Cost of living 2019 in Dominican Republic

Some responses:   PESO IS  CURRENTLY 50 TO 1 MORE OR LESS

How much does it cost to rent an apartment or a house in Dominican Republic? How about buying an apartment or a house in Dominican Republic? DEPENDS WHERE YOU LIVE!!! IN  SANTO DOMINGO EAST,  3 BEDROOM 3 BATHROOM APT 10TH FLOOR WITH POOL AND GYM IN PROJECT - 24,000 RD OR us480

How much do you pay on average for public transportation (bus, subway, train, tram, taxi)?
IN THE CAPITAL  SUBWAY IS RD 20, CARRO PUBLICO IS 40 AGAIN DEPENDS ON ROUTE AND DISTANCE,  UBER 8 KM IS 180 RD

How much do you pay for basic food items such as rice, bread, and pasta?
GOOD QUALITY BREAD IS  170 RD A LOAF, PASTA GOOD QUALITY IS 76 RD A BOX AT PRICESMART, BIG BOX STORE

What is your monthly budget for groceries? SINGLE WOMAN DOESN'T COOK MUCH 125 US

How much does it cost to see a doctor or health specialist in Dominican Republic?
I PAY THE DEDUCTIBLE OF 20% I HAVE GOOD INSURANCE,  REG DOCTOR IS 200RD AND SPECIALIST ABOUT 500 RD

How much do you pay for health insurance per month? I PAY 2500 RD INCLUDING  DENTAL AND PRESCRIPTION COVERAGE!

How much does childcare cost on average per month? N/A

What is your child's schooling budget per month?  N/A

How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?  2,200 RD MY VEHICLE IS SMALL AND USES REGULAR GAS  I CAN GO SANTO DOMINGO TO PUERTO PLATA AND RETURN ON ONE TANK OF GAS

How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc., per month?  ELECTRICITY ON EDEESTE IS 2400 RD A MONTH INCLUDING ONE ENERGY EFFICIENT AIR CONDITIONER USED DAILY, THIS WILL INCREASE SLIGHTLY IN SUMMER MONTHS.  PROPANE FOR COOKING AND HOT WATER IS 300 RD A MONTH.

How much do you pay for your internet and phone subscription? 20 DOWN AND 3 UP INTERNET VIA CLARO, WITH FULL CABLE AND HOME PHONE LINE -  3,400 INCLUDING TAXES

How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays? A PLATO DEL DIA NEAR WHERE I WORK AND A DIET  COKE IS  120 RD A DAY

How much do you pay for an espresso coffee? CAFE AMERICANO AT A NICE PLACE IS 40RD,  QUICK COFFEE ON THE STREET IS 5 RD, BUT LOADED WITH SUGAR

How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?  UNDER 150 RD

How much does a gym membership cost in Dominican Republic?  1,000RD A MONTH.NOT THAT I HAVE ONE OR WOULD USE IT.....

i would like to participate, but here is the thing. some of us can live on frugal budgets, because we live a simpler lifestyle. i do not have to rent a house with a pool. i do not use air conditioning. i do not have to eat Angus beef three times a week. my expenses are very modest. i have an insurance policy which costs me 4000 pesos per month. can't do without that.

you see, if you divulge moderate expenditures, it will not be long before your detractors brand you a barrio rat.

I'm lucky, I don't give a ****. Have friends of all econmic strata. I don't care what they have either.  **** come with all size pockets.

Honey post whatever is true for you.  If people judge or label you that is there problem.  Be who you are!

Rent,luz,cable,wi-fi, cell = + or - 300  us a month. propane 200rd, trans, 20$. health ins 0, I'm too old so use publi health, ( no need yet)

You can live in DR modestly but as pointed out above there are some expats who simply can't believe one can survive on modest sums. You can and the money you save can be used on the better things you would desire.

Many of the numbers mentioned above by planner are realistic.

