Cabarete Living Questions

Are you planning to live here only one year or indefinately? This eill change some of our answers.

Insurance for both of you, with dental and prescription coverage is about us 74 a mont todays dollars. Slightly better plan is about us 90 a month through my group plan i offer.

You can only drive on your non dominican license for 30 days!

Yes you can buy a vehicle here. Make sure to get full insurance!

If you are staying long term get a bank account.

Right now you can come and go by paying overstay fines, that is possibly going to change, but no idea when!

Thats a start for you. I dont know current costs over there so cant comment.

If all goes well this is a permanent move...we are not retiring, rather using our social media business as a way to have a better, less stressful way of life .

Would very much like more info on health insurance?

Can I get dominican license as a visitor? How much is car insurance? I saw Bob had accidents but had good insurance?

Thank u so much

I will send you a message re insurance.

No you cannot get a dominican license until you get residencia and then your cedula.  You need to start the residencia process from home. There is a thread about it.

Car insurance price depends on model and value of vehicle. Yes Bob has good insurance so we will wait for his feedback.

Thank you , glad I found this forum, wish I had found earlier...

Just got back from dinner and out with friends sooooo very tired,
I will answer with a detailed note in the morning

Bob K

Ok here goes I will try to answer your questions

1.  Rent.....Depending on location and you said you want ocean views with all  you are asking you are looking a rent between $1000-$1500 on the low side and up to $2500 ocean front.

2.  You can ONLY apply for residency by starting in your  home country, for you the USA.  You can no longer start the process here. Personally I would apply for residency when I made the decision to stay as it is a lengthy and can be a pricey process. You have 6 months for the "free" shipment when you get your residency.

3.There is a group policy you can get here on the north coast that for the two of you would be $2880RD a month ($66 US). It is another $10 or so to include pharmacy. If interested I can give you the contact person. Remember insurance her ONLY covers you here in the DR.  We do maintain a separate international insurance that does cover us world wide as well as provides evacuation insurance if that becomes necessary.  Remember too that unless you are here for at least 330 days a year you have to get US insurance (Obama care) or you will be fined on your tax return.  Our international insurance does qualify for this but it is a moot point for us as we are only back in the US for 21 days (my wife) and less than 10 for me.  Meds are a bit cheaper down here but usually not brand names but generics and they can be locally produced generics.  We tend to get our meds from the US or Canada and our international insurance covers it...mostly

4.  Yes you can buy a car and costs are about 30-35 % higher here than in the US (new or used).  Again personally I would never ride a motor cycle down here. Make sure you get full insurance for the vehicle including "casa de Conductore" which keeps you out of jail if you have an accident (while the situations is figured out)

5.  I would open an account here.  It makes transferring money easy and to some extent builds local credit. It is easy, painless and there is a bank here in the Sosua and Cabarete area that works well with the local gringos and almost everyone in the banks speaks English.  It also offers just about the best exchange rate around.  Let me know if you want information on that as well.

7.  Currently you just pay the overstay fee when you check in at the airport.  This may change in the future as the government seems to be working towards every one getting residency.

8. If you are planning on renting starting November I would begin your search now as that is the beginning of tourist season and many places are already booked for November -March.

9.. How much will you need ????? Depends on lifestyle. If eating out a lot, going out a lot, needing to pay electric (not included in your rent many times)  I would plan on $2000-$3000 a month for the two of you to live a lifestyle you may be accustomed to.  Sure you can do it for less but it all depends on lifestyle.  This is the budget we use and we live well.

Keep them coming..... and have a great day.

Bob K

1) What fair and actual cost of a furnished 2 and a 3 bedroom Condo or House in a gated community, both with ocean views? I need to know what to expect for utilities, tv, internet and also cleaning/maid help.

Open ended question. You could pay $1000 per month up to a 5 grand per month, utilities included and not included. Perla Marina is probably your best medium range place, but Sea Horse Ranch is the big daddy. Perla Marina is probably closer to the $2k range. Electricity is expensive and gets more expensive the more you use. Expect maybe $200 for that. Internet for me 2mb is 2300rd per month. I don't know cable. Maid is like $200 per month (that is minimum wage salary for Dominicans per month). If you just want the maid to come when you want her, maybe 300-500rd per session.


