39, from Jersey, no kids no wife. I visited DR for the first time last month and loved it. I was in Santo Domingo. Traveled to the Philippines before, makes the traffic in the DR look like a cake-walk. I have decided to live abroad in 2015 and I am considering either the Philippines or the DR.
- Thread starter gcgipson
- Start date
Hello from Jersey
What exit? Only kidding, really. Is that NJ or some where in England? If it is the former I am also from NJ (Verona) but have lived most of my adult life in NY State. The one thing that the DR has going for it v Phillippines from the NYC area is that it is an easy plane ride. Do you like the city life or want to be close to the beaches and mountains? One drawback in the DR is now if you are considering living here for longer than 30 days you will need to apply for residency status. I would check out how this compares to the Phillipines before making a final decision on where you may go. Good luck.
Forget that "30 Days" info, stay as long as you like!
I have lived here for 20 years, I stay for as long as 2 years, or as short as several months.
I go to Boston, and return when I want.
If you stay over a few months you pay a small "Exit Fine", $25 US or a little more for staying a year.
You have to decide if you like "Oriental" or "Afro Carribean" women.
I like BOTH, but I hate the Loooooooooooooooooooong plane ride to the "PI".
"Dominicanas, are "Hotter,easier, but MUCH MORE DRAMA!
Dominicanas also use EVERY Means Possible to get what they want from you, Your Money"!
"Philipinas" also like money, but are into a more stable relationship to get it.
The food is without a doubt better in the "PI"!!!!!
Here it's pretty bland, boring, SALTY, Sugary,fatty,and for an island, not much seafood !
But that "CLOSE" is a big plus!!!!!
"No Wife,No Kids",..I can only dream about THAT!!!!!
Cris Colon
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I have lived here for 20 years, I stay for as long as 2 years, or as short as several months.
I go to Boston, and return when I want.
If you stay over a few months you pay a small "Exit Fine", $25 US or a little more for staying a year.
You have to decide if you like "Oriental" or "Afro Carribean" women.
I like BOTH, but I hate the Loooooooooooooooooooong plane ride to the "PI".
"Dominicanas, are "Hotter,easier, but MUCH MORE DRAMA!
Dominicanas also use EVERY Means Possible to get what they want from you, Your Money"!
"Philipinas" also like money, but are into a more stable relationship to get it.
The food is without a doubt better in the "PI"!!!!!
Here it's pretty bland, boring, SALTY, Sugary,fatty,and for an island, not much seafood !
But that "CLOSE" is a big plus!!!!!
"No Wife,No Kids",..I can only dream about THAT!!!!!
Cris Colon
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
I'm in Plainfield, New Jersey, USA. I never take the turnpike so I couldn't tell you what exit it is (lol shameful I know.)
"The one thing that the DR has going for it v Phillippines from the NYC area is that it is an easy plane ride."
You got that right lol. When I first went to the Philippines it turned out to be a 2 day trip with layovers and such.
"Do you like the city life or want to be close to the beaches and mountains?"
I would kind of like to be in between.
"One drawback in the DR is now if you are considering living here for longer than 30 days you will need to apply for residency status."
Does this mean that I would need to have thousands of pesos in the bank? I heard that was a requirement of becoming a resident. In the Philippines you can renew your stay every thirty days for a small fee, for up to 2 years.
As for the PI vs. DR, I'm still looking into it all. I'm not planning to do this move for another 6 months.
Ahh, thanks for the words of wisdom! Much appreciated!
"You have to decide if you like "Oriental" or "Afro Carribean" women."
For me, there is NO comparison, DR women look way better than PI women. In PI you would be a bit more hard pressed to find a stunning woman walking around. I would say maybe like 1 out of 10 women in the PI are real stunners. In the DR it's more like 1 out of 4 lol. I've never seen so many amazing looking woman in my life before until I went to the DR. I still can't believe it lol.
""Dominicanas, are "Hotter,easier, but MUCH MORE DRAMA!"
In my brief and limited encounters with women in the DR I did notice this. I also noticed that women in the DR are quick to ask for money, whereas in the PI the women are not so forward with asking for money. Maybe in the DR this is the norm? I don't know....it's hard to tell if the money part of DR women is a gold digging thing or just the cultural norm of what they expect a man to do in the DR. With that said, ANY relationship with ANY person in a third world is always going to result in financial help being asked for.
"Dominicanas also use EVERY Means Possible to get what they want from you, Your Money"!"
I noticed this too, not just with the women but with the experience of going there as a tourist on a whole. After leaving the DR I definitely felt more financially taken advantage of by EVERYONE as opposed to when I left PI. I'm not bitter, as I do understand that if I was from the DR I would probably be looking to rip off gringos too.
"The food is without a doubt better in the "PI"!!!!!
Here it's pretty bland, boring, SALTY, Sugary,fatty,and for an island, not much seafood !
But that "CLOSE" is a big plus!!!!!"
Everything you say is 100% true, although a lot of local PI food was a bit "scary" looking to me
I mean in the PI they have weird stuff like "dirty ice cream," "ballute" (a wet slimy chicken embryo) and fried "chicken intestines" on a stick....no thanks :0 However, the BBQ in the PI is top notch and widely available. I admit that I did not get to try much DR food, but I will.Yes, the plane trip is a HUGE plus for the DR. It's a $500 ticket (DR) vs. a $1400 ticket (PI.)
