How far can $50,000 usd go in DR?

queenhelly

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Here is my pie in the sky question:

If I came down there with $50k usd, and wanted to live on it till it was spent, how long would it last?

Assumptions:
1)I would rent a small house, condo or villa, living in a gated community. Not sea-horse or casa-de-campo gated, but something more like Residencial Casa Linda in Sosua/Cabarete or Costambar. (How much would that be a month?)
2) I would need a 4x4 vehicle
3) I would most likely be with a family of 3
4) I need internet access
5) I dont want to work while I am down there

Thanks for any and all input!!!
 

Conchman

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well you can buy a used jeep for $10K and live on the other 40k for about two years if you spend wisely. Not sure how much your family consumes and if you go out for dinner etc.

You can stretch it longer if you live in small house and become a recluse.
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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Well livingcost depends on what you eat, where you live etc etc.

I?d say you?ll spend at least 4-5000 US a month, if you need schools, insurances, a gated community, internet, go out once in a while etc etc.
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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If it was just you, you could probably live indeffinately

off of the interest. However, a family with certain expectations would last perhaps 6 months, at best, especially with the requirements you laid out.

If you were to bring your own stuff down here, including your own vehicle, you might last a bit longer, but not much.

IMO, not worth the effort.

HB
 
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queenhelly

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Yeah..might not be worth it, but....

I am almost sick of the corporate life and need a break.. thinkin I could rent out my condo and take a year or 2 off, just trying to get a baseline on how long $50k lasts, so I know what I might need for an extended stay.
 

Escott

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carina said:
Well livingcost depends on what you eat, where you live etc etc.

I?d say you?ll spend at least 4-5000 US a month, if you need schools, insurances, a gated community, internet, go out once in a while etc etc.
When I stated 5k a month to live well people scoffed at me. Now it seems to be the norm...
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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5k a month?

The 5k a month is based on what life style? How much of that is eaten up with trying to buy stateside products? How often do you eat out? Where do you live. What about transportation?
If someone were trying to live the easy life and be uncomplicated then it would be a little less.
On my first trip down I would have needed 8k a month for myself. The second trip I could have been down to about 1500. Now after my third trip I my self could be down to 700 or 800. I have spent 20 years living in tents or sharing space with 30 plus others and many times going to the shower with my clothes on and strippign as I soap up to wash my clothes.
Someone that moves into a cabin in the mountains will fell that the uncompmicated life is wonderful and make it a long time on 50k.
It all depends on what is the desired goal and what one would consider quality of life.
John
 

Scorpio

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For what it's worth

Hi,
To cover your fixed ( rent ,phone, power,...)costs you need 1k a month
The rest depends on your consumption needs.
Myself , I could stay forever here with that amount
Scorpio
 

Escott

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The maintenence plus Luz on two condos last month cost me almost $1600 and I have no mortgages so figure 800 for one, then I have car insurance of $1500 a year so figure 125 a month, then gas of 75$ a week so figure $300 a month, then maid 2000RD every 2 weeks which is 150 dollars a month, gardener 2500RD every 2 weeks for 180 a month and I haven't eaten a meal yet nor have I paid my daughters school and after school expenses. I havent paid for the ticket to go to NY which I flew on this month and I didn't pay a dime while I was in NY, I didn't buy my daughter a RT plane ticket for Samana Santa, didn't pay the 100 bux for the moonlight horseback ride, didn't buy a damn thing like toilet paper to wipe my butt. There is so much more that I don't even know where to start. Oh, I have a car and a truck in the states which cost me 200 bux a month for insurance. I need front tires on my jeepeta in the DR which is about 220$ and I will purchase these this month. Whoops, electric and heat on my home in NY, wait, insurance also, am I there yet?

I didn't come here to live worse than I lived in NY. I came here to live better. My bar bill tonight was 1400 pesos at the Kareoke Bar in Sosua and that was at the end of the night.

Tip of the iceburg!

Escott
 

Chris

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Escott said:
When I stated 5k a month to live well people scoffed at me. Now it seems to be the norm...

The OP is talking about a family of three, i.e, four people.
5k for one person is one thing, but 5k for four people is yet another thing. Also, when we arrived here initially, we bought products that we are familiar with and our food expenses were higher than they should have been. It took a while before I learnt what I could buy, and need not buy. The OP is asking how long he can make 50K last. I think for a family of four, 6 to 8 months if they are frugal and take the bus and rent a furnished house (which makes a house rental more expensive as it limits the choices of where to rent to tourist areas).

I think initially in a new place, one needs a little extra cushioning in the cash, as one is still learning and experience must be paid for usually.

I am not saying it takes 5k a month to live well. It depends on one's choices - one person can live will on 1K (brugal and dominoes under the tree outside the colmado and bachata at the car wash and tostones for dinner has a certain charm for a short period of time) and another must have 5k (tourist style restaurants mostly and frequently).

So, no, 5K is not the norm. One's lifestyle dictates the norm.
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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jsizemore said:
The 5k a month is based on what life style? How much of that is eaten up with trying to buy stateside products? How often do you eat out? Where do you live. What about transportation?
If someone were trying to live the easy life and be uncomplicated then it would be a little less.
On my first trip down I would have needed 8k a month for myself. The second trip I could have been down to about 1500. Now after my third trip I my self could be down to 700 or 800. I have spent 20 years living in tents or sharing space with 30 plus others and many times going to the shower with my clothes on and strippign as I soap up to wash my clothes.
Someone that moves into a cabin in the mountains will fell that the uncompmicated life is wonderful and make it a long time on 50k.
It all depends on what is the desired goal and what one would consider quality of life.
John


A gated community means higher rent for you.
You are a family, not alone.
Taking in the costs for insurances, rent, maintenance, gas, electricity, phone, internet, food.. possible schools or outings...
Start up costs for installation of phone etc, furniture etc.
If you rent furnished you pay higher rent.

