Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Cabarete Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Cabarete

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,096 in Santo Domingo versus $856 in Cabarete.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,824 in Santo Domingo versus $1,324 in Cabarete.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,552 in Santo Domingo versus $1,791 in Cabarete.

Living in Santo Domingo is roughly 28% more expensive than in Cabarete, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 18% lower, Cabarete 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 DOP 505

$6.41 DOP 374

35.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 DOP 2,965

$35.19 DOP 2,052

44.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 DOP 422

$6.08 DOP 355

18.91%

Cappuccino

$2.63 DOP 153

$2.20 DOP 128

19.55%

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

$0.99 DOP 57.5

$1.02 DOP 59.6

-2.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 DOP 48.08

$0.84 DOP 48.77

-2.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 DOP 150

$2.62 DOP 153

-1.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.99 DOP 291

$3.79 DOP 221

31.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 DOP 78.1

$0.99 DOP 57.9

35.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 DOP 99.7

$1.41 DOP 82.0

21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 DOP 87.5

$1.53 DOP 89.2

-1.96%

Eggs

$2.27 DOP 132

$1.60 DOP 93.2

41.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 DOP 419

$7.00 DOP 408

2.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.29 DOP 367

$4.78 DOP 279

31.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 DOP 653

$5.53 DOP 322

102.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 DOP 187

$0.91 DOP 52.9

252.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 DOP 49.90

$0.85 DOP 49.56

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 DOP 168

$1.93 DOP 112

49.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 112

$1.28 DOP 74.7

50.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 DOP 147

$1.07 DOP 62.2

135.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 DOP 138

$1.73 DOP 101

36.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 DOP 63.6

$1.11 DOP 64.6

-1.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 DOP 52.4

$0.87 DOP 50.7

3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 DOP 337

$3.44 DOP 200

68.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 DOP 624

$10.59 DOP 617

1.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 DOP 153

$2.34 DOP 136

12.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 DOP 187

$2.84 DOP 165

12.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 DOP 33.30

$0.66 DOP 38.65

-13.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 DOP 4,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 DOP 196

$3.50 DOP 204

-4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 DOP 128

$2.15 DOP 125

1.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.98 DOP 349

$5.91 DOP 345

1.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 DOP 77.3

$1.23 DOP 71.9

8.13%

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

$26.1K DOP 1.5M

$26.3K DOP 1.5M

-0.52%

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

$32.3K DOP 1.9M

$31.4K DOP 1.8M

2.96%

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

$75.6 DOP 4,408

$51.5 DOP 3,000

46.91%

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

$25.29 DOP 1,475

$24.94 DOP 1,454

1.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.48 DOP 2,069

$16.89 DOP 985

110.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.45 DOP 2,125

$42.55 DOP 2,481

-14.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.32 DOP 835

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 DOP 394

$6.95 DOP 405

-2.73%

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

$263 DOP 15.3K

$270 DOP 15.7K

-2.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,020 DOP 467.7K

$8,191 DOP 477.6K

-2.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 DOP 3,517

$59.6 DOP 3,473

1.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 DOP 3,031

$51.7 DOP 3,014

0.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 DOP 5,648

$95.5 DOP 5,568

1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 DOP 6,664

$114 DOP 6,657

0.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 DOP 32.9K

$880 DOP 51.3K

-35.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 DOP 16.6K

$260 DOP 15.1K

9.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,175 DOP 68.5K

$598 DOP 34.9K

96.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$685 DOP 39.9K

$374 DOP 21.8K

83.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,168 DOP 126.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,179 DOP 68.7K

$305 DOP 17.8K

286.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$621 DOP 36.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.9

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: July 12, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $564 in Santo Domingo and $880 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $51.0 in Santo Domingo vs $35.00 in Cabarete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $243 vs $182 per month, with Cabarete cheaper across the board.

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 Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cabarete wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Santo Domingo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cabarete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,643 in Santo Domingo and $1,284 in Cabarete 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $564 in Santo Domingo versus $880 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $263 in Santo Domingo versus $270 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cabarete – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $51.0 in Santo Domingo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $856 in Cabarete versus $1,096 in Santo Domingo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cabarete but tight or insufficient in Santo Domingo. The gap between the two cities makes Cabarete the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $856 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Santo Domingo and Cabarete 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 Cabarete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Santo Domingo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.