Living Costs in the Dominican Republic

[donP]

Non Smoking Dominicans

... for example to pay 170.- pesos per pack of Marlboro smokes where you paid til now 150.- per pack, just to take a common example of daily "goods".

They are not "goods" but rather "bads" and should go up by 200% or more for polluting the air and molesting
other people.
I very much appreciate, that Dominicans do not smoke; in fact very few do.

I observe that those who do smoke are usually "somehow attached to gringos" (sankies, putas, tigueres, etc.).

donP

 

[bob saunders]

They are not "goods" but rather "bads" and should go up by 200% or more for polluting the air and molesting
other people.
I very much appreciate, that Dominicans do not smoke; in fact very few do.

I observe that those who do smoke are usually "somehow attached to gringos" (sankies, putas, tigueres, etc.).

donP

Not true Don. The numbers may not be as high as in other countries but plenty of ordinary Dominicans that are not attached in any way to Gringos or tourists smoke. All the way from little old ladies that smoke a clay pipe to farm labourers. Every colmado sells cigarettes, lots of them.

 

[donP]

No Smoking

Not true Don. The numbers may not be as high as in other countries but plenty of ordinary Dominicans that are not attached in any way to Gringos or tourists smoke. All the way from little old ladies that smoke a clay pipe to farm labourers.

They are the few, I mentioned.
List of countries by cigarette consumption per capita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BTW, old lady's clay pipe is fine; she can pass our gate.... :bunny:

And no, my farm hands do not smoke; otherwise I would not have employed them.


donP

 

[MikeFisher]

They are not "goods" but rather "bads" and should go up by 200% or more for polluting the air and molesting
other people.
I very much appreciate, that Dominicans do not smoke; in fact very few do.

I observe that those who do smoke are usually "somehow attached to gringos" (sankies, putas, tigueres, etc.).


donP

totally disagree by own experience. just check the colmados, specially the smallest, and observe how many people by there cigarettes as "singles", they can't afford a whole pack, not even to buy a medium pack, so they buy one or two at a time.
good or bad, depends on the point of view, a group of drunken visitors as a wedding group on my beach here in front of the veranda sure bother me feeling and healthwise much more than a smoker sitting a few meters away having a cigar or marlboro or what so ever.
anyway,
i did not ment6ion the cigarettes rates as a rise to start a discussion about stu prohibotions, it was just one of a thousand examples of goods to purchase which rised the prices. if you feel better, the price for a simple liter of milk also went up.
many of the Dominican family on the countryside is smokers, only very few of the family living in the better residencies in the cities do so. none of my Crews(they are on daily bases attached to gringos, as they live and work with Gringos solely) does smoke tho, but i would not dare to make a generalization out of that own observations, as yours show that we experience things very different, depending where we live, with whom, who the families are etc etc. back home in euope all goes the way of damning smoking, barely spots left where a smoker could join his/her selfchoosen pleasure, i never realized such trend here on the island.

MIke

 

[PICHARDO]

They are the few, I mentioned.
List of countries by cigarette consumption per capita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BTW, old lady's clay pipe is fine; she can pass our gate.... :bunny:

And no, my farm hands do not smoke; otherwise I would not have employed them.


donP

You're correct in your post, but it's even better than you think!

A good portion of cigarettes "tallied" as consumed by Dominicans is actually smuggled across the border to Haiti's market.
Since smugglers buy from smaller vendors instead of the high volume suppliers, the figures are skewed when it comes to real consumption of Dominicans.

 

[MikeFisher]

@cjp2010 i can't understand someone who CAN afford to buy a car or taxi that will drive around the city in public car or moto concho...

Damaging your health and security to save a few $$ every month...

i fully understand that someone would do so. it is nothing rare in german mayor cities since decades. why to pay the involved maintenance, purchasing a car, every few years selling/changing to a newer model, pay fuels and insurances, the same danger of accidents, in the big city centers the costy need of a parking space, searching for a parking lot when going shopping etc, when the cities provide a easy to come around public transportation system. the transport systems available in the DR cities may not be the most comfortable ones compared to a foreign country's systems, but they are for a local very easy to use, cheap and hassle free. with the safed money for the over all costs of a own car something else could be purchased to sweeten life.
it depends where someone lives. in the center of a big city, if not relying on a own car for work outside of the center, a non car way makes fine sense to me.

Mike

 

[MikeFisher]

You're correct in your post, but it's even better than you think!

