One thing that many gripe about including myself, is the food. But eating healthy is one more benefit of the DR and in general, the more healthy the food, the cheaper it is. Red meat isn't as available as it is in the US and there isn't High Fructose Corn Syrup in EVERYTHING. No, you don't have a full isle of microwaveable frozen dinners, and you usually have to actually cook your meals, but the lack of "eating while bored" makes it easier to stay fit.
Like many other countries outside of the US, you can get by without needing a car. If you have a family or business, it becomes more important, but it's not the necessity that it is in the US. Going a mile or two? Flag down a moto. Going to the next town over? Take the Guagua. Need to go farther? Take the bus. It's not up to the mass transit I was able to use in Japan, but it's also quite cheap.
As a foreigner, people in general are more friendly too you. I think this is the case for most countries. You're interesting because your history is so different from a Dominican's. The reverse is also true in that someone who has a humble life in the DR is more interesting than someone who has the same job as in the US. Of course, the downside is that as a foreigner you also get noticed more by the bad guys. There is a newness of living abroad that makes daily life more interesting. It wears off after a while, but it's nice to enjoy while it lasts.
The DR is also close to the US. It's accessible. A RT flight is under 5 hours from NYC(and just a hop from Miami) and it's easily the best option compared to Jamaica, the Bahamas or other islands. You don't have to deal with Jet Lag. The hardest part for me to get to the DR isn't the flight, but getting the 250 miles to Newark Airport. Shipping barrels or a container of personal items just isn't that big of a deal when you make the big leap to live there.
It's still growing. It has its blips in the economy and they rely too much on tourism, but there is a lot going on in becoming self sufficient on more commodities each year and money comes in not just from tourists, but from the Dominican diaspora. Sugar is fading out as the core of the economy for higher value exports and a more diverse economy. It was a bumpy ride for about 20 years, but the future still looks good for the DR. As its accessibility to American goods increases and the infrastructure improves, it will continue to be a bigger draw for retiring Baby Boomers. 20 years ago, retiring in the DR wasn't for the meek, and now it's competing with Florida and other geriatric Meccas(esp for Canadians). The future as a service economy is good. Expect more and more AIs and small hotels to be converted into condos and residencias. A typical Ex-pat is living on what? $2000/month? More? It all adds up for the local economies. Still plenty of construction work and the quality continues to approach US standards. The tradesmen still have a bit more catch-up to do. The middle class is growing in the DR, unlike the US.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.
~Mark Twain
There's still hope for DS...