2) Most of what I have read leads me to believe that coming and staying for 6 - 12 months is advised and apply for residency when down there so that I can ship belongings (so I don;t get hit with the tax) when I move into something more permanent...do you concur? Or do I have to do residency from the USA first?

I don't see the need for residency. Either way, it takes a while for the process to go through. I have been here 3 years with no residency. You can figure that out once you are here and have talked to some people. It takes a lawayer and a few grand to go through the process. If you are staying for 6-12 months in a furnished place, what do you really need to ship? Clothes?


3) I may or may not have health insurance as I have yet to decide if I should stay with my current company or cut ties entirely, how much is insurance for the 2 of us and do you carry America insurance as well?. As for prescriptions, how would I find out what my blood pressure meds would cost down there and would it be easy to get them or does a doctor need to prescribe? Not old, I'm 48 and my wife is 38 but BP is hereditary.

You can get super cheap insurance here and you don't need a prescription for most drugs here. Unless it is the higher class narcotics. You can pay like 500rd per month all the way up to $2k usd for travelers full coverage bad mama jamma insurance. Not really necessary.


4) If I purchased a car, what is true cost and can I do so as a visitor? I ride motorcyle here in the US and have rented over there a few times, if I purchased over there can I do so as a visitor?

Cars don't really go below $5k US for a running car. You can expect that they costs 30% or so more than US due to the import tax. You can buy here without being a resident, but your insurance in "invalid" after 90 days because your licence is also "invalid" after 90 days. Maybe the upside to residency.

5) Banking - Most we have spoken with have said they did not open a bank account down there they just use their American bank. IS this really the case and how would do you advise?

I send money through Western Union. I do not have a bank here and I do not use credit cards or ATM. Bad idea. Costs about $8 to send money via Western Union. But I live very simply compared to what it sounds like you are trying to do.


6) Travel back and forth - I am assuming there is not much scrutiny except for paying a fee if I stay to long but when asked do I say I live in the DR or that I just like to visit?

Visit.

When I am there in November is it too far in advance to look into rentals as the general feel I get is that prices will be different when I am there rather than the realtors I have contacted via email.

Prices will for sure be different. I would stay away from realtors in general, but that is up to you. Everyone here is trying to squeeze as much out of you as they can and everyone is a "realtor" or some sort of middle man. After you are here and network a bit, things get cheaper. I would plan to stay 30 days in one place, with an open mind. Dec and Jan is tourists season, so it gets triple the price for those 2 months. That will be tricky if you come in Nov. In that case, maybe try to find the best place you can before season starts and sign a long term lease.

We have stayed at Agualina, Velero and most recently the Millennium.

If you generally stay at these places, you are rich for here. Between my husband and myself, we live here in a 1 br for about 15k per year. But, like I said, I think we live a little more simple than it sounds like you are preparing for. We have lived in places like Kite Beach Inn, Kite Beach Hotel, and a few little houses on Kite Beach averaging $500-600 per month. We also have a Jeep Wrangler and it costs about $6us per gallon of gas. Hope this helps.

Thanks all

Bob k & Planner

Insurance - Yes I would like info on both the DR insurance and the international insurance you carry. Planner, please send what use as well please.

Bank - Would like the info on which bank you use.

Condo/Trip - In November we are are there for 3 weeks on vacation and plan to move there next April if all goes as planned. So maybe while I am there I will find some places to look at. $1500 to $2000 sounds doable.

Budget - I had planned on a $2500 a month budget , give or take so I feel better knowing you live on a similar budget.

Is there a local rental car company you would use seeing as it looks like we would not purchase a car right away? Maybe I could rent from them in November.

tracyatl

Thanks for your answers. After we finish our first year we would like to buy something that is unfurnished so we could bring our own furniture. We may change our minds but that's what we are thinking right now.

Much appreciate all the input.

