Well, a basic consumer basket of goods is always considered for cost of living comparison. You cut off the bottom and you cut off the top, and you measure what's left in the middle. (E.g. you don't count first class air tickets to Bora bora, nor the rent in tin roof housing.) Also, I think a median of population (what they buy and in what quantities) is considered with this kind of comparisons, which would skew it towards the lower income classes in the DR and their corresponding purchases.
What's considered: food, clothing, housing, education, transportation, entertainment, health, etc.
For example, take housing. In SD you can find very many cheap housing (e.g. rents in 5-6.000 pesos range). In NY - good luck trying to find something for 150 dollars a month.
Transportation - a guagua or concho costs you 10-15 pesos in SD. In NY the metro bus is how much? A dollar a ride?
In SD a private school - colegio - (not Carol Morgan, of course) would cost you what - 2K or 3K pesos per month. In NYC how much would that be? 500 dollars or more?
If you go to emergency room in SD in a private clinic how much do you pay WITHOUT insurance? About 400-500 pesos, depending on the place. In the US I don't think they would not even let you pass the hospital's front door with 15 dollars in your pocket...
... and it keeps going like that ...
I agree with you on rents, but if you buy using a mortgage like most people whether here or USA, the shorter terms and high rates mean a payment that would exceed USA.
School- you need to compare apples- that 2000 peso school is not going to produce the same student as the lower level schools in NYC, not even close. Unfortunately you do need to compare some of the higher end schools here just to be the normal equivalent in USA free public schools. So close to zero versus 1000usd per month and thst not Carol Morgan, its more i believe.
Emergency room visits without insurance is not a daily normal occurance , an exception.
Transportation definitely cheaper here but increases your odds of the emergency room visit, as opposed to safe comfortable transit, therefore your almost forced to use taxis in place of normal transit in USA-therefore more costly here.
Clothing- far less selection and poorer quality here, but if you shop around yes could be cheaper here-debatable.
Food, whether grocery store or restaurant---quality and choices of course are less here, yet far more expensive..My monthly grocery bill is far more than when I lived in Canada, Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, and my throw away because of rotten, expired, is also much greater. These are products that they conveniently avoid stamping expiries.
Vehicles-well i dont even need to comment on that one.
It can be very subjective and is determined by the individual, but I for one spend far more here than Canada for doing the same things but with less desireable results.
This being said I am not complaining just stating my reality...i can go to a tropical beach paradise in under and hour drive-summer all year round!!
