How To Live on $120,000/Year in Dominican Republic

Welcome to the Grubernation Newsletter! 

I share information, tactics and tips for moving abroad, living your dream and EVERYTHING in between.

In this week’s edition:

• Living on a $120,000/year Budget in DR

• Dominican Republic’s Path to Exporting Electricity

• How Realtors Are SUPPOSED To Work

I’d love for you to check out my YouTube channel for deeper dives into a ton of ‘living in Dominican Republic’ topics with SO much more to come! Subscribing, liking and commenting helps support the channel and means a ton to me.

How to Live on $120,000/year in Dominican Republic

My content is a little different.

Most creators prioritize a low cost of living as a condition of living in Dominican Republic. And many that follow this content LOVE the idea that you can live for pennies on the dollar compared to the United States.

My priority is NOT cost of living.

I get it .. the appeal of $150 rent and $3 meals and a simple life.

For anyone who has that dream, I love it and love you for it.  

Go for it!!

But here’s the truth!

There’s a whole group of people like me that don’t comment on the Instagram or YouTube videos, who make a nice living and don’t want to sacrafice their quality of life, and who prioritize experiences and their time over their budget.

What these folks do is DM me, email me or approach me here in Punta Cana, or Santo Domingo, or Santiago, or Cabarete and tell me face-to-face that budget is not a concern.

I know RIGHT NOW someone is reading this and shaking their head. Some will message me telling me all the problems about people moving to DR.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. The following I have is over 90% Dominican American/Canadian/European

2. Every realtor here would tell you their clients buying are Dominican American/Canadian/European (mostly)

3. These buyers are plunking their money down where there’s already money

No one would ever say someone is gentrifying Cap Cana or Casa De Campo. The money is there and the people who don’t prioritze budget over experience are buying there. Period.

Now let me be even more clear .. not PRIORITIZING budget doesn’t mean not CARING about budget. 

There are people who can afford $100,000-$500,000/year \for expenses the same way someone making $80,000 can afford $30,000/year in expenses.

And there are a LOT of them here.

Dominicans! 

All of these disclaimers aside, let me explain the $120,000/year budget.

Minimalist influencers and YouTubers are amazing! They display a lifestyle that’s doable and give specifics on ‘how to’.

The issue I find with most of these accounts is two fold:

1. They typically speak in terms of fixed expenses and ignore the variable ones

2. They lovingly pass on some conveniences to minimize expense

Amazing for them! That’s just not me, and it may not be you either.

Listen, those that think spending at the levels I’m sharing will use words like ‘ridiculous’ or ‘stupid’ to criticize.

I’ve NEVER heard someone living on $120,000 a year do the same with a minimalist.

Enjoy minimalism .. good for you! 

But for those reading this who feel guilty for NOT wanting to limit expense in your move, for wanting to live comfortably, have consistent electricity, access to modern amenities, go to dinner 2-3x/week and not look at the right side of hte menu, who don’t mind saying ‘let’s just order take out’ when there’s food in the fridge ..

This article is for you! 

It’s ok - you’re allowed to live that way.

You (or your family) likely moved to the United States for the opportunities not available to you/them here at the time.

If you’ve maximized that, earned some money, invested it, created a business or role that allows you to do it anywhere — don’t be embarrassed about wanting that lifestyle here.

Let’s talk about $120,000/year

We are a family of 4 living in Punta Cana. That’s our choice. The access to the airport, my wife’s family in Higuey and the community at large are why we chose here and to spend what we spend.

We never lose electricity, we have all of the amenities we want close to us, it’s safe and fun to live here.

Here are some reasonable expenses for a family of 4:

• $2000/mo rent or mortgage

• $2000/mo for 2 kids school tuition plus associated expenses

• $1000/mo for groceries

• $1000/mo for entertainment

• $500/mo for electricity

• $500/mo for a full time housekeeper

• $300/mo for health insurance

• $300/mo for gas and car insurance

• $300/mo for cell phones and wifi

• $150/mo for 2 gym memberships

• $100/mo for bottled water and propane

I’ve just given you $8000/mo in reasonable expenses. That’s $96,000/year. 

What Minimalists DON’T include:

• Clothing

• Weekend trips this winter to Las Terranas, Jarabacoa, Bahia de la Aguilas

• Family wedding in November in San Juan (PR)

• Vet bills for our two dogs

• Occasional doctors visits NOT covered

• Supplements my wife orders

• Weekly kids birthday party gifts

• The microwave needs to be replaced

• Your kids broke 3 glasses and 2 plates just this month

• Friends are visiting and you’re going to the water park

• You lose your access card to your gated community and need to pay $50 to replace it

• You popped a tire or other car maintenance

• Bottle of wine to bring to your friends house who invited you over

• Hair dresser, shower head breaks, lawn or pool maintenance, etc etc etc

Think that makes up the $24,000/year that I’m short? 

