i know it's been done to death, but....

mugwump

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Mar 12, 2008
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....are there any long-term, inexpensive rentals available in the 'burbs or barrios? nearly all posts i read here involve santo domingo, sousa, and other areas which i know i cannot afford. i receive a $950 u.s. social security disability check each month and can no longer afford to live in the u.s.
i am considering the dr, east costa rica and
the philippines. i have only one travel "bullet" to fire: once i have landed, i'll have to live with my choice o destination. cannot afford airfare to move elswhere.
a clean, safe, small apt. or house, six-pak of cheap beer, pak of cigs and one meal a day are all i require. how do the chicas respond to americanos? any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. tim.
 
Feb 7, 2007
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What suburbs? What barrios?

In Higuey, you can get a nice 2 BR apartment in the center of town for 250 USD.

In San Juan or Ocoa or Cotui you can get a nice 2 BR for 150 dollars.

So it all depends... what suburs, what barrios? Where?
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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Bob, 950 US is a low budget. In the US there are social services. Church outreach, food stamps, the administration that the poster receives the disability disbursement from may have additional service (perhaps a military benefit? veteran's administration?), medicare, supplemental security income, we don't know the age of the poster but there could be additional benefit because of age. I am by no means an expert but I do know there are benefits according to my family.

It looks quite scary to me to fly off into the sunset with a limited and fixed income, without having investigated the place where you go to.
 
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Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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i have only one travel "bullet" to fire: once i have landed, i'll have to live with my choice o destination. cannot afford airfare to move elswhere.

Then I would suggest you don't come to DR. To be trapped here knowing you can't leave puts tremendous pressure on people, enough to lead to health deterioration. I am here through choice and I love it & have done for 15+ years but I have a sizeable emergency fund if anything goes wrong & savings in other countries which can be accessed.

Even if you're a genius at researching online you won't really know what it's like to live here until you get here which is why we always recommend people make several visits first. The same will probably be true of Costa Rica & the Phillipines.

Sorry to rain on your parade but it's the kindest thing I can do.
 

Berzin

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Nov 17, 2004
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...not to mention you cannot afford chicas on your income.

Inexpensive accommodations, yes.

Beer, yes.

The pack of smokes, yes.

Mujeres-olvidalo.
 

mugwump

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Mar 12, 2008
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...not to mention you cannot afford chicas on your income.

Inexpensive accommodations, yes.

Beer, yes.

The pack of smokes, yes.

Mujeres-olvidalo.

thanks for your frank advice; i have been to the philippines thrice, same for costa rica. thought i'd investigate some new turf in the d.r, but all i've read indicates that i'm not strong enough $-wise. i'll lean toward c.r. or the p.i. thanks, tim
 

DR Mpe

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Mar 31, 2003
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...not to mention you cannot afford chicas on your income.

Inexpensive accommodations, yes.

Beer, yes.

The pack of smokes, yes.

Mujeres-olvidalo.

I would say...

Inexpensive accommodations, yes.

Beer, yes.

The pack of smokes, yes.

Nice girl with teeth, no, gross girl without teeth, yes.
 

DR Mpe

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Mar 31, 2003
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I would say...

Inexpensive accommodations, yes.

Beer, yes.

The pack of smokes, yes.

Nice girl with teeth, no, gross girl without teeth, yes.


Forgot to say, and this will maybe cheer you up. Previous posters answers are negative and they are right in one way. You do not have access to the amenities that US has BUT... 950 US, 32 000 pesos, is way more than average salary in the DR AND I think in many ways the people here are happier than we so....

Go to Sosua, meet some expat survivers, that lives on very low incomes, some very happy, some maybe not that happy, and see for yourself what you want.

I would not move to some typical dominican village first thing. There are cheap places close to Sosua, and then you have walking distance and can listen to expats advices...
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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Claro que puede!

....are there any long-term, inexpensive rentals available in the 'burbs or barrios? nearly all posts i read here involve santo domingo, sousa, and other areas which i know i cannot afford. i receive a $950 u.s. social security disability check each month and can no longer afford to live in the u.s.
i am considering the dr, east costa rica and
the philippines. i have only one travel "bullet" to fire: once i have landed, i'll have to live with my choice o destination. cannot afford airfare to move elswhere.
a clean, safe, small apt. or house, six-pak of cheap beer, pak of cigs and one meal a day are all i require. how do the chicas respond to americanos? any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. tim.
Since you are not looking for luxury, are not asking to eat in expensive places, live in a 2-50 rooms mansion and are not looking to live like a King with 950 dollars a month, OF COURSE YOU CAN MAKE IT!.

