Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Dominican Republic and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in the Dominican Republic: $1,044 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dominican Republic
Italy
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$1,044
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Dominican Republic and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the Dominican Republic and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,044 in the Dominican Republic versus $1,843 in Italy.

  • Dominican Republic $1,044
  • Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,664 in the Dominican Republic versus $2,816 in Italy.

  • Dominican Republic $1,664
  • Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,284 in the Dominican Republic versus $3,788 in Italy.

  • Dominican Republic $2,284
  • Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $589–$1,424 in the Dominican Republic. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in the Dominican Republic costs about 43% less than in Italy on average.

The Dominican Republic (23% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.41 DOP 514
$20.46 €18.36
-58.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$49.89 DOP 3,045
$79.5 €71.3
-37.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.52 DOP 459
$11.15 €10.01
-32.56%
Cappuccino
$2.02 DOP 123
$2.04 €1.83
-0.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 DOP 57.5
$3.10 €2.78
-69.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 DOP 39.49
$1.40 €1.26
-53.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.46 DOP 150
$5.51 €4.95
-55.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.21 DOP 257
$5.74 €5.15
-26.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 DOP 80.6
$1.57 €1.41
-15.92%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 DOP 106
$2.38 €2.14
-26.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.46 DOP 88.9
$2.90 €2.60
-49.66%
Eggs
$1.80 DOP 110
$4.07 €3.66
-55.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.59 DOP 463
$17.44 €15.65
-56.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.73 DOP 349
$12.56 €11.27
-54.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.66 DOP 406
$20.17 €18.10
-66.98%
Apples (1kg)
$3.18 DOP 194
$2.58 €2.32
23.26%
Banana (1kg)
$0.88 DOP 53.6
$2.19 €1.96
-59.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.64 DOP 161
$2.68 €2.40
-1.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.73 DOP 106
$3.27 €2.93
-47.09%
Potato (1kg)
$2.16 DOP 132
$1.90 €1.71
13.68%
Onion (1kg)
$2.08 DOP 127
$1.82 €1.63
14.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.93 DOP 56.9
$1.57 €1.41
-40.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 DOP 55.7
$0.55 €0.49
65.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.29 DOP 323
$6.69 €6.01
-20.93%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.14 DOP 619
$7.99 €7.17
26.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.64 DOP 161
$1.77 €1.59
49.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 DOP 188
$2.35 €2.11
30.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 DOP 40.85
$1.91 €1.71
-64.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.30 DOP 1,178
$43.44 €38.98
-55.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 DOP 195
$5.62 €5.04
-43.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 DOP 131
$1.71 €1.54
25.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.66 DOP 346
$33.64 €30.18
-83.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 DOP 85.1
$2.03 €1.82
-31.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K DOP 1.5M
$35.3K €31.7K
-29.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.7K DOP 2.0M
$36.7K €33.0K
-11.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.6 DOP 5,592
$227 €203
-59.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.46 DOP 1,493
$11.59 €10.40
111.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.32 DOP 2,156
$30.38 €27.26
16.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.52 DOP 1,863
$51.8 €46.46
-41.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$22.31 DOP 1,362
$23.70 €21.26
-5.86%
Cinema Ticket
$6.39 DOP 390
$10.60 €9.51
-39.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$209 DOP 12.7K
$568 €509
-63.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,527 DOP 398.4K
$11.5K €10.3K
-43.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.92 DOP 2,437
$90.5 €81.2
-55.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.07 DOP 2,751
$38.55 €34.59
16.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.1 DOP 4,952
$103 €92.1
-20.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 DOP 6,425
$131 €118
-19.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$595 DOP 36.3K
$826 €741
-27.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$330 DOP 20.1K
$646 €580
-48.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,245 DOP 76.0K
$1,400 €1,256
-11.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$626 DOP 38.2K
$1,054 €946
-40.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,357 DOP 143.8K
$3,662 €3,286
-35.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,245 DOP 76.0K
$2,301 €2,065
-45.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dominican Republic
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$541 DOP 33.0K
$1,886 €1,692
-71.33%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.99
3.56
264.89%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for the Dominican Republic: October 24, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Dominican Republic
$330
Italy
$646 96% $316
Groceries & Markets
Dominican Republic
$220
Italy
$348 57.9% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dominican Republic
$151
Italy
$269 77.4% $117
Eating Out
Dominican Republic
$141
Italy
$279 97.4% $137
Clothing & Footwear
Dominican Republic
$122
Italy
$163 33.7% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Dominican Republic
$43
Italy
$73 68.6% $30
Getting Around
Dominican Republic
$36
Italy
$65 81.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $565 in the Dominican Republic, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $709 in Santo Domingo vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $478 in the Dominican Republic, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 29% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 70% more in Italy.

Public transport is 34% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 4 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
10:44 10:44 AM
15:44 3:44 PM
5 h ahead of the Dominican Republic
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,760,028
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 61.04 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.12 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dominican Republic Italy 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dominican Republic
  • Italy

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Dominican Republic vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: the Dominican Republic or Italy?
At $1,044 per month in the Dominican Republic and $1,843 in Italy, the Dominican Republic comes out about 43% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: the Dominican Republic or Italy?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in the Dominican Republic: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
How do rents compare between the Dominican Republic and Italy?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $565 in the Dominican Republic. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How do I choose between living in the Dominican Republic and in Italy?
It depends on what you’re after: the Dominican Republic wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

Dominican Republic vs other spots: cost of living compared

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