Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Bonao

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonao: $678 a month against $1,100 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
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Bonao Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,100

/mo nomad

Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santo Domingo and in Bonao

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 Bonao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Santo Domingo versus $678 in Bonao.

Santo Domingo $1,100
Bonao $678

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,735 in Santo Domingo versus $1,117 in Bonao.

Santo Domingo $1,735
Bonao $1,117

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,370 in Santo Domingo versus $1,556 in Bonao.

Santo Domingo $2,370
Bonao $1,556

Living in Santo Domingo is roughly 62% more expensive than in Bonao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 19% lower, Bonao 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 DOP 580

$9.74 DOP 585

-0.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 DOP 3,148

$48.85 DOP 2,934

7.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 DOP 454

$7.64 DOP 459

-1.05%

Cappuccino

$2.42 DOP 145

$1.93 DOP 116

25.39%

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

$1.05 DOP 63.2

$1.06 DOP 63.5

-0.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 DOP 35.33

$0.57 DOP 34.39

3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 150

$2.51 DOP 151

-0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 DOP 181

$3.14 DOP 189

-3.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 DOP 82.0

$1.02 DOP 61.5

34.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 DOP 95.0

$1.03 DOP 61.8

53.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 DOP 93.4

$0.66 DOP 39.83

134.85%

Eggs

$2.37 DOP 142

$1.16 DOP 69.9

104.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 DOP 430

$4.84 DOP 291

47.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 DOP 328

$5.45 DOP 327

0.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.50 DOP 390

$6.67 DOP 400

-2.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 DOP 193

$2.34 DOP 141

37.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 DOP 49.40

$0.64 DOP 38.14

28.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 DOP 166

$2.63 DOP 158

4.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 DOP 109

$1.40 DOP 84.3

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 DOP 123

$2.01 DOP 121

1.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 129

$1.54 DOP 92.7

39.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 DOP 60.1

$1.02 DOP 61.2

-1.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 DOP 59.6

$0.47 DOP 28.11

110.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 DOP 328

$5.19 DOP 312

5.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 DOP 627

$6.86 DOP 412

52.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 DOP 151

$2.04 DOP 122

23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 DOP 173

$2.83 DOP 170

1.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 36.19

$0.58 DOP 34.58

3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.72 DOP 1,004

$34.90 DOP 2,096

-52.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 DOP 202

$3.19 DOP 192

5.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 DOP 135

$2.26 DOP 136

-0.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 DOP 339

$2.48 DOP 149

127.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 DOP 84.5

$1.43 DOP 86.2

-1.40%

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

$29.1K DOP 1.7M

$29.2K DOP 1.8M

-0.31%

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

$33.3K DOP 2.0M

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

0.28%

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

$91.9 DOP 5,520

$91.6 DOP 5,503

0.32%

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

$31.92 DOP 1,917

$30.86 DOP 1,854

3.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.52 DOP 2,194

$35.71 DOP 2,144

2.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 DOP 1,794

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 DOP 1,473

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 DOP 437

$7.34 DOP 441

-0.95%

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

$247 DOP 14.8K

$246 DOP 14.8K

0.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,515 DOP 511.4K

$7,464 DOP 448.3K

14.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.01 DOP 2,703

$44.87 DOP 2,695

0.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.24 DOP 2,838

$46.00 DOP 2,763

2.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 DOP 5,306

$84.6 DOP 5,084

4.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 DOP 7,332

$121 DOP 7,262

0.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 DOP 45.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 DOP 21.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 DOP 87.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 DOP 37.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 DOP 150.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,336 DOP 80.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$675 DOP 40.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bonao: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$351 31.9%

Bonao

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$220 20%

Bonao

$171 25.2% 22.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$160 14.6%

Bonao

$158 23.3% 1.3% $2.2

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$154 14%

Bonao

$149 22% 3% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$136 12.4%

Bonao

$133 19.7% 2.1% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$44 4%

Bonao

$15 * 2.2% 66.9% $30

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$34 3.1%

Bonao

$52 7.6% 53.2% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $52 in Santo Domingo vs $49 in Bonao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $171 per month, with Bonao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Bonao

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

158,034

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Bonao 71 km

From you

Santo Domingo
Bonao

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 Bonao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,100 in Santo Domingo and $678 in Bonao, so Bonao is about 38% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,650 in Santo Domingo and $1,018 in Bonao 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.

A monthly transit pass in Santo Domingo runs roughly 52% less than in Bonao. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $247 in Santo Domingo versus $246 in Bonao. 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.