Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Moca

For one person, living is cheaper in Moca: $589 a month against $1,094 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Moca, Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$1,094
/mo nomad
Moca
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
$589
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in Santo Domingo vs $589 in Moca, rent included.

  • Santo Domingo $1,094
  • Moca $589

A couple spends around $1,713 per month in Santo Domingo vs $954 in Moca, rent included.

  • Santo Domingo $1,713
  • Moca $954

A family of three spends $2,333 per month in Santo Domingo vs $1,319 in Moca, rent included.

  • Santo Domingo $2,333
  • Moca $1,319

Santo Domingo costs about 86% more than Moca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Santo Domingo and Moca are more affordable than the global median – Santo Domingo 20% lower, Moca 57% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.87 DOP 605
$7.95 DOP 487
24.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.28 DOP 2,957
$40.68 DOP 2,492
18.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.47 DOP 457
$7.07 DOP 433
5.66%
Cappuccino
$2.30 DOP 141
$1.75 DOP 107
31.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 DOP 64.3
$0.66 DOP 40.29
59.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 DOP 35.48
$0.38 DOP 23.22
52.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.52 DOP 154
$2.42 DOP 148
4.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 DOP 193
$3.25 DOP 199
-2.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 DOP 86.8
$1.20 DOP 73.7
18.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.52 DOP 93.3
$1.56 DOP 95.5
-2.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 DOP 98.3
$1.49 DOP 91.0
8.05%
Eggs
$2.32 DOP 142
$1.50 DOP 91.9
54.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.98 DOP 428
$6.08 DOP 372
14.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.47 DOP 335
$3.62 DOP 222
51.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.72 DOP 412
$4.63 DOP 284
45.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3.21 DOP 197
$3.07 DOP 188
4.56%
Banana (1kg)
$0.77 DOP 47.04
$0.77 DOP 47.16
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.65 DOP 163
$2.66 DOP 163
-0.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.79 DOP 110
$1.77 DOP 108
1.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 DOP 118
$2.03 DOP 125
-4.93%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 DOP 137
$2.16 DOP 132
3.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 DOP 60.4
$0.88 DOP 54.1
12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 DOP 60.0
$1.00 DOP 61.0
-2.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.24 DOP 321
$4.73 DOP 290
10.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.18 DOP 623
$10.08 DOP 617
0.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.61 DOP 160
$2.61 DOP 160
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 DOP 173
$2.87 DOP 176
-1.39%
🚌 Getting Around
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.60 DOP 36.46
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.31 DOP 999
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.20 DOP 196
$2.50 DOP 153
28.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.23 DOP 137
$2.27 DOP 139
-1.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.63 DOP 345
$5.84 DOP 358
-3.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 DOP 84.3
$1.38 DOP 84.7
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.4K DOP 1.7M
$14.5K DOP 885.0K
96.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K DOP 2.1M
$26.0K DOP 1.6M
31.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.0 DOP 5,694
$90.9 DOP 5,568
2.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.34 DOP 1,920
$26.15 DOP 1,601
19.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.15 DOP 2,214
$35.76 DOP 2,190
1.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.12 DOP 1,783
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.71 DOP 1,452
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.28 DOP 446
$5.03 DOP 308
44.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$245 DOP 15.0K
$148 DOP 9,073
65.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,282 DOP 446.0K
$5,318 DOP 325.7K
36.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.14 DOP 2,765
$26.41 DOP 1,617
70.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.00 DOP 2,817
$45.27 DOP 2,772
1.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.4 DOP 5,354
$60.6 DOP 3,708
44.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 DOP 7,441
$66.6 DOP 4,079
82.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$709 DOP 43.4K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$349 DOP 21.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,408 DOP 86.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$615 DOP 37.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,462 DOP 150.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,351 DOP 82.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Santo Domingo
Moca
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$587 DOP 35.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.56
11
23.27%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Moca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Santo Domingo
$349
Moca
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Santo Domingo
$219
Moca
$194 11.3% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Santo Domingo
$160
Moca
$153 4.8% $7.6
Eating Out
Santo Domingo
$154
Moca
$129 16.7% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Santo Domingo
$135
Moca
$89 33.7% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Santo Domingo
$44
Moca
$10 * 76.9% $34
Getting Around
Santo Domingo
$33
Moca
$14 * 58.1% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Santo Domingo versus $41 in Moca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $194 – making Moca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇩🇴 Santo Domingo
🇩🇴 Moca
🕒 Local time
13:59 1:59 PM
13:59 1:59 PM
Same time as Santo Domingo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
965,040 Capital
172,294
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Santo Domingo Moca 120 km
From you
  • Santo Domingo
  • Moca

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 Moca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Santo Domingo and in Moca compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,094 in Santo Domingo, $589 in Moca – roughly 86% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Santo Domingo compared to Moca?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,641 per month in Santo Domingo and $884 in Moca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city is more expensive overall: Santo Domingo or Moca?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,094 in Santo Domingo and $589 in Moca. That’s a gap of about 86%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Santo Domingo and Moca?
Kindergarten costs $245 per month in Santo Domingo and $148 in Moca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How does quality of life compare between Santo Domingo and Moca?
It depends on your priorities. Santo Domingo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $589 in Moca to $1,094 in Santo Domingo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Santo Domingo vs other spots: cost of living compared

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