Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Higuey

For one person, living is cheaper in Higuey: $926 a month against $1,100 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
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Higuey Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,100

/mo nomad

Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Santo Domingo versus $926 in Higuey.

Santo Domingo $1,100
Higuey $926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,735 in Santo Domingo versus $1,521 in Higuey.

Santo Domingo $1,735
Higuey $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,370 in Santo Domingo versus $2,116 in Higuey.

Santo Domingo $2,370
Higuey $2,116

Living in Santo Domingo is roughly 19% more expensive than in Higuey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 19% lower, Higuey 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 DOP 580

$9.95 DOP 598

-2.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 DOP 3,148

$52.3 DOP 3,144

0.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 DOP 454

$7.43 DOP 446

1.75%

Cappuccino

$2.42 DOP 145

$2.12 DOP 127

14.15%

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

$1.05 DOP 63.2

$1.07 DOP 64.2

-1.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 DOP 35.33

$0.49 DOP 29.24

20.41%

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

$3.04 DOP 183

-0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 DOP 82.0

$1.20 DOP 72.3

14.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 DOP 95.0

$1.54 DOP 92.7

2.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 DOP 93.4

$1.38 DOP 82.8

12.32%

Eggs

$2.37 DOP 142

$2.00 DOP 120

18.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 DOP 430

$7.36 DOP 442

-2.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 DOP 328

$5.26 DOP 316

3.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.50 DOP 390

$6.78 DOP 407

-4.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 DOP 193

$2.92 DOP 175

10.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 DOP 49.40

$0.76 DOP 45.92

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 DOP 166

$1.46 DOP 87.8

89.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 DOP 109

$1.29 DOP 77.2

41.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 DOP 123

$1.14 DOP 68.2

78.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 129

$1.18 DOP 70.6

82.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 DOP 60.1

$0.56 DOP 33.50

78.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 DOP 59.6

$0.52 DOP 31.14

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 DOP 328

$5.22 DOP 314

4.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 DOP 627

$10.19 DOP 612

2.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 DOP 151

$2.43 DOP 146

3.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 DOP 173

$2.88 DOP 173

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 36.19

$0.84 DOP 50.5

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.72 DOP 1,004

$48.70 DOP 2,925

-65.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 DOP 202

$3.39 DOP 203

-0.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 DOP 135

$2.19 DOP 131

2.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 DOP 339

$5.70 DOP 343

-0.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 DOP 84.5

$1.47 DOP 88.2

-4.08%

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

$29.1K DOP 1.7M

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

16.29%

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

$33.3K DOP 2.0M

$31.2K DOP 1.9M

6.83%

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

$91.9 DOP 5,520

$93.0 DOP 5,586

-1.17%

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

$31.92 DOP 1,917

$16.84 DOP 1,011

89.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.52 DOP 2,194

$33.54 DOP 2,015

8.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 DOP 1,794

$24.52 DOP 1,473

21.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 DOP 1,473

$66.9 DOP 4,020

-63.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 DOP 437

$7.29 DOP 438

-0.27%

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

$247 DOP 14.8K

$97.5 DOP 5,857

152.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,515 DOP 511.4K

$2,149 DOP 129.1K

296.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.01 DOP 2,703

$44.91 DOP 2,697

0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.24 DOP 2,838

$45.51 DOP 2,733

3.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 DOP 5,306

$85.8 DOP 5,150

3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 DOP 7,332

$79.2 DOP 4,756

54.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 DOP 45.3K

$300 DOP 18.0K

151.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 DOP 21.1K

$217 DOP 13.0K

62.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 DOP 87.1K

$570 DOP 34.2K

154.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 DOP 37.4K

$415 DOP 24.9K

49.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 DOP 150.8K

$1,862 DOP 111.8K

34.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,336 DOP 80.3K

$1,225 DOP 73.6K

9.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$675 DOP 40.5K

$444 DOP 26.7K

51.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

11.5

17.91%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Higuey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$351 31.9%

Higuey

$217 23.4% 38.3% $135

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$220 20%

Higuey

$194 20.9% 12% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$160 14.6%

Higuey

$143 15.5% 10.6% $17

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$154 14%

Higuey

$152 16.4% 1.2% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$136 12.4%

Higuey

$115 12.4% 15.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$44 4%

Higuey

$39 4.2% 11.9% $5.3

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$34 3.1%

Higuey

$66 7.2% 96.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Santo Domingo and $300 in Higuey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santo Domingo pays 52% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Santo Domingo vs $52 in Higuey. Groceries flip the comparison at $220 vs $194, with Higuey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Higuey

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

123,787

💱 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

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Between locations

Santo Domingo Higuey 130 km

From you

Santo Domingo
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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 Higuey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Higuey is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Santo Domingo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $754 in Santo Domingo versus $300 in Higuey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Santo Domingo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,100 per month in Santo Domingo versus $926 in Higuey – Higuey is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Higuey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Santo Domingo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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