Dominicans have been making it for generations with MUUUUUUUUCH less than that.........AAAAAAAAND with kids and a wife!.

Would I live in the DR with that kind of money?......NOT in this lifetime. BUUUUT:

I know a few foreigners who live in the DR with less money than that.....If a friend of mine pays about 10,000 pesos a month for a nice 2 bedroom apartment, YOU can definitelly find yourself a 1 bedroom apt for for less than that!.

Hard to do, of course....Doable, YES!.

ANNND, BTW, if you are going to look for women like SOME of the members here, when they go on vacation, FORGETABOUTIT......But if you are going to look for a nice, decent women and stick with that woman, of course you can "have your cake and eat it too"!.......It will take time, BUUUT it can be done!.
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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Dominicans have been making it for generations with MUUUUUUUUCH less than that.........AAAAAAAAND with kids and a wife!.

And with a very good family support structure without a disability. The op will not have that. The question is, can a stranger in a strange town live on his budget? I don't think so.
 

DR Mpe

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Mar 31, 2003
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And with a very good family support structure without a disability. The op will not have that. The question is, can a stranger in a strange town live on his budget? I don't think so.

True about the support structure - but I say for sure he can! Not by having his beers at La Puntilla in Sosua or Jose Osheas in Cabarete, but by buying the six-pack Brahma for 100 pesos at the local colmado... and eat crackers. But better stay close to an "expat-town" first. Then, is it a nice lifestyle, maybe not, but maybe he is better off than in the states.

Ask Ted that worked in Rockys, now at Britannia(?)... if he can live on 32 000 pesos. Would last 6 months for Ted... :)
 

johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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100% correct

Bob, 950 US is a low budget. In the US there are social services. Church outreach, food stamps, the administration that the poster receives the disability disbursement from may have additional service (perhaps a military benefit? veteran's administration?), medicare, supplemental security income, we don't know the age of the poster but there could be additional benefit because of age. I am by no means an expert but I do know there are benefits according to my family.

It looks quite scary to me to fly off into the sunset with a limited and fixed income, without having investigated the place where you go to.

Perhaps the best piece of advise this guy can get. Somewhere in the mix this guy will qualify for somethning that he is going to need after drinking his beer, one meal a day, and smoking cigs. Even if it was ONLY emergency room medical care he walks in WITHOUT QUESTION and receives it FREE of charge under US medicaid system. If he went bust-shelter for the homeless.Police protection. Mass transportation that cost next to nothing.

As far as "he has received only 'negative' replies--what kind of advise do you want to give someone with a limited budget like this-"Come on down the water is fine?" C'mon get real.

john
 

drloca

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Oct 26, 2004
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To the OP...am I correct in understanding that you have never even visited the DR for the purpose of a vacation?

If this is true, I would think you really do some investigative work there as it is pretty hard to relocate to another country sight-unseen with absolutely no idea of the cost of living.
While I hope that seeking advice on this forum is helpful to you, only you know the kind of lifestyle you lead currently or hope to lead in your new country of residence and hopefully your expectations are realistic. Has it occured to you that you may be lowering your standard of living significantly?

Good luck in all your endevours.
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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Can be done!

And with a very good family support structure without a disability. The op will not have that. The question is, can a stranger in a strange town live on his budget? I don't think so.
Listen, it can be done. Granted, he needs to familiarize himself with his surroundings first!.

YOU give me 950 dollars a month and I WILL find you a few families who CAN make it work!.......AAAAAAND save some money while at it!.

Do YOU really want to know with how much money the lady who rents my home have been making it, FOR YEEEEEEARS, with 2 kids and WITHOUT family support?.

The guy is NOT saying he wants to live like a King, so let's throw the "foreigner's" mentality out the window, for the love of God!.

MY OPINION is that if SOME Dominicans can make it with 10-15,000 pesos a month (and with even less, AAAAND a few kids), he can make it with 32,000......Again, he needs to familiarize himself with his surroundings!.

