Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Samana

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $712 a month against $1,100 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Samana
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Samana Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,100

/mo nomad

Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,100 in Santo Domingo versus $712 in Samana.

Santo Domingo $1,100
Samana $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,735 in Santo Domingo versus $1,168 in Samana.

Santo Domingo $1,735
Samana $1,168

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,370 in Santo Domingo versus $1,625 in Samana.

Santo Domingo $2,370
Samana $1,625

Living in Santo Domingo is roughly 55% more expensive than in Samana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 19% lower, Samana 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.66 DOP 580

$8.05 DOP 484

20.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.4 DOP 3,148

$41.69 DOP 2,504

25.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 DOP 454

$7.03 DOP 422

7.54%

Cappuccino

$2.42 DOP 145

$1.74 DOP 105

39.08%

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

$1.05 DOP 63.2

$0.67 DOP 40.26

56.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 DOP 35.33

$0.40 DOP 24.10

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 150

$2.39 DOP 144

4.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 DOP 181

$3.87 DOP 232

-21.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 DOP 82.0

$1.15 DOP 69.2

19.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 DOP 95.0

$1.69 DOP 101

-6.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 DOP 93.4

$1.53 DOP 92.0

1.31%

Eggs

$2.37 DOP 142

$1.42 DOP 85.2

66.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 DOP 430

$6.07 DOP 364

17.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.46 DOP 328

$3.50 DOP 210

56.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.50 DOP 390

$4.76 DOP 286

36.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 DOP 193

$3.66 DOP 220

-12.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 DOP 49.40

$1.44 DOP 86.5

-43.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 DOP 166

$3.34 DOP 200

-17.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 DOP 109

$1.84 DOP 110

-1.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 DOP 123

$3.44 DOP 207

-40.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 129

$2.91 DOP 175

-26.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 DOP 60.1

$0.93 DOP 55.9

7.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 DOP 59.6

$1.63 DOP 97.7

-39.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 DOP 328

$4.82 DOP 290

13.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 DOP 627

$8.30 DOP 499

25.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 DOP 151

$2.96 DOP 178

-14.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 DOP 173

$3.44 DOP 207

-16.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 36.19

$0.81 DOP 48.56

-25.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.72 DOP 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 DOP 202

$2.43 DOP 146

38.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 DOP 135

$3.19 DOP 191

-29.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 DOP 339

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 DOP 84.5

$1.20 DOP 71.8

17.50%

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

$29.1K DOP 1.7M

$14.7K DOP 882.7K

98.15%

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

$33.3K DOP 2.0M

$25.8K DOP 1.5M

29.25%

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

$91.9 DOP 5,520

$92.2 DOP 5,539

-0.34%

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

$31.92 DOP 1,917

$16.54 DOP 993

92.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.52 DOP 2,194

$37.91 DOP 2,277

-3.67%

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

$4.81 DOP 289

51.14%

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

$247 DOP 14.8K

$149 DOP 8,928

65.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,515 DOP 511.4K

$5,316 DOP 319.3K

60.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.01 DOP 2,703

$25.70 DOP 1,544

75.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.24 DOP 2,838

$44.73 DOP 2,686

5.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 DOP 5,306

$62.0 DOP 3,726

42.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 DOP 7,332

$65.7 DOP 3,948

85.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 DOP 45.3K

$131 DOP 7,840

477.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 DOP 21.1K

$97.1 DOP 5,834

261.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 DOP 87.1K

$325 DOP 19.5K

345.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 DOP 37.4K

$242 DOP 14.6K

156.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 DOP 150.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,336 DOP 80.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$675 DOP 40.5K

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 Samana: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$351 31.9%

Samana

$97 13.6% 72.3% $254

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$220 20%

Samana

$217 30.5% 1.3% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$160 14.6%

Samana

$147 20.6% 8.5% $14

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$154 14%

Samana

$130 18.3% 15.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$136 12.4%

Samana

$89 12.5% 34.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$44 4%

Samana

$9.6 * 1.4% 78.3% $35

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$34 3.1%

Samana

$22 * 3% 36% $12

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 $131 in Samana. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52 in Santo Domingo vs $42 in Samana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $217 per month, with Samana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Samana

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

108,179

💱 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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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 Samana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samana wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Santo Domingo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Samana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,650 in Santo Domingo and $1,068 in Samana 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: $754 in Santo Domingo versus $131 in Samana. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,100 per month in Santo Domingo versus $712 in Samana – Samana is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Samana – a meal for two runs $42 versus $52 in Santo Domingo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $712 in Samana versus $1,100 in Santo Domingo, a $800 budget is realistic in Samana but tight or insufficient in Santo Domingo. The gap between the two cities makes Samana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.