retirement in the Dominican Rep

I just sent you a PM.

Bob K

Welcome on Expat-blog dave_wendy!
I have moved the thread on the Dominican Republic forum.

Good luck
Christine

I am retiring and trying to see if I can afford to live in the DR  Can someone give me a ballpark figure on the cost of utilities and cable.  I plan on renting a condo somewhere in Bavaro or Punta Cana.  In addition, I would love to hear from retirees living in the DR.

I would recommend Ross Weber's book Moving to the Dominican Republic, The Paradox of Paradise in which he gives a lot of useful info on living and moving there.  Also you can reach him on his website ross@movingtoDR.com.  Hope this helps you.

Thanks much, I will check out the website.

was wondering about this book-is it a good one?

dreamgirl wrote:

was wondering about this book-is it a good one?

It  certainly  is one point of view but  not one that  I  can necessarily  relate to. 

Also  I find the website not all that  helpful.

deedee327 wrote:

I am retiring and trying to see if I can afford to live in the DR  Can someone give me a ballpark figure on the cost of utilities and cable.  I plan on renting a condo somewhere in Bavaro or Punta Cana.  In addition, I would love to hear from retirees living in the DR.

Utilities -   cable TV tends to be very inexpensive  -  I pay the equivalent of about  US $14   a month, I get  200 channels but sometimes they don't all work.

Electricity -  is bloody  expensive. It is a step rated formula the more you use the higher the rates.  So you want to manage your usage.  AND you want to be careful where you live, some areas  have daily  electrical  outages. You want to plan accordingly for an inverter and batteries or generator or both!  But make sure you know what the area is like.  DO NOT take your landlords  word for anything if you are renting.They will lie to you and tell you the electricity is great and stable.Always confirm  with  both neighbors and the electrical  company.

IF you are buying or building  do the same research, know what you are up against.  I do consulting. One company I was working with  did NOT  take the time to read a rental  contract and after the fact found out they had to install electrical - including a  transformer! 

Water -  water is not expensive BUT  you need to find out that you  have a regular supply.  In many areas city water does not run  every single day. Most  places will have a cisterna (big tank inthe ground) to hold water,  you will have a  tinaco  (big  plastic tank on the roof). City water fills the  cisterna,  you pump water to the tinaco on the roof.When there is no city water gravity  gets the water from the tinaco to your shower.

Ok, and would you tell us about the food?

What do you want to know.
Dominican food (traditional) is very good though I find it some times lacking in spices. Dominicans generally do not like spicey food but they do love thier salt and sugar.

Bob K

Food available  here -  diverse, fresh and sometimes not expensive at all.   

I  eat a modified   expat / Dominican diet.   Locals eat a lot of  white starch type foods. I do not.   White rice,  white bread etc are in big supply and not expensive.

Chicken and pork  -  readily  available and inexpensive.  Beef- expensive and  not very good quality. 

Veggies and fruits -  readily available.  If you like what is naturally grown here - inexpensive.

Rule of thumb - imported = expensive. IF it is  local  it is not.

I  eat  inexpensively  and well but I have learned to love a lot of local  items.  I only buy the imported items I cannot live without - like  Miracle Whip and chocolate.........LOL

Ok thanks for this info.
And what about buying a car when you are not a resident yet?
Which car insurance to get?
Can we drive with an american or european permit?

Hyperboles wrote:

Ok thanks for this info.
And what about buying a car when you are not a resident yet?
Which car insurance to get?
Can we drive with an american or european permit?

Yes you can buy a car and you can drive on your  international  license I believe for  90 days, then  leave the country to reactivate for  90 days OR hire a driver. Easier to do that.

Insurance -  depends - get several quotes and  make sure to understand what you are  buying!!! CRITICAL.


Buying a vehicle is best accomplished with  help of someone who knows prices and  where to go.  One of the posters here actually has a business doing just that. He is a mechanic and  does this for a living.  Great guy!!!!    He is in  Santiago.

Insurance here is fairly expensive as are vehicles. Bad driving and bad roads eat up vehicles.

Interesting.
Do you know if we would need a local address to buy the car insurance?

