The Caribbean life in DR

Hi Karen!

What's your financial situation like? Are you able to live without working? Your husband? Quite a few expats are on some kind of retirement or pension. The Dominican certainly does offer a slower pace, more community (if you choose it/welcome it) and definitely better weather. But if you need to work to support yourself, it might not be right for you.... YET.

Karen welcome.  Life here certainly can be a slower pace and that is one of the reasons why we moved here 11 years ago.

However supporting a family can be very hard with good paying jobs very hard to find.  Most here earn less than $400 a month.  You also will need your residency and cedula (national ID card) before you can work here legally.  This process must be started in your "home" country and can be $$$ to do.  Does  your husband have a Dominican Passport and cedula as that will make it a bit easier for  you.  Will you be able to live here with out working?

School here can be expensive as well as you will want to have your child in a private school.  Public education here is pretty much a joke.

Maybe come for a 6 month trial and see if it works for you

Bob K

Thank you so much for your responses. In terms of finances, we plan to have enough to get us by with out stable work for for at least a year.(living modestly)He does have a cédula as his family owns a home in Santiago. I'm sure we can manage much longer if we stayed in Santiago since we wouldn't have to pay rent but Jarabacoa seems ideal. I have considered private and home schooling for my son.What I'm seeking is better quality of life. Less stress, more Family time, more time out doors, better quality of food(not gmo crap).This thread is really to find out if DR is the place for all of that. Hopefully it is.