Moving to the D.R. with children

I have been giving some serious thought to moving to the D.R. from the states, which part I haven't determined yet. I have two children, a toddler and a 10-year-old. My goal is to complete my book and expose my children to Dominican culture. Does anyone have any suggestions or comments on which area would be best, housing rental information and the cost of living and schooling? Thank you for your time.

Rachelle Johnson,

Dear Rachelle,

I would strongly recommend the Santiago area. It is the second largest city in the Dominican Republic and is a great place to raise children. It is not as crowded and congested as Santo Dominingo, yet has all of the conveniences as a large city. It has a wonderful American school with US accredidation and US certified teachers (Santiago Christian School). I am a graduate of that school and will be returning to Santiago to live myself in a couple of months. Santiago is also about an hour from the North Coast which makes it close to the best beaches in the Dominican Republic. If you have any questions please E-mail me.

Dan

I just thought I would add that the climate is much more comfortable in Santiago as well.... Santo Domingo is very humid and muggy, while Santiago is in a basin completely surrounded by mountains which makes it less humid and a little cooler.

Rachelle,

I tried E-mailing you but I got a message saying that you only get E-mail once a week. Rent in Santiago really varies depending on location. If you are interrested in an apartment, you should be able to get a nice one for about $400- $500 U.S. per month. A house would probably be a little more than that, but it all depends on where it is located and the size. Rent in Santiago is much cheaper than in Santo Domingo.

You can get a decent place in Santo Domingo or a house by the beach for just over half that, or a luxury furnished apartment on the beach for about RD$8000/mo.

Jim Hinsch JimHinsch@CSI.COM

Jim,

You can get cheaper apartments than that, I was just giving her an idea of what the more expensive and nicer apartments go for in Santiago... They go anywhere between $6,000-$8,000 pesos. That is aproximately $400-$500 U.S. per month. You can get a very nice apartment for about $6,500 pesos. There are also cheaper homes and and apartments available.

Dan

Yes. A place in the US$500/month (RD$8000/month) range would be considered "for the rich" in Santo Domingo and cost more than a typical middle-class family could afford. That would be more at the bottom of the "luxury" range. Figure that an income that could pay such a monthly rent would need to be over RD$32,000/mo. (by the 25% rule used by lenders), a VERY good salary by DR standards. However, that might be what one would need to spend in order to equal the comforts a foreigner of upper middle class might be used to.

Jim Hinsch JimHinsch@CSI.COM