Rental car -  only use the big name companies and make sure you have full insurance. Never ever let anyone have your passport as security either.

Furniture -  when you do your residencia you will then be allowed to bring in a container of household goods duty free. There are rules and exceptions so closer to the time make sure you understand them.   So, my point, waiting a full year might not work for you.   

Bank -  my experience Banco Popular is easiest to work with and has the most ATM machines.  ScotiaBank is easy to work with but has far fewer.  I detest BHD.  There is my experience for you.

Tracyatl,
First off welcome to the forum.  It is always nice to have another person who has "experience" living here adding to the mix.

I do have to disagree somewhat on the residency  issue.  It is becoming more apparent that the government is moving more towards requiring it of folks who live here, and soon there may be a down side to not having it.  Also note that you can no longer go and apply once you are here but you must start the application process in your home country.

I also disagree on not having a local bank account. It does come in very handy at times.

Also $1500 is a pretty slim budget for two when you take in to account rent, electric, internet, phone, water, TV cable, insurance (health and car if you have a car), transportation, entertainment, food, presidentes () and the odd ball thing that pops up.

Again welcome

Bob K

Taskmamaster,

Does you PM currently work (it may not till you have 10 posts).  Let me know and I will send  you the info on the local insurance.  I am not sure the folks who run the group what their email and phone on a public forum.  Our insurance is with Universal which is one of the bigger companies here.  Not sure if I mentioned it or not but two years ago had some surgery in HOMS hospital I Santiago and with my ER visit, surgery and 5 days in the hospital my out of pocket costs were about $300 dollars and half of that was to pay for a medicine that the insurance would not cover as it was a "new" medicine.

As to the international it is with Clements World wide insurance and the policy is Global Care Plus.  The address  is:
one Thomas Circle NW 8th floor
Washington  DC 2005
1202-872-0060
e.info@clements.com

The bank we use us Banco Santa Cruz and they have offices all over the country.  There is also Banco Popular which many use but I find not as friendly or customer service orientated

For car rental in the Sosua/Cabarete are I would use L und I car rental in Sosua.  They are a bit older vehicles in good shape and rental includes full insurance (including "casa de conductore").  We have had many clients  use them with no problem and much cheaper then the big brand name companies. 809-5712452 and the person to talk to is Luis Polanco.  Tell him Bob and Pat Konigsberg sent you.  He tends to look after our clients and NO we do not get a commission.

Hope this  helps and keep them coming.

Bob K

Thanks!!! I found this forum because I am planning a trip to Mauritius soon and was looking for info. Seems like it will come in handy!

Residency: If you are staying for 6 months to a year, I don't see the point in getting a residency (maybe I misunderstood and they are staying longer than that amount of time). If you plan to move here forever, yes, of course. Also, last I read, you do not have to be in your own country to start the process. They keep going back and forth it seems.

Bank account: It has not come in handy for me in 3 years, but I suppose it comes in handy if you spend $2k+ per month on rent. For 6 months, I don't see the point. But if you are staying longer and spending a lot of money, then it makes more sense.

Yearly Budget: Well slim or not, we live here on that. All of our utilities have been included in our rent. We paid $800 per month the first year we lived here because we didn't know any better. We are down to $300-0 because we got a place with an extra room and private entrance and we rent it on Air BNB. Utilities included. In fact, we have never had to pay any utilities at any place we have stayed. Phone??? I buy phone credit 500 pesos at a time when I need it. It usually expires before I can even use it.

As I said, it sounds like if he stays at Agualina or the Millennium when he comes here, he is on a different scale than me. 

At the end of the day, the whole answer to this question is relative and subjective (like was already said here). Some people spend a million dollars per year to live here. I spend 15. Many of my friends spend even less. You can surely get a 3br in the Callejon or Costa Azul for $300us per month???

Thanks Bob K.

Likely will get a bank account as we will need to  set up  direct pay for my wife's clients (not sure how that will work yet), especially if we garner a few new companies over there. As for residency I am leaning in that direction but need to decide on whether to keep UK passport (been in USA for 30 years) and resident card or go for American citizenship and then apply. Wife has American passport.

