Cost of Living in the Dominican Republic- Santo Domingo for $1000 a Month (2024)

HOW DOES COST OF LIVING IN SANTO DOMINGO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC COMPARE TO OTHER CITIES?

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As mentioned earlier, rents vary significantly depending on where you are looking for a place to live.

My most important recommendation is to get accommodation close to the place where you plan to work and/or spend most of your day. Location saves you a considerable amount of time commuting in the city due to the traffic jams and overcrowded public buses. If you are a digital nomad and are planning to work from home, that's even better as it gives you more flexibility on where to live.

As my office was right in the Colonial Zone, that's the area where I chose to live. My small and furnished one-bedroom with a shared rooftop terrace cost me $485 per month, including gas, water, and internet. The building was pretty old but very well maintained. Electricity is extra in nearly all apartments in Santo Domingo. While I usually paid only around 6 USD a month as I never used the TV or AC, you can easily spend $100 per month on moderate electricity use if you keep your air-conditioner running 24/7.

If you plan to buy a car, I recommend living outside of the Colonial Zone as parking in the area is a mess. Among expats, the other popular areas to live in include Gazcue, Piantini, Naco, and Arroyo Hondo. In expat areas, you need to budget at least $350 for a small one-bedroom/studio apartment or $450 if you are looking for one with furniture.

For each additional bedroom, you just pay around 150 USD more, so bigger apartments in Santo Domingo are much more affordable (in relation to the size) than studios or small apartments.

If you don't mind living in a Dominican middle-class neighborhood, you can get (unfurnished) apartments for as low as $200; two-bedroom apartments start from $300. For security reasons, you shouldn't live in a lower-class neighborhood.

There are two advantages when it comes to low food prices:

• Compared to other (and smaller) Caribbean islands, the Dominican Republic can produce most groceries on their own, so they don't have to import expensive stuff
• There is an oversupply of eateries, food stalls, and restaurants driving prices low.

Both conditions keep food costs low. I spent an average of $250 a month on food, including all groceries for two home-cooked meals per day and one meal daily at a local restaurant. This budget doesn't include expensive restaurants, as I never went to these places.

In general, groceries can be divided into two categories.

• Local products, including most vegetables and fruits are super cheap.
• Imported food is much more expensive.

Let's look at some examples from a local supermarket:

When eating out, there are three different ways of spending your budget.

• Budget- For a filling local meal in a "Comedor" (a typical Dominican eatery), you can pay between 150 – 200 DOP (approx. 3 USD).
• Casual- A meal in a very casual restaurant, usually with a hand-written menu and/or where you can only pay cash, costs around 6-7 USD.
• Sit-Down- If you are visiting an ordinary restaurant with proper service, a full menu and a bar, you can expect prices of 10 USD and up for a meal (without drinks, just the main course).

• Beers with Friends $5-When it comes to entertainment, $50 USD a month goes a long way if you avoid fancy bars or any activities not typical for the country.Probably the best part of entertainment here is that "life" usually happens on the street. For example, when meeting friends, you usually head to a Colmado (a mom-and-pop store converting to a bar at night), buy a Jumbo bottle of beer (1 liter) and share it with your friends. Such a bottle usually costs 150 DOP (approx. $2.50), so a night might be over well before you have spent five dollars.
  The (cheap) story continues when you want to head to a bar or a club. There are enough places that don't charge a cover. Even if drinks are more expensive (roughly $3-$4 for a small beer), you usually don't have to worry to spend hundreds of dollars if you go out with Dominicans.
• Dance Lessons $5-For dancing lessons or shared language classes, $5 per hour is a fair rate. For private lessons, expect at least triple that rate.
• Outdoor Activities FREE-Another budget-friendly feature of the city is the lack of entrance fees. You can find free museums and concerts, along with waterfalls, national parks, beaches, and other natural attractions in the country for free or for a small entrance fee of $2. The low cost of entertainment makes life in Santo Domingo extremely affordable.
• Fitness Club $20-When it comes to activities, you can also save considerably by focusing on free activities. There are several running clubs and outdoor gyms, where you don't have to pay. Outdoor events, such as Zumba or Aerobics, on the oceanfront promenade, the so-called Malecón, are free as well. Otherwise, you can expect to pay $20-$30 per month for an ordinary gym, depending on the quality.
• Weekend Trips $88- Besides housing, travel was always my biggest expense. Especially during the weekend, I always preferred to explore the country with all its hidden gems: secluded waterfalls, majestic mountains, pristine beaches, cute fishing villages, various outdoor activities, and stunning nature. But that's also what makes living here so special. You have bus connections (air-conditioned busses usually not over-crowded) to all parts of the country.
  It doesn't matter where you want to go, within three to four hours you can reach nearly all parts of the country: famousPunta Canawith its countless all-inclusive resorts, the beautiful Samaná peninsula with its pristine beaches, Puerto Plata and the north coast with its several outdoor activities, the mountains in Jarabacoa and Constanza with its roaring waterfalls or the Southwest around Barahona with its stunning natural attractions.
  A weekend trip, including a return bus ticket, budget accommodation, local restaurant food, and DIY activities often cost less than $100.

