Opinion for Best Place for My Family Situation

[Abuela]

Also in your budget factor in semester costs of which ever school you choose for your children. Most international schools have a posted fee schedule on their websites. Expect to pay 2x blue book value for a good safe used car. You mentioned you found the Pacific cold in San Diego so you should know the North Coast is the Atlantic at comparable temperatures.

 

[windeguy]

Good to see your getting both GOOD and BAD advice in the mix here!
I strongly suggest you take 3/4 of this "expert advice" with a grain of salt.
$4K is a do-able, not extravagant North Coast budget, IMO.
Ask Wind what it really costs to live here, or Willie Web.

My budget is between 3 to 4 K US a month. NO CHILDREN. Just me and my wife in Cabarete. We own our home outright. Nothing is on credit so no interest payments ever.

 

[kapitan75]

That will be a brave move to move to DR from the US. I live in the US , and there has been consideration to move to the DR, Santiago specifically . I have a some hook ups in Santiago, and know I can make it for less then in NY. It is a very tough choice. Reasons for not moving are things like EMS, 911, slow government, no real bus system, shady law enforcement , and deep routed sneaky stuff that is the daily hustle of life.

You can find a more reasonable place to live in the US and not have to deal with the high taxes for your flights. Im sure you fell in love with the climate, and the difference in environment than the other places you have visited. once that cloud is lifted, consider the big differences in your daily life you will have to sacrifice. In the US everything is online, there is huge quality control, there are a number of laws to protect you and your interest. You know, that job security, un employment, workers comp, no fault auto insurance, nice tax returns, transportation options, Social Security, etc.. You may be better off moving at a later stage in your life.

If you crave some culture, move to Queens NY. There are huge Colombian and Dominican communities just a short ride from any where you may choose to live. JFK and LGA airports , a number of major Hospitals, quick ride to the city for employment, good public and private schools. Housing is expensive for a home($500,000+), not bad for a condo/co op ($150,000+), but rent can be $1800-$2000 a month for 3 bedrooms. Depending on your profession, you can make some good money here. Also,NYC is one of the few cities in the US where you can make $100,000+ a year without a College Education. Flights from NYC to DR are frequent/ daily. As are flights to most other parts of the US.

The grass is always greener, just keep that in mind.

 

[pauleast]

Look up the definition of cosmopolitan, then travel to both places. Then report back here. My wife is from Barranquilla bro. She does not like San Diego because it is too cold. We don't hardly go in the ocean even in summer because it is too cold here. We want a tropical location. Research health care around the world. US is not near the top. And the life expectancy proves that.

Sounds like you got all the answers and everything figured out, good luck sir

 

[pauleast]

Never met a Dominican family on the NC who would have trouble getting by on $4,000 USD a month.
Can you please explain to all of us why you think $4,000 a month would be ?tight? on the NC?

:last part deleted:

Of course it is "possible to" live on the North Coast on $4,000 U.S a month for a family of four, but why would you want too. Especially if you are an able bodied young person with an ability to work.

 

[TravelHippo]

I personally think $4000 a month with a small family is plenty! I have a family of 4 and we get by very comfortably on less than half of that. We own our house so no rent to pay but otherwise, we could very easily live on less than $4000!! We have a decent sized house, pool, yard, close to town but very private. We eat what we want, including eating out at least once a week. Cleaner once a week, gardener once a week. It isn't as if we are living a very basic life style.

As far as where to live, I always like to give Cabrera a good word, especially as I am raising my own family here. I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and a 1 year old daughter and we absolutely love it here. Small town vibe, close-knit community, 5 to 20 minute drive to many amazing beaches but no beach right in the town which keeps the tourists away for the most part. My daughter attends a great bilingual preschool and my husband and I run an English school and have done for the past 6 years (offering either full day schooling for expat children or half day schooling for Dominican children who attend another Dominican school half day to keep their Spanish and Dominican certification). There have been more and more young expat families joining the community over the past few years and I expect that will continue. In our school alone we have several expat families with kids aged 6 to 16. School tuition here in low as well. Tuition for my daughter's preschool is about $35 USD a month for half day and tuition for our own school is about the same for full day. We pay under $2000 a year for health insurance for our whole family (husband is 41, I am 31).

The one complaint you may have about the town is that it is very quiet. Aside from exploring the beaches and relaxing, there isn't a lot to do. We like it that way though and manage to keep busy!

POP airport is about 1 hour 20 min away and AZS airport is less than 1 hour away if thinking about access to flights back to USA.

 

[sanluisdavid]

$950/month for healthcare?? holyjeezesmotherofgod. Thank God for Tricare.
I second DRdreaming. I'm considering renting a condo myself in the El Cortecito area in the near future. Been to the PC Bavaro area on several occasions, and have generally felt pretty secure. If you eat local, and don't expect do indulge on imports, you may be good to go for grocery budget.
Transport may be an issue. I have boarded the local guaguas and Sitrabapu on occasion, but I couldn't imagine loading your entire crew onto one.
I'll leave you with this; Gf lives in Santo Domingo, and when I come to the DR its usually to the Bavaro area. I make her take the bus to come see me.

