Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de los Caballeros and Azua

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $657 a month against $916 in Santiago de los Caballeros, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago de los Caballeros outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de los Caballeros
Learn more

Santiago de los Caballeros Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Azua
Learn more

Azua Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago de los Caballeros

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$916

/mo nomad

Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santiago de los Caballeros and in Azua

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $657 in Azua.

Santiago de los Caballeros $916
Azua $657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $1,055 in Azua.

Santiago de los Caballeros $1,412
Azua $1,055

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,909 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $1,453 in Azua.

Santiago de los Caballeros $1,909
Azua $1,453

Living in Santiago de los Caballeros is roughly 39% more expensive than in Azua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santiago de los Caballeros 33% lower, Azua 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.32 DOP 509

$8.28 DOP 507

0.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.50 DOP 2,480

$40.74 DOP 2,495

-0.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 DOP 418

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 111

$1.28 DOP 78.6

41.41%

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

$0.66 DOP 40.21

$0.71 DOP 43.78

-7.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 DOP 22.91

$0.37 DOP 22.87

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 152

$2.48 DOP 152

0.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 DOP 196

$4.01 DOP 246

-20.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 DOP 70.3

$1.18 DOP 72.5

-2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 DOP 96.2

$1.77 DOP 108

-11.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 DOP 91.6

$1.00 DOP 61.5

50.00%

Eggs

$1.50 DOP 91.7

$1.44 DOP 88.2

4.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.07 DOP 372

$6.12 DOP 375

-0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 DOP 223

$3.58 DOP 219

1.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.73 DOP 290

$4.66 DOP 286

1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 DOP 196

$3.74 DOP 229

-14.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 DOP 49.85

$1.38 DOP 84.4

-41.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 DOP 161

$3.16 DOP 194

-16.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 DOP 109

$2.12 DOP 130

-15.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 118

$3.41 DOP 209

-43.40%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 DOP 130

$2.92 DOP 179

-27.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 DOP 52.7

$0.93 DOP 57.0

-7.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 DOP 57.3

$1.65 DOP 101

-43.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 DOP 287

$4.87 DOP 298

-3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 DOP 621

$16.30 DOP 998

-37.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 DOP 155

$3.01 DOP 185

-16.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 DOP 182

$3.42 DOP 210

-13.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 DOP 33.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.45 DOP 1,804

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.46 DOP 151

$2.39 DOP 146

2.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 DOP 138

$3.35 DOP 205

-32.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 DOP 359

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 DOP 87.5

$1.43 DOP 87.3

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

$14.6K DOP 894.1K

$14.9K DOP 912.0K

-1.97%

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

$25.7K DOP 1.6M

$25.9K DOP 1.6M

-0.71%

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

$91.8 DOP 5,620

$92.4 DOP 5,660

-0.71%

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

$26.28 DOP 1,609

$26.39 DOP 1,616

-0.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.26 DOP 2,159

$38.56 DOP 2,362

-8.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.76 DOP 1,516

$19.95 DOP 1,222

24.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 DOP 302

$4.97 DOP 304

-0.80%

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

$145 DOP 8,890

$149 DOP 9,113

-2.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,296 DOP 324.3K

$5,366 DOP 328.6K

-1.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.50 DOP 1,623

$26.08 DOP 1,597

1.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.81 DOP 2,805

$45.68 DOP 2,797

0.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.7 DOP 3,775

$61.4 DOP 3,758

0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.7 DOP 4,084

$66.1 DOP 4,045

0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 DOP 41.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 DOP 16.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 DOP 92.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 DOP 28.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$926 DOP 56.7K

$3,481 DOP 213.2K

-73.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$908 DOP 55.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$536 DOP 32.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Santiago de los Caballeros: October 24, 2026

Last update for Azua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santiago de los Caballeros

$267 29.1%

Azua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de los Caballeros

$194 21.2%

Azua

$234 35.6% 20.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de los Caballeros

$153 16.7%

Azua

$157 24% 2.7% $4.1

Eating Out

Santiago de los Caballeros

$132 14.4%

Azua

$127 19.3% 3.7% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de los Caballeros

$90 9.9%

Azua

$90 13.7% 0.7% $0.7

Getting Around

Santiago de los Caballeros

$45 5%

Azua

$19 * 2.9% 57.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de los Caballeros

$35 3.8%

Azua

$30 4.6% 13.6% $4.7

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $40 in Santiago de los Caballeros vs $41 in Azua for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $234 per month, with Santiago de los Caballeros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santiago de los Caballeros

🇩🇴 Azua

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

Same time as Santiago de los Caballeros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,836,778

128,264

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santiago de los Caballeros Azua 110 km

From you

Santiago de los Caballeros
Azua

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

Santiago de los Caballeros vs Azua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Azua is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,373 in Santiago de los Caballeros and $985 in Azua to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Santiago de los Caballeros pay roughly 17% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Childcare runs $145 in Santiago de los Caballeros versus $149 in Azua. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.