Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Punta Cana

For one person, living is cheaper in Punta Cana: $723 a month against $1,094 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Punta Cana
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Punta Cana Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,094

/mo nomad

Punta Cana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santo Domingo and in Punta Cana

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in Santo Domingo vs $723 in Punta Cana, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,094
Punta Cana $723

A couple spends around $1,713 per month in Santo Domingo vs $1,654 in Punta Cana, rent included.

Santo Domingo $1,713
Punta Cana $1,654

A family of three spends $2,333 per month in Santo Domingo vs $2,586 in Punta Cana, rent included.

Santo Domingo $2,333
Punta Cana $2,586

Santo Domingo costs about 51% more than Punta Cana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Santo Domingo and Punta Cana are more affordable than the global median – Santo Domingo 20% lower, Punta Cana 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.87 DOP 596

$8.19 DOP 494

20.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.28 DOP 2,914

$40.42 DOP 2,439

19.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 DOP 451

$6.76 DOP 408

10.50%

Cappuccino

$2.30 DOP 139

$1.81 DOP 109

27.07%

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

$1.05 DOP 63.4

$0.70 DOP 42.38

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 DOP 34.97

$0.41 DOP 24.62

41.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 DOP 152

$2.41 DOP 145

4.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 DOP 190

$3.83 DOP 231

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 DOP 85.6

$1.14 DOP 68.6

24.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 DOP 92.0

$1.70 DOP 103

-10.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 DOP 96.9

$1.47 DOP 88.6

9.52%

Eggs

$2.32 DOP 140

$1.50 DOP 90.6

54.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.98 DOP 421

$6.39 DOP 385

9.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 DOP 330

$3.47 DOP 210

57.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 DOP 406

$4.63 DOP 279

45.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 DOP 194

$2.95 DOP 178

8.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 DOP 46.36

$1.43 DOP 86.4

-46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 DOP 160

$3.24 DOP 196

-18.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 DOP 108

$2.12 DOP 128

-15.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 117

$3.46 DOP 209

-44.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 DOP 135

$2.91 DOP 176

-23.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 DOP 59.5

$0.87 DOP 52.3

13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 DOP 59.2

$1.56 DOP 94.4

-37.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.24 DOP 316

$4.85 DOP 293

8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 DOP 614

$16.08 DOP 970

-36.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 DOP 158

$2.95 DOP 178

-11.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 DOP 171

$3.40 DOP 205

-16.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 35.93

$1.35 DOP 81.7

-55.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.31 DOP 984

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 DOP 193

$2.43 DOP 146

31.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 DOP 135

$3.20 DOP 193

-30.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 DOP 340

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 DOP 83.1

$1.41 DOP 84.8

-2.13%

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

$28.4K DOP 1.7M

$14.8K DOP 890.4K

92.33%

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

$34.1K DOP 2.1M

$25.9K DOP 1.6M

31.73%

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

$93.0 DOP 5,611

$94.4 DOP 5,695

-1.47%

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

$31.34 DOP 1,892

$26.18 DOP 1,580

19.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.15 DOP 2,182

$37.71 DOP 2,276

-4.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 DOP 1,757

$81.2 DOP 4,902

-64.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.71 DOP 1,431

$16.51 DOP 996

43.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 DOP 439

$4.93 DOP 297

47.67%

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

$245 DOP 14.8K

$147 DOP 8,852

67.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,282 DOP 439.5K

$5,333 DOP 321.8K

36.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.14 DOP 2,724

$26.13 DOP 1,577

72.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.00 DOP 2,776

$45.55 DOP 2,749

0.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 DOP 5,276

$58.7 DOP 3,542

48.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 DOP 7,332

$66.4 DOP 4,006

83.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 DOP 42.8K

$926 DOP 55.9K

-23.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 DOP 21.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 DOP 85.0K

$2,599 DOP 156.8K

-45.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 DOP 37.1K

$986 DOP 59.5K

-37.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,462 DOP 148.6K

$2,960 DOP 178.6K

-16.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,351 DOP 81.5K

$1,277 DOP 77.1K

5.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 DOP 35.4K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Punta Cana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$349 31.9%

Punta Cana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$219 20%

Punta Cana

$230 31.8% 4.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$160 14.7%

Punta Cana

$158 21.9% 1.4% $2.2

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$154 14.1%

Punta Cana

$132 18.2% 14.7% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$135 12.3%

Punta Cana

$89 12.2% 34.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$44 4%

Punta Cana

$91 12.6% 109% $47

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$33 3%

Punta Cana

$24 * 3.3% 27.8% $9.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $709 in Santo Domingo versus $926 in Punta Cana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Santo Domingo versus $40 in Punta Cana. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Santo Domingo vs $230 in Punta Cana – so Santo Domingo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Punta Cana

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

100,023

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Santo Domingo Punta Cana 170 km

From you

Santo Domingo
Punta Cana

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 Punta Cana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,094 in Santo Domingo, $723 in Punta Cana – Punta Cana comes out roughly 34% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,641 per month in Santo Domingo and $1,085 in Punta Cana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santo Domingo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $709 there versus $926 in Punta Cana.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,094 in Santo Domingo and $723 in Punta Cana. That makes Punta Cana about 34% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $245 per month in Santo Domingo and $147 in Punta Cana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Santo Domingo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $723 in Punta Cana to $1,094 in Santo Domingo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.