Beautiful pictures indeed but not entirely representative of the entire city. With cities as large as Miami or Santo Domingo it is quite easy to produce evidence to support any argument.
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How modern is Santo Domingo and DR in general?
hate to say this but
Those are pretty big add ons, and the last I looked they were all considered infrastructure. Lets also add Garbage Pickup, Street cleaning, No toilet paper and other garbage washing up in front of major hotels, because the river is a dumping ground.
It's not Miami. Even if the prices for real estate is close.
SD lacks 24/7 electricity & water or dependable law enforcement, but all other points are pretty much covered like infrastructure and all...
Add 24/7 electricity & water, plus dependable law enforcement and you have pretty much Miami 10 times better...
Those are pretty big add ons, and the last I looked they were all considered infrastructure. Lets also add Garbage Pickup, Street cleaning, No toilet paper and other garbage washing up in front of major hotels, because the river is a dumping ground.
It's not Miami. Even if the prices for real estate is close.
The thing that is the biggest concern to me in the DR is air-quality. In Puerta Plata it seems to be kind of a bowl without much breeze so there's been a smog that forms in the town when I've been there from the many thousands of two stroke moto-conchos and diesels in the city.
It's not just in the DR either. I was shocked when I drove through Denver and saw an ugly orange/brown pall over the city. The brown was from the smog and the orange came from the type of street lights they used. Any city in a bowl is subject to smog.
How is the air quality in SD compared to PP or STGO?
It's not just in the DR either. I was shocked when I drove through Denver and saw an ugly orange/brown pall over the city. The brown was from the smog and the orange came from the type of street lights they used. Any city in a bowl is subject to smog.
How is the air quality in SD compared to PP or STGO?
What air? In SD that's an extinct species... I can literally smell SD as we arrive to the city limits... I love my Santiago breathable air... You can smell the grass in the early morning dew...
They were saying the Australian soccer team could practice in the stadium in South Africa because of smog coming from cooking fires and that they couldn't even see the whole field. What is going to happen during the games???
You want pictures to go with that too? I can do some more "honest" oopsies too...
I don't want to go at length on SD Vs Miami, but one thing is clear: Apart from what I listed above, all else is present in both cities alike.
Unlike Miami, SD is not a tourist's destination of choice in the DR, so clean up from private and semi-public sources is not a priority within the city limits.
You want to see some garbage? Don't pay your HOAs fees and wait a bit...
When SD residents start to pay city taxes to cover those clean-up crews and other services rendered now (albeit in very limited quantities), then you'll see an equal footing on both sides.
There's a big difference between those that have and have not, I have inversor, cisterna, commercial capacity gas tanks, paid for car, house, pets, satellite dishes to catch my HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, a pair of good cell phones, internet, etc... So I get "0" blackouts, no loss of water pressure when I shower, always have cooking gas and hot water, get to see my shows and movies when I want to, my dog barks at strangers and plays the part of wachiman...
What am I missing from the Miami city offerings?
In DR you can find just about every modern convenience. How far you have to go to find it, the cost, and quality is a whole other subject. But... I ain't trading it for the first world any time soon.
Thanks again for all your helpful posts.
I personally lived in Miami for a year a little while back and loved it!
Ideally I would love to move back there permanently but Visas in the US are such a pain in the...
I figured the closest thing to MIA would be either Panama City (which I visited) or Santo Domingo. I don't know SD (only Higuey and Punta Cana) which is why I started this thread.
Thanks to your posts it is clearer to me that SD could be a good choice in terms of lifestyle, etc....
As far as business opportunities (I'm a stock broker) many people advised me to choose PC over SD because of all the large companies based there etc... while some other people told me that SD did also have a good midle & high income class of people.
What is your opinion?
How is SD and DR as a whole doing economically?
What are the main industries?
Does DR indeed also have a good midle/high income class?
The lifestyle box is ticked
Visa box is ticked (I understand from other threads that residency, cedula, etc are not mission impossible)
The last box to be ticked is the professional one.
Look forward to reading your feedbacks!
(PS: I recall someone mentioning in his post that SD was quite expensive. Is that only for imported products or for everything including accomodation, transportation, restaurants, clubs, food in supermarkets, etc...?)
I personally lived in Miami for a year a little while back and loved it!
Ideally I would love to move back there permanently but Visas in the US are such a pain in the...
I figured the closest thing to MIA would be either Panama City (which I visited) or Santo Domingo. I don't know SD (only Higuey and Punta Cana) which is why I started this thread.
Thanks to your posts it is clearer to me that SD could be a good choice in terms of lifestyle, etc....
As far as business opportunities (I'm a stock broker) many people advised me to choose PC over SD because of all the large companies based there etc... while some other people told me that SD did also have a good midle & high income class of people.
What is your opinion?
How is SD and DR as a whole doing economically?
What are the main industries?
Does DR indeed also have a good midle/high income class?
