65% of the Dominican population does not generate enough income to cover the basics, while 35% of the population has earnings far superior to the minimum needed. The Central Bank estimated that the monthly minimum needed for an average household (4.3 members) to live is RD$6,240.85. The findings are from the III Survey of Expenses and Income of Households (ENGIH) carried out by the Central Bank. The study revealed that 22.6% of the population spends only RD$2,528.22 a month, or 40% less than the basic budget. Another 21.6% of the population has income at a level of RD$3,755.08, or 60% of the basic minimum level. A third group, 20.08% of the population spends RD$4,955.39 a month, or about 80% of the minimum. To carry out the survey, 4,810 homes were polled. This is considered a representative sample of the 1,919,064 homes in the DR. The study showed that 19% of the families had income levels of RD$6,694.16, while 16% had levels of RD$13,271.38 or more a month. The study showed that the highest cost of living is that in the capital city, with RD$8,520.33, income levels of residents in urban areas of provinces is at RD$6,160.52 and it cost less to live in the rural areas, about RD$4,065.82.