We were thinking of buying the car in Santo Domingo, where there may be more opportunities and the roads may be better.

But, if you could give us this man's name (the mechanic poster), we will contact him here.
Thanks,
Myriam.

Hyperboles wrote:

Interesting.
Do you know if we would need a local address to buy the car insurance?

We were thinking of buying the car in Santo Domingo, where there may be more opportunities and the roads may be better.

But, if you could give us this man's name (the mechanic poster), we will contact him here.
Thanks,
Myriam.

Local address not really needed but a good idea.

Better to buy the vehicle in La Vega or Moca,  better  prices and selection, not sure  why

Let me find the poster,  he is a member here.  Hang tight.

Hyperboles

Having read your posts in multiple areas my feeling is you need to slow down and take a deep breath.  Have you been here before??? And I dont mean as a tourist in an AI resort.  Living here is not what you see at the hotels but totally differnt.
I would suggest before you do anything, buy anything, set up any business, burn any bridges back home that you come down and spend a couple of months living here.  Maybe even a couple of months in different areas and then decide if the country "fits" for you.  A lot of folks have lost a lot of come with a dream and left heart broken and many times a lot poorer then when they got here. There is an old joke about the best way to leave the DR wtih a million dollars in your pocket is to arrive here wtih two.
Be careful, slow down and take a deep breath.

Bob K

So much for this forum......not very active.

Why don't you add something if you have something to say????

Bob K

Well let's get this active. I have a question about what's the best location for expats in DR, for both cost-of-living and social activities. La Romana is too expensive for me but there's got to be a better city than where I'm living, San Cristobal. I'm looking for a place without amplified music blaring from every corner and where people drive more or less within the law.  William.

williamd wrote:

Well let's get this active. I have a question about what's the best location for expats in DR, for both cost-of-living and social activities. La Romana is too expensive for me but there's got to be a better city than where I'm living, San Cristobal. I'm looking for a place without amplified music blaring from every corner and where people drive more or less within the law.  William.

Well  William you are asking for the impossible.  You will need to find a place where they don't drive at all  to find some who drive within the law......

As for the music and cost of living - within all cities, towns etc  you find find  places of tranquility but you have to hunt for them.

I currently live in Puerto  Plata - not overly expensive - access to most services that is decent - and my apt is in a quieter (most of the time)  area.  Like all areas it has its moments. For example  every  Wednesday night I can go to church without leaving home.  Yup someone in the area hosts church in their house every Wednesday  night and they bring in the loudspeakers.  It only lasts a couple of hours. Not so bad.

Hi Dave and Wendy, my husband and I are also early retirees and have moved here.  We live in Puerto Plata.

Williamd,
You will find a large expat community here on the north coast from Puerto Plata to Cabrarra. Other then the driving issues (which will you will find the same no matter where you are) there are alots of areas here that may fit your needs.  You should take a week or two and explor the area.

Bob K

hi i`m from Canada and looking forward to move to Puerto Plata for my retire and i find its very interesting infos in this forum! wonder if there`s place for the expats like us( want to be) to meet and exchange some of out experience of living there to get give  help .

There is no organized place to meet. However many of us will be glad to sit down with you on a trip down.  We als of course will be happy to answer questions here on the board or via PM or email

Bob K

When I first arrived five years ago... My monthly expenses were in the region of $1,000. Rent and all included....Now, $1,800 a month is tight. It's getting worse almost daily.

I see a bunch of good advice from several subscribers but as I have said before, beware of every aspect of everything you do, buy or rent. It is well known that the Dominican is enterprising, to say the least. After my five years I feel qualified to say the many are outright thieves...opportunists actually might be kinder... If you design your life around the opposition theory you can laugh at your small mistakes and lament your mental lapses regarding the more important/expensive losses.

I have lived in several countries in the Caribbean over the past 20-years and the cost to do so now is universally prohibitive now...By being careful and enriching your learning curve ...you'll find the DR is still the least expensive. Unfortunately the corruption in government is rampant and their universal chicanery has taken a very noticeable toll on the once notorious valued-added cost of expatriate living here.

