New to the DR board, several questions

Welcome to DR1. Use the search function and most of your questions will be answered. DR is safe for ex-pats, just stay away from drugs and underage girls.

You might get better responses if you ask each question separately, like not all in one thread.

It is a big island with many different qualities in different towns/cities, so I think the better thing to do would be to know what area you want to live in first then ask about middle class villas.
Don't buy till you have lived here a minimum of 6 months. You will understand why when you live here!!
It is not for everyone and is not the paradise most think it is!

Harleysrock said:

You might get better responses if you ask each question separately, like not all in one thread.

It is a big island with many different qualities in different towns/cities, so I think the better thing to do would be to know what area you want to live in first then ask about middle class villas.
Don't buy till you have lived here a minimum of 6 months. You will understand why when you live here!!
It is not for everyone and is not the paradise most think it is!

Click to expand...

That's true, but it could easily apply to most places. In reality, Hawai'i is very expensive to live in, has usurious power bills (think 4-500 per month for a small house not using AC), relatively few opportunities for good-paying jobs, hosts bugs the size of really big mice, and is a minimum four-hour flight from anywhere else.

My point being, no place is perfect, by any means. Being with people you really care about and having sufficient money (in that order) makes the difference.

To the OP:

When you ask your follow-up questions, here's a few things to keep in mind:

It would be helpful to know your budget, and whether you're single, have a partner or are bringing a family with you.

More information is better than less. For example, a "safe place" is highly subjective. What do you mean by safe?

DR has a lot of climate zones. Near the water is generally hot and humid. Cibao valley area (aka Santiago) is a bit more temperate, and Jarabacoa (the mountains) can get downright chilly at night.

In terms of cost of living, I can guarantee you someone will be more than happy to help you spend money as fast as you'd care to, lol. The generally accepted range for "middle class" living in the non-exclusive areas is 1,500-2,500 for a single person, depending on interests and needs. That number increases slightly if you have a partner. It increases dramatically if you have school-age children.

U need to give it a try to see for urself.......

I was out the other day looking for insurance for my house, I found it very expensive ( but it included robbery so could be useful ). I was quoted 85 000 pesos a year (!!!!! ) so I ve forgetten about it, too bad.

A lot of people don't bother taking out insurance on their home, if your house is masonry and concrete (including the roof) it's not worth the expense. Any electrical fire would be contained to a very small area, just burning wire and maybe some
conduit. Even if you had a couch catch fire, it would still be confined to just a room.