A good portion of cigarettes "tallied" as consumed by Dominicans is actually smuggled across the border to Haiti's market.
Since smugglers buy from smaller vendors instead of the high volume suppliers, the figures are skewed when it comes to real consumption of Dominicans.

such specific sideeffects are usual for all countries and for many different goodies. no exact amount on file for drugs traveling from the south to northamerica and europe, and here in the DR also smokes consumed which do not have the required tax banderole on the pack, so they are illegally smuggled INTO the DR and consumed here, without beeing the above count neither. give some here and take some there, the shown numbers are the thing to take as the facts, as the rest could not be estimated.
but i guess we are wandering off topic, as it is about Living Costs in the DR, and if you earn your money in dominican pesos, then they just rised again, they anyways rise constantly, i am often wondering how employees survive since years with the same salary, considering how much more they pay for the same daily needed products compared to the price in DR Pesos for the same products lets say 3 or 4 or 5 years ago.
it does not effect the ones who earn their money in foreign currency, specially in US$Dollars, as when the prices rise we also get on the exchange rate accordingly more pesos per greenbuck.
if a liter milk costs today on a exchange rate of 43 pesos per dollar, 50 pesos per liter, it costs me the same when the same milk costs me 100 pesos while the exchange rate went up on 86 pesos per dollar. who is fu.cked on such is the employee who earns in times of a 86 exchange rate still the same or maybe on a lucky graceous rise a 15% more than he did when the milk was still just 50 pesos per liter.

Mike

MIke

 

[Criss Colon]

The day I post about OTHER people decisions regarding how they spend their money, and smoking/non smoking habits, is the day I go on "Amazon" and see how much it costs to,...."GET A LIFE"!!!!!!!
"Smokers" seem to be very friendly, social people.
They don't criticize other for NOT SMOKING!!!!!
That reminds me, time for a BIG, Black,.NO NOT THAT, cigar!
It's ALWAYS the "Haitians Fault", when it fits your AGENDA!!!!!!!!
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Dominicans don't smoke, because they spend all their money on Alcohol!

 

[jeanchris]

i fully understand that someone would do so. it is nothing rare in german mayor cities since decades. why to pay the involved maintenance, purchasing a car, every few years selling/changing to a newer model, pay fuels and insurances, the same danger of accidents, in the big city centers the costy need of a parking space, searching for a parking lot when going shopping etc, when the cities provide a easy to come around public transportation system. the transport systems available in the DR cities may not be the most comfortable ones compared to a foreign country's systems, but they are for a local very easy to use, cheap and hassle free. with the safed money for the over all costs of a own car something else could be purchased to sweeten life.
it depends where someone lives. in the center of a big city, if not relying on a own car for work outside of the center, a non car way makes fine sense to me.

Mike

I never went to Germany, but i am sure that taking the bus there or a public car is not same thing as here.

Are they 10 stuck in a car for 5 person? With a dangerous driver (most part are)

I know one thing when i drive in the city, never fu*ck around with those bus and public car, because they dont give a damn about you!

Also, while driving in this type of public car or moto, you are inhalating some pretty sick polution with all those car and big trucks shooting some black smoke out of their muffler (if you live in the city). I would just not be interested to save money for that.

 

[Criss Colon]

Mike doesn't have the "Pleasure" of living in Santo Domingo.
Much less POLUTION where he lives.
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[jeanchris]

Exactly. In a "normal" country i would say its brillant to save money this way, but in DR its a total different story!

 

[MikeFisher]

jeanchris,
pou did not understand completely my point.
i was not talking about myself, as i am personally very far away to safe money on my living costs in the DR by not using a Car. heck, i start my Truck and let the big diesel smoke even if i just go to the 400 meters away supermarket to buy a pack of smokes. i am born and raised country, public transportation was after dark non existing there in my youth, and i stay country til the last smoke/breath.
but i know a good number of euopean mayor city raised people who do not own/mainatain acar for above mentioned reasons, i even know a Lady my age who did never bother to make a drivers license at any time(which is very very rare for a german lady), she's born and lives and works in Hamburg's central. sure she is not traveling by carro publico, as there the speedtrain starts in the rhytm of a new ride per 60 seconds, no wait and no fumes, lol.
for your comparison of the public transportation system and to use it or not, you have to compare the over all situations.
a german city gal would not hopp on a carro publico DR styled in the center of Frankfurt, right, but she would not live in 6000.- pesos room or a shack neither.
the way the modern public transport system in a mayor city in europe is suitable for the citizens of those cities, the same suitable the DR public transport system is suitable for a DR City Citizen, and they use it for the same reasons and are used to their city's system equally.
so No, i myself would not ride on regular bases in a carro publico in St Dgo enjoying the pesty smokes of the vehicles there, I would neither wanna ride in santo domingo in my own Truck on regular bases as i still would inhale such fumes(even much less due a moder cars airsystem of course), heck, i would never ever not even for just a week wanting to live/stay in the Center of Santo Domingo, which is nothing against St Dgo in particular, i would hate to be forced to live in the center of any mayor american or european city, too, as thats just not for me.