I rent a 2 bed apartment in a decent area on the Malecon west for 18,000 pesos monthly including maintenance and water. Gas for cooker and clothes dryer costs about 500 pesos a month and electricity is normally under 2000 pesos a month despite having 2 ton and 1 ton a/c's which I only use to knock down the temperature when hot. Wi fi cable and VOI telephone costs amount to 3000 pesos a month and add to that Netflix monthly charge. I drive a modest 2011 jipeta which gets me to Las Terrenas and back for 2000 pesos. Fully comprehensive car insurance and vehicle recovery costs 25,000 pesos a year for me). The living costs for myself and wife are modest and we probably spend under 5000 pesos a week on food and drink excluding wine. We eat well with a diet of plenty of fruit and vegetables and white meat and fish. (Sorry, grain fed beef is not to my liking, cows natural food is  grass!). Medical is my biggest outgoing with an expat offshore policy and I have never had a health problem in my life requiring hospitalization so I do wonder why I spend so much? age counts against me! Oh for an NHS!) My wife has a decent policy costing just over 2000 pesos a month.
Residency costs me now about 1250 pesos a month over the 4 year term and when I fly out on business monthly that reduces to 750 pesos if I reclaim the tourist card fee. If I didn't use a lawyer that cost would be zero.

I would rather keep what we save for the better things in life and I do like to travel around DR regularly and take vacations here.

THANKS @planner and everyone taking time to provide this information.

I truly appreciate the advice.

I just arrived near Sosua. I'm renting house in gated community. The "ocean spa lodge" bar  nearby charged 150 pesos for a coffee!!  I thought that was expensive!

When I visited the supermarket (superpolo),  the prices seem comparable to Canada, but more expensive than USA or UK supermarkets.

Biggest expense for a single person is transport by taxi.

Thanks again for information!

Welcome Theotherjenny.

Mototaxis are the way to go for a single person.  Not a motorbike that is too up close and personal for me.  They are cheaper.  But unless you are comfortable wrapping your legs around a strange man, this is not for you.

150** pesos for coffee is expensive. 

Being from Colorado, where prices are high for America, I found prices at Jumbo and Serena in POP, lower than Colorado.   

** I can buy a 500 mg Presidente beer at two Luperon Marina restaurants, from 110 to 130 pesos max each.

@bigbob20163
Thanks for advice. Made me laugh the way you described the motobike taxi!!    Plus I don't want a dominican tattoo...

Theotherjenny.

You are welcome.  Levity is good for the soul.

BIG Bob in Luperon 😂😎

Jenny - instead of taxis use the carros publico.  They are cars or vans that run a route.  Please do not use motoconchos - there are way too many accidents because of them.  What is the value of your life?

Yes 150 for a coffee better include some alcohol! Way too expensive honey.

Thanks Again Planner
You are the DR oracle! 😊😊
Now I know to avoid Dominican pick-up artists and motorbikes and how much is fair price for coffee! 😊

50 pesos.  Buy local products, imported prices are way to high.  Take your time & never be in a hurry for anything. It ain't worth it.

Hi,

To live in DR, you need at least $30,000 pesos that's for a single person living in Santiago or near areas.  in the capital of the country or tourist areas as (puerto plata, sosua, babaro) you need 50% more because the cost of live is more expensive. 
this budget include:
rent of house or apt  --- $7,000  (1 or 2 bedroom)
cellphone, internet -- $1,500
Tv cable -- $1,000
hydro energy cost -- $ 1,000 to 2,000
water service --- $ 1,200
transportation --$2,500 to $4,000
goods (foods) -- $7,000 to $9,000
parties, BEER, RUM,  cinema, etc --- $3,000 TO  $5,000 (depends of person)
clean service -- $3,000

RJGC

Thanks for your input and welcome to the forums!

I see this question all the time. If you want the same as 'home', prepare to pay a round 20 t030% less. But, it is so easy to spend more. Equally easy to spend less. A single person can find housing , food, & fun for around $1,000 a month. Many ways to be economical without giving up the "Good Life". Decide if you need things that cost a bunch.  I eat out a couple of times a week, have drinks & conversation with friends daily. It will depend on what gives you pleasure, not on how many bathrooms you have. After all, you can only sit on one at a time.....  realism works well here.  Need more, have more, go for it!

hi what do you mean reclaim the tourist card fee.??

