How much does it cost to live in Dominican Republic?


A single person can afford a comfortable Caribbean lifestyle by spending $791 a month in the Dominican Republic.

For $1000 a month, you will not have any problem sustaining a decent lifestyle.

Similarly, a family of four needs a monthly budget of $1960 to live a comfortable life in the Dominican Republic.

The cost of living in the Dominican Republic is 1.18 times less expensive than the world’s average cost of living. Living in the Dominican Republic is 63% cheaper than living in the USA.

The monthly budget for a couple living in the Dominican Republic is estimated to be $1510.

If you lived in the United States instead of the Dominican Republic, you would pay 91% more for restaurants, 87% more for groceries, 18% more for transportation, and 2.8 times more for accommodation. 

Similarly, in the case of the UK, you would pay 75% more for restaurants, 15% more for groceries, 53% more for transportation, and 2.2 times more for accommodation.

Living in the Dominican Republic is significantly cheaper than living in many countries like the UK, Canada, the USA, Europe, and North America.

Is food expensive in the Dominican Republic?

No, food is not expensive in the Dominican Republic, given the fact that it is pretty affordable to dine out.

The monthly food shopping for a single person is about $295, including grocery items, fruits, and vegetables. You should know that the monthly food expense in the USA is $545 for a single person.

You can enjoy a meal with a drink at an inexpensive restaurant for around $5, and $7 would get you fast food combo meal. It is usually about $26 for dinner in a restaurant for a couple.

A cup of cappuccino is $1.93 only and a bottle of Coke is less than a dollar.

Similarly, a bottle of beer can cost $2.32 only. As for the wine, you can enjoy it for $10.

For fruits and vegetables, the price range is $0.84-$2.2 per kg. You can get a kg of apples for $2.22 and 1 kg of potatoes for $1.27.

A loaf of bread is around $1.5 and a kg of cheese can cost $8.5.

What does transportation cost in the Dominican Republic?

A single person can spend around $115 a month traveling around the Dominican Republic.

Please keep in mind that taxi, in general, is expensive here. To give you an idea, a journey on a taxi covering 8km will cost you $23. You should expect to pay a $3.5 taxi tariff per 1 km ride.

The cost of a public transport ticket is approximately $0.64. If you’re interested in buying a monthly public transit pass, it will cost you $34.

The gasoline can cost $1.2 per liter, which is quite affordable. If you love to have your own car, you must be ready to spend over $21000 for a car like Volkswagen Golf 1.4 standard edition.

Is accommodation expensive in the Dominican Republic?

A budget of $305 a month should be enough for accommodation in the Dominican Republic.

You can live in a 1-bedroom apartment in a downtown area for $320 a month. If you plan to move outside of a city area, a similar apartment would cost $190 only.

Alternatively, you can spend more on housing to live in a 3-bedroom apartment in an upscale district that will cost you at least $570. If you’re tight on budget and okay with an apartment outside of the city area, you can get a cheap 3-bedroom apartment for $360 a month.

Talking about apartment prices, the price per square meter for an apartment in a city area is $1300 and up. But the price drops significantly to around $790 outside of cities.