why DR so expensive? how domicans can face it?

rubenpriego

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Feb 28, 2011
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Hi again there,

I really cannot understand prices in DR. I am from Barcelona, Spain.

Talking about facts:

An Spanish average salary is about 1.200?/month (about 1.600$) plus two extra salaries in summer and Christmas.

An average salary in DR for a dominican can be about 600$/month (for qualified workers). I know can be more, but the spanish one I wrote also, so just keep that figure.

That means that on average in Spain we earn three or more times salary than in DR.

Then, when I look at the cost of living in DR I get crazy. Just checking basic food like: eggs, rice, milk, water, beer, chicken, etc, I realise that are more or less same prices than in Barcelona!!!!

How can that be? How dominicans can live with those prices if we are talking about basics!!

The same happens with electronics, clothes, etc. Maybe part it is about the lack of big discount stores we have in Europe, where you really have very low prices for basic food even for european standard prices.

Anyone can explain?

Txs!
 

bachata

Aprendiz de todo profesional de nada
Aug 18, 2007
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Hi again there,

I really cannot understand prices in DR. I am from Barcelona, Spain.

Talking about facts:

An Spanish average salary is about 1.200?/month (about 1.600$) plus two extra salaries in summer and Christmas.

An average salary in DR for a dominican can be about 600$/month (for qualified workers). I know can be more, but the spanish one I wrote also, so just keep that figure.

That means that on average in Spain we earn three or more times salary than in DR.

Then, when I look at the cost of living in DR I get crazy. Just checking basic food like: eggs, rice, milk, water, beer, chicken, etc, I realise that are more or less same prices than in Barcelona!!!!

How can that be? How dominicans can live with those prices if we are talking about basics!!

The same happens with electronics, clothes, etc. Maybe part it is about the lack of big discount stores we have in Europe, where you really have very low prices for basic food even for european standard prices.

Anyone can explain?

Txs!

That's why they want to move to Barcelona...

JJ
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Several reasons come to mind:

Lack of efficient production methods for the basics (when you have to pay exorbitant prices for energy (electricity for production often supplemented by locally generating power due to unreliable utilities and fuels for transportation) that gets passed on to the customer.


High import duties on items not produced in the DR

High priced but low quality communications services

Greed and monopolies supported by the government
 
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rubenpriego

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Feb 28, 2011
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What it is amazing is that we are not talking just about imported stuff, dominican products can be a bit cheaper than imported ones, but still having almost same price than in Spain ... absolutely ridiculous ...

Those absolutely out of sense prices for basics in some countries would push citizens to a kind of revolution against the government ...

Maybe I am losing something, still wondering how dominicans can go to a bar and sit down for a beer, a dinner, etc ... maybe lot of black economy? people earning extra money with any business, as Cuban people are used to for so long time to be able to make their living ...
 

DMV123

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Mar 31, 2010
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Dominicans for the most part, do not live the way you imagine. They do not eat the way you imagine.

They live many people to one household, combining incomes to make ends meet. Their homes are not what you would imagine! They do not starve but many are malnourished or do not eat healthy. Rice is not expensive and fills the belly but protein is expensive and so they eat little of it.

Drinking is probably one of the few things that is inexpensive compared to Spain! Dominicans can pretty much always find money for bottle.


And by the way, not very many earn 600 US a month, very very few earn this.
 

rubenpriego

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Yeah, I know, I have been many times to DR and not as a tourist, but as a traveller (really different way).
And about drinks, just the rum is cheaper than in Spain! ;) (a beer here is only a bit more expensive, but not so much)
Cheers!
 

santobonao

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www.telemundo.com
Yeah, I know, I have been many times to DR and not as a tourist, but as a traveller (really different way).
And about drinks, just the rum is cheaper than in Spain! ;) (a beer here is only a bit more expensive, but not so much)
Cheers!

the cost of life is very expensive in dominican republic and its ridiculous in many way.
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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The upper middle to rich people spend a lot of money to live well, even more so than in spain. the lower middle class folks just learn to live within their budget.
example: they often pay no rent as they live in their own home. they don't turn on A/c at night or go to porterhouse to eat a fancy steak. they eat simple foods (rice, beans and chicken). they have more than one person working in the house, so the combined income makes them live from day to day. The poor live without the luxury. many don't pay water and steal electric. they eat salami and yuca every night for dinner. They are the ones who really do have the hardest life here yet they don't know any better so they are ok with it.
AZB
 

shawn27

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May 24, 2010
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What it is amazing is that we are not talking just about imported stuff, dominican products can be a bit cheaper than imported ones, but still having almost same price than in Spain ... absolutely ridiculous ...