The lifestyle box is ticked
Visa box is ticked (I understand from other threads that residency, cedula, etc are not mission impossible)
The last box to be ticked is the professional one.
Look forward to reading your feedbacks!
(PS: I recall someone mentioning in his post that SD was quite expensive. Is that only for imported products or for everything including accomodation, transportation, restaurants, clubs, food in supermarkets, etc...?)
Dominican economy?s growth to top LatAm nations, Central banker says
Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic?s economy will post the highest growth (5.5%) among Latin America nations, for which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast specifically recognizes the handling of the economic and monetary policy, whereas for Central banker H?ctor Valdez Albizu the projected growth figure is "a bit conservative."
He also affirmed that the program with the IMF doesn?t establish fiscal or electrical reforms and that if the IMF?s projected growth is higher than originally stated, and as it has been, it could bring a change of direction in the policy applied.
Valdez said things go as planned and whatever the final result for the year, it will be very good because it will be Latin America?s highest economic growth.
http://dominicantoday.com/dr/econom...growthto-topLatAm-nations-Central-banker-says
IMF raises forecast on Dominican economy?s growth to as high as 5.5%
WASHINGTON.- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday predicted that Dominican Republic?s economy grow will from 5 to 5.5% this year, a figure much higher than its previous estimate, which too its good start of the year into account.
The organism raised its estimate as part of the second revision of the joint credit pact, through which will place around 1.7 billion dollars at the disposal of the country until 2012, if the Government reaches the agreed objectives.
Alejandro Santos, in charge of the Dominican Republic for the IMF, affirmed that the country has accomplished the goals set until March, despite delays in the electrical sector?s reform, and that its economic performance has been "impressive," as evidenced by the 7.5% growth in the first quarter, compared with the same year ago period.
"Exports and imports, tax collections and the private credit are expanding at healthy rates," said Santos, who headed a delegation which visited Santo Domingo frp, May 18 to 28 to prepare its evaluation.
That jump has spurred the IMF to raise this year?s growth forecast around two percentage points, after having placed it at 3.5% in April.
http://dominicantoday.com/dr/econom...on-Dominican-economys-growth-to-as-high-as-55
The Dominican Republic has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, but in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade zones.
Source: CIA
The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GDP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of GDP.
Source CIA.
And anything that requires imports as principal source of services/goods/manufacturing...
I provided you with third part source answers; now as a Dominican I give you the details:
The economic perspectives of the DR, given the global domino effect from the US banking collapses, are guarded and moderated. Even at the peak of the US economic meltdown, the DR posted positive numbers and the internal economy didn't present the inflationary/credit shrinking as other places in huge levels.
While exports to the US continue to be the bulk of the trade volume for the DR, in the last years the DR has diversified the client base and replace the neoliberalism model of volume in trade, for one where there's a value perspective.
While the regional services industry continues to use discounted offerings to attract clients, the DR has moved more recently into the high end services, while continuing to rely on the AI format.
On average the DR's RE industry finds itself undervalued in many aspects, of which relatively basic services and infrastructure deficiencies, play the main roles. To present a more tangible explanation of this formula, RE values in the DR are not constant on the basis of supply/demand but overall availability of these basic/infrastructure variables.
Just as basic services and infrastructure continues to improve in the DR, so too is the same for the RE sector as well. Only that the increase valuation of the properties outranks the ratio to improvements, by as much as 50% in most cases.
The economic classes of the DR and the purchasing parity of each must be taken with a grain of salt from external economic rulers, which break it down in comparisons based on purely neo-capitalistic model for the region.
While the DR owns a great disparity on the distribution of wealth in the country, few if a many expats living in the country can give a typical Dominican family a run for their income and lifestyle.
The average Dominican buys/builds their home without much help/assistance from the lending financial institutions. While expats are used to place a moderated down payment in favor of the majority of the purchase being a long term mortgage, Dominicans seek to place the least practical amount on debt and the shortest terms possible, under the interests? rates applied by the banks.
While a middle income family in the US or other foreign nation, would purchase a late model vehicle with moderate interest rates/terms, a typical middle income Dominican family must purchase the same vehicle/year/model at about a 50% to 80% increase of price, with double/triple or more interest variable rate on a customary 5 to 6 years term. That's while having half the comparable income as the expat middle class family!
A typical middle class family home in Santiago would run from a low of 5 million pesos to as much as 15 million (US$ 138,000 to low US$ 400,000).
A typical middle income family in the US or other foreign nations would provide from 15 to 30% cash down payment and carry a mortgage of 10 to 20 years on average fixed interest rates from 3% to as much as 9%.
In the DR most loans begin at 17% fixed rates for a short period before turning variable, adjusted on exchange rate dynamics.
YOUR not missing anything, point is that at least 80% of the Santo Domingo population is missing those things. they are all considered infrastructure.