Yeah and the $950 is for crappy insurance with huge yearly deductibles. And the situation with that just worsens every year. As it is we already go to Mexico for dental work. It is obscene that so many folks I know that are able bodied get all that for free and a lot more. And don't even work at all for it. The system here in the States, especially California is completely insane. Yeah we would survive pretty well on the local diet there. It seems pretty much like the coastal food of Colombia which we already eat at home. Simple, inexpensive stuff: soups, plantains, pork, fish, rice, beans.

 

[sanluisdavid]

I personally think $4000 a month with a small family is plenty! I have a family of 4 and we get by very comfortably on less than half of that. We own our house so no rent to pay but otherwise, we could very easily live on less than $4000!! We have a decent sized house, pool, yard, close to town but very private. We eat what we want, including eating out at least once a week. Cleaner once a week, gardener once a week. It isn't as if we are living a very basic life style.

As far as where to live, I always like to give Cabrera a good word, especially as I am raising my own family here. I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and a 1 year old daughter and we absolutely love it here. Small town vibe, close-knit community, 5 to 20 minute drive to many amazing beaches but no beach right in the town which keeps the tourists away for the most part. My daughter attends a great bilingual preschool and my husband and I run an English school and have done for the past 6 years (offering either full day schooling for expat children or half day schooling for Dominican children who attend another Dominican school half day to keep their Spanish and Dominican certification). There have been more and more young expat families joining the community over the past few years and I expect that will continue. In our school alone we have several expat families with kids aged 6 to 16. School tuition here in low as well. Tuition for my daughter's preschool is about $35 USD a month for half day and tuition for our own school is about the same for full day. We pay under $2000 a year for health insurance for our whole family (husband is 41, I am 31).

The one complaint you may have about the town is that it is very quiet. Aside from exploring the beaches and relaxing, there isn't a lot to do. We like it that way though and manage to keep busy!

POP airport is about 1 hour 20 min away and AZS airport is less than 1 hour away if thinking about access to flights back to USA.

How much does tuition cost at the private grade school? Cabrera looked good to me on paper.

 

[sanluisdavid]

Derfish: yeah my wife and kids don't worry about brands. Not very much packagedo food. No cereal like that. Just eggs, toast, for breakfast. Any kind of coffee as long as it is strong. Regular while milk,etc. I am pretty sure the grocery store situation would not be an issue for us at all. Currently we buy vegetables and fruits from swap meet here in San Diego and pay about 1/2 of store prices.

 

[charlise]

There is no parallel between San Diego and the D.R. You will not be happy here with a family of 4 on 4000 thousand U.S a month

What do you eat for diner ?? Lobster and filet mignon every night ??? WTH ??

I rent a "huge" house in Sabaneta de Yasica, 10 min. east of Cabarete. 2 storeys, 6 bedrooms each with their own bathrooms, big living room on each floor, kitchen, dining-room, laundry room AND 12 foot wall around the property with a big metal gate in front. Superb pool with jacuzzi in the back yard. ALL of THIS for 33k pesos per month...

So don't tell me that someone with 4k US can't make it on the North Coast... Pleeeaaaase..... gimme a break !!!

 

[chic]

and how many pd. to the dollar///////////////////////////

 

[sanluisdavid]

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5 looks like DR and MEX are the same. Colombia significantly higher

 

[rfp]

As long as you dont burn any serious bridges and have a well though out plan and an equally well thought out exit strategy then why not try it out ?

If you put yourself in a position to live in a nice part of the island (not Santo Domingo) you can live a comfortable life at a comparatively low cost.

We lived in Santo Domingo and had all the trappings of a nice life ( country club, maid, ate out a lot ) including multiple trips abroad(albeit mostly on points) for around 4 k a month.

We are back in the states and make more money, are actually saving from our monthly budget and enjoy the infrastructure, good public schools etc but our lifestyle has been downgraded.

I think our decision was the right one for our family at this time because life in Santo Domingo is a grind but if you can pull it off somewhere nice like Bavaro, Jarabacoa, Cabrera LT, Rio San Juan etc then go for it. You only live once !!

 

[ccarabella]

Sounds like you are convinced.
I say try it! As long as you are living and breathing what have you got to lose?
You should have a well thought out exit strategy just in case.
Education and healthcare should be seriously considered as it is no where near US
standards and If you want to come close it will be costly.
These are my personal suggestions and opinions:
With a family - First Santiago and then Bavaro/Punta Cana.
It might not seem so at first sight but once your kids are in school and you start to meet people
you'll notice how intense people here are about keeping up with the Jones' in order to fit in
(not my cup of tea).
Practically everything gets done by knowing someone and it's all a hustle.
I have property, family, friends in the DR. I've lived and studied here and continue to visit
several times a year. After a week I can't wait to get away from the noise and return to structure, stability, safer drivers and roads.

IMHO- As far as infrastructure I prefer Mexico and on paper Colombia looks good as well.
My cousin moved to Cartagena from DR and says he's never coming back.

BTW - I long to return (maybe retire) to SoCal someday. I left for a job transfer and I really miss it!

