Country research
Dominican Republic
Prices overall are about 0.39 of United States prices at market exchange rates, and the Global Peace Index 2026 ranks the Dominican Republic 89th of 163. No residence route for remote workers is in force yet (a digital nomad visa was only a proposal in January 2026). People with a foreign pension of at least US$1,500 a month, or other foreign income of at least US$2,000 a month, can apply for residence under Law 171-07. [C1] [S1] [K1] [R1] [R2] [R3]
The Fernshore Index
How it grades, factor by factor.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Cost of living
83 of 100Strong
Price level 0.385 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Dominican Republic. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
8 of 100Weak
Santo Domingo, the main city: 2 comfortable months a year (January and February). The mean daily high is 30.0 °C in those two months and 30.5 to 32.4 °C in the rest; rain is over 150 mm in May, July, August, September and October.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Santo Domingo (WMO 78486). Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
38 of 100Mixed
Global Peace Index 2026: 89th of 163 (79th in 2025).
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank (A3 map poster). Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
45 of 100Mixed
WHO UHC service coverage index 73 (2023); the series was 77 to 78 in 2020 to 2022.
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Schools
Unknown
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
Unknown
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
15 of 100Weak
Weak: no residence route for remote workers is in force (a digital nomad visa was a proposal in January 2026), and fixed broadband is 11.20 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line. The one-year temporary residence on proof of solvency (RT-9) is not a remote-worker route and was not counted.
Source: Visa de nómada digital: qué es, cómo funciona y a quiénes beneficia; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Dominican Republic; Residencia temporal (RT-9). Checked 15 October 2026.
Retirement
85 of 100Strong
Strong on a judgement: pensioners (about US$1,500 a month) and rentistas (about US$2,000 a month) apply under Law 171-07 with no minimum age and no deposit. To be safe, have more than US$1,600 a month. Law 285-04 admits them as permanent residents and gives a definitive card after 10 years, but the DGM pages describe a one-year permit renewed over time. Mixed (50) if that is read as renewable only.
Source: Residencia por inversión en calidad de jubilado o pensionado; Residencia por inversión en calidad de rentista; Ley No. 171-07 sobre incentivos especiales a los pensionados y rentistas de fuente extranjera; Ley General de Migración No. 285-04. Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
24 of 100Weak
11.20 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Dominican Republic. Checked 15 October 2026.
English
36 of 100Mixed
EF EPI score 503 (global rank 63), just above the 499 anchor. The page does not print its edition year.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index: Dominican Republic. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
Unknown
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for CA passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for AU passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for NZ passports is being checked
Cities
Cities in Dominican Republic.
Each city page shows which figures are its own and which are the country's.
Topics
The detail on Dominican Republic.
Guides
Dominican Republic, by passport.
Each guide is written for citizens of one country.
Questions about Dominican Republic.
How do prices in the Dominican Republic compare with the United States?
Prices overall in the Dominican Republic are about 0.39 of United States prices at market exchange rates (World Bank price level index, 2025). That is an economy-wide average, not a budget for one household, and it does not show what rent, food or any single item costs.
Can I visit the Dominican Republic without a visa, and for how long?
US, Canadian and Australian government advice says no visa is needed for tourists, and New Zealand is not on DGII's list of nationalities that need one. The US$10 tourist card is included in air tickets and allows 30 days; DGM says a stay can be extended up to 120 days. Ask the officer how long you were given.
Is there a digital nomad visa for the Dominican Republic?
None in force that we could find. A Dominican newspaper reported in January 2026 that a digital nomad visa project had been presented, and the immigration authority's one-year temporary residence (RT-9) page names no remote-work category. An opinion piece in June 2026 still asks when one will come.
What income does residence as a retiree or rentista need?
Pensioners need a foreign pension (to be safe, more than US$1,600 a month), rentistas foreign income (more than US$2,100 a month), plus a further amount per dependant (more than US$300). Salary does not count. DGM pages describe a one-year permit; Law 171-07 describes a two-year card.
Is the Dominican Republic safe?
The Global Peace Index 2026 ranks the Dominican Republic 89th of 163, down from 79th in 2025. Canada's government advises a high degree of caution because of crime: violent crime occurs mainly after nightfall in large cities, and petty theft such as bag-snatching is frequent.
When do I pay Dominican tax on income from abroad?
You are a tax resident after more than 182 days in a year. DGII says the system is not worldwide: Dominican-source income is taxed, and foreign-source investments and financial gains from the third year as a resident. We found no ruling on pay from a foreign employer, so ask an adviser.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), Dominican Republic, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 38.51 (United States = 100; 38.5055), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank (A3 map poster), Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. The Dominican Republic ranks 89th of 163 countries (score 2.038), marked down 10 places on the year. The poster is the one-page ranking; the full report was not opened.
