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20k
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lil sam
Guest
Re: APartMENT
Hey Gang wanted to thank everyone for their advise. It reminded me of things I had forgotten from the past. I was going to mortgage my place in the states to buy the one in Santo Domingo. but not only you all but also some Domincan friends told me not to do it as even though I was trying to help my friend they also advised me it was a disaster waiting to happen Domincan style. The heart sometimes tries to rule the brain thanks again all Lil sam
Hey Gang wanted to thank everyone for their advise. It reminded me of things I had forgotten from the past. I was going to mortgage my place in the states to buy the one in Santo Domingo. but not only you all but also some Domincan friends told me not to do it as even though I was trying to help my friend they also advised me it was a disaster waiting to happen Domincan style. The heart sometimes tries to rule the brain thanks again all Lil sam
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Pib
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hillbilly
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hillbilly
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Pib
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Whassup Sir Master Rob? Here it is again.
I must say that I am really surprised someone has suggested that 30,000 USD is not enough to make a decent living in one year in DR. That is more than I make and I think I do have a decent living. This is not my budget, but it is fairly realistic and based in actual expenses. A litle shopping around is a must, but I guess real people do that all the time.
Let's see:
Appartment in Mirador Sur, Santo Domingo (1 st. north of Anacaona), I bd, 1 1/2 bathroom, maid's room with bathroom. Newly built, handsome appartment. Excellent location, residential area.: RD$6,500/month. Same app rented with nice furniture: RD$13,000.00
Telephone, VIP plan (no limits on local calls) and dial up internet: RD$975.00
Electricity, low consupmtion bulbs, ~232 kWh: RD$317.00
Car, regular maintenance and gas/transp would be about the same if you don't buy a car: RD1800.00
Groceries and toiletries, two people without meat or alcoholic beverages: RD3,800.00
Maintenance (water, garbage, gardening, security and common expenses): RD$800.00
Health insurance, two people, standard coverage: RD$750.00
That ammounts to: RD$21,442.00 of basic expenses.
30,000.00 USD ammounts to RD$41,625.00/month in one year. That would leave almost RD$20,000.00 left per month to be used for emergencies, entertainment, clothing, etc. Sounds like a pretty decent life to me. Maybe not luxurious like TW's life, but decent nonetheless.
Where the problem comes is that if you can't find (a) job(s) that can keep that level of income for the second year. But with a little adjustment and living in a cheaper place (yes, you can find them cheaper and still decent) you can stretch your money even more
I must say that I am really surprised someone has suggested that 30,000 USD is not enough to make a decent living in one year in DR. That is more than I make and I think I do have a decent living. This is not my budget, but it is fairly realistic and based in actual expenses. A litle shopping around is a must, but I guess real people do that all the time.
Let's see:
Appartment in Mirador Sur, Santo Domingo (1 st. north of Anacaona), I bd, 1 1/2 bathroom, maid's room with bathroom. Newly built, handsome appartment. Excellent location, residential area.: RD$6,500/month. Same app rented with nice furniture: RD$13,000.00
Telephone, VIP plan (no limits on local calls) and dial up internet: RD$975.00
Electricity, low consupmtion bulbs, ~232 kWh: RD$317.00
Car, regular maintenance and gas/transp would be about the same if you don't buy a car: RD1800.00
Groceries and toiletries, two people without meat or alcoholic beverages: RD3,800.00
Maintenance (water, garbage, gardening, security and common expenses): RD$800.00
Health insurance, two people, standard coverage: RD$750.00
That ammounts to: RD$21,442.00 of basic expenses.
30,000.00 USD ammounts to RD$41,625.00/month in one year. That would leave almost RD$20,000.00 left per month to be used for emergencies, entertainment, clothing, etc. Sounds like a pretty decent life to me. Maybe not luxurious like TW's life, but decent nonetheless.
