Cost of living in Puerto Plata
Liz,
Two can live very comfortably for US $ 700-1000 per month if you don't need to pay for housing. This will leave plenty of room for house repairs & maintenance, electric power with inverter but no air conditioning ($ 50 - 70); summer air conditioning of bedroom (6 months): $ 25; telephone & internet ($ 50-70); gasoline and car maintenance, depending on how far away from Puerto Plata or Sosua ($ 50-70); food and household ($ 200-400); maid who also cooks ($ 100), gardenening help ($20), restaurants ($50 -150).
I recommend Costambar (where we bought our house 10 years ago, at your age) for housing costs, nearness to Puerto Plata, breeziness (saves air conditioning), lovely beaches, gated, quiet retirement and community atmosphere (but not plasticky-keeping-up-with-the-Joneses-like); possibly sea views if you can afford and like this, best appreciation potential for real estate because Costambar has remained depressed in the past due to nearby power plants, inept developer management and uncomfortable distance (55 minutes) for the major realtors (who are in Sosua).
The good news:
Some power plants are on the way out, recently improved management (by the Costambar homeowners association), the nearly completed, nearby twenty-million-dollar Ocean World marine park investment and the anticipated investment by the private Puerto Plata Cruise Port Development Company (with unofficial backing from Carnival Cruise Lines), a major new real estate broker serving the area (us), as well as several top resort hotels will put Puerto Plata-West on the international map and give real estate prices here some good appreciation in the next 2-5 years.
We are biased, so don't take our word for it, but our children, who are very spoilt Americans, love to visit, and so do the grand children, and we don't even have a swimming pool yet.
If you let us help you find the perfect house for you here, we'll show you how to get good deals on satellite TV (cable has a lot of Spanish language channels), point you to the "right" doctors and lawyers, bankers, computer people, car mechanics etc., and introduce you to likeminded people.
Just send us a private message back with your e-mail and phone number, so we can contact you without any obligation and tell you more about how we can help you and why we may be right for you.
Bienvenidos a la Costa de Ambar!
Jay & Herma