- [K1] Visa de nómada digital: qué es, cómo funciona y a quiénes beneficia, El Día (Dominican newspaper; private). Checked 15 October 2026. Published 20 January 2026. Says a digital nomad visa project for the Dominican Republic has been presented ("ya se presentó un proyecto de visa de nómada digital") and names no decree, resolution or law, so no remote-worker residence route is in force on this evidence. The Dirección General de Migración (DGM) pages opened list no such category (see K3).
- [R1] Residencia por inversión en calidad de jubilado o pensionado, Dirección General de Migración (DGM), Dominican Republic. Checked 15 October 2026. A foreign pension of at least US$1,500 a month, plus US$250 for each dependant; salary does not count. Needs a residence visa (RS), police certificates for the last five years, a Dominican bank letter and a guarantee policy. Read through a text reader (r.jina.ai) because the DGM site refused direct requests.
- [R2] Residencia por inversión en calidad de rentista, Dirección General de Migración (DGM), Dominican Republic. Checked 15 October 2026. Residence "con vigencia de un año" for a foreigner with a permanent monthly income of at least US$2,000 from a foreign company or body; the documents show the income over five years (dividends, foreign property, foreign bank investment). Read through a text reader (r.jina.ai) because the DGM site refused direct requests.
- [R3] Ley No. 171-07 sobre incentivos especiales a los pensionados y rentistas de fuente extranjera, Congreso Nacional de la República Dominicana (copy published by the tax authority, DGII). Checked 15 October 2026. Article 3: pensioners US$1,500 a month, rentistas US$2,000, plus US$250 per dependant. Article 4: no minimum age. Article 8: renewal after the first year; the card is valid for two years and can be renewed. Article 10: the declared pension or rent is exempt from income tax.
- [G1] Dominican Republic Tourism: official website, Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic (godominicanrepublic.com). Checked 15 October 2026. Home page, as read on 15 October 2026: "white sand beaches to mountains covered with lush nature"; lists Santo Domingo, Santiago, La Vega, Bonao, Jarabacoa and Constanza as destinations.
- [G2] Dominican Republic: municipal division, population by census, citypopulation.de (private compilation of the Oficina Nacional de Estadística, X Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda, 10 November 2022). Checked 15 October 2026. Santo Domingo de Guzmán 1,029,110 and Santiago 771,748 (2022); Las Terrenas 25,696 and Sosúa 56,982. The page says the 2022 census figures are final and names the Oficina Nacional de Estadística as its source. The ONE site itself refused automated access.
- [G3] Rural population (% of total population), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 27.5% of the population is rural (27.48), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [G4] Agricultural land (% of land area), World Bank, World Development Indicators. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 51.5% of land area (51.48), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [G5] Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. The highest range in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean; Pico Duarte, 3,098 m. Secondary source, used for the mountains setting only.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Santo Domingo (WMO 78486), National meteorological service of the Dominican Republic (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Santo Domingo, the capital and the main city for the country grade (18°28′24″N 69°52′14″W, 14 m). Mean daily highs 30.0 °C (January and February) to 32.4 °C (September); rain 68.1 mm (January), 59.1 mm (February) and 151.3 mm (May). 2 comfortable months (January and February); March has a mean high of 30.5 °C.
- [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Dominican Republic: 73 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API (UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026. The series was 77 to 78 in 2020 to 2022.
- [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Dominican Republic, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 11.20 per 100 people (11.2046), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [K3] Residencia temporal (RT-9), Dirección General de Migración (DGM), Dominican Republic. Checked 15 October 2026. Temporary residence valid for one year for a foreigner who intends to settle temporarily. Needs a residence visa (RS) and proof of solvency: a bank certification of at least RD$300,000 (or a property title), all Dominican. The page names no remote-work or digital nomad category. The DGM site answered direct requests with a security check, so the page was read through a text reader (r.jina.ai).
- [R4] Ley General de Migración No. 285-04, Congreso Nacional de la República Dominicana (copy published by the law firm DrLawyer.com; private copy). Checked 15 October 2026. Article 33 lists "jubilados, pensionados o rentistas" among those admitted as permanent residents (the copy drops a numeral in that list). Article 46: a foreigner with 10 years or more as a permanent resident gets a definitive residence card. Article 75: a permanent resident card is valid for one year, then for four years, renewable. Later amendments and the regulation (Decreto 631-11) were not read.
- [F1] EF English Proficiency Index: Dominican Republic, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 503, global rank 63. The page does not print its edition year; it is the live country page read on 15 October 2026.