"Reasonable Income" - Cost of Living

[HomeIsWhereMyHeartIs]

Cibao Region:

Rent = RD$8,000/ mo = 3br, 2ba home
Electric = RD$3,500/mo = 2 Window Unit AC's, Washing Machine (US Kind), Electric Dryer, Refrigerator, Bulbs, Fans, 2 TV's, PS3 etc.
Cable= RD$500/mo
Water= Never gotten a bill???? In 3 years????
Telephone= RD$5,000/mo (this includes Flash and about $50us of long distance a month).
Gas= RD$8,000/mo (about RD$2,000 a week in our Montero)
Cleaning Lady= RD$6,000/mo (5 days a week 9am - 6pm = she washes, cleans, prepares lunch and dinner - she eats lunch but after dinner is prepared she goes home).
Groceries=RD$5,000 - RD$8,000/mo (depends on what we buy - obviously T-Bones and Black Tiger Shrimp up the bill)

That is about it... our Health Insurance is on a corporate plan so we pay peanuts, this is for 2 adults.

So about RD$28,000 - $31,000 a month.

This obviously does not include eating out and alcoholic beverages - but those vary for us - we live great on the above - without problems and very comfortable. However we do have the amenities (Invertor, Generator, SAVINGS etc).

[Danny W]

Our monthly expenses for a family of 4 in Sosua are averaging out to close to $2,000 US per month or $60,000 pesos, including 2 kids in a Garden Kids school, international health insurance, a car,etc.

Certain factors that contribute to a slightly cheaper life in the DR than in NY (where I spend most of my time at present) are:

-No change of season so 1 wardrobe, no heating bill
-generally simpler lifestyle, like a day at the beach instead of $100 to take the family to dinner and a movie.
-cheaper housing. My NY coop is $1,000 per month maint., plus mortgage.
-less keeping up with the Joneses. Since there is poverty all around you, the value of the dollar is more apparent. - D

[is mikehunt there]

[QUOTE=GringoCArlos;540056]QUOTE - Piranha

Would really appreciate your feedback & thoughts...

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Sorry to be a pain, but further to my earlier post. I would really appreciate your feedback on my specific circumstances and potential costs. Please!

All costs are per month.

this is my expense sheet
Rent (Inc maintenance fees) US$650
Food US$100 140$mth or if your having 1 meal a day $50mth for food
Fuel (TBC - Subject to mileage)
Electricity (Inc air con) US$50$60-80 no air con
Telephone US$15
Water ??? 20mth
Health insurance (Fully comprehensive) US$40-70Dental costs US$15
Shopping (Clothes etc) US$50
Motoring (Servicing & maintenance) US$50
Entertainment (Socialising) US$300
Motor insurance ???
Home insurance (Comprehensive) ??? 1-1.5% house value


And if not included within US$650 Rent:
Cable TV US$20 yes
Internet (High speed) US$60 $100


- Please tell me, are my figures above realistic?see above
- Any other expenses which should be included?
pool $80mth cleaning/ $10mth chlorine/elctricity small pool 6*4 at least 40-50mth extra
medications can be pricey!!!

- Any realistic estimates on the ‘???’?


hope i helped you , cheers mike

[Chirimoya]

To avoid confusion with outdated information, I'm closing this old thread and have moved bltkmt's question and subsequent replies to a new thread.

Cost of living in the DR - how much will we need?

Please continue this discussion there.