A USD10 fee is charged to everyone arriving in the Dominican Republic and is part of the ticket price and that includes for citizens and residents. Citizens and residents can claim the fee back by registering and reclaiming the fee from DGII which is the government tax department.

Reclaim as below:

https://dgii.gov.do/TturistaWeb/Reembol … ?Length=11

Thanks Lennox

hi
what you mean by {reclaim the tourist card fee}

So a Dominican nacional or someone with residencia does not need to pay the 10 fee that is included in your flight. Those can be reclaimed from the gov't.

My wife and I will be visiting next month. We are interested in reciting to Las Terrannas or the Cabernet area. My question is can we retire comfortably on $3000 Us a month. We plan on renting at first. Thanks

Yes. 3,000 USD a month is sufficient to live in Las Terrenas as long as your rent and eating-out budget is not exorbantly high.

Yes, in L.T. you can rent nice modern 1BR apts from $650, 2 BR from $700, with swimming pool, garden, gated and security.

With the remaining 2,300$, you will be very fine.

How much would it be roughly fully comprehensive for a Chevrolet Spark a 1 L or 1.1 L 2013 2014 model that is the vehicle I am looking to buy a girlfriend lives in the Dominican Republic and she will be driving it all the time but are you only come over every couple of months  what would be the cost for both of us to be fully comprehensive I would it be better just for hair

This was answered in your other post!

Some updates:  costs are rising all the time.  While electricity is the same prices or unit in this heat everything works harder and outages seem to be continuing.  With that if you an inverter and batteries you end up paying  more on your electricity bill. Keep that in mind.

I lucked out recently and moved into a really great house in a quiet neighborhood in Santo Domingo east.  3 bedroom 2.5 bath, 2 living room plus Rec room, garage and Patio out back for US 400!

My electric is a bit higher due to electric gate and water pump but damn I love the house and area.

Food prices are up maybe 8% over last year.

I have Altice triple play: 800 minutes on phone, full HD cable and internet, 200 MB fiberootuc speed plus extender plus an extra cable box :  us $65 a month

Gasoline, diesel etc are expensive here at gas round  $ 4.25 a gallon.  Diesel is less.

Transportation is inexpensive for Expats. Bus across the country is still about us $8!

You may have read about a 14% wage increase. This is supposed to be in effect as of Aug 15 and applies to minimum wage rates for private employers based on the minimum wage in their classification.

This is a lot to anyone getting minimum wage in these classifications. I believe it's the first increase in 3 years.

Some people believe this'll drive some price increases soon. We will see.

5k a month..can I live luxurious? Wife or no wife?

How do I convert peso to dollar? Whatsvacez rile of thumb?

First, which dollar - USD or CDN? IF you have a cell phone or even on computer/tablet, you can download a free currency converter app that will give you this info. The one I use is called All Currency Converter and today the  USD is listed as $1 USD = 54.45041 DP and CDN is $1 CDN = 38.88268 DP

Yes we work primarily with US dollars here.   And yes with 5k US dollars monthly you can live very comfortably.

Thank you. Living in the Dominican republic  feel like dream can it realy be possible to live  like a king on say 6k a month. Wife and I seperating.

separating.. divorce. Need escape from drama maybe a visit to confirm location. Where to begin research?

I've been coming here for 6 years and the cost of "real living" food etc is much more expensive.  In fact we live in France and the supermarkets there ,apart from far better choice, are cheaper generally speaking.  Where we are on the north coast there's not much choice.  The only good thing which apart from these difficult times, is good fruit and plentiful.

I haven't seen a real increase in rentals over the years but overall value for money DR is no longer in my opinion what it used to be.  But of course there are many other things which are great in the country.

Ducketts

Curriera - where to start.  Start reading the various threads and get a feel for both the topics and the people who respond.  Tell us what you want your.life here to look like, what will be important to you.  Golf? Water.sports? Church?  Shopping?  Work?  Culture?  Tell us.more.and we.can give you ideas.

There are threads  comparing various areas too!