Is it really that bad???

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yasmin

Member
Jun 16, 2005
81
1
18
I've lived in the DR for 3 years ('98-'99-'00), in 2000 I moved to Belgium with my husband. Our plan was work and save money for a house and a car, some money in the bank, (but still have a job, we are too young to stay at home), and return to the DR to stay.
But now the time came to start our "going back plans", everybody tells us the situation has changed a lot, and things our very difficult for the moment.
When we were working in DR, we made 16000 pesos / month, together. (in that time you got 15 pesos for 1 dollar) We could live really good with that amount off pesos in that time.
I know that the time we were living there, people were also complaining about the bad situation, even while we were not having a hard time.

I would like to know, people who live in the DR for 5 years or more, has it really changed so much? We have been on holiday every year, but during a 2 weeks holiday, it's more difficult to see changes of daily live costs for example.
 
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carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
2,691
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yasmin said:
I've lived in the DR for 3 years ('98-'99-'00), in 2000 I moved to Belgium with my husband. Our plan was work and save money for a house and a car, some money in the bank, (but still have a job, we are too young to stay at home), and return to the DR to stay.
But now the time came to start our "going back plans", everybody tells us the situation has changed a lot, and things our very difficult for the moment.
When we were working in DR, we made 16000 pesos / month, together. (in that time you got 15 pesos for 1 dollar) We could live really good with that amount off pesos in that time.
I know that the time we were living there, people were also complaining about the bad situation, even while we were not having a hard time.

I would like to know, people who live in the DR for 5 years or more, has it really changed so much? We have been on holiday every year, but during a 2 weeks holiday, it's more difficult to see changes of daily live costs for example.
Click to expand...

Hi there, yes things have changed.
Tell us your costs and how you spent your 16.000 pesos at that time and we will tell you the actual costs of each post now.
 
Y

yasmin

Member
Jun 16, 2005
81
1
18
3000 pesos : rent
150 pesos: cable
350 pesos: light
1000 pesos a week for food (= 4000pesos)
1000 pesos : gasolina
1500 pesos: babysitter

that makes 10 000 for the general costs

the rest (6000)is things like doctor, clothes, shoes, going out...or save a little bit.
 
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carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
2,691
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yasmin said:
3000 pesos : rent
150 pesos: cable
350 pesos: light
1000 pesos a week for food (= 4000pesos)
1000 pesos : gasolina
1500 pesos: babysitter

that makes 10 000 for the general costs

the rest (6000)is things like doctor, clothes, shoes, going out...or save a little bit.
Click to expand...

Hard to say as I don?t know what you rented and where etc.
My electricity in Puerto Plata for my apartment ( 3 rooms, galleria, kitchen ) is about 1000 a month, cable is 400 pesos.
Gasolina is way more.
Rent would depend on where and size. 2 bedroom residencial in Puerto Plata if you stay out of the gringo areas is 5000-8000 pesos. A house downtown or
Atlantico is about 7000-11.000.
A wooden house with the tinroof sides..hehe..downtown is about 3-4000 pesos a month.
Cinema is 100-120 pesos, a cerveza in the colmado is 30 pesos, at bars the same is 50-60 pesos. A pizza at take away is 140-270 pesos ( mediana/grande ).
A package of filete de pollo is around 130 pesos ( 3-5 filets ), carne molida about 70 pesos/package, milk 40 pesos, 4 apples 50 pesos, a fan costs around 900 pesos, a plastic chair for the patio around 350-300 pesos.
Hope it gives you some ideas about the costs.
 
Y

yasmin

Member
Jun 16, 2005
81
1
18
Thanks a lot for all the prices Carina,

The house will be ready when we move, so that's no problem, i'd just like to know from people who live a long time in DR if they really feel that it's a lot more difficult than for example five years ago?
For example we were making 16000 pesos in 1998, this was more or less 1000 US dollar.
If we get the same job today, will we still get 16000 pesos, or will it be like 30000 pesos which is more or less 1000 US dollar today.

Am I being clear? Or does it sound like a strange question??
 
C

carina

Silver
Mar 13, 2005
2,691
4
0
yasmin said:
Thanks a lot for all the prices Carina,

The house will be ready when we move, so that's no problem, i'd just like to know from people who live a long time in DR if they really feel that it's a lot more difficult than for example five years ago?
For example we were making 16000 pesos in 1998, this was more or less 1000 US dollar.
If we get the same job today, will we still get 16000 pesos, or will it be like 30000 pesos which is more or less 1000 US dollar today.

Am I being clear? Or does it sound like a strange question??
Click to expand...

If we compare now and then, even without using numbers, you will get less paid in comparence to costs.
 
A

amy2761

Island Body
Mar 16, 2003
881
0
0
41
www.dr1.com
yasmin said:
Thanks a lot for all the prices Carina,

The house will be ready when we move, so that's no problem, i'd just like to know from people who live a long time in DR if they really feel that it's a lot more difficult than for example five years ago?
For example we were making 16000 pesos in 1998, this was more or less 1000 US dollar.
If we get the same job today, will we still get 16000 pesos, or will it be like 30000 pesos which is more or less 1000 US dollar today.

Am I being clear? Or does it sound like a strange question??
Click to expand...

The general cost of living has risen so with that amount of money you will not have the same quality life here as you did before .... probably won't be able to go out to eat ect. But you can do it. There are many expats here who live on less than that every month. And why settle for the same job? Find something to do that'll actually give you some MONEY. lol

Stay well,
Amy
 
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suarezn

Gold
Feb 3, 2002
5,823
290
0
55
yasmin said:
3000 pesos : rent
150 pesos: cable
350 pesos: light
1000 pesos a week for food (= 4000pesos)
1000 pesos : gasolina
1500 pesos: babysitter

that makes 10 000 for the general costs

the rest (6000)is things like doctor, clothes, shoes, going out...or save a little bit.
Click to expand...

Rent: I assume you didn't live in the capital or if you did it wasn't in an expensive neighborhood, as even then 3000 pesos would not get you that good of an appartment/house. I would say budget about 7,000 for a similar place.
Cable: About 400
Light: If you paid what you really consume I would say budget at least 1,000
Gasolina: Prices have gone through the roof, as they have everywhere else. There is a double whammy in The DR (devaluation and oil prices). I would budget around 4,000 minimum.
Babysitter: About 3,000.

So I guess the moral of the story is that you can probably get about the same you had before with about the same amount of USD (about 1,000 USD = 30,000 Pesos). If you plan on working on a salaried job to live in The DR, then you should know that the same job that paid 16,000 back then, probably only pays about 22,000 today...so that's your difference.
 
D

duhtree

New member
Jun 2, 2003
414
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0
In a nut shell prices have tripled; wages have gone up maybe 25 %; Inflation is 100 % since 2000.
So if you had twice as much money now as then you could make the case that prices have changed by only doubling and everything else has remained the same
Good luck, John
 
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