I just want to start off by saying I didn't read every single post on this thread, most of them but not all (there are sooo many!), so hopefully I'm not duplicating what anyone else said. However, living in DR on a very very low budget, I want to express my opinion about the $1,000 budget.
My husband and I live on $400-$500 a month. This is after we purchased our vehicle. This amount includes a 2 bedroom, fully furnished really nice apartment which includes, trash pick up, electricity, invertor, and running HOT water, it includes all of our meals/groceries. And despite what was suggested in one post, we eat very well and good quality of meals.
Now, how is all of this possible on such a small amount of money? We have very little entertainment (that cost anything), we cook almost all of our meals and we don't live in the Americanized part of the country. We too left the U.S. to get away from the American life style, so we didn't want to get back into it here by being around all of the American places and people. We live 30 minutes outside of Puerto Plata. We are far enough out to live a little cheaper but close enough to have access to what we need.
Do I recommend this for everyone? No, it all depends on their personal circumstances but it drives me crazy when I see post on here saying you cannot live in the DR for less than $2,000 or $1,000 a month.
And just because we live on such a small budget, does not make us a burden on the DR society (that would be hard to do considering the overall shape of the country's economy). We do not live on that budget because that's all the money we have but because we choose to live a simple and inexpensive life style. If we wanted all of the fancy and creature comforts of life, we would have stayed in our executive jobs in Executive America, in our big house and fancy car, but we were tired of Corporate America and the stuck up people who think they are special just because they have a title and slave to their job. Just because some people live on a small budget doesn't mean they are a lesser individual, there are plenty of clean, good hearted people who live under their means. In fact, my personal opinion is that this class of people are doing much better because they are not worried with living out of their means and enjoy the more important things in life.
Anyway, to sum it up... you can live on less than $1,000 a month for 2 people but don't expect to live like you do in US or Canada or where ever you come from, don't expect to be going out every weekend partying and don't expect to have a beach front condo. Anyone can do it, depending on what they are willing to "sacrifice" as some call it.
DR has it's challenges but it also has it's blessings. The best thing is, we who live here, see a different way of life than we were raised around. It makes more rounded people in my opinion.
|