- If you rent, in a Coastal town or city or Santo Domingo and Santiago, 24 hrs water (hot too) and electricity, 3 Bdrm/2 Bath, safe walking neighborhood (24hrs), educated neighbors.
- Buy for USD 15K or above) and maintain a small SUV, preferably diesel, and don't have to drive every day too much just to run your basic errands.
- You eat cooking yourself, using mainly DR-products, eat out maybe once a week at a mid range restaurant and maybe another two times a week in a Dominican poplar Cantina.
- You don't develop a drinking habit and don't invite everybody who's calling you "amigo" to beers and booze.
- You make friends with income producing expats and locals almost exclusively (so you don't have to help them constantly.
- You wait at least a good 6 months before you let a new "love" move in with you.
- you where able to bring or buy your furniture, tv and computer and other house hold acquisitions.
- You are comfortable settling for a local health insurance (with local treatment) and you are not on expensive medication.
... you can live quite comfortably on about USD 2000.oo a month.
You ought to have some cushion money on the side for accidents, traveling, receiving family and other guests once in a while.
Find a location you are safe, well located and can feel happy and intelligently entertained at walking distance (especially if you are older, plan to become older and want to keep driving costs and risks low or eventually nil some day). LEARN SPANISH, go to dancing classes (hookers don't go there, they all think the can dance)... it's both cheaper than making whoopie
... J-D.