Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Azua

For one person, living is cheaper in Azua: $665 a month against $1,105 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
Learn more

Santo Domingo Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Azua
Learn more

Azua Living Index

Jump to prices

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,105

/mo nomad

Azua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santo Domingo 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 Santo Domingo and in Azua actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Santo Domingo versus $665 in Azua.

Santo Domingo $1,105
Azua $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,733 in Santo Domingo versus $1,067 in Azua.

Santo Domingo $1,733
Azua $1,067

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Santo Domingo versus $1,470 in Azua.

Santo Domingo $2,362
Azua $1,470

Living in Santo Domingo is roughly 66% more expensive than in Azua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 18% lower, Azua 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 DOP 616

$8.35 DOP 512

20.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 DOP 3,074

$41.68 DOP 2,553

20.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 DOP 469

$7.12 DOP 436

7.44%

Cappuccino

$2.30 DOP 141

$1.36 DOP 83.1

69.12%

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

$1.05 DOP 64.5

$0.66 DOP 40.19

59.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 DOP 36.59

$0.40 DOP 24.72

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 152

$2.52 DOP 155

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 DOP 198

$4.05 DOP 248

-20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 DOP 85.1

$1.16 DOP 70.8

19.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 DOP 94.6

$1.78 DOP 109

-13.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 DOP 96.1

$1.05 DOP 64.5

49.52%

Eggs

$2.26 DOP 139

$1.45 DOP 89.1

55.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 DOP 439

$6.14 DOP 376

16.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 DOP 332

$3.60 DOP 220

50.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.56 DOP 402

$4.77 DOP 292

37.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 DOP 199

$3.74 DOP 229

-13.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 DOP 49.71

$1.43 DOP 87.8

-43.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 DOP 164

$3.33 DOP 204

-19.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 DOP 114

$2.15 DOP 131

-13.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 DOP 124

$3.56 DOP 218

-43.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 DOP 135

$2.97 DOP 182

-25.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 DOP 62.8

$0.93 DOP 56.7

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 DOP 56.9

$1.58 DOP 96.6

-41.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 DOP 330

$4.88 DOP 299

10.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 DOP 621

$16.55 DOP 1,014

-38.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 DOP 153

$2.94 DOP 180

-14.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 DOP 175

$3.31 DOP 203

-13.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 DOP 34.14

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.15 DOP 1,112

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 DOP 207

$2.44 DOP 150

38.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 DOP 132

$3.27 DOP 200

-33.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 DOP 359

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 DOP 88.7

$1.42 DOP 87.1

2.11%

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

$23.3K DOP 1.4M

$15.0K DOP 921.1K

54.82%

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

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

33.05%

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

$93.5 DOP 5,730

$96.2 DOP 5,894

-2.78%

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

$31.73 DOP 1,944

$27.12 DOP 1,661

17.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.43 DOP 2,232

$38.97 DOP 2,387

-6.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.02 DOP 1,778

$19.56 DOP 1,198

48.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.12 DOP 1,478

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 DOP 443

$5.05 DOP 309

43.17%

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

$250 DOP 15.3K

$150 DOP 9,183

66.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,461 DOP 457.1K

$5,482 DOP 335.8K

36.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 DOP 2,759

$26.22 DOP 1,606

71.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 DOP 2,788

$45.06 DOP 2,761

1.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 DOP 5,262

$61.4 DOP 3,763

39.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 DOP 7,640

$65.9 DOP 4,036

89.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 DOP 43.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 DOP 21.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 DOP 88.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 DOP 38.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 DOP 136.9K

$3,593 DOP 220.1K

-37.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,192 DOP 73.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$586 DOP 35.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

23.27%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Azua: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$355 32.1%

Azua

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$218 19.8%

Azua

$235 35.4% 7.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$162 14.6%

Azua

$162 24.4% 0.4% $0.6

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2%

Azua

$129 19.5% 17.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$136 12.3%

Azua

$89 13.5% 34.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$43 3.9%

Azua

$30 4.5% 31.8% $14

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$35 3.1%

Azua

$19 * 2.8% 45.6% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $50.0 in Santo Domingo vs $42.00 in Azua. Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $235, with Santo Domingo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Azua

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

128,264

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Azua 83 km

From you

Santo Domingo
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

Santo Domingo vs Azua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Azua is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,657 in Santo Domingo and $997 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 Santo Domingo pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,105 per month in Santo Domingo versus $665 in Azua – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $665 in Azua versus $1,105 in Santo Domingo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Azua but tight or insufficient in Santo Domingo. The gap between the two cities makes Azua the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Santo Domingo and Azua are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Azua gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Santo Domingo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.