Some will say $120,000/year is living like a ‘king’. Anything about sound royal to you?

Yes it gives you a very nice life! What most would likely describe as a middle class US lifestyle being lived out in country with a 20% poverty rate.

I get it.

I understand the disbelief over the budget above.

But many of you reading this right now are saying ‘wow, that actually sounds really reasonable’. 

I’ll get emails telling me how wrong I am, reminding me that I’m in Punta Cana, that many in country only make $500, even that this is inconsiderate in some way!

Tell you what .. save it! 

Don’t care and I already know. Let’s not waste your breath or my time.

But for those of you that have been fortunate to have financial success, who love your country as much as the person who insists this is ‘living like a king’ and somehow wrong, who need permission to be ok with wanting to blend your American upbringing with your Dominican roots when you repatriate .. I want to hear from you!

My wife is Dominican and fits the above.

Our dozens of friends locally who are driving Teslas, Land Rovers, buying $600,000 homes and are giving their kids an amazing life in this incredible culture (and are Dominican) fit the above.

Culture is not exclusive to the minimalist.

Culture exists in the Dominican Republic and is stronger than someone who laments the fact that you are NOT looking to live a budget lifestyle. 

When someone tells you they can or do live on $1500/month, please just ask questions.

Do you have kids? How often does your electricity go out? Are the roads paved and usable? Do you need bars on your windows? Do you have a car or rely on motos? Are any of the expenses this gringo I follow bulleted for me not applicable to you? 

When you consider the lifestyle you’ll have in DR, look at your current lifestyle!

The location changes, the behavior doesn’t.

You won’t go from ‘I just go to Starbucks whenever I feel like it’ to ‘I’m gonna live on as little as possible’ just because you moved to DR.

Conversely, if you’ve got your budget dialed in and you live a US minimalist lifestyle, you’ll do it here .. I have no doubt!

Just leave your judgment of those Dominicans that can afford more of a lifestyle to yourself! 

Dominican Republic to Export Power to Puerto Rico??

From the files of what many would consider to be the absurd, President Abinader talked of a plan to export power to PR by 2027!!!

The response was mostly skeptical. 

“Dominican Republic can’t even provide consistent power for itself let alone Puerto Rico”

I’ll give you my take, and I always try to do so leveraging evidence.

15 years ago when I met my wife and started coming consistently to Dominican Republic, we spent hours driving from Punta Cana through Otra Banda, Higuey, La Romana and San Pedro to get to Santo Domingo.

If you told me then that a highway was coming in 3 years, I would have been equally skeptical!

‘Where?’

‘How?’

‘When?’

But then it happened.

We took a break from visiting after 2016 and returned in 2022. Kids and COVID led to the gap and when I returned it was a new country!

Still to this day, as we explore our home country, I’m struggling to find the 3rd world more each every day.

Calm down Mr. ‘you’re in your bubble and need to see REAL DR’ guy .. I can find it, but less and less.

So when Abinader said 3 years to export power, I had 2 reactions

1. Every great feat starts with a vision - those laughing at him aren’t acknowledging the massive progress in the country, and are probably the same people who laughed at Steve Jobs when he invested the iphone and Elon Musk when he said he was going to create rockets and electric cars at scale

2. Timelines need to be taken with a grain of salt - I don’t believe 3 years is likely, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think the execution is likely. If it took 4, 5, or even 10 years to become a net exporter of power .. would anyone say it’s not a success?

My sense is that I’ll take the over on timeline, but won’t underestimate the likelihood of this vision becoming reality in the not too distant future.

THIS Is How Realtors are SUPPOSED To Work!!

My favorite local podcast (other than my own) is the Punta Cana Podcast with my friend Cheryl Henderson.

Cheryl is a BEAST of a realtor and also a local developer. 

In fact, she’s the developer that I chose to invest with at Maple Suites in Cortecito

If interested in this project, you can fill out this form.

In this interview above, Justified, an artist and newbie to Punta Cana, talked about getting a realtor connection from yours truly and chronicled the experience.

Skip to about 17:45 to see it 😉 

And if you want to have a great experience with a realtor, just fill out this form and I’m happy to connect you!

Felt good to vent a bit in this week’s edition haha. Hopefully it’s helpful to you! Would truly appreciate you sharing if you feel so compelled and asking friends to enroll.

Thanks as always for going on this journey with me!