I buy mainly local products, I have one child I pay school costs for, I have phone, cellphone, internet, electricity, maintenance of my house, insurances etc etc. My costs here for living is about the same I would have in my original country Sweden.
The costs of maintaining the house is the only thing that is cheaper here,
i.e monthly cost, also regular maintenance (paint, fixing stuff ). This is a residencial house in downtown Puerto Plata.
I don?t drive a car, and we live a very regular life, I work from home as a webdesigner, kid in school, kid having sport activities, eating most at home, having friends over, and my sons friends over of course,
renting a dvd movie , having icecream or coffee out, sometimes eating out or taking a pizza home etc.
We maintain the home very nicely, as it is in my interest, but that is not an expensive part. Being a designer I aslo know many teqnics to do things very nice etc. without having to pay much for it.
Still, I would not come under 3 000 US any month, for a nongated community, owning all I need in furniture etc. And this is for me, my son and a dog!
 

jerryme

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I know since the prices have gone up over the last year, it costs MORE to live in Cabarete than the US.
 

Dwald

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Family with one kid, Sto. Domingo, rent( here is more expensive as in the north coast), one car, school, rarely eating out, preference for european food stuff but otherwise very basic lifestyle for about 4000 usd x month.
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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I might add to my own post about costs, that of course you can live for less, it is absolutely possible, but not with the style you mentioned.
I know people here, there is one family, gringo-man, wife, 2 kids, and mother in law, all Dominican. They live in a 3 bedroom apartment in a noisy area of town, kids go to public school, they live a quiet life, eating at home, a beer every now and then in the colmado, the guy goes to an internet center to check emails etc.
He spend about 15000 pesos per month, and I can say he does not enjoy it and it is truly hard.

So basically it all depends on the lifestyle you chose to live.
 

Timex

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May 9, 2002
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Hola Queenhelly!!

DR1 has---
Threads: 37,008, Posts: 279,440, Members: 11,217

Do your homework (Search, Search, and Search again!)
Ask your questions.
And Good Luck!


By the way---
Welcome to DR1!!! :cool::cool::cool::cool:

On a more serious note.
Have you been to the DR before?
Do you speak Spanish? Do you know anybody living here?
What about Healthcare for the family, have you experienced it 1st hand?
Is it possible for you to come, and make a short stay, while your Family, gets acclimated with the DR?

Everybody in the DR, is trying their best to avoid being touched by the Country's finical crisis.

If you are going to survive on your own, you will need all the knowledge you can get, a plan for coming down, and a escape plan for getting out, just in case.

Just putting 2 kids in Bilingual Schools, limits you to the Capital (SD), and Santiago, and will set you back, Thousands of US Dollar$ There are other places, but these 2 are the most likely, starting points.

Living here takes Money, different amount for different people and situations.

Read the Message Boards, start with, Searching words like Work, Campo, Moving, Living, Schools.

Or Start HERE
Popular Post's / Past Sticky's. Required reading for Newbies!!! NEW! NEW! NEW!

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, or get into a heated discussion with you or anybody else, but with the kids, dependent on you, you need to have your eyes wide open, and be learning as much as you possibly can, to make the best decision you can, for your Family.

You might want to come down and look around, get everything set, for your family to start a life here, before buying the 1-way plane tickets.



You might have done all this, and are to the point, that it's time to go.
Since there was little backround info given, I am just asking some basic, what if's.


Thanks
Tim H.:smoke:

Help, and be Helped.
 
Last edited:

queenhelly

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Aug 2, 2004
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Timex said:
DR1 has---
Threads: 37,008, Posts: 279,440, Members: 11,217

Do your homework (Search, Search, and Search again!)
Ask your questions.
And Good Luck!


By the way---
Welcome to DR1!!! :cool::cool::cool::cool:

On a more serious note.
Have you been to the DR before?
Do you speak Spanish? Do you know anybody living here?
What about Healthcare for the family, have you experienced it 1st hand?
Is it possible for you to come, and make a short stay, while your Family, gets acclimated with the DR?

Everybody in the DR, is trying their best to avoid being touched by the Country's finical crisis.

If you are going to survive on your own, you will need all the knowledge you can get, a plan for coming down, and a escape plan for getting out, just in case.

Just putting 2 kids in Bilingual Schools, limits you to the Capital (SD), and Santiago, and will set you back, Thousands of US Dollar$ There are other places, but these 2 are the most likely, starting points.

Living here takes Money, different amount for different people and situations.

Read the Message Boards, start with, Searching words like Work, Campo, Moving, Living, Schools.

Or Start HERE
Popular Post's / Past Sticky's. Required reading for Newbies!!! NEW! NEW! NEW!

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, or get into a heated discussion with you or anybody else, but with the kids, dependent on you, you need to have your eyes wide open, and be learning as much as you possibly can, to make the best decision you can, for your Family.

You might want to come down and look around, get everything set, for your family to start a life here, before buying the 1-way plane tickets.



You might have done all this, and are to the point, that it's time to go.
Since there was little backround info given, I am just asking some basic, what if's.


Thanks
Tim H.:smoke:

Help, and be Helped.


Thanks to everyone for the great advice. Let me clarify a bit further. My thoughts were to get married very soon, have a child right away here in the US, then leave to DR for a year or 2 to raise my child in peace with less stress. Then as the child gets older and better prepared for US daycare, and hopefully I am ready to return to work ( :nervous: ) I would wrap things up in DR and head back to the US.

Am I dreaming for thinking this way? Seems like a do-able scenario.

And like Escott said... I am not going down there to live worse than I live in NY, so the $4-5000/month figure is starting to look like the likely number.