Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Terrenas and Santo Domingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $1,094 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Las Terrenas and in Santo Domingo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $873 in Las Terrenas versus $1,094 in Santo Domingo.

Las Terrenas $873
Santo Domingo $1,094

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,839 in Las Terrenas versus $1,713 in Santo Domingo.

Las Terrenas $1,839
Santo Domingo $1,713

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,804 in Las Terrenas versus $2,333 in Santo Domingo.

Las Terrenas $2,804
Santo Domingo $2,333

Living in Las Terrenas costs roughly 20% less than in Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Las Terrenas 36% lower, Santo Domingo 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.14 DOP 493

$9.87 DOP 598

-17.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.74 DOP 2,467

$48.28 DOP 2,923

-15.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 DOP 297

$7.47 DOP 452

-34.40%

Cappuccino

$1.02 DOP 61.9

$2.30 DOP 139

-55.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 DOP 40.36

$1.05 DOP 63.6

-36.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 DOP 24.73

$0.58 DOP 35.08

-29.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 151

$2.52 DOP 153

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 DOP 234

$3.16 DOP 191

22.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 DOP 62.0

$1.42 DOP 85.9

-28.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 DOP 68.1

$1.52 DOP 92.3

-25.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 DOP 65.0

$1.61 DOP 97.2

-33.54%

Eggs

$1.19 DOP 71.9

$2.32 DOP 141

-48.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.34 DOP 384

$6.98 DOP 423

-9.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 DOP 219

$5.47 DOP 331

-34.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 DOP 288

$6.72 DOP 407

-29.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 DOP 132

$3.21 DOP 195

-32.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 DOP 38.71

$0.77 DOP 46.51

-16.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 DOP 133

$2.65 DOP 161

-17.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 130

$1.79 DOP 109

20.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 DOP 132

$1.93 DOP 117

12.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 DOP 67.7

$2.23 DOP 135

-49.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 DOP 53.7

$0.99 DOP 59.7

-10.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 DOP 59.6

$0.98 DOP 59.4

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 DOP 291

$5.24 DOP 317

-8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.03 DOP 425

$10.18 DOP 616

-30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 DOP 138

$2.61 DOP 158

-13.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 DOP 125

$2.83 DOP 171

-27.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 36.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.31 DOP 988

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 DOP 150

$3.20 DOP 194

-22.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 DOP 202

$2.23 DOP 135

49.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 DOP 341

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 DOP 71.7

$1.38 DOP 83.4

-14.49%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.8K DOP 1.2M

$28.4K DOP 1.7M

-30.31%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.3K DOP 1.5M

$34.1K DOP 2.1M

-28.68%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$49.08 DOP 2,972

$93.0 DOP 5,630

-47.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$10.03 DOP 607

$31.34 DOP 1,898

-68.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.83 DOP 1,200

$36.15 DOP 2,189

-45.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 DOP 1,763

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.71 DOP 1,436

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 DOP 299

$7.28 DOP 441

-32.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$98.0 DOP 5,936

$245 DOP 14.8K

-60.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 DOP 332.3K

$7,282 DOP 440.9K

-24.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 DOP 1,636

$45.14 DOP 2,733

-40.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 DOP 2,703

$46.00 DOP 2,785

-2.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 DOP 3,706

$87.4 DOP 5,294

-29.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 DOP 3,975

$122 DOP 7,357

-45.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 DOP 47.8K

$709 DOP 42.9K

11.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 DOP 23.6K

$349 DOP 21.1K

11.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 DOP 100.8K

$1,408 DOP 85.2K

18.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 DOP 99.3K

$615 DOP 37.2K

166.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,780 DOP 107.8K

$2,462 DOP 149.1K

-27.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,351 DOP 81.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$393 DOP 23.8K

$587 DOP 35.5K

-33.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

-18.88%

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

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 27, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Las Terrenas

$389 44.6%

Santo Domingo

$349 31.9% 10.4% $41

Groceries & Markets

Las Terrenas

$170 19.5%

Santo Domingo

$219 20% 28.9% $49

Eating Out

Las Terrenas

$117 13.4%

Santo Domingo

$154 14.1% 32.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Las Terrenas

$89 10.2%

Santo Domingo

$135 12.3% 51.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Terrenas

$79 9.1%

Santo Domingo

$160 14.7% 103% $82

Getting Around

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2%

Santo Domingo

$33 3% 72.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Las Terrenas

$9.9 * 1.1%

Santo Domingo

$44 4% 343% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $789 in Las Terrenas and $709 in Santo Domingo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santo Domingo pays 49% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $41 in Las Terrenas vs $48 in Santo Domingo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $219 per month, with Las Terrenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

Same time as Las Terrenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,713

965,040 Capital

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Las Terrenas Santo Domingo 100 km

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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

Las Terrenas vs Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Santo Domingo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Las Terrenas. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $789 in Las Terrenas versus $709 in Santo Domingo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $98 in Las Terrenas versus $245 in Santo Domingo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Las Terrenas – a meal for two runs $41 versus $48 in Santo Domingo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Las Terrenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Las Terrenas wins on affordability, Santo Domingo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.