""No Wife,No Kids",..I can only dream about THAT!!!!!"
For me it has always been personal economics first. I never wanted a middle class life for myself. I had to be rich, so I avoided all the things that would lead to a middle class life, which of course included children. I never became rich (although I am working on it) so I soon discovered a third life style option that really appealed to me, living as an expat on a tropical island.
Thanks for the words of wisdom!
Welcome GC. We have to ask: at such a young age what are you planning on living off while abroad?.,.
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Hey ... from another "Jersey" guy! (Been years since I lived there, though.)
CC gives good advice on this one. And he's been there!!! Read what he said ... carefully.
Here is another way to look at things ... another way to make the comparison. It is NOT scientific. It is based on "opinions".
You could make a "variable cost" comparison between the two ... airfare is just one thing to consider.
Cost of Living Comparison Between Two Countries
You could look at a "cost of living index" ranking by country.
Cost of Living Index by Country 2014
You could look at a "crime index" ranking by country.
Crime Index by Country 2014
There are many other sources ... some even more "scientific" than what I have listed. But this is just to give a few more things to think about.
I like the DR. But if you want to be happy with YOUR choice, you have to consider the bigger picture.
Best suggestion .... spend some time in both countries before you commit. A month or two in each place ought to do it.
Next best suggestion .... rent, don't buy ... for at least a year after you have moved to your new country. (You will thank me for that suggestion.)
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
Major
CC gives good advice on this one. And he's been there!!! Read what he said ... carefully.
Here is another way to look at things ... another way to make the comparison. It is NOT scientific. It is based on "opinions".
You could make a "variable cost" comparison between the two ... airfare is just one thing to consider.
Cost of Living Comparison Between Two Countries
You could look at a "cost of living index" ranking by country.
Cost of Living Index by Country 2014
You could look at a "crime index" ranking by country.
Crime Index by Country 2014
There are many other sources ... some even more "scientific" than what I have listed. But this is just to give a few more things to think about.
I like the DR. But if you want to be happy with YOUR choice, you have to consider the bigger picture.
Best suggestion .... spend some time in both countries before you commit. A month or two in each place ought to do it.
Next best suggestion .... rent, don't buy ... for at least a year after you have moved to your new country. (You will thank me for that suggestion.)
Best of luck with whatever you decide.
Major
I'm asking what he's planning on living off not how much. Ie: a business which is often not the greatest idea, an early pension which is nice, savings which doesn't last, etc.
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In another thread, he posted his "budget". It may be a challenge, whatever he chooses ........
http://dr1.com/forums/living/143924-finding-apartment-dr.html
Welcome to the dr1 forums! Ah! From Jersey! My favorite poet grew up there, in Paterson. Can you guess who?
What is same/different, here and Philippines?
What is same/different, here and Philippines?
In the Philippines most people speak English. The traffic is scarier. There are tons and tons and tons of people, especially kids. I've been in crowded places in the PI that would make a lot of people claustrophobic. The women in PI are absolutely HUNGRY for an American husband. If you're Black, you're considered extremely exotic over in PI (they're pretty use to seeing White Australians over there.)
As for the DR...the women are just stunning. I mean, it is as if some Hitler-like figure created a perfect race of African-Spanish type people. I would often observe how DR men wouldn't even pay that much attention to a woman that was otherwise catching my eye, I mean, it was just THAT common down in DR. Of course you all know this. Naturally you really need to speak Spanish in the DR, which is a drawback for me. The weather is way nicer in the DR, whereas in the PI you may sweat to death from the humidity. Walking through he streets of Santo Domingo at night just felt perfect on my skin. Believe it or not but I think the DR is cleaner than the PI. There are parts of the PI that look like a post nuclear apocalypse. I'm talking bands of dirty homeless children rummaging through mountains of trash for food and things to sell. You think you have seen homeless kids in the DR, well go to the PI and see some real sh#t.
But of course, if you're into ladyboys/transsexuals, PI is heaven. I mean, I saw so many ladyboys in PI that I was a bit concerned about what was happening to their culture, and I'm a very socially liberal person. Ladyboys roam the streets like wolf packs in the PI and they're all over the local TV.
Plainfield, NJ. Great. Like I said I'm am from Essex County, the home of "Toni Soprano". From JFK you can fly direct into Santo Domingo (SDQ) and Jet Blue also has flights every Weds. and Sat. directly into Samana/El Catey(AZS) airport which is less than 30 minutes from Las Terrenas. Yes, the residency thing is a factor but if you plan on living a good majority or all year in a foreign country you would be wise to get this anyway. This helps protect your rights as a resident here. Right now the DR gov is actually paying for foreigners to get residency and they process may be easier than in the past. I would highly consider the DR because of it's location and generally good weather. The cost of living may be a little higher than the Phillipines because of the usage taxes the government has initiated over the years. I would come to the DR and rent a place for 3-6 months and see how you like it. It is impossible to make an honest decision without boots on the ground. Good luck my NJ friend. Ba da Bing.
WOW, from Hitler to Ladyboys in the same post.
The Hitler analogy we can do without, come on.
If Ladyboy Wolfpacks are your bag, stay in PI.
"If Ladyboy Wolfpacks are your bag, stay in PI."
lol Did I say that Ladyboys were my thing or was I simply sharing my observations? Reread my post and use a bit more comprehension.