Where the problem comes is that if you can't find (a) job(s) that can keep that level of income for the second year. But with a little adjustment and living in a cheaper place (yes, you can find them cheaper and still decent) you can stretch your money even more
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azb
Guest
Re: lifestyle differ bet. man/ woman
"I must say that I am really surprised someone has suggested that 30,000 USD is not enough to make a decent living in one year in DR. That is more than I make and I think I do have a decent living" PIB.
I agree, you can live decently with 30K/year in DR but with 20K, you would really have to cut corners to live ok in a decent area in Santo dom.
I know women who live decently "ok" with this kind of money (20K) and able to eat out in decent places like PIB maybe able to.... however, i must point out to you that a man's lifestyle is different than a woman's. Ex: how many women pay for their dinners or drinks in any bar / restaurant? Most girls don't even know how much a drink cost anywhere, let alone a decent dinner.
The same girls who drink coffee, coke or a beer when going out with their girlfriends ask for expensive drink when accompanied by men.
EX: my ex girlfriend always used to order drinks that were way above 100 pesos anywhere and refused to drink anything common. One day, in the heat of discussion, I challenged her to give prices of drinks in any bar/restaurant in Santiago...to my knowledge...she couldn't even guess the prices of any drink in any restaurant.
So its all relative, if you are good looking woman, you can live on 20K ans still able to go out (taken out) to expensive restaurants and bars without worrying about the extra expenses. However, if you are a man then be prepared to pay for your dates and her friends on regular bases.
My point is this: if you decide to live a life of a Christian missionary, then 20K is more than enough to live on but, on the other hand, if you decide to take out girl on dates (bar / rest) and willing to live in respectable areas of Santo Domingo, then you would have to be live very conservatively.
"I must say that I am really surprised someone has suggested that 30,000 USD is not enough to make a decent living in one year in DR. That is more than I make and I think I do have a decent living" PIB.
I agree, you can live decently with 30K/year in DR but with 20K, you would really have to cut corners to live ok in a decent area in Santo dom.
I know women who live decently "ok" with this kind of money (20K) and able to eat out in decent places like PIB maybe able to.... however, i must point out to you that a man's lifestyle is different than a woman's. Ex: how many women pay for their dinners or drinks in any bar / restaurant? Most girls don't even know how much a drink cost anywhere, let alone a decent dinner.
The same girls who drink coffee, coke or a beer when going out with their girlfriends ask for expensive drink when accompanied by men.
EX: my ex girlfriend always used to order drinks that were way above 100 pesos anywhere and refused to drink anything common. One day, in the heat of discussion, I challenged her to give prices of drinks in any bar/restaurant in Santiago...to my knowledge...she couldn't even guess the prices of any drink in any restaurant.
So its all relative, if you are good looking woman, you can live on 20K ans still able to go out (taken out) to expensive restaurants and bars without worrying about the extra expenses. However, if you are a man then be prepared to pay for your dates and her friends on regular bases.
My point is this: if you decide to live a life of a Christian missionary, then 20K is more than enough to live on but, on the other hand, if you decide to take out girl on dates (bar / rest) and willing to live in respectable areas of Santo Domingo, then you would have to be live very conservatively.
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azb
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JYK
Guest
Re: Whassup Sir Master Rob? Here it is again.
u also hav to add in the initial expenses, for ex. do u have a car? a car is completely indispensable here in SD (if you think you can live w/o one just wait until you're waiting for a "concho" in the middle of a rainstorm). You also have to add in the apt. deposit (susually two month's in advance), you probably need to buy some sort of power generator since the energy crisis is far form over, AC for the bedroom (rented appartments usually don't have AC, if they do the rent can hike to ludicorus levels)etc, etc, etc.
u also hav to add in the initial expenses, for ex. do u have a car? a car is completely indispensable here in SD (if you think you can live w/o one just wait until you're waiting for a "concho" in the middle of a rainstorm). You also have to add in the apt. deposit (susually two month's in advance), you probably need to buy some sort of power generator since the energy crisis is far form over, AC for the bedroom (rented appartments usually don't have AC, if they do the rent can hike to ludicorus levels)etc, etc, etc.
&
"The Tourist Watcher"
Guest
Re:US $20K a nice income!