As mentioned, I lived in the same area where I went to work and never left this area for supermarkets, nightlife, meeting friends, etc., as everything was within walking distance. Therefore, my transportation costs were very close to $0. I even could walk to the major bus stations, so the only transportation costs I paid were the busses leaving the city, which are usually around $6-$8 for a 3- to 4-hour ride.

But commuting or take public or private transport won't cost you a fortune. Some examples are:

• cost for a public transport ticket: 25 DOP (approx. 0.40 USD)
• cost for the Metro or the cable car: 25 DOP (approx. 0.40 USD)
• cost for an Uber or a local taxi for a 30-minute ride: 250-350 DOP (approx. 4-6 USD)

• Barbershop $6- Going to the barbershop (men) or the salon (women) is a real pleasure here. Being a barber here is not a profession, but a passion. I have never had better haircuts than in the Dominican Republic. Haircuts cost around 250 DOP (approx. 4 USD); if done together with your beard, around 350 DOP (approx. 6 USD).
• Laundry Service $5- If you don't have a washing machine in your apartment, you can use one of the omnipresent laundry shops ("Lavanderia"). Usually, a load costs around 250-350 DOP (approx. 4-6 USD). After washing, you get it back dried and folded – full-service laundry.
• Cell Phone Plan $3- Mobile data might be one of the most important things when living abroad, especially as an expat. When not having WiFi in your building or not using an office or co-working space, the best is to get a contract with unlimited bandwidth for around 40-50 USD per month. But be careful, those might be only available as 12- or 24-month contracts.
  It's much easier to buy so-called "paqueticos," kind of a prepaid internet. Right now, as I am still living in the Dominican Republic, but in Punta Cana ; I always buy them in 5 GB intervals for 139 DOP (2.30 USD).
• Housekeeper $5- If you need someone to clean your apartment, you can get a cleaning service for as cheap as 5 USD per hour.

The Dominican Republic has a pretty easy visa and immigration policy, especially for short-term visitors. Citizens of around 97 countries can enter visa-free for up to 30 days. You can extend online for a fee (2500-4000 DOP, approx. $45-$70) up to 120 days.

If you want to stay longer than 120 days in the country, you officially need a residency, which is quite time-consuming and expensive. Count with at least 700 USD to obtain one, including governmental taxes, lawyer costs, and additional expenses to translate all documents.

If you plan to stay longer in the country and don't have an employer paying for the residency, it might be cheaper to do a visa run after 120 days and come back shortly after. You can also stay illegally in the country as checks and penalties hardly exist, but obviously, this is not recommended.

In case you need to leave the country, it doesn't matter if for visa reasons, for leisure travel, or visiting your family, remember that the Dominican Republic is an island nation. Unless you are visiting Haiti, you need to fly, and there are no low-cost carriers in the Caribbean.

The cheapest option to leave the country (except Haiti) is to fly to the United States (mainly Miami and New York) or Colombia (Bogotá) for around $200-$250 round-trip (without luggage) if booked well in advance.