With USD$300-400/month can I get what I am looking for?

Trotamundo

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Apr 9, 2011
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Hello...

I am interested in spending 6-8 months in the DR this coming year and would like to live in a decent area, not sure if in Santo Domingo, Santiago, or where yet. Never been to the DR. I have about $300-400 a month for rent and am wondering if I could get the following: a small, fairly decent studio or private room in a safe place (perhaps a gated building or community), furnished, 24/hour electricity, in a place where Internet access is available at all times, maybe a small refrigerator, air conditioning would be ideal.

I speak fluent Spanish, not sure if that matters.

Just trying to get a general idea of whether my budget is enough to get me something fairly decent.

Thanks!
 

j&t's future

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Mar 6, 2007
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Hello...

I am interested in spending 6-8 months in the DR this coming year and would like to live in a decent area, not sure if in Santo Domingo, Santiago, or where yet. Never been to the DR. I have about $300-400 a month for rent and am wondering if I could get the following: a small, fairly decent studio or private room in a safe place (perhaps a gated building or community), furnished, 24/hour electricity, in a place where Internet access is available at all times, maybe a small refrigerator, air conditioning would be ideal.

I speak fluent Spanish, not sure if that matters.

Just trying to get a general idea of whether my budget is enough to get me something fairly decent.

Thanks!

The answer is no, so many people have this idea (without even having set foot on the Island) they can live in luxury/decent area for peanuts and quite simply you can't.
As my mother often reminded me as a child "If you have to ask the price you can't afford it".
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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Well, you can't do it in the city, Santo Domingo is out of the question and I'd guess Santiago might well be also, but it isn't impossible.
You can find one bedroomed decent places in a nice community in Jarabacoa for under $400p/month, you're not going to get a house or a well furnished place, but you can get a 'furnished' place in a nice environment there. Electricity is an issue, it goes off for a couple of hours every other day, and when it rains, and you WON'T find anywhere with an inversor for that price.
Believe it or not Bavaro is another very cheap place. You can get a 1 bedroomed/studio, furnished apartment within a hundred meters of the beach in a decent complex with communal pool for $350 p/month up over, but you'd need to be on the ground calling numbers, but you might find a few a little further inland online. Biggest downside for a short termer in Bavaro is you MUST have transport, best positive is good electricity and no need for an inversor, but contracts WILL be a minimum of 6 months. Apart from that everything else is expensive there so take that into consideration, you will find yourself paying RD100 for a pequena in many places as standard.

You can ask Pi2 if he can send you the details of property in LT that goes for peanuts, I think he was boasting a 1 bedroomed apartment, with pool and 100 yard from the beach with 24hour security for $200 per month. Unfortunately he is not easy to track down when trying to get clarification/confirmation/evidence of these offers that he comes up with. So make of that what you will.

Personally if money was that tight then I'd look elsewhere, you're not really going to have a comfortable time in the Republic on that budget.
 

pi2

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Oct 12, 2011
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Try Guatemala, or Chile

Yes, for sure, look outside main cities. $400 is a lot. look at las terrenas online mag LT7 - normally two or three adverts for $150- $250. In person there are a lot more. Mainly in secure residences etc. 1 br etc.
Track it down by looking at LT7 - the doubters.
LT7.com
page 10. 8000 , security, swimming pool.
More if you go in person. Know 3 gringos are paying 8,000 for nice places.
Others from 5000. Electric is out 1/2 hour an month in LT.
You can stay at Fata Monganos - advertiser in this site (dr1) or elswhere - for not a lot while you settle down and negociate for 1-2 weeks. After rent $2-400 a month should cover living expenses.

pi2
 

monfongo

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Feb 10, 2005
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costambar in puerto plata you can get a decent 1 bdrm. for 400 if you rent long term 6 months or more.
 

Trotamundo

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Apr 9, 2011
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Thank you to everyone who posted so far. A lot of varied responses but it certainly does seem to me from looking at the LT7 classifieds that I can get more than what I am looking for in my budget.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Smaller towns, yes (but maybe not luxury w a/c.) Larger cities, no.
 

mountainannie

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Dec 11, 2003
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Thank you to everyone who posted so far. A lot of varied responses but it certainly does seem to me from looking at the LT7 classifieds that I can get more than what I am looking for in my budget.

let us know if you really can do that! especially for a less than one year rental..

enquiring minds want to know

i know of one place for short term in the village .. about $400.. the rest are year long leases
 

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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Well, you can't do it in the city, Santo Domingo is out of the question and I'd guess Santiago might well be also, but it isn't impossible.
You can find one bedroomed decent places in a nice community in Jarabacoa for under $400p/month, you're not going to get a house or a well furnished place, but you can get a 'furnished' place in a nice environment there. Electricity is an issue, it goes off for a couple of hours every other day, and when it rains, and you WON'T find anywhere with an inversor for that price.
Believe it or not Bavaro is another very cheap place. You can get a 1 bedroomed/studio, furnished apartment within a hundred meters of the beach in a decent complex with communal pool for $350 p/month up over, but you'd need to be on the ground calling numbers, but you might find a few a little further inland online. Biggest downside for a short termer in Bavaro is you MUST have transport, best positive is good electricity and no need for an inversor, but contracts WILL be a minimum of 6 months. Apart from that everything else is expensive there so take that into consideration, you will find yourself paying RD100 for a pequena in many places as standard.

You can ask Pi2 if he can send you the details of property in LT that goes for peanuts, I think he was boasting a 1 bedroomed apartment, with pool and 100 yard from the beach with 24hour security for $200 per month. Unfortunately he is not easy to track down when trying to get clarification/confirmation/evidence of these offers that he comes up with. So make of that what you will.

Personally if money was that tight then I'd look elsewhere, you're not really going to have a comfortable time in the Republic on that budget.

