Cost of visiting the DR

Welcome back!

While many things have changed and gotten more expensive some are not that different it seems.

The exchange rate for USD is about 35 or more to the peso.

In sosua most hotels like you reference are now in the $40-50 range but for me the food is the same. ther are cheaper and much more expensive options as well.

Breakfast $3-4

Lunch $4-10...could easily be more but I LIKE rice and beans!

seriously you can get a nice fish with rice, beans and salad for $7-10 easily.

Dinner varies from $6-15...or more

Of course there are much more expensive options...and cheaper too. Typically I would spend less then $25 a day, eating 3 meals, and very often less.

Drinks of any kind are optional and extra.

Bus travel is still very reasonable as well as public taxis and guaguas.

Gas and electricity have increased as well as food in the grocery stores but that's about the same as anywhere.

ronks said:

It has been a few years since I was last in the DR, and it seemed at the time that the prices of things were fairly reasonable if one lives modestly. I remember paying around $25-$30 per day for a clean middle scale hotel in Sosua and Barahona. And probably $10-$20 per day for food. I traveled by bus between destinations, which also seemed reasonable. And lastly, the exchange rate was between 35-45 pesos per U.S. dollar (during the Hippolito regime).

So, how do prices compare now?

Thanks

Ron

Click to expand...

ronks said:

It has been a few years since I was last in the DR, and it seemed at the time that the prices of things were fairly reasonable if one lives modestly. I remember paying around $25-$30 per day for a clean middle scale hotel in Sosua and Barahona. And probably $10-$20 per day for food. I traveled by bus between destinations, which also seemed reasonable. And lastly, the exchange rate was between 35-45 pesos per U.S. dollar (during the Hippolito regime).

So, how do prices compare now?

Thanks

Ron

Click to expand...

Well Ron,

The DOP is currently about 35 to the dollar, but in the 5 or 6 years since you were here prices have not changed for the better and most have changed for the worst. I don't have any experience at all with what you describe as middle scale hotels.You might still be able to get a roof over your head for 30 bucks a night, but not very much more than a roof, and probably a leaking roof at that. It's my impression that most prices have more than doubled in very recent years. The DR is no longer a cheap place to live, not even reasonably so.

If you use the "Search" tool for recent threads on this topic,and there's one every couple of weeks or so - some are still current, you will find a lot of answers to your question.

Enjoy your memories and remember, Nostalgia is not what it used to be!!

Bryan.

Depends on where you go-- you can still travel inland and the southwest and find good clean hotels for under $30 a night. Also perhaps one or two even in the tourist areas - if you have a good guidebook, call ahead. And the bus routes, particularly the gua guas are still a great price - not more than $10 to anywhere in the country.

But the real hit is probably in the drinks and food department in anything except the colmado/comedor eatery.. You think you are doing fine, then the bill comes with the whopping 16% tax and you find that you got charged - say- 60 pesos for a bottle of water and 180 pesos for a Presidente...

So it is a wise thing on a budget to avoid any (Rocky's excluded of course) of the tourist places and stick with the locals.

I disagree that it is not still a "budget" destination-- just remember that even a Motel 6 in the States now runs about $80, right? And try for anything where the temperature is 80 degrees!! Here you can still even get a deluxe room at the Sol Melia in Santo Domingo for $80 a night- book on the Internet.

And remember that there is usually a plato del dia for about $3 at all the little places - more rice than you can digest and chicken and salad.. So you will be fine, I would think, on a $50 a day budget-