Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $872 a month against $1,100 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
Learn more

Santo Domingo Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
Learn more

Las Terrenas Living Index

Jump to prices

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,100

/mo nomad

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santo Domingo and in Las Terrenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Santo Domingo versus $872 in Las Terrenas.

Santo Domingo $1,100
Las Terrenas $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,735 in Santo Domingo versus $1,839 in Las Terrenas.

Santo Domingo $1,735
Las Terrenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,370 in Santo Domingo versus $2,805 in Las Terrenas.

Santo Domingo $2,370
Las Terrenas $2,805

Living in Santo Domingo is roughly 26% more expensive than in Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 19% lower, Las Terrenas 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 DOP 580

$8.51 DOP 511

13.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 DOP 3,149

$41.42 DOP 2,488

26.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 DOP 454

$4.91 DOP 295

53.97%

Cappuccino

$2.42 DOP 145

$0.98 DOP 59.0

146.94%

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

$1.05 DOP 63.3

$0.67 DOP 40.53

56.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 DOP 35.34

$0.40 DOP 24.17

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 150

$2.44 DOP 146

2.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 DOP 181

$4.04 DOP 243

-25.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 DOP 82.0

$1.02 DOP 61.5

34.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 DOP 95.0

$1.08 DOP 64.8

46.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 DOP 93.4

$1.12 DOP 67.1

38.39%

Eggs

$2.37 DOP 142

$1.23 DOP 73.8

92.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 DOP 430

$6.44 DOP 387

11.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 DOP 328

$3.57 DOP 214

52.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.50 DOP 391

$4.64 DOP 279

40.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 DOP 193

$2.14 DOP 129

50.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 DOP 49.42

$0.64 DOP 38.29

28.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 DOP 166

$2.22 DOP 133

24.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 DOP 109

$2.18 DOP 131

-16.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 DOP 123

$2.14 DOP 128

-4.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 129

$1.13 DOP 67.7

90.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 DOP 60.1

$0.92 DOP 55.5

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 DOP 59.6

$1.02 DOP 61.3

-2.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 DOP 328

$4.68 DOP 281

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 DOP 627

$6.91 DOP 415

50.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 DOP 152

$2.31 DOP 139

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 DOP 173

$1.96 DOP 118

46.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 36.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.72 DOP 1,005

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 DOP 202

$2.53 DOP 152

33.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 DOP 135

$3.37 DOP 203

-33.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 DOP 339

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 DOP 84.5

$1.17 DOP 70.6

20.51%

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

$29.1K DOP 1.7M

$19.8K DOP 1.2M

47.04%

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

$33.3K DOP 2.0M

$23.6K DOP 1.4M

40.92%

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

$91.9 DOP 5,522

$50.0 DOP 3,006

83.69%

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

$31.92 DOP 1,918

$9.97 DOP 599

220.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.52 DOP 2,194

$19.68 DOP 1,182

85.57%

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

$4.90 DOP 294

48.37%

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

$247 DOP 14.8K

$100 DOP 6,019

146.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,515 DOP 511.6K

$5,396 DOP 324.2K

57.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.01 DOP 2,704

$27.31 DOP 1,641

64.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.24 DOP 2,838

$44.60 DOP 2,680

5.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 DOP 5,308

$60.9 DOP 3,658

45.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 DOP 7,335

$65.1 DOP 3,911

87.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 DOP 45.3K

$788 DOP 47.3K

-4.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 DOP 21.1K

$385 DOP 23.2K

-8.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 DOP 87.1K

$1,678 DOP 100.8K

-13.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 DOP 37.4K

$1,632 DOP 98.0K

-61.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 DOP 150.9K

$1,809 DOP 108.7K

38.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,336 DOP 80.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$675 DOP 40.5K

$405 DOP 24.3K

66.83%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$351 31.9%

Las Terrenas

$385 44.2% 9.7% $34

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$220 20%

Las Terrenas

$170 19.5% 22.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$160 14.6%

Las Terrenas

$80 9.1% 50.3% $81

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$154 14%

Las Terrenas

$119 13.7% 22.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$136 12.4%

Las Terrenas

$89 10.2% 34.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$44 4%

Las Terrenas

$9.8 * 1.1% 77.9% $35

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$34 3.1%

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2% 42.5% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $754 in Santo Domingo and $788 in Las Terrenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Santo Domingo pays 67% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Santo Domingo vs $41 in Las Terrenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $170 per month, with Las Terrenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

7,713

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Las Terrenas 100 km

From you

Santo Domingo
Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Santo Domingo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 67% 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 $788 in Las Terrenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $247 in Santo Domingo versus $100 in Las Terrenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Las Terrenas – a meal for two runs $41 versus $52 in Santo Domingo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Las Terrenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

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