300-400 is only his rental budget, not his whole budget. This means 11-15,000 per month available for rent. Since he is looking for either a secure room or a studio/bachelor Apartment could he not find that in Santiago at that price in the University area?
 

xwill

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Dec 2, 2011
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Well, you can't do it in the city, Santo Domingo is out of the question and I'd guess Santiago might well be also, but it isn't impossible.
You can find one bedroomed decent places in a nice community in Jarabacoa for under $400p/month, you're not going to get a house or a well furnished place, but you can get a 'furnished' place in a nice environment there. Electricity is an issue, it goes off for a couple of hours every other day, and when it rains, and you WON'T find anywhere with an inversor for that price.
Believe it or not Bavaro is another very cheap place. You can get a 1 bedroomed/studio, furnished apartment within a hundred meters of the beach in a decent complex with communal pool for $350 p/month up over, but you'd need to be on the ground calling numbers, but you might find a few a little further inland online. Biggest downside for a short termer in Bavaro is you MUST have transport, best positive is good electricity and no need for an inversor, but contracts WILL be a minimum of 6 months. Apart from that everything else is expensive there so take that into consideration, you will find yourself paying RD100 for a pequena in many places as standard.

You can ask Pi2 if he can send you the details of property in LT that goes for peanuts, I think he was boasting a 1 bedroomed apartment, with pool and 100 yard from the beach with 24hour security for $200 per month. Unfortunately he is not easy to track down when trying to get clarification/confirmation/evidence of these offers that he comes up with. So make of that what you will.

Personally if money was that tight then I'd look elsewhere, you're not really going to have a comfortable time in the Republic on that budget.
LT is only good if you are retired and have nothing to do all day...

Also, you CAN find apartments for under 10,000 pesos all over the place in "decent" areas!
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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300-400 is only his rental budget, not his whole budget. This means 11-15,000 per month available for rent. Since he is looking for either a secure room or a studio/bachelor Apartment could he not find that in Santiago at that price in the University area?

Maybe he could, I don't know Santiago, but I'm going with the 6-8month rental and so he will need furnished. I know or a couple of places in Santo Domingo you can get a furnished studio for RD15,000, but they are restricted, nice area but restricted as in you don't really have an outside other than the street. Someone with Santigo knowledge will have to help on this, maybe the area you mention is worth a punt if you've seen them there, pretty good if they have inversors for that price incl.

Pi2, the ONE RD8,000 p/m studio in LT that I can see is not furnished. Please refrain from making every pricing thread into a competition to see who can find the cheapest offers, you are not impressing anyone with your antics of scrimping nonsense.
The offers you find never meet the requirements of the person inquiring. I can send you to 3 bedroom houses in Jarabacoa for RD6,000-7,000 per month in a nice environment, and good people, but you still need to furnish the place. You make it impossible not to doubt everything you say, it really is quite a sad state. If I have the wrong apartment then I apologize, if I don't then please be a bit more accurate rather than random BS as usual.
 

Trotamundo

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Apr 9, 2011
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university area

300-400 is only his rental budget, not his whole budget. This means 11-15,000 per month available for rent. Since he is looking for either a secure room or a studio/bachelor Apartment could he not find that in Santiago at that price in the University area?


Living in the university area would be nice since I would meet other people in my age group; yes I am happy to live in a place 35m2 or even smaller and it doesn't need to be "luxury", just clean, basic furnished, decent enough (I know that's quite subjective). No A/C is OK if A/C in DR is a big luxury. Safety is very important. Could be just a room and an attached bathroom, I don't even really need kitchen facilities, but a small fridge would be nice (but not necessary).
 

Trotamundo

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Apr 9, 2011
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Where would I look to find places? Mostly online at classified sites or take a walk around the neighborhood and ask people?
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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There are plenty of secure apartments here in Santiago that one can pay the rent and internet for US400.

I just helped my friend move into a three bedroom one in Los Llanos de Gurabo. His total monthly bill for the rent, internet and telephone is US260 a month.
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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Where have these cheap, secure, furnished apartments come from. For years we struggled to find anything under RD20,000 in the city (Cap), min. I'm very impressed with 3 rooms, furnished and bills for $260us, amazing if a nice area, people will be moving in droves at these prices. Good stuff!
 
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xwill

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Dec 2, 2011
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Where have these cheap, secure, furnished apartments come from. For years we struggled to find anything under RD20,000 in the city (Cap), min. I'm very impressed with 3 rooms, furnished and bills for $260us, amazing if a nice area, people will be moving in droves at these prices. Good stuff!
Its better to drive in the areas and look for rental signs in front of the apartments. Also, take a drive at night on a weekend night and see if the music is loud and if there are many parties. A place could be cheap but the people next door could be loud!
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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Its better to drive in the areas and look for rental signs in front of the apartments. Also, take a drive at night on a weekend night and see if the music is loud and if there are many parties. A place could be cheap but the people next door could be loud!

I know how to find an apartment/house, I've just never come across them at these prices in good central areas. Other than that furnished usually doubles the rent, so $260 inclusive of phone and net is amazing value, no matter where it is. I was really asking if rentals in Santiago have taken a dip recently? It's great for tenants, housing priced relevant to earnings is what everyone wants.
 

xwill

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Dec 2, 2011
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I know how to find an apartment/house, I've just never come across them at these prices in good central areas. Other than that furnished usually doubles the rent, so $260 inclusive of phone and net is amazing value, no matter where it is. I was really asking if rentals in Santiago have taken a dip recently? It's great for tenants, housing priced relevant to earnings is what everyone wants.
No Santiago has not taken a dip and won't anytime soon. It is the greatest city in DR and apartments are in demand. The population keeps growing and it has everything that you want with less*traffic*than SD.*