I did my time in Boca Chica, Samana, Sosua, Santo Domingo, Cabarete and Las Terrenas with at least a month in each locale.
My interpretations:
Santo Domingo......big city living,,expensive..no immediate beaches......general crime
Boca Chica.....a depressed ****hole where EVERYONE is on the take..Tigres, Chicas, Police Nacional...NEVER again ! !
Sosua......losing a little steam and will continue to do so until the govt decides what they want to do with it. Currently, they are sending massive mixed messages to the public, expats and internet world. Very inconsistent policing and concept of what Sosua really is at the moment.
Samana.....A quaint little place, inexpensive..NO gringos....150 to 300 peso motoconcho ride to any nice beaches. The Bay is nice...but filthy...The Malecon is nice on weekend nights.
Las Terrenas....awesome beaches.....pricy..not a ton of gringos.
Cabarete......Seems like the most civilized of all for a smaller town with the beach and ocean. There is more expensive "Condo living" in the 500.00 to 650.00 range a month with AC and power. But there is also apts close by without ACin the 300.00 to 350.00 range. On the outskirts of Cabarete there is also decent places for great prices but a motoconcho is needed daily....50 pesos each way....every time you travel...I spent 6 weeks there and saw PN three times in all. Lots of Gringos but also little pockets of Dominican communities within the town.
Good luck in your quest....