Yes, SOME foreigners CAN live just like an average Dominican.....Just because SOME of you can NOT, does NOT means others can't!!.
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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thanks for your frank advice; i have been to the philippines thrice, same for costa rica. thought i'd investigate some new turf in the d.r, but all i've read indicates that i'm not strong enough $-wise. i'll lean toward c.r. or the p.i. thanks, tim

At least with places you've already been to, you would have some idea of the manageability of your budget. You might also have some idea of how good an 'expat survivor' you would be but remember that if you are strongly motivated by not being able to afford to live in US, then you might perceive your surviveability status as being better than it it actually is.

It's the 'one travel bullet to fire' bit which concerns me, not whether you could survive on that income in DR (which at a basic level you can). Some of the posters here may not be aware of the expats on fixed basic incomes who experience one emergency which knocks them sideways, surviveability wise. Puerto Plata used to have one such quite well known British expat, nice guy whose entire income went on alcohol after he discovered he was seriously ill. Eventually got behind with his rent & got kicked out of his dwelling; lived on the streets, beach, wherever with his cardboard box. One morning he was found dead in Parque Central (natural causes). Such a sad end. If he could have made it back to UK at least he would have received basic hospital care and died with some dignity.

Wish you well, mugwump. Don't want you ending up like Patrick.
 

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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What I am going to write here is NOT a recommendation!

There are safe enough barrios which I deem survivable by (some, even many) foreigners. Now, we need to re-define what qualifies as a barrio for us or Dominicans or both (if that's possible). Some Dominicans consider La Union (a Balaguer area social housing complex opposite to POP Int'l, Sosua) a barrio (I think it's way better that what I call a barrio, however). I know of at least two foreigners living there. Rents start at RD$ 2000.oo (USD 60.oo) a month. There is occasional water (unless you have or can install a water reservoir on the roof, locally called a "Tinaco") and electricity comes in for a couple of hours during the DAY (pun intended!). Security is limited to the true friendships the resident is capable of making among his neighbors an ability to stay out of stupid trouble. I am able to observe one foreigner living in the midst of all this and I am amazed at how well he is doing, even though his linguistic skills are limited and he still is not quite used to all the crowdiness and noise and has hooked up with the all around wrong girl (IMHO), and he's doing it all on more or the budget in question.
This is just one example, and I am sure there are more place like these where one can live a low cost but quite "Dominican" life even with limited experience. BUT as I stated above, it's not a recommendation and not all social housing developments and/or barrios are the same... even if they can look very similar at first glance.
Also as for the simple or "Dominican" life... there is not just barrios and batteys. There is also "el campo", the country side. I've stayed several times in campo locations and felt safer than anywhere else (and I live in a very safe place). Most of all I was more than well received. Values are still much more traditional... less if not no tigueres at all... people helping each other. Casita de tablitas de cololes (wooden shot gun shack) on a little land to raise your goats, pig and chicken and plant some yuka = RD$ 2000.oo or less a month or own for a few grands (less than 10... US, that is). People will help you along and look after you and if you grow old and get seriously ill... they will feed you some stuff with strange tastes and it may actually cure you... and if not, they will mourn you for 9 days, not just because you where the richest guy in the hood with your 900 Dolare cada lo trenta dia, but because you lived AMONG them.


But the "Stranded On A Caribbean Island's Beach"-dream-lifestyle, is something nowadays only a few very privileged people seem to be able to afford successfully and safely.

... J-D.
 

Ricardo900

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Jul 12, 2004
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To the OP,

If your disability is not serious enough from preventing you to work, at least part-time, you should search these threads and look for supplemental income, ie. call-center, teaching english, etc. They won't pay much but on top of US$950 and your living expense budget, plus your strong will not to stray away from that budget, you could make a go out of it.
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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To the OP,

If your disability is not serious enough from preventing you to work, at least part-time, you should search these threads and look for supplemental income, ie. call-center, teaching english, etc. They won't pay much but on top of US$950 and your living expense budget, plus your strong will not to stray away from that budget, you could make a go out of it.

I concurr. I would recommend living near a major metropolitan center like Santiago or SD for the free and or cheap health care, however, medicine won't be free. Also, living in the tourist areas like Sosua is more expensive than in the non tourist areas. If you don't speak Spanish you may need to choose an area with a lot of gringos.

good luck