 

[pauleast]

What do you eat for diner ?? Lobster and filet mignon every night ??? WTH ??

I rent a "huge" house in Sabaneta de Yasica, 10 min. east of Cabarete. 2 storeys, 6 bedrooms each with their own bathrooms, big living room on each floor, kitchen, dining-room, laundry room AND 12 foot wall around the property with a big metal gate in front. Superb pool with jacuzzi in the back yard. ALL of THIS for 33k pesos per month...

So don't tell me that someone with 4k US can't make it on the North Coast... Pleeeaaaase..... gimme a break !!!

If you choose to raise a family of 4(four) in the Dominican Republic on 4,000.00 U.S a month have at it. Life is full of choices. Some people take public transportation and some drive a Cadillac ,Some people Live in Sea horse and some live in Sabanete and in between. For me I would not do that to members of my family. What about a 401K,planning for the future, travel, culture job opportunity. Yea bring YOUR family to the beach and raise them walking the streets of Sosua and frolicking in the ocean. Immature and irresponsible come to mind. We are not talking about a 65 y/o retired widower with a pension, we are talking about a dude with a young family.

 

[GinzaGringo]

I understand where you are coming from Paulest. But I don't think moving to the DR is necessarily the irresponsible act you describe. True enough, the reason multitudes of poor Dominicans want to leave Hispanola for Europe or the USA is because the DR does not offer the opportunities a developed country offers. But the OP's children will not be poor Dominicans. They will be advantaged Dominicans, simply because of their daddy's money and their foreignness. After 5, 10, 15 years in the DR, when they are college aged, or just simply adults, they can go back to the USA if they want something more than the beach bum life, if they so choose, for the job and cultural opportunities they will not be able to have in the DR. Will they be at a somewhat disadvantaged position when they make that move? Perhaps. But what will they bring with them that they would not otherwise have, if they were raised in San Diego? My point is, there is no right or wrong decision, necessarily. There are consequences to every decision for sure but so long as the decider is informed, all will be fine.

 

[sanluisdavid]

If you choose to raise a family of 4(four) in the Dominican Republic on 4,000.00 U.S a month have at it. Life is full of choices. Some people take public transportation and some drive a Cadillac ,Some people Live in Sea horse and some live in Sabanete and in between. For me I would not do that to members of my family. What about a 401K,planning for the future, travel, culture job opportunity. Yea bring YOUR family to the beach and raise them walking the streets of Sosua and frolicking in the ocean. Immature and irresponsible come to mind. We are not talking about a 65 y/o retired widower with a pension, we are talking about a dude with a young family.

So let me get this straight...you think it is preferable to live like a robot or a rat in a cage running on one of those never ending wheels? Not spending much time with your family because you need to work more, to earn more, to pay Uncle Sam to buy more bombs, pay for 1/2 of the other population to sit at home and watch TV and never pay into the system? That is ludicrous to me and I can't believe how many folks think that is a sane, healthy lifestyle. Why are you so negative man?

If I have passive income from rentals, that IS my pension. Then when I make it to 65 or so, get a boost from SS.

My wife is primarily Spanish speaking from a place with same weather, food, music. My son is bilingual as am I. We like the beach and spending time as a family. I don't like the rat race. What is so hard for you to grasp?

I may need to move there, just to agitate you. Just kidding. But seriously, lighten up a little.

 

[sanluisdavid]

I am a Physical Therapist which are in great demand here in the States. So if there are any problems with living in DR, we could return to anywhere in the US and I could have 5 job offers in a day. So I don't see much risk of things do not work out.

 

[Tamborista]

So let me get this straight...you think it is preferable to live like a robot or a rat in a cage running on one of those never ending wheels? Not spending much time with your family because you need to work more, to earn more, to pay Uncle Sam to buy more bombs, pay for 1/2 of the other population to sit at home and watch TV and never pay into the system? That is ludicrous to me and I can't believe how many folks think that is a sane, healthy lifestyle. Why are you so negative man?

If I have passive income from rentals, that IS my pension. Then when I make it to 65 or so, get a boost from SS.

My wife is primarily Spanish speaking from a place with same weather, food, music. My son is bilingual as am I. We like the beach and spending time as a family. I don't like the rat race. What is so hard for you to grasp?

I may need to move there, just to agitate you. Just kidding. But seriously, lighten up a little.

It nice you are settling in well here, and realize many of these members live off their SS checks and get their feathers all ruffled when some one 1/2 their age makes 4X their pension. Rock on.

 

[william webster]

Good to see your getting both GOOD and BAD advice in the mix here!
I strongly suggest you take 3/4 of this "expert advice" with a grain of salt.
$4K is a do-able, not extravagant North Coast budget, IMO.
Ask Wind what it really costs to live here, or Willie Web.

Thanks for the plug, amigo - but I rarely wade into a fray like this.
Too many people are smarter than I am.

The Hippo gave some good advice from a very similar viewpoint, IMO.


These other guys are so darn smart it spooks me... and free with their advice.

When I was younger and more agile we used to have a saying about free advice...........
wish I could remember it......

might come in handy about now.

Another was sorting the fly sh!t from the pepper...... not easy