HOW CAN I MAKE DOMINICAM REPUBLIC MY HOME?

Here on the north coast there are many villa communities and condos that supply back up power so not a problem for the renter/owner.

Do note that electric costs are very high as well. If you use AC, lots of electronics and such your bill can easily exceed $150 a month.

Bob K

I agree that drinking water won't be a problem, but good to know that you can't even boil the tap water for drinking. 
I'm actually planning on living in a condo that has backup power.  I think all the ones that I've seen have that.

I live on the south coast and we have power 24/7, nobody here has a back up generator except the resorts. The water we have is from the close by caves. It is a "clean" water, but still I wouldn't suggest drinking it even boiled. As planner said the big bottle is 35 pesos (not even 1 USD), so not big deal.
Somebody asked about a vet, we have one in our village, a great guy that speaks also English, there are 2 more vet clinics I know off in La Romana (15 minutes drive), and I am pretty sure there are more, because La Romana is the third largest city in DR.
As for medical insurance we pay roughly 80 USD per month (per couple) and it covers medical, dental and vision as well. Of course there are different plans, cheaper or more expensive, we went in the middle.

Glad you have 24/7 power!! Tell me what is your rate per KW? Which company are you with?

It's more expensive than in Cabarete (or what it was when we lived there), we pay 14.68 pesos/kWh and the company is called CEB (Compañia de Electricidad de Bayahibe). How much is it in SDQ or Cabarete / Sosua these days?

WOW, our rates for the first 200 KW are 4.44 per.  It escalates to 10.89 at 700 KW

Big price difference from a private company.

yes, that is what you pay for having power 24/7

Our power is nearly 24/7 (usually out for a few minutes a week at this point) and the max here in the Sosua/Cabarete area currently is just over 12 per KWH and that is only if over 700KWH a month.

Bob K

I actually went to Edesur yesterday (again)  and here are the current rate bands:

0-200        4.44 RD per kwh
201- 300     6.97 RD per kwh
301- 700    10.86 RD per kwh
Over 701    11.10 RD per kwh

I am told it is the same for Edesur, Edeeste and Edenorte. 

I live in a 24/7 circuit and we go out occasionally for 10 or 20 minutes.  But we also will go out every second or third Saturday for about 6 hours for "maintenance".   And of course whenever there is a problem with a line or transformer etc etc.

It looks like the prices haven't changed much since we left 6 years ago. I remember it was around 7 pesos then too. Our power is very expensive, and I believe the same rate is in Punta Cana area because they have sister company if not the same like here. We pay the price for the service, of course, but so far when we had a problem, they came even at 2 AM.

Wow! A dollar for a 5 gallon bottle of water. I pay over $15 here and that's if you return the old bottle.
So what about hot baths or showers? Is that necessary there? ie- the water from the tap is the same as the climate so a water heater is optional, no? D

Water is cheap, heating it is $$ but you will want to do so as you still will need hot water for showers and things like cleaning dishes.
If you are in a villa use solar heat for your hot water. It pays for itself in electric savings in a year or so.

Bob K

Another option is a propane water heater

Bob K

We use propane heater for hot water (shower / dishes) and spend about 700 pesos (17 USD) every 6 months. So much much cheaper to run than electric heaters.

I had heard that it was about 40USD/mo for one person for fairly good health coverage in DR.  What does that cover roughly?  I'm fine for now health-wise but I'm thinking down the road or if something happens. 
Are certain types of surgery covered?  Is there a website for the different types of coverage that would have that information?

http://www.arshumano.com/app/do/planes.aspx
This is what we use, we do pay about 80 USD per month for couple. You can see the plans and what they cover. Also when you reach certain age, you might have some limitations and it does not matter if you are in perfect health.
If somebody uses a better company, I would love to see that too

Lots going on in this thread.  OK, lets address a few things.  Yes 5 gallon jug of water is cheap here, but a necessity as we cannot drink the water from our taps. Yes we have to pay a bottle deposit in the beginning.

Hot water for showers,  believe me some months of the year you are going to want hot shower! LOL

Propane heated hot water is far less expensive then electrical BUT only if you have sufficient water pressure. They will not work without some form of bomba  to create the pressure needed.

Humano and Universal are both very good companies.  Both will cover surgery but never for a pre existing condition and you must be on the plans a minimum of  months (sometimes longer) in order to be covered.  Being in good health is awesome. BUT you never know when you will have an accident, catch a bug or whatever. Insurance is not available when you need it - you buy it before you need it. That is how it works everywhere.  Same as  house insurance, you dont need it when you buy it - it covers a RISK

Your risk here is illness and or accident so make sure you are  covered or have enough money in the bank to handle emergencies!

