Safest Place to Live in DR ??

p.s.  As an example.  Last week, a man who lives in a small community 10-15 minutes from Luperon was involved in a motorcycle crash.  He was taken to POP and then transferred to Santo Domingo for treatment  He died on Thursday and yesterday, they had a funeral for him and hundreds turned out.  That is an incredible experience to see.

Have one for most of the North shore.  Now to the nitty gritty:  Safe from what?  Tsunamis. insurrections, bad drivers, scammers. hookers, home invasions, muggers. robbers. dishonest real estate dude or dudettes? Hurricanes, termites. cocos falling on your vehicles. floods? Please state your concerns so that we may relieve your worries. It will help if you tell us where you are interested in.  You are never 100% safe drunk on a dark street at 3:00 in the morning.  What are you afraid of the most?

Try Sosua/Cabarete area. More to do & see, many expats & much less crime than one would expect  Moved here in 2002,  Got burgeled 1st. week, nothing since. No place is totally safe or secure. If you are content there, stay there & visit other places when the itch occurs.

Hi.I'm having a hard time finding information about neighborhood breakdown of Punta Cana. Is there any information online?

I'm looking for non gated communities.
Looking for at least a 2 bedroom/ 2 Bath apartment or home to rent. Could I find something decent for US $500 a month?

I'll be visiting soon but wanted more information before I go.

Thank you,

Sav

There isn't much online unfortunately. We always say " boots on the ground".

Also be aware that " gated communities" are not often really that. Just because a group of buildings or a building is gated doesn't make it a fortress.  It can be misleading.

You say non gated but don't rule out everything just because it's gated honey.

On another note your budget is quite tight. You may want to be looking in Vernon which is very close to Punta Cana.   Look for websites: I have two on my laptop and will post later.

Thank you @ Planner for responding. I could pay more if I have to. I'll  look at all the options when I'm in Punta Cana.   I mentioned non gated communities because I read they're more expensive.

In general, the Punta Cana area is more expensive than most of the rest of the country. Outside of  the real up-scale resorts. Casa de Campo & Playa Grande for example.  Good luck & welcome.

Thank you @ The tinker40. I'm excited and looking forward to the big move next year.

No where is 99.999% safe from crime except maybe Kauai and that's a long flight from DR.

Safety resides in the brain. Common sense rules.  Fools & idiots are always targets.  Flash & clash,  Always better to be a medium sized fish in a medium pond, than to be big fish in a large lake.  as my accountant kept saying,  Pigs get fat, Hogs get slaughtered".  Again, saftey is using your mind.  I would suggest not living in Alcarrizos. More of my thoughts are availabe, if & only if you have a sense of humor & are willing to adhere to the three L's........ Look........Listen.............Learn.   The secret to life anywhere,   anywhere!

Hello,

I am looking to relocate to Punta Cana with my daughter after she graduates high school. Are the closed communities to live in that are available to rent and allow dogs? Could you please suggest some if you know of any? Another interesting question 😃 I am planning on telecommuting full time with my employer in the US, would I be required to apply for a working visa?  Anything else that you suggest would be much appreciated.  Thanks

There are plenty of gated communities especially in the Cocotal area of Bavaro. Most allow pets. There are many who work online for a US employer and don´t apply for a work visa.

There are people all over this country who work online and dont report anything here. It is not fully legal but most just overstay and pay the fine when they fly out.

Anyone has any information on gated community in punta Cana.
Also how much will be rental of such

Anyone has any information on gated community in punta Cana.
Also how much will be rental of such

Cocotal is very secure and offers a great choice of apts. and houses. I am currently living in Cocotal and very pleased with the maintenance and security provided.
You can check a FB page:  "Gente que Vive en Cocotal"  for more info, also another FB page "Clasificados Bavaro" with listings for rentals, furnished and unfurnished.
If interested, there are a couple of realtors I dealt with who could help.

Can I get some long term rental properties in Punta Cana please? No Gringo prices. Modern furnished if possible budget 900usd or less.

Best websites or suggest who I can contact to find a nice long term furnished rental and modern , allowing a very small 15 yr old dog for 900 usd or less?