If the reference about the case of the $US30,000 is that old thread that caused great discussions, it is a different situation than the one being placed here. The $30,000 case was a person who was coming to DR without a job with $30,000 in his pockets. (Not a $30,000 a yearincome)
Now this situation with US$20,000 a year equates to about RD$1000 a day or about $29-30,000 a month. Not a bad income, specially for someone who owns a house or apartment, a car and has no family to support or has a very small family.
Here is how I classify this:
1)Single and alone,owns house/Apt, car=upper middle class
2)Single and alone, rents, has car=middle class
3)Single and alone, rents, no car=upper low middle class
4)Family of three,owns house and car=upperlow middle class
5)Family of three,rents, has car=low middle class
6)Family of three, rents,has no car=upper low income
7)Family of four owns house and car=low middle class
8)Family of four rents, has car=upper low income
9)Family of four rents, has no car=low income
10)Family of five regardless=low income to poverty line.
Lots of variables act here. Where you live defines your quality of life. The upper middle class lives in Apartments or houses that exceed $1,200,000 to over $2000,000. Any residence in this category will rent no less than $8500 a month. Low income families must live by necessity in barrios or ghetto areas, like Cristo Rey,Villa Consuelo,Sabana Perdida, Guachupita, Villa mella. Their children cannot get good quality education without major sacrifices. Transportation is extremely expensive from those neighborhoods to work centers. Medical costs are prohibitive.
The problem with income is that it decreases its value as the the number of dependents from this income increases. It is a simple economic law of logic.
TW
If the reference about the case of the $US30,000 is that old thread that caused great discussions, it is a different situation than the one being placed here. The $30,000 case was a person who was coming to DR without a job with $30,000 in his pockets. (Not a $30,000 a yearincome)
Now this situation with US$20,000 a year equates to about RD$1000 a day or about $29-30,000 a month. Not a bad income, specially for someone who owns a house or apartment, a car and has no family to support or has a very small family.
Here is how I classify this:
1)Single and alone,owns house/Apt, car=upper middle class
2)Single and alone, rents, has car=middle class
3)Single and alone, rents, no car=upper low middle class
4)Family of three,owns house and car=upperlow middle class
5)Family of three,rents, has car=low middle class
6)Family of three, rents,has no car=upper low income
7)Family of four owns house and car=low middle class
8)Family of four rents, has car=upper low income
9)Family of four rents, has no car=low income
10)Family of five regardless=low income to poverty line.
Lots of variables act here. Where you live defines your quality of life. The upper middle class lives in Apartments or houses that exceed $1,200,000 to over $2000,000. Any residence in this category will rent no less than $8500 a month. Low income families must live by necessity in barrios or ghetto areas, like Cristo Rey,Villa Consuelo,Sabana Perdida, Guachupita, Villa mella. Their children cannot get good quality education without major sacrifices. Transportation is extremely expensive from those neighborhoods to work centers. Medical costs are prohibitive.
The problem with income is that it decreases its value as the the number of dependents from this income increases. It is a simple economic law of logic.
TW
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Pib
Guest
Excuse me while I go back to elementary school!
Wow, that sounds complicated. Not to mention that if you add many variables we'll have the material for a post-graduate course on home economy suitable for Harvard.
That post was in reply to a question JhonS did about cost of living in SD. Well I have to admit that I assumed that the person in question owns a car but not an appartment and that he will have to rent a furnished one (I don't know what made me assume that). Renting varies, it all depends at what level he will feel comfortable. If he wants to live in a place with a swimming pool then so much for my budget. The idea that I wanted to convey is that a single person or a couple (with a little stretching) can have a very good life in SD with 30K/year. 25K/year/1 person is good but 20K/year/1 person will take some stretching. Notice how in basic expenses (very basic) he'll need about 15K, that didn't even include cable TV. I don't know about a family, but I assume that education, health, toys, clothes and God knows what else will be out of the question.
AZB may have a point. I have little experience being a man. But I go out a lot, with my girl friends. We order whatever we feel like, and still I don't know how much is drink here or there. I don't have enough memory storage for that.