Mike

 

[cjp2010]

@cjp2010 i can't understand someone who CAN afford to buy a car or taxi that will drive around the city in public car or moto concho...

Damaging your health and security to save a few $$ every month...

I just don't look at it that way. I'm comfortable with it and I'm not scared of it. I promised myself when I moved here I would try to fit in at least to some extent with "Domincan" lifestyle here not "other gringo" lifestyle here. I told myself if and when I couldn't tolerate it that way I would up and leave and I still hold myself to that commitment despite having since married here. But I don't think that day will come. I am very happy with my life here and how I choose to live it. It isn't for everybody but it works for me.

 

[cjp2010]

such specific sideeffects are usual for all countries and for many different goodies. no exact amount on file for drugs traveling from the south to northamerica and europe, and here in the DR also smokes consumed which do not have the required tax banderole on the pack, so they are illegally smuggled INTO the DR and consumed here, without beeing the above count neither. give some here and take some there, the shown numbers are the thing to take as the facts, as the rest could not be estimated.
but i guess we are wandering off topic, as it is about Living Costs in the DR, and if you earn your money in dominican pesos, then they just rised again, they anyways rise constantly, i am often wondering how employees survive since years with the same salary, considering how much more they pay for the same daily needed products compared to the price in DR Pesos for the same products lets say 3 or 4 or 5 years ago.
it does not effect the ones who earn their money in foreign currency, specially in US$Dollars, as when the prices rise we also get on the exchange rate accordingly more pesos per greenbuck.
if a liter milk costs today on a exchange rate of 43 pesos per dollar, 50 pesos per liter, it costs me the same when the same milk costs me 100 pesos while the exchange rate went up on 86 pesos per dollar. who is fu.cked on such is the employee who earns in times of a 86 exchange rate still the same or maybe on a lucky graceous rise a 15% more than he did when the milk was still just 50 pesos per liter.

Mike

MIke

Good point. Very few others see that. There are so many people here who complain when the cost of something goes up a few pesos, whereas in the same amount of time the percentage rate of the exchange for your dollar has gone up more. Its one thing if you are living here on pesos but when you are living here on dollars its silly. I discuss it with my wife all the time. She is always angry when she comes back from the supermarket and the bill is 50 pesos more than the week before but then I tell her we have 100 pesos more for the same dollars so it doesn't matter to me.

 

[MikeFisher]

Good point. Very few others see that. There are so many people here who complain when the cost of something goes up a few pesos, whereas in the same amount of time the percentage rate of the exchange for your dollar has gone up more. Its one thing if you are living here on pesos but when you are living here on dollars its silly. I discuss it with my wife all the time. She is always angry when she comes back from the supermarket and the bill is 50 pesos more than the week before but then I tell her we have 100 pesos more for the same dollars so it doesn't matter to me.

yes,
it is a big difference to calculate living costs for a visitor/mover who plans to live on foreign funds like a pension or such, or to plan on living costs for a foreigner movng to DR to earn his(her money here on a job where the salary is paid in DR Pesos.

Mike

 

[SteveK]

Retiring

My wife, whose Dominican, and I plan on retiring in the Santiago area in a few years..Looking at $1,600 USD a month..we are looking to build a home for about 50-55k USD...hopefully we'll get by...:nervous:

 

[Criss Colon]

Don't count on it!
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[MikeFisher]

My wife, whose Dominican, and I plan on retiring in the Santiago area in a few years..Looking at $1,600 USD a month..we are looking to build a home for about 50-55k USD...hopefully we'll get by...:nervous:

i understand that you already have the 55K for the house on the bank/cash in hands, so there will not be nany mortgage to be paid off once you are moved, right.
still, $1.600.- per month for a couple maintaining a own home(hey, we all know that renting is often ""cheaper"", lol, there are always costs, stufff to be fixed etc) and sure you want to drive a car(or two?) sounds like a very low budget for a homeowner. the belts will be set tight on such budget, considering that retirement often(sooner or later) comes with extra medical expenses etc, aside of the usual every day living costs.

Mike

 

[Expat13]

i understand that you already have the 55K for the house on the bank/cash in hands, so there will not be nany mortgage to be paid off once you are moved, right.
still, $1.600.- per month for a couple maintaining a own home(hey, we all know that renting is often ""cheaper"", lol, there are always costs, stufff to be fixed etc) and sure you want to drive a car(or two?) sounds like a very low budget for a homeowner. the belts will be set tight on such budget, considering that retirement often(sooner or later) comes with extra medical expenses etc, aside of the usual every day living costs.

Mike

Sadly I spend that much per month in just the unknowns. Each there own, some can do and be happy others no.

 

[Criss Colon]

2,000, Minimum!
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and,...."NO STEAK FOR YOU"!