Cost of Living in the DR

[Mr. Lu]

Hey everyone. I'm trying to figure out what the cost of living is in the DR. Below I've posted some indicators and if you guys could post what you pay for the services, or have paid, I'd appreciate it. I'd like to get a good group of answers in order to get a "national average." The hope is to have a sticky so that newbies have an idea of what costs are as they prepare the move here. Please also state where you are from in the DR, other important indicators and extraneous costs.

Cheers,


Mr. Lu





Estimated costs:
Rent of a three bedroom apartment:
Cost of power per household:
Cost of telephone:
Cost of cellular:
Cost of Internet dial-up service:
Cost of water:
Cost of a hotel room in Santo Domingo:
Cost of a vehicle: (used), (new), (luxury)
Cost of a taxi:
Cost of lunch/dinner at a restaurant:
Cost of gasoline:
Cost of bilingual schools:
Cost of Spanish language schools:
Cost of dental appointment: (with insurance) (without insurance)
Cost of medical appointment:
Cost of household help:
Cost of a full time chauffeur:
Cost of a receptionist:
Cost of an interpreter:
Cost of a translation:
Cost of a full time accountant:

[lollipop]

Estimated costs in Bella Vista, Santo Domingo:
Rent of a One bedroom apartment: USD600.00
Cost of power per household: RD$2800.00
Cost of telephone: N/A
Cost of cellular: RD$3,500.00
Cost of Internet dial-up service: N/A
Cost of water: included in rent.
Cost of a hotel room in Santo Domingo: depends, from 85us to 150us
Cost of a vehicle: (used), (new), (luxury). To buy a car or the maintenance?
Cost of a taxi: depends where you're going... around the city 150pesos.
Cost of lunch/dinner at a restaurant: depends, from 150 to 1000pesos or more.
Cost of gasoline: around 190 a gallon right now.
Cost of bilingual schools: no idea.
Cost of Spanish language schools: no idea, I have no kids.
Cost of dental appointment: (with insurance) (without insurance) regular one? 100 pesos with insurance.
Cost of medical appointment: insurance pays for it most of the time, the difference will not be more than 200pesos in special occasions.
Cost of household help: 4000 pesos, she comes 3 times a week.
Cost of a full time chauffeur: my friend pays 8000 pesos, i don't have one.
Cost of a receptionist: 12,000 pesos.
Cost of an interpreter: no idea.
Cost of a translation: no idea.
Cost of a full time accountant:25,000 pesos

[Squat]

Estimated costs:
Rent of a three bedroom apartment: "I own my place..."
Cost of power per household: "around 2300RD$"
Cost of telephone: "around 2650RD$ (with ADSL internet)"
Cost of cellular: "396RD$"
Cost of Internet dial-up service: "I don't use dial-up since a long while..."
Cost of water: "they "forgot" me..."
Cost of a hotel room in Santo Domingo: "...not sure..."
Cost of a vehicle: (used), (new), (luxury) "...will have a look... mine's too old..."
Cost of a taxi:"-do you guys use taxis ?"
Cost of lunch/dinner at a restaurant: "about 350RD$/person"
Cost of gasoline: "a bit more every saturday !"
Cost of bilingual schools: "kids are bilingual, but study in spanish..."
Cost of Spanish language schools: "spanish-only private college, around 1300RD$/kid"
Cost of dental appointment: (with insurance) (without insurance) "too expensive..."
Cost of medical appointment: "-was it 300RD$ ?"
Cost of household help: "2000RD$/month"
Cost of a full time chauffeur:"... come on, man !"
Cost of a receptionist: "-What are you refering to ?"
Cost of an interpreter: "I do that myself "
Cost of a translation: "see above..."
Cost of a full time accountant:"... that is still in my "to do" list..."

[Matilda]

In Juan Dolio - South Coast

Rent of a three bedroom apartment: 600US$ month
Cost of power per household: around 3000RD$ for 3 bed house
Cost of telephone: with internet flash 4000, without 1800
Cost of cellular: 2000 contract Claro, 650 for 75 mins prepaid Orange
Cost of Internet dial-up service: 500RD$
Cost of water: 35RD$ a botteillon, nada for the posso as refuse to pay
Cost of a hotel room in Santo Domingo: n/a
Cost of a vehicle: (used), (new), (luxury) no idea
Cost of a taxi: 250 RD$ minimum local. 45us$ to Las Americas airport
Cost of lunch/dinner at a restaurant: Minimum 1000RD$ for two without tax
Cost of gasoline:
Cost of bilingual schools: 6000RD$ a month
Cost of Spanish language schools:
Cost of dental appointment: (with insurance) (without insurance)
Cost of medical appointment: 500RD$ basic visit
Cost of household help: 6000 RD$ mensual
Cost of a full time chauffeur:
Cost of a receptionist:
Cost of an interpreter:
Cost of a translation:
Cost of a full time accountant:

matilda

[Chirimoya]

Mirador Sur, Santo Domingo

Rent of a three bedroom apartment: around US$1,000 month
Cost of power per household: around RD$1,000 (no a/c or clothes dryer)
Cost of telephone: with internet flash RD$4,000-5,000
Cost of cellular: prepaid Orange ~RD$500 per month
Cost of water: RD$230 per month
Cost of a hotel room in Santo Domingo: US$30-200 depending on hotel!
Cost of a vehicle: (used), (new), (luxury) no idea
Cost of a taxi: RD$150 within the city. US$30 to Las Americas airport
Cost of lunch/dinner at a restaurant: Minimum RD$1,000 for two without tax
Cost of gasoline: ~RD$1,000 per week
Cost of bilingual schools: ~US$4,000 per year
Cost of Spanish language schools: ~US$1,500 per year
Cost of dental appointment: depends
Cost of medical appointment: RD$200-500 basic visit
Cost of household help: RD$4,000 a month (two days per week)
Cost of a full time chauffeur: no idea
Cost of a receptionist: no idea
Cost of an interpreter: ~US$200 per day
Cost of a translation: ~US$0.10 per word
Cost of a full time accountant: don't know

[johne]

what is the cost of one gallon of regular gasoline?

[Robert]

Originally Posted by johne

what is the cost of one gallon of regular gasoline?

RD$176. Gas pricing is fixed in the DR.

[johne]

Originally Posted by Robert

RD$176. Gas pricing is fixed in the DR.

It's subsidized? How much a gallon is kicked in by gov't? Who gets (Country/Agency) the difference that is paid by (government?)
Thanks-JOHN

[johne]

Just read DR News about maintenace of subsisty but would like to understand more. Might be a deciding factor in our elections here in the US in Nov.

[GringoCArlos]

The DR government owns the refinery here. They buy petroleum (and gasoline) from Venezuela, Mexico, etc. And the retail sales price is fixed by the government, not by the individual dealers, with a fixed (10%-(??)) gross profit margin to the dealers. In the past, if a retail fuel dealer attempted to sell fuel for say, 1 peso less per gallon than the official sales price set by government, they would have a line of 100 cars waiting to buy fuel, and the dealer would become an assassination target for other dealers who toed the line. Fuel prices are the same everywhere in the country.

And I do not think that at the prices government sets, that fuel prices are "subsidized" - it is the cost that government incurs to produce it (as if government could do anything like this efficiently).

Sorry Mr. Lu I am not trying to hijack your thread, I am just trying to settle the "gasoline" question so we CAN get back on track.