I really don't know what it is for a man or what you guys do or don't. Anyways, you men decided you were the masters of the planet, you decided that you were going to be stronger, be good providers, big macho men and now you complain about the bill?! You have some nerve!
Wow, that sounds complicated. Not to mention that if you add many variables we'll have the material for a post-graduate course on home economy suitable for Harvard.
That post was in reply to a question JhonS did about cost of living in SD. Well I have to admit that I assumed that the person in question owns a car but not an appartment and that he will have to rent a furnished one (I don't know what made me assume that). Renting varies, it all depends at what level he will feel comfortable. If he wants to live in a place with a swimming pool then so much for my budget. The idea that I wanted to convey is that a single person or a couple (with a little stretching) can have a very good life in SD with 30K/year. 25K/year/1 person is good but 20K/year/1 person will take some stretching. Notice how in basic expenses (very basic) he'll need about 15K, that didn't even include cable TV. I don't know about a family, but I assume that education, health, toys, clothes and God knows what else will be out of the question.
AZB may have a point. I have little experience being a man. But I go out a lot, with my girl friends. We order whatever we feel like, and still I don't know how much is drink here or there. I don't have enough memory storage for that.
I really don't know what it is for a man or what you guys do or don't. Anyways, you men decided you were the masters of the planet, you decided that you were going to be stronger, be good providers, big macho men and now you complain about the bill?! You have some nerve!
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Jan
Guest
Re: Excuse me while I go back to elementary school
When I go out with guys I offer to buy a beer or two. Usually they decline the offer. So its not my fault. But right now I can't afford much more than buying a beer or some cheep food. So if you guys are looking for this Gringa to pay...sorry..I'm one of the poor ones that usually has to buy my beer in Colmados! Someday I'll take you all out for a drink and expensive meal,or would I be offending the "macho man" by doing so?
When I go out with guys I offer to buy a beer or two. Usually they decline the offer. So its not my fault. But right now I can't afford much more than buying a beer or some cheep food. So if you guys are looking for this Gringa to pay...sorry..I'm one of the poor ones that usually has to buy my beer in Colmados! Someday I'll take you all out for a drink and expensive meal,or would I be offending the "macho man" by doing so?
&
"The Tourist Watcher"
Guest
Re: Jan:No offense.You could buy me a beer
Jan: Watch out with those colmadones, specially that Colmadon Mateo at Barrio 27 de febrero. Thats where those guys took off from to clean Dario Gomezs clock.
TW
Jan: Watch out with those colmadones, specially that Colmadon Mateo at Barrio 27 de febrero. Thats where those guys took off from to clean Dario Gomezs clock.
TW
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Loren
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Jan
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Pib
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Mirador Sur/Cacicazgos
Mirador Sur ends to the west at Av. Don Antonio Guzm?n Fdez. (F.K.A. Av. Privada). There's where Cacicazgos starts. Dominican Fiesta is in Cacicazgos. South of Av. Enriquillo/Sarasota the area looks pretty much the same anyways. It's a quiet neighborhood.
Mirador Sur ends to the west at Av. Don Antonio Guzm?n Fdez. (F.K.A. Av. Privada). There's where Cacicazgos starts. Dominican Fiesta is in Cacicazgos. South of Av. Enriquillo/Sarasota the area looks pretty much the same anyways. It's a quiet neighborhood.
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Tony D
Guest
Re: Excuse me while I go back to elementary school
Wow, All I did was ask if you ( a single man ) could live on 20K us a year in the DR.
and boy did it get out of hand, and I never got my answer!
Anyway I'll be down there in march and i'll find out for my self. And anyone that wishes to buy me a beer may, and i will
return in kind.
Pice!
Tony
Wow, All I did was ask if you ( a single man ) could live on 20K us a year in the DR.
and boy did it get out of hand, and I never got my answer!
Anyway I'll be down there in march and i'll find out for my self. And anyone that wishes to buy me a beer may, and i will
return in kind.
