Can living expenses be so much?

[Thandie]

I make around 2800 cdn a month, own a car, pay rent, have hdtv, cell, hs internet, drive to work, gym membership. I take 3 trips a year to the DR. So it would cost more to live in the DR than is does for me in the city of Toronto. This is amazing to me. Oh well.....I guess my dreams are shot to hell.

It depends how you live, if you are raising kids you send to private school, what you really need and how smart you live. Not every expat needs or wants a car or AC or invertor and pool, etc and they are comfortable and happy.

I lived briefly in the DR and live in central downtown Toronto (a 15 minute walk from the Eaton Centre) and I found it much cheaper to live normal day to day life in the DR in comparison to Toronto (food, rent, transportation-taxis, etc.).

For example....
You can rent a 1 bedroom apartment, with cable and electric included in centro POP on a nice street/area (similar to something like an island version of Bay/College) like 12 de Julio for 6000 pesos.
In T.O. you would be paying no less than 1200+ dollars for the same.

A taxi ride anywhere in central POP is 100 pesos/approx. 8min ride.
15-20 pesos for public taxi/bus/moto.
In T.O. you step in a cab and it starts at 4 dollars, and climbs rapidly.
Bus/subway starts at almost 3 dollars (obviously a bit more comfortable but less entertaining than a guagua LOL).

Food is much cheaper in POP meat, fruits and veggies, etc. (of course if you by foreign products anywhere in the world is much more expensive). Coming from T.O. with such a high quality and amazing variety of restaurant cuisine you probably will be disappointed with your choice in the DR and end up cooking more at home.
But I would buy an amazing Dominican lunch for 80-90 pesos (fresh fruit juice, meat like beef or chicken or fish, rice and beans and salad) at the large outdoor market .
In T.O. a similar lunch is 10-12 dollars, minus the drink.

Also I had many expat friends who lived very comfortable lives in the DR, from places like Norway, Sweden, England, USA, Canada and they all said it was much cheaper on average to live in the DR than their home country (with exception to higher costs for cell phone charges/plans, electronics, gasoline, cars...but most did not drive...but that is normal for island living).

 

[Thandie]

While I disagree with a previous post that the DR is the most expensive island in the Caribbean (Grand Cayman, anyone),

Whoever thinks that the DR is the most expensive Caribbean island has not lived/travelled to other islands. It is cheaper than the 15 islands I have been to by far.
I think some posters on this board who say 'it cant' be done for under X amount are just not aware that is can be and that others are actually doing it quite well (or they want to keep their little piece of paradise to themselves by stretching the truth )
But just like in T.O. some people live more economically and spend less and shop smarter than others with a similar lifestyle.

 

[El_Uruguayo]

It really depends on the calculation being used. I think a calculation for an individual is best. vs. a familly. In SD one can live have a pretty decent lifestyle with about $1400 a month. With $3000 a month, single, you can have a pretty kick ass lifestyle, and live it up more than you could in Toronto, or any big NA city. Now if you have a wife and child to support, $1400 would leave you with very few, if any outings, and basically cover, food, rent, transport, and other unforseen expenses. Unless you want to really scale back, working what is considered a "good job", 30 000 pesos/month+ will not be worth your while. You'll be expected to work longer hours, probably 6 days a week, limit what you spend on food (i.e. what kind of food you eat), limit what you spend on entertainment, etc. For a young, single person $1400 is ok, anything more is better - you just need to way the pros vs. the cons. And from experience, the DR is not a place where you want to work for someone else, unless you are one of the few lucky ones that has a good employer, have some sort of specialty, or have connections. It is better to save up, and find a niche to open a business, or provide a service on your own terms.