Do you need all of those things in a normal neighborhood in Miami, if not then you cant compare your living standard between the 2. In miami you will have all of the below from west palm beach to little havana. in Santo Domingo you won't have it unless you got the bucks to buy it. which you would have to admit the majority dont.
Miami all the population.
constant water pressure at about 60psi. no pressure tank needed.
constant electricity of 220 volts to the house
constant internet speed, telephone, TV for about 100us per month
constant natural gas or electric delivered and metered to the house not LPG in a bottle.
Dog plays watchman and barks at the neighbors and mailman.
Santo Domingo majority of the population
No constant water pressure, at any psi unless you have a pressure tank
No constant electricity at any voltage let alone 220
No constant internet speed, telephone, or TV and its at least 100+ per month
No natural gas to the house, LPG by the bottle nice for the BBQ
Dog plays watchman and barks at the neighbors, no mailman.
As far as the garbage in the streets, that will take the population learning not to throw the crap out the car window, or into the street. I see empty trash containers all over el conde. and if you really want to see garbage just walk the malecon, and look at the rock. Or take a trip to the zoo and check the housing on the above right just before you get there. let me know where the same view is in miami.
I love Santo Domingo but lets not go overboard on what we compare it to.
No! They are most certainly not!
Being available doesn't mean all can afford the services all over Miami! Plenty of homes without running water/electricity in the Miami area due to lack of money!
I have electricity 24/7/356(6), water with constant pressure, hot water, cooking gas, the same Satellite TV and Internet over dish as in the US!
If water/electricity were as you pointed out "infrastructures" they wouldn't be charged for on a constant basis like the paved streets you drive on, the bridge one must cross to go over the river/canals, over the aid TV channels and all other things that are true infrastructures that serve a population on a constant not billed for service.
Water is not free; neither is electricity or TV cable, high speed internet and others. Those are commodities we have accepted and branded "infrastructure", which we have come to expect without a second though in other nations, while they most certainly aren't such.
Plenty of homes in Orange/homestead/etc... all over Florida alone with neither service available or offered!
Go back to your notepad and go into the basics of public infrastructure (they are called public for a reason)... Now if we are into private infrastructure regarding the city of Miami and SD, please! We're comparing a city on one of the most developed nations on earth, to one barely starting on that path!
I'll take DR1 over I-95 in Miami/FL anytime!
Want pictures?
Just one question.
If you as a developer in Boward Orange county and start a new development, are you required by the (city, county, state) to have all the utilities installed including steets and fire hydrants as part of the development? If so then they are infrastructure. now there may be charges for those utilities, such as water, electricity, street maintenance etc. but if they are required to be there as the development is built your argument is bogus.
If a house has had the utilities shut off due to inability to pay. that does not mean that they are not availiable they are there waiting to be turned on. HERE THEY ARE NOT AVAILIABLE AND SHUT OFF, THERE JUST NOT THERE.
Now if you want to call that commodities we have accepted and branded "infrastructure" fine. Im saying if they are required at build time then they are not commodities, they are infact infrastructure.
If water/electricity were as you pointed out "infrastructures" they wouldn't be charged for on a constant basis like the paved streets you drive on, the bridge one must cross to go over the river/canals, over the aid TV channels and all other things that are true infrastructures that serve a population on a constant not billed for service
I seem to remember paying state, federal and in some cases county and city taxes that paid for Street, Bridge, canal maint. so I would not class those as a not billed for service. I assume that your talking about NBC, CBS, ABC over the air channels or any of the public radio channels. those are not infrastructure, those are licensed broadcasters that are being ran due to paid for advertising. The only one provided for by law is PBS.
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Very helpful posts!
How do you think DR's infrastructures and the country as a whole would cope with an hearthquake similar to Haiti's one (sorry haven't checked if already discussed in another thread)?
Don't want to sound more paranoid than I am, but considering the distance between both countries, recent events, and Hispaniola's seismic activity history (correct me if I'm wrong)...I think it is a pretty fair question to ask...
How do you think DR's infrastructures and the country as a whole would cope with an hearthquake similar to Haiti's one (sorry haven't checked if already discussed in another thread)?
Don't want to sound more paranoid than I am, but considering the distance between both countries, recent events, and Hispaniola's seismic activity history (correct me if I'm wrong)...I think it is a pretty fair question to ask...
Santo Domingo is on the same fault line as PaP, but I think it would do much better in an earthquake. After the last big quake in PaP, the fault line "unzipped" with a series of quakes over several years that ended in Kingston, Jamaica which was pretty bad there..
Negative, there are no fault lines in SD.
The P-A-P fault line is responsible for the existence of the Sierra de Bahoruco/Massif de la Selle, Blue Mountains (in Jamaica) since it runs through the middle of those mountain chains. Going eastward somewhere along the Barahona coast the fault line plunges into the sea, turns slightly southeast and continues away from the coast.