As for money, I don't want to seem rich as we are far from it. We discovered the Millennium 2 trips ago and by the time we put the discount they give for length of stay it's way less than $100 which is a steal for the quality you get, at least from what we are used to paying over here or when we travel to Europe to see my family. We go on vacation and like a nice place but when we are living there I'm sure we will be far more conservative, we are really quite ordinary people who just want a different, less stressful lifestyle, nothing glamorous. Like I said we are not retiring, far from it !

Thanks for the insurance info, any idea of what the international plan/policy runs? My company covers a lot of my insurance but I still pay out of pocket well over $500 a month so it seems overall this will be quite a savings for us.

Taxes - Another silly one, do you still pay US taxes and soc security even though you live there most of the time? Do you keep a USA address? Seeing as my wife's clients are paying an LLC in the USA does it make sense to keep an address  there? I know you are likely not an accountant but a general idea of how you think it works best would be terrific.

PM is not working yet , I guess. Will let you know when it is.

Will visit the bank in November and likely open an account so I have that taken care of.

Will call Luis closer to my trip and reserve a car or at least find out cost, thanks for the referral.

Cheers and thanks again to all for your answers and help, it's greatly appreciated.

It might be easier and quicker to use your UK passport rather than go through the process of US citizenship

Your budget will be fine.

Our international insurance runs about $6K-6.5K a year.  Do know they will not cover preexisting for a period of up to 18 months and this included medication or anything related to the pre existing.

If a US citizen yes you do need to file and pay taxes every year not matter where you live. Also foreign earning need to be reported and taxes paid over a certain amount of earnings.  If you are a UK citizen you will need to file what ever you need to do in UK as well.  Yes we do maintain a US address and are about to switch to a mail forwarding company as our address as we no longer own a home there.

Of opening an account here you will need a letter of reference from you bank in the US. 

Hope I answered all.  Keep them coming.

Bob k

Maybe this is another forum but it's a pretty basic quick question:

How easy is it to find English speaking hourly assistance for basic computer work? My wife has a Social Media consulting and management business and although most of her assistance she finds online, we do have 2 people working in the office here. Typically what would they earn and do they require paycheck or is it all cash?

Depending  on where are it should be fairly easy.  If you are going to do it legally you will need a RNC (tax id number) and maybe form a corporation.
Payment in cash may work as well just don't get caught..
Wages should be some where in the $500-800 peso a day for part timers. Planner may have a better idea on this wage scale

Bob K

English speakers will start at about 140 RD per hour.  Our policy here is NOT to encourage anything illegal. To have employees you need to incorporate and get an RNC number then you need to report employees, earnings etc etc. If you want more info on this PM me and I can help you out.  Its  not overly complicated but it needs to be done right.  Having illegal  employees can really put you at risk!

Bob, can I ask who you use for International Insurance, call me paranoid or maybe I have just been with the military too long, but I am definately interested in evacuation insurance.

Yes we have an international policy and it does cover evacuation (as does or Dive insurance to some degree).  We would never live here with out it.

I had a good friend who unfortunately passed away 6 month ago but he was in very bad shape here after some surgery.  His wife evacuated him out of here to Canada with NO insurance.  Their bill for the transport $48K USD.  So evacuation  insurance is a must

Bob K

There is a company here in Santo Domingo who offers this evacuation insurance - I will get us some pricing....

Can I ask who you go through? I would like to have a look at some policies and do some comparison shopping online.

Sheri

We use Clements international

Bob

Thanks, I'll check it out.

I will get some info this week and post it!

Just found the info I was looking for. It is a service only offered inside the DR - air ambulance by jet or helicopter. there are 2 plans offered - one covers all cases of emergency need, the other only in case of vehicle accident.  Premium for first is 119 RD per month the second is 49RD per month.

In the Medical Group Coverage I offer, the first plan (all emergency cases) is included in our higher end product at no additional cost. 

It was just added recently and at no extra cost well worth it.

IT does NOT cover air evac to the USA or other countries. I will try to get additional info on this.