Yes, I forgot about the lower water pressure for the gas heaters. A small pump to increase the pressure is not too expensive, and in long run it saves lots of money.

Thanks I'll look up that site.

Yes good health is great but it can change in seconds so I would get insurance as soon as I moved there to be on the safe side. And speaking of insurance what about house insurance, are there any insurance companies you can recommend?

Just remember the pump uses electricity too. LOL  It is never ending.

House insurance - I will have to ask.

We use these guys for auto / house insurance, not bad rates, good service, good coverage.

The small pumps don't take too much power, but yes it is a closed circle

Hi,
Do it!!

I was also raised in Canada. Ottawa to be exact. And that's all I knew. My family is from Europe and so I grew up in a household constantly listening to what the world is like outside of the depressing, political, monotone lifestyle Canada offers.

To make a longer story short, I decided to move to the D.R.I am also a teacher and I teach here. I have been here 10 years now. I go back "home" every couple years to visit some family. And I can't stand it. I usually end up leaving earlier to return to the D.R then expected.

Life here is very relaxing, everything is done at your own pace.There is no red tape here, no customer service ques for hours. No taxes, however no pensions , everything you make is yours, everything you purchase is yours. Your sole responsibility is to yourself here. Many many many foreigners live here. So you find friends, and great deals, and helpful people. And the best part is, its always sunny !! No more grey skies, bus stops in the snow, living indoors. Here you enjoy weekend getaways to the mountains, days at the nearest beaches, friends are always having bbq's or some type of events.

But the cost of this living style is you have no protection. Meaning no financial security, customer service doesn't exist, if its broken - its broken. People both native and foreign may try to take advantage of your little experience here and so you might pay double for something then what its really worth. The law system is a joke, and the hospitals are basic. Now medical care here is private and very affordable. And we do have some great fantastic hospitals and Doctors here, you just need to search.

All in all, come down for a year, apartments are cheap and life will be easy, then make your decision.

Good Luck,

P.s.

If you are a city girl, Santo Domingo is like Toronto/New York mix, Highrises, crime, endless traffic but lots of diversion.


Suburbs girl, Santiago is nice, I would almost compare it to Ottawa. its a valley, far from the ocean but you get a more calm city feeling.

Relaxing town lifestyle / outdoorsy girl, Puerto Plata is a good spot, it's small, good community, its a beach town. This is where I live

Welcome to the forums! LOL you made me smile. Make sure to copy and paste this in the Members introduction please.  Love your attitude.

Polacca welcome and a great post

Bob K

it was a good post except for the misleadings about Puerto plata'  a beach town, gimme a break

Hey through some people's eyes it is!  So relax, its all good! I much prefer the beaches of the north coast to the south or Punta Cana area.

michael brazell Hey I live in Sosua, a very nice beach town with a large expat community as well as local Dominicans and tourists. You ought to come live here for a while.

If you want a sterile beach environment where you don't have to interact with local Dominicans and just have a tourist atmosphere then head to PC.

Bob K

hi bob, I have heard the beaches are nice there and a nice little town also. I spent a few months in :)costambar, and met a lot of nice people most of which are only part-timers like myself. I am coming to Puerto plata again in mid nov., and will visit souse. how do I contact you there. I will probably only stay a day or so in souse, my main trip is to las terrenas, which I have heard a great deal about from someone on this forum. see you in nov., mike

Mike,
I sent you a PM with my email address. Let me know when you are in the area

Bob K

Thank you and hello.
Sosua is my favorite beach by far!! Absolutely beautiful.
Although Puerto Plata cannot be compared to Sosua when it comes to beach oriented living, I feel from a foreigners point of view, it's still considered a beach town as it lays along the coast and has a number of beaches and communities (Costambar for example) that are situated directly on the beach.

But I agree, Sosua is the number one beach town on the North Coast, however maybe not the safest.

Sosua is no less save than anywhere including Costambar for sure.

Bob K

I rented in costambar for a couple of months and felt safe there walking the streets at night. the only time I didn't feel safe was when I stayed at a hotel by the fence which was adjacent to the nearby town. I walked for 600 ft or so along the fence. it was a short cut whlch I took twice and felt so uncomfortable that I never did it again. like bob indicated, no place is totally safe.

at any given time we can feel  unsafe anywhere in this country.  It is not unlike many or most places these days.

I agree that Puerto Plata in some ways feels like a beach community.....

Speaking of Electricity...We want to build off-grid.  How possible is that in DR?  I'm hearing of very many people mentioning it.

Yes using solar  you can be off the grid

Bob K