Safety and housing

Hi Steph, Can't give you rental costs without knowing what you require, size etc. Also where you want to live. Some areas are more expensive than others, some are real affordable for low buget people. As anywhere else in the world, some places are downwright perilious to live in,IE the favalas of Rio.  Safe is a relative term; walking down a dark street late at night or home snug as a bug in bed. A/C is common, gardens flourish here. It is possible to have three crops a year in most areas of the island.  You must read as many threads as you can. They are full of info, the ask any questions you may then have.  Imperative that you visit & spend time in the various parts of the island. There are beaches, hills, high mountains, million plus cities & everything in between. Come see for yourself, words will never be enough. I live in Sosua on the North shore.  I've lived on several other islands over the years, but this one,  I call home.

Hi Tinker40. Thank you so much for the info. I am working on getting all the paperwork together. I have never had a passport so you can imagine how it all seems like a to do. I would like to live around other expats. I have heard Susuo is nice. I would need a 2-3 bedroom house preferably. My Dad likes growing veggies. Sounds like safety is just a matter of some common sense. Thank you so much. I hope to come visit at the first of the year. I think I'm going to love it. I know my Dad will. We are both done with cold weather. Once again, thank you. Please let me know anything that may help me.               
                                Steph

Welcome to the forums. A couples things jump at me: first start reading the various threads. Much of what you ask is covered.

You have never been here and you are thinking of moving here.. Please visit. Don't move until you have visited here. For some this is paradise and for others, not so much.

The country is quite varied, you need to find the part that suits you!

Yes. I am going to try to get it all together and come visit at the first of the year. Will there be a reasonably priced place to stay. Any hints on the high cost to fly there? I will try to find threads and see if I can get some answers there. I really appreciate your time. It is such a big step and will take a while to finally get moved there. I'm excited. I can't hardly wait. Thank you.
                                        Steph

Yes. I am going to try to get it all together and come visit at the first of the year. Will there be a reasonably priced place to stay. Any hints on the high cost to fly there? I will try to find threads and see if I can get some answers there. I really appreciate your time. It is such a big step and will take a while to finally get moved there. I'm excited. I can't hardly wait. Thank you.
                                        Steph

What language should I learn? Thank you.

Phanie11, first of all welcome to the forum! Do not take this the wrong way but based upon your posts I'd suggest more BASIC research on your own from your computer before you come here.

Asking basics such as cost of airfare, cost of housing, safety, etc. is stuff you nail down prior to coming here. Cost of airfare - depends on where you're flying from and where you're flying to, days of the week, season, etc. You can research this on your own through Orbitz, Travelocity, Kayak, etc. Since you know what airports that are near you, that's step one. Step two is where to fly to in the DR? What area are you interested in? East cost (Punta Cana area)??? There is a Punta Cana airport. Can you get flights there from your home airport? South Coast (Santo Domingo, Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, etc)?? The major airport in the DR is in Santo Domingo. Much more flights here than anywhere on the island. North Coast (Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete, etc)??? Flights to Puerto Plata are few from the US and pretty costly. Some of the roads that are shown as major highways on the maps here are small congested roads through the mountains where in certain parts you need to drive extremely slow.

Zero in on the area that you would believe that would be the best fit for you. You can do that by research on the computer. Google the various cities, look at the information on the towns, use trip advisor and other references to see what in each locale (use they map feature to see how close restaurants, shops, hotels, etc are.

Once you think you're interested in one area over the others do more research as it is not easy to go from east coast to south coast to north coast - very time consuming and costly if you don't use local bus service. If you're not planning on a quick visit using a hotel, check the web for long term rental options. Check the prices and read the Google review, Trip Advisor reviews etc.

If you think that getting a passport is a lot of work, and plan on staying here longer than 30 days (at a time), be prepared for a 10 fold more difficult and COSTLY process to get paperwork for long term stays (Visitor Visa, Temporary Residency, Permanent Residency). If you're looking at staying here long term also read the First steps to Residency tread.

My wife and I have been here about a year having spent time on the east, south and north coast and all have things that we like and things that we don't. So far we've found that the north coast (Sosua/Cabarete) the best fit for us. We're still learning as we go from the great folks on these forums and the locals here. It's a process, but for us well worth it!

Please do not take these points as any way to discourage you, but as friendly advise. The more work you put into your research the more likely you will know if this is the place for you or not. These forums are VERY HELPFUL once you've done some basic research. From your questions I don't believe you have. People here CANNOT answer some of the questions you have because you're way to vague at this point.

Research then narrow it down that you believe you're interested in then I believe you will get much more out of the forums. People are here to help (myself included) but some preliminary work needs to still be done by you.

Good luck!!!!

Spanish, but for most of us it's a work in progress. Easy to find stuff up on the basics (hello, good bye, how are you, etc). Always great to be able to greet people but in a number of areas you can get by with some basic Spanish phrases as a number of locals speak at least basic English (more so in Tourist areas or where a lot of Expats are (north coast).

So once I greet friendly, maybe it's ok to point at what I need 😀

You're already friendly - just try to get a better Idea of where you would like to visit/stay in the DR then we can be of much more help. Beautiful place but where still learning after a year here.

Best of luck!

An excellent post Jgolak!  AND that was the voice of recent experience speaking!  Very very well said honey.,

John, your post should be mandatory reading for anyone contemplating a move to ANY foreign country. I have been in the islands & southern climes for 40 years. Still learning new things, it never stops.  Steph, I love your enthusiasm & energy. I share your dads' joy in gardening.  This can be an amazing experience for you both.  Patience & a good sense of humor are required virtues to possess when making such a huge change in your life. Jgolak & spose are friends of mine & they should be listened to. I've been around for a long time so it is through sometimes impatient eyes, what others see with innocence.  Welcome to the forum & take heed of the knowledge that can be found here.  I love this island, this town, these people.    The best Spanish lessons can be found at  .....   marcus@synergyspanish,com   fun, fast & cheap!   I wish you well.

Jgolak! GREAT posts. The info you give is spot on.
One needs to do LOTS of reading and research before making a move.
And one should visit for a couple of months "living" here amd not as a tourist on a resort.  Rent a condo or apt in the area you are considering and see if it "fits" for  you.  This place is not for everyone and a good way to fail is to NOT do your research.
Bob K

BobK, a voice from the past, at last. I'm aghast. the blast is most welcome.