A few weeks ago I asked where in the DR is there a town where bocines don't blast day and  night from cars and colmados and where drivers more or less don't behave like a herd of goats (i'm sure you've seen the highway signs pleading with motorists not to drive like lawless goats, so I'm not making this up.) Anyway, I found that town. Bayahibe 20 min. east of La Romana. Small, quaint, quiet. It may be that the unpaved streets are so bad that cars can't speed. The colmados close at 9 and the music moves inside discos. Bayahibe sits right on the beach and views are spectacular wherever you look. It's like Sosua without the tacky oversell.
You gotta see it, not from an all-inclusives. The beachfront restaurants are pricey but there are a few small hotels that run from $30-$50/night. I found a two-room apt. for $50/night with a kitchen and balcony.  Wao!

[Moderated]

I would like thank everyone for the information provided. I will be living in Punta Cana for a few months starting 1 November, 2011. I look forward to enjoying the DR.

Deedee

Good luck.

Bob K

What is a modified dominican diet? I want to eat cheap, but healthy if that is possible.

deedee327 wrote:

What is a modified dominican diet? I want to eat cheap, but healthy if that is possible.

When you get here go to the  grocery store,   the  closest colmado and whatever market is nearby.  Figure out the pricing and what you can afford to  buy, prepare and eat.  Simple.  A  healthy  diet is possible,  but  personally  I do not know what that means to you!

Thank you for the information. I will go to the supermercado and research prices and figure out what I can afford. What I meant by healthy is that I hope not to eat too many canned foods. I need to lower my cholestrol (sp) and avoid salty foods.  Hope this is possible.

You should not have to eat can food at all. Any veggie or fruit you want you can find fresh here. A lot of food (fruit and veggies) can be bought right from the vendors off thier trucks as they are making deliveries.
In fact other then black olives, tuna fish, chick peas and tomato paste I cannot think of any cans in our pantry.

Bob K

Great, thanks Bob.

American, retired engineer, still working, travel Central America and Caribbean now. Intend to move from El Salvador to DR August 2013. Looking for help with importing household from El Salvador, possibly vehicle.

Also interested in residency.

Have been visiting Santo Domingo and Santiago on business for years. Speak pretty good Spanish. Want to live at cooler elevation but not too far from Santo Domingo. Need high speed Internet service. Have looked in Cambita de Garabito area near San Cristóbal but apparently no acceptable Internet. Plan to look later this month on road from Bonao to Constanza where, I understand, there may be Internet service.

Will rent for first year.

Welcome Philbee!  WE can help you with lots of information here.  I believe that the various internet providers have expanded their coverage. However, you cannot believe what they say, you need to go check it out yourself!   

In terms of bringing your personal items into the country, if you get your residencia first, you can then import your container without the usual duties and taxes! 

If you need a good lawyer who speaks English better than we do, just ask!   

Good to hear you intend to rent first - smart thinking.  When you are coming to visit let us know,  those who live in the capital can have a get together!  We look for any excuses to do so!

Hi Philbee,

You may want to consider Jarabacoa. The weather is excellent, and so is the internet. It is 2 1/2 hrs. from Sto Domingo and Caribe Tours has direct service there: caribetours.com.do has schedules and prices, in case you don't want to drive.
Renting can be difficult but it depends what you are looking for.

It is not as isolated as Constanza, and from what I hear, Bonao does not have a good reputation...drug problems, etc. and not very secure.

Let me know if you need help since I currently live in Jarabacoa!

Thanks for responding.

Looking at the map, Jarabacoa is not very far from where I intend to look. You're right, Constanza is too isolated. I intend to look on the road to that city not too far from Autopista Duarte which would be about an hour either way to SD or Santiago. I mentioned Bonao just as a reference point. I have no interest in living there.
I will have my own vehicle since I have to move around quite a bit to visit clients. I'm trying to get as close to Santo Domingo as possible to decrease the travel time.

Cambita de Garabito has been of interest because the temperatures are comfortable at night and it's only 45 minutes on good roads from the industrial center of Santo Domingo where I need to visit two or three times per week.