Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Santo Domingo Este

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo Este: $637 a month against $1,094 in Santo Domingo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
Learn more

Santo Domingo Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo Este
Learn more

Santo Domingo Este Living Index

Jump to prices

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,094

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo Este

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Santo Domingo Este actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,094 in Santo Domingo versus $637 in Santo Domingo Este.

Santo Domingo $1,094
Santo Domingo Este $637

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,713 in Santo Domingo versus $1,035 in Santo Domingo Este.

Santo Domingo $1,713
Santo Domingo Este $1,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,333 in Santo Domingo versus $1,434 in Santo Domingo Este.

Santo Domingo $2,333
Santo Domingo Este $1,434

Living in Santo Domingo is roughly 72% more expensive than in Santo Domingo Este, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Santo Domingo 20% lower, Santo Domingo Este 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.87 DOP 597

$5.04 DOP 305

95.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.28 DOP 2,917

$41.28 DOP 2,494

16.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 DOP 451

$6.50 DOP 393

14.92%

Cappuccino

$2.30 DOP 139

$1.01 DOP 60.8

127.72%

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

$1.05 DOP 63.5

$1.01 DOP 61.1

3.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 DOP 35.01

$0.55 DOP 33.16

5.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 DOP 152

$2.46 DOP 149

2.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 DOP 191

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 DOP 85.7

$1.35 DOP 81.6

5.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 DOP 92.1

$1.53 DOP 92.7

-0.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 DOP 97.0

$1.60 DOP 96.8

0.63%

Eggs

$2.32 DOP 140

$2.26 DOP 137

2.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.98 DOP 422

$7.33 DOP 443

-4.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 DOP 331

$5.39 DOP 325

1.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 DOP 406

$6.63 DOP 401

1.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 DOP 194

$3.23 DOP 195

-0.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 DOP 46.41

$0.83 DOP 50.3

-7.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 DOP 160

$2.64 DOP 160

0.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 DOP 108

$1.85 DOP 112

-3.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 DOP 117

$2.01 DOP 122

-3.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 DOP 135

$2.13 DOP 129

4.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 DOP 59.6

$1.03 DOP 62.0

-3.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 DOP 59.2

$0.92 DOP 55.8

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.24 DOP 317

$5.12 DOP 309

2.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.18 DOP 615

$10.23 DOP 618

-0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.61 DOP 158

$2.53 DOP 153

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 DOP 171

$2.96 DOP 179

-4.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 DOP 35.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.31 DOP 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.20 DOP 193

$3.25 DOP 196

-1.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 DOP 135

$2.15 DOP 130

3.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 DOP 340

$5.70 DOP 345

-1.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 DOP 83.2

$1.24 DOP 74.8

11.29%

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

$28.4K DOP 1.7M

$29.5K DOP 1.8M

-3.89%

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

$34.1K DOP 2.1M

$33.7K DOP 2.0M

1.21%

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

$93.0 DOP 5,617

$93.2 DOP 5,633

-0.28%

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

$31.34 DOP 1,894

$30.91 DOP 1,867

1.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.15 DOP 2,184

$35.35 DOP 2,136

2.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.12 DOP 1,759

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.71 DOP 1,433

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 DOP 440

$7.16 DOP 433

1.68%

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

$245 DOP 14.8K

$252 DOP 15.2K

-2.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,282 DOP 440.0K

$7,312 DOP 441.8K

-0.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.14 DOP 2,728

$44.56 DOP 2,692

1.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.00 DOP 2,779

$46.17 DOP 2,790

-0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 DOP 5,282

$84.7 DOP 5,120

3.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 DOP 7,341

$122 DOP 7,401

-0.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 DOP 42.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 DOP 21.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 DOP 85.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 DOP 37.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,462 DOP 148.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,351 DOP 81.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$587 DOP 35.5K

$594 DOP 35.9K

-1.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo Este: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$349 31.9%

Santo Domingo Este

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$219 20%

Santo Domingo Este

$219 34.3% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$160 14.7%

Santo Domingo Este

$159 25% 0.6% $1

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$154 14.1%

Santo Domingo Este

$97 15.2% 37.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$135 12.3%

Santo Domingo Este

$134 21% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$44 4%

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.3% 67.2% $29

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$33 3%

Santo Domingo Este

$14 * 2.2% 57.6% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $48 in Santo Domingo vs $41 in Santo Domingo Este. Groceries flip the comparison at $219 vs $219, with Santo Domingo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo Este

🕒 Local time

06:43 6:43 AM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

1,000,230

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo Este 11 km

From you

Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo Este

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 Santo Domingo Este: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,094 in Santo Domingo and $637 in Santo Domingo Este, so Santo Domingo Este is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,641 in Santo Domingo and $956 in Santo Domingo Este 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.

Childcare runs $245 in Santo Domingo versus $252 in Santo Domingo Este. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,094 per month in Santo Domingo versus $637 in Santo Domingo Este – Santo Domingo Este is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $637 in Santo Domingo Este versus $1,094 in Santo Domingo, a $800 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo Este but tight or insufficient in Santo Domingo. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo Este 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.