Living in the Dominican Republic

What do I need to know about living in the Dominican Republic?

When we asked people what advice they would give someone preparing to move to the Dominican Republic, they said:

"Be prepared to adjust. Be prepared to be frustrated and to want to smack your head into the wall. But also be prepared to find the small joys here!! The people are remarkably friendly and helpful. There are many many good people but that takes time to get to know who they are. You won't find them in your first few months here!!!!! After 11 years I am still learning so much. I live in a typical middle class Dominican neighborhood! I am the only expat and I love my life here. 11 years of business and consulting and I pretty much know how to get things done..... but every single day I learn something new!!!," explained one expat living in Santo Domingo, Dominican Rep.

"Only come if you are retired, and have at least $3,000.00 USD per month to spend on expenses, and enough reserve cash to return to your country for medical treatment if you need because the medical system here is a total disaster. Also purchase Medi-Vac Insurance to be 100% certain you can be air lifted and repatriated in case of medical emergency. Do not move to this city, if you cannot deal with pollution and noise, rude people, constant traffic jams, crazy drivers. Only move here as a temporary stop in order to find your way into the more peacful interior town of Jarabacoa. If you are not retired, stay away if you are looking for work, unless you want to earn $400.00 USD each month," said another expat in Santo Domingo.

"I would tell them to first visit, meet people in the Chamber of Commerce to get better acquainted with where to live and how to move around in the city," added another expat who made the move to Santiago de los Caballeros.

"It would depend on how old he is. If retired come, come, come if wanting work unless he has plenty capital to start a business, go somewhere else," explained one expat living in Las Terrenas, Dominican Rep.

"Learn Spanish - Come with some money to get established. Find a way to make money here. It is not very expensive to live here, but at the same time, you won't make a lot of money either. If you have any questions about moving to Santiago, you can email me at ," mentioned another in Santiago.

How do I meet people in the Dominican Republic?