can always negociate these down.