Those absolutely out of sense prices for basics in some countries would push citizens to a kind of revolution against the government ...

Maybe I am losing something, still wondering how dominicans can go to a bar and sit down for a beer, a dinner, etc ... maybe lot of black economy? people earning extra money with any business, as Cuban people are used to for so long time to be able to make their living ...

They share. Many live together and combine their incomes. They cook at home.. Many depend on remittances from abroad just like many other countries in the carribean.
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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They do not starve but many are malnourished or do not eat healthy. Rice is not expensive and fills the belly but protein is expensive and so they eat little of it.

What country do you live in???


Only a minority of Dominicans I have seen are malnourished. Yes they eat less meat than Americans or Europeans but by all accounts that is a good thing. Sheesh.
 

Matilda

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Sep 13, 2006
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Dominicans may not be malnourished but I do not think anyone could say that the average diet of the less well off Dominican is healthy. Very high in oil and salt and sugar. Main staple is rice or plantain or root vegetables such as yuca. Low in fresh green vegetables and salad. Yes there is some meat and occasionally fish and eggs. I would say low in vitamins too. The good point is nearly all if not all of the food is organic, no fast food, no pre packed frozen stuff, and lots of fresh fruit straight from the tree.

matilda
 

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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chip assures


Only a minority of Dominicans I have seen are malnourished. Yes they eat less meat than Americans or Europeans but by all accounts that is a good thing. Sheesh.

well, it depends on what you consider malnourishment to be. the latest statistics reveal that Dominican women rank #14 in the world in terms of obesity. one of the contributors to this condition is poor diet. correct me if i am wrong.
 
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pweidlich

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Dec 13, 2010
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The besieged middle class also has to deal with the exorbitant cost of vehicles, education, clothing and medical services. Not to mention taxes. Things that are standard for the middle class in other countries such as the occasional trip overseas, eating out a few times a month, are slowly becoming impossible to enjoy. Even going to the beach has become expensive since most accessible beaches cater to dollar toting tourists and rich dominicans that buy beachfront property for the private vacation homes.
 

Chip

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well, it depends on what you consider malnourishment to be.

By your definition I expect there are few people in the world that are properly nourished the US and Europe included. Maybe you propose we all eat spinach leaves and raw oats?

At any rate malnourished is synonymous with undernourished which is generally understood to be due to lack of food, whatever type it may be.
 

shawn27

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May 24, 2010
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The besieged middle class also has to deal with the exorbitant cost of vehicles, education, clothing and medical services. Not to mention taxes. Things that are standard for the middle class in other countries such as the occasional trip overseas, eating out a few times a month, are slowly becoming impossible to enjoy. Even going to the beach has become expensive since most accessible beaches cater to dollar toting tourists and rich dominicans that buy beachfront property for the private vacation homes.

I don't agree with the part about the beach. It seems that at Boca Chica the far right of the beach is for dominicans to hang out. One can go to the beach and spend zero dollars if they choose.
 

Africaida

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Jun 19, 2009
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By your definition I expect there are few people in the world that are properly nourished the US and Europe included. Maybe you propose we all eat spinach leaves and raw oats?

At any rate malnourished is synonymous with undernourished which is generally understood to be due to lack of food, whatever type it may be.

Malnutrition and Undernutrition are 2 distinct things.
Undernutrition is of course having insufficient food, While malnutrition is having an unbalance diet.

Hence malnutrition is not necessary found in poor countries; example the US, with its obesity rate has a problem with malnutrition, but in this case it is associated with overnutrition :cheeky:
 

Africaida

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It's all good !


Chip from the same MW:

Malnutrition - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Malnutrition: : faulty nutrition due to inadequate or unbalanced intake of nutrients or their impaired assimilation or utilization.

Whatever rocks your boat I guess :bunny:

But to go back to the topic of the thread, it is clear that people understood the way I did, because clearly the Dominican Republic is not Somalia, ok ?

Que viva tu patria ;)