Check out the Facebook groups Everything Punta Cana and Everything Bavaro.  There will be listings there.

We have numerous beautiful places in Luperon.  You get much more for your buck here than most touristy destinations.  I can put you in direct contact with the realtor I am using in Luperon.  He speaks good English.

planner wrote:

There are people all over this country who work online and dont report anything here. It is not fully legal but most just overstay and pay the fine when they fly out.

Bit of a grey area...

Technically - only money earned here is taxable...
if you receive it in another jurisdiction..... where does that put you ??

Many countries do not tax 'worldwide income'.... in fact only a few do as far as I know

RD is not one of them....not worldwide income

hi
Do you rent your properties

how much for one bedroom

You should get high rental occupancy in Boca Chica Hamaca resort through expat and local renters. It is very close to Santo Domingo but the locals do like their weekends on the beach away from the city. Best location in Boca Chica which is having a bit of a boost these days through municipal actions. Not my favorite place frankly but could be a shrewd investment. Good luck.

Willie as I understand it, income earned by efforts in this country are taxable.  That said who will know?

A very refined definition.....

Actually, according to lawyers...
Nothing is being enforced currently... even if a law exists

Absolutely true.

Planner.

The subject of this thread is6 "Safest place to live"!  It sounds as if you and others have gotten off the subject matter.  You need to practice what you preach.

Respectfully submitted.

hahahaha...thanks BigBob

but after pushing 2 yrs (June 2017).... the answers might wander

Pls forgive me.... and her !!

Do you have a tax residency ?

To get back on subject there is a annual report being publicised in the local press these past few days in realtion to crime in DR.

I'm not going to post the report in Spanish, but the take home stuff is that there was little serious crime on the North Coast, a bit more East Coast and most in Santo Domingo and Santiago where many people live. Equally it involves the young and delinquents. Drugs yep is the problem as it is in many countries.

The take home should be that it doesn't impact expats except those that venture in risk areas. But the current levels of crime upset Dominicans and they want better.

DR is a relatively and comparable  safe place for expats living in the developing world with a typical expat life with expected precautions.

Don't get paranoid unless you like to live on the wild side.

Would you still have any long term rentals available in Punta Cana area? I’m looking for a one bedroom in a safe gated community. My price range is $500-750 a month. My email is **
Rick

Please.dont post emails and phone numbers on public forums. Thanks.  You can use the private message function.

I thought I was replying privately, my mistake

No worry honey!

Based on my experiences in the DR of 28 years in which 2 years living and working in the capital.,I really like a small fishing village on the southeast coast called Bayahibe nestled in between la Romana and punta Cana.It has a lot of B +B's, small hotels,condos and no sidewalks in town you walk in the narrow cobblestone streets.Taxis are by the entrance of town and you call them to pick you up.beautiful beach in town and two national parks offshore.expats of American, Italian, French.So a lot of cafes, pizzerias, bakeries and the town basically shuts down at 10pm during the week and my lady friends all found it safe.great hospitals close by and 24 hour electricity.If you like a small town feel at affordable prices.,this place is a gem.

Casa de Campo is the safest place to live in the D.R. if you can afford it. 600 security doing round the clock shifts in this gated 7000 acre community west of Punta Cana about 40 minutes. You must have a pass to get thru the entry gates. Complete quiet and very European inside.

Casa de Campo is currently completing the installation of a state of the art perimeter security system that will be active along the 15 kms of fences and riverside throughout this exclusive resort community. The military-grade Axis Perimeter Defender surveillance system, currently used in military bases abroad and in the Rockefeller Center in New York City, provides the highest level of security currently available in the Dominican Republic

Steverino, you are absolutley right that Caso de Campo is almost certainly the safest place to have a home within DR, but it could be anywhere in the world. But outside those gates you encounter La Romana which has a history of drugs and gangs ( like many other DR cities).

Finding ones piece of DR in which you feel and consider yourself safe will vary from individual to individual. In my case there would be no point being here rather than any other place in this world if I had to live the majority of my time in a gated community and could not travel freely and visit all the interesting places this country has on offer.

I guess taking all this into account, I would still suggest the Samana Peninsula or south of Barahona as 'safer' destinations in idyllic DR surroundings.