Pice!
Tony
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Pib
Guest
Tony D
The short answer is YES. Some people actually live with a tenth of that. But it all depends on what kind of life you wish to live, what you want to do for fun, what you'd be comfortable with. So, the long answer is COME HERE AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. We can't convey most things in words.
The short answer is YES. Some people actually live with a tenth of that. But it all depends on what kind of life you wish to live, what you want to do for fun, what you'd be comfortable with. So, the long answer is COME HERE AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. We can't convey most things in words.
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Keith R
Guest
Re: Mirador Sur/Cacicazgos
That's my old stomping grounds!
Los Cacicazgos is, generally speaking, a nice neighborhood and most of it quiet. The possible exception is Av. Enriquillo, which USED TO BE quiet and tranquil when we first moved there in autumn 1995, but by early 1996 it had become quite busy with traffic (primarily by people trying to avoid Bolivar -- ahem, I forget, we're supposed to call it Betancourt these days
and fairly noisy as a result.
Not helping matters for us was that we lived just a few doors down from a popular colmado where guys liked to drink and discuss politics loudly in front until the place closed, further compounded by all the SUV's that stopped there late at night, with bachata blasting to the point of shaking our home's walls. I know, I know, that's a scene you find throughout SD. But that's small comfort when it's a school night and you have two first graders having their sleep interrupted by such bulla.
The only two things that irritated me more about that colmado were (1) all the patrons that parked and/or double-parked in front of my driveway in order to walk into the colmado for indefinite periods; (2) the colmado delivery boys on scooters that would nearly run you down because they used the sidewalks instead of the street...
Regards,
Keith
That's my old stomping grounds!
Los Cacicazgos is, generally speaking, a nice neighborhood and most of it quiet. The possible exception is Av. Enriquillo, which USED TO BE quiet and tranquil when we first moved there in autumn 1995, but by early 1996 it had become quite busy with traffic (primarily by people trying to avoid Bolivar -- ahem, I forget, we're supposed to call it Betancourt these days
and fairly noisy as a result.Not helping matters for us was that we lived just a few doors down from a popular colmado where guys liked to drink and discuss politics loudly in front until the place closed, further compounded by all the SUV's that stopped there late at night, with bachata blasting to the point of shaking our home's walls. I know, I know, that's a scene you find throughout SD. But that's small comfort when it's a school night and you have two first graders having their sleep interrupted by such bulla.
The only two things that irritated me more about that colmado were (1) all the patrons that parked and/or double-parked in front of my driveway in order to walk into the colmado for indefinite periods; (2) the colmado delivery boys on scooters that would nearly run you down because they used the sidewalks instead of the street...
Regards,
Keith
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Pib
Guest
Keith: Mirador Sur/Cacicazgos
Looks like you're describing my street. The only thing is that the colmado where the guys in the big jeepetas go plays no music (go figure). I've never been in that place and I always asked myself why there were so many men in that colmado where there were no women, no music and looked downright boring. The best explanation I got was "they sell great 'quipes' and the beer is very cold". Strange.
We have the same problem you had with the traffic. My street starts where Av. Enriquillo ends. So anybody wanting to go east has to go thru my street(which is very wide) to go to Sarasota. As a result I feel like I live by Carretera Duarte. One idiot driving fast trying to pass another one driving just as fast. Not a lot of noise but an accident at least every week. Fortunately it only happens during rush hours.
Looks like you're describing my street. The only thing is that the colmado where the guys in the big jeepetas go plays no music (go figure). I've never been in that place and I always asked myself why there were so many men in that colmado where there were no women, no music and looked downright boring. The best explanation I got was "they sell great 'quipes' and the beer is very cold". Strange.
We have the same problem you had with the traffic. My street starts where Av. Enriquillo ends. So anybody wanting to go east has to go thru my street(which is very wide) to go to Sarasota. As a result I feel like I live by Carretera Duarte. One idiot driving fast trying to pass another one driving just as fast. Not a lot of noise but an accident at least every week. Fortunately it only happens during rush hours.