I'm posting our family actual budget costs over the past 3 months. I hope this information can be useful to people considering moving to Santo Domingo in the future.
BACKGROUND: I moved here 2 years ago with my husband who's on assignment here for work. We agreed to move down under the prerequisite that we would not 'compromise' our middle class quality of life outside this country - ie, we decided - sure we'll come to santo domingo, but not if it means we have to change our diets from grilled steak to fried Jumbo salami. So yes, the expenses shown below will seem high to some people here who are willing to be more mercenary than we are - true you could live in an apartment without air conditioning, but we slept at 18 celcius room temperature outside this country for 40 years of our lives, we want the same here, etc. So anyways, here we go:
PEOPLE: 2 people involved - both expats
AUGUST 2011:
$1811 = RENT - We live in Naco in "Western standards" - clean, quiet, 24x7 electricity, zero bugs, etc.
$930 = FOOD - Groceries + colmado orders + bottled water
$302 = FOOD - Restaurants
$191 = GAS - For 1 car
$115 = GYM - For 2 people
$167 = MAID - 3 times weekly + her transport
$499 = EDUCATION - Various courses we're taking
$300 = CLOTHES - girls will be girls (but things are MUCH cheaper in America...)
$297 = CLARO - Cable TV + High Speed Internet + Telephone home + 2 Blackberries
$46 = SALON - once a week
$204 = ELECTRICITY BILL - Those AC units sure do add up...
$872 = MEDICINE + DOCTORS - Each consultation costs 3000 pesos, this month I got sick due to some 'local' food-born issues, if you're a foreigner reading this, remember that some drugs can be expensive here, and also that your defenses living in a germ-free country for 40 years may not be as strong as those who have lived here all their lives or the mercenary expats that can chug whisky + agua de calle chaser
TOTAL AUGUST: $5734
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SEPTEMBER 2011:
$1811 = RENT
$844 = FOOD - Groceries + colmado orders + bottled water
$590 = FOOD - Restaurants
$203 = GAS - For 1 car
$115 = GYM - For 2 people
$167 = MAID - 3 times weekly + her transport
$180 = EDUCATION - Various courses we're taking (including equipment)
$182 = CLOTHES - girls will be girls (but things are MUCH cheaper in America...)
$297 = CLARO - Cable TV + High Speed Internet + Telephone home + 2 Blackberries
$46 = SALON - once a week
$370 = ELECTRICITY BILL - breached the kwh threshold where the discount applies i guess
$227 = MEDICINE + DOCTORS
TOTAL SEPTEMBER: $5032
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OCTOBER 2011:
$1811 = RENT
$537 = FOOD - Groceries + colmado orders + bottled water
$596 = FOOD - Restaurants
$316 = GAS - For 1 car - we took a few weekends away
$115 = GYM - For 2 people
$167 = MAID - 3 times weekly + her transport
$95 = EDUCATION - Various courses we're taking (including equipment)
$192 = CLOTHES - girls will be girls (but things are MUCH cheaper in America...)
$297 = CLARO - Cable TV + High Speed Internet + Telephone home + 2 Blackberries
$46 = SALON - once a week
$194 = ELECTRICITY BILL - breached the kwh threshold where the discount applies i guess
$187 = MEDICINE + DOCTORS
$369 = HOTELS - we took some trips across the country on weekends
TOTAL OCTOBER: $4922
BACKGROUND: I moved here 2 years ago with my husband who's on assignment here for work. We agreed to move down under the prerequisite that we would not 'compromise' our middle class quality of life outside this country - ie, we decided - sure we'll come to santo domingo, but not if it means we have to change our diets from grilled steak to fried Jumbo salami. So yes, the expenses shown below will seem high to some people here who are willing to be more mercenary than we are - true you could live in an apartment without air conditioning, but we slept at 18 celcius room temperature outside this country for 40 years of our lives, we want the same here, etc. So anyways, here we go:
PEOPLE: 2 people involved - both expats
AUGUST 2011:
$1811 = RENT - We live in Naco in "Western standards" - clean, quiet, 24x7 electricity, zero bugs, etc.
$930 = FOOD - Groceries + colmado orders + bottled water
$302 = FOOD - Restaurants
$191 = GAS - For 1 car
$115 = GYM - For 2 people
$167 = MAID - 3 times weekly + her transport
$499 = EDUCATION - Various courses we're taking
$300 = CLOTHES - girls will be girls (but things are MUCH cheaper in America...)
$297 = CLARO - Cable TV + High Speed Internet + Telephone home + 2 Blackberries
$46 = SALON - once a week
$204 = ELECTRICITY BILL - Those AC units sure do add up...
$872 = MEDICINE + DOCTORS - Each consultation costs 3000 pesos, this month I got sick due to some 'local' food-born issues, if you're a foreigner reading this, remember that some drugs can be expensive here, and also that your defenses living in a germ-free country for 40 years may not be as strong as those who have lived here all their lives or the mercenary expats that can chug whisky + agua de calle chaser
TOTAL AUGUST: $5734
--------------------------------------------------
SEPTEMBER 2011:
$1811 = RENT
$844 = FOOD - Groceries + colmado orders + bottled water
$590 = FOOD - Restaurants
$203 = GAS - For 1 car
$115 = GYM - For 2 people
$167 = MAID - 3 times weekly + her transport
$180 = EDUCATION - Various courses we're taking (including equipment)
$182 = CLOTHES - girls will be girls (but things are MUCH cheaper in America...)
$297 = CLARO - Cable TV + High Speed Internet + Telephone home + 2 Blackberries
$46 = SALON - once a week
$370 = ELECTRICITY BILL - breached the kwh threshold where the discount applies i guess
$227 = MEDICINE + DOCTORS
TOTAL SEPTEMBER: $5032
--------------------------------------------------
OCTOBER 2011:
$1811 = RENT
$537 = FOOD - Groceries + colmado orders + bottled water
$596 = FOOD - Restaurants
$316 = GAS - For 1 car - we took a few weekends away
$115 = GYM - For 2 people
$167 = MAID - 3 times weekly + her transport
$95 = EDUCATION - Various courses we're taking (including equipment)
$192 = CLOTHES - girls will be girls (but things are MUCH cheaper in America...)
$297 = CLARO - Cable TV + High Speed Internet + Telephone home + 2 Blackberries
$46 = SALON - once a week
$194 = ELECTRICITY BILL - breached the kwh threshold where the discount applies i guess
$187 = MEDICINE + DOCTORS
$369 = HOTELS - we took some trips across the country on weekends
TOTAL OCTOBER: $4922