City in Dominican Republic
Las Terrenas
Las Terrenas is a beach town on the north coast of the Samaná peninsula, with 25,696 residents at the 2022 census. A French-speaking expat community is long established, and two schools serve it: ISLA Academy, mainly in English, and a French school. [N1] [E1] [I1] [I2]
Why it is here
Why Las Terrenas is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- Expat.com's Las Terrenas guide, updated 11 December 2025, says the town has "approximately 11,000 expatriates from more than 20 countries" in the text and "5,000-7,000" in its key facts, mostly French, Italian, German, Swiss and Canadian. The two figures disagree, both are private estimates, and Expat.com runs a forum for the town. [E1]
- ISLA Academy teaches Pre-K to 12th grade, mainly in English, on a campus in Las Terrenas (and one in Cabarete); the French education ministry's 2009 list of recognised schools abroad also names the École française Théodore-Chassériau in Las Terrenas. [I1] [I2]
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 100StrongCountry figure
Price level 0.385 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Dominican Republic. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
8 of 100WeakCountry figure
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 100MixedCountry figure
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 100MixedCountry figure
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
UnknownCountry figure
Our research doesn't cover schools yet.
Community
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Lifestyle
UnknownCountry figure
Not covered by Expat Insider 2026
Work and career
15 of 100WeakCountry figure
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 100StrongCountry figure
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 100WeakCountry figure
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 100MixedCountry figure
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
UnknownCountry figure
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for CA passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for AU passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
UnknownCountry figure
Research for NZ passports is being checked
The country
More on Dominican Republic.
Cities
Other cities in Dominican Republic.
Questions about Las Terrenas.
How many people live in Las Terrenas, and how many are expats?
Las Terrenas municipality had 25,696 residents in the 2022 census, up from 18,829 in 2010. Expat.com's guide, a private source, gives expat numbers that disagree (about 11,000 in its text, 5,000 to 7,000 in its key facts), mostly French, Italian, German, Swiss and Canadian. Treat them as rough.
Are there international schools in Las Terrenas?
ISLA Academy teaches Pre-K to 12th grade, mainly in English, on a campus in Las Terrenas (and one in Cabarete). France's education ministry 2009 list also names the École française Théodore-Chassériau there, primary only; that shows it existed in 2009, not today. Fees are unknown.
What is the weather like in Las Terrenas?
The nearest station, Arroyo Barril, is about 17 km away on the other side of the Samaná peninsula, so this is only a rough guide: mean daily highs run from 30.0 °C in January to 32.5 °C in September (1991 to 2020). Rainfall for the town itself is not known.
What does it cost to rent in Las Terrenas?
We have no rent for Las Terrenas. Elsewhere in the country on 15 October 2026, a furnished one-bedroom in Naco, Santo Domingo asked US$950 a month and a two-bedroom beachfront flat in Cabarete asked US$1,450. These are single asking rents, and Las Terrenas may differ.
What is health care like in Las Terrenas?
Canada's government says good health care is only available in major cities and lists Santo Domingo, Santiago, Punta Cana and Puerto Plata where ambulances are more reliable. Las Terrenas is not named, and which clinics serve it is not covered here. It advises insurance that includes medical evacuation.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [N1] 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. Las Terrenas municipality 25,696 (2022), 18,829 (2010) and 13,869 (2002); Samaná province 114,468. The ONE site itself refused automated access.
- [E1] Living in Las Terrenas: the ultimate expat guide, Expat.com (private expat guide). Checked 15 October 2026. Guide updated by Gineska on 11 December 2025. Text: "over 30,000 residents including approximately 11,000 expatriates from more than 20 countries"; key facts: population 20,000, expats 5,000-7,000, top nationalities French, Italian, German, Swiss, Canadian. Describes the town as on the Samaná peninsula's northeast coast and a beach town. The figures conflict with each other and with the census (25,696).
- [I1] ISLA Academy: international school, Cabarete and Las Terrenas, ISLA Academy (own site). Checked 15 October 2026. "Located in Cabarete and Las Terrenas, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, ISLA Academy offers Pre-K to 12th Grade ... taught primarily in English"; inquiry-based method. No accreditation was read on the home page.
- [I2] Bulletin officiel n° 25 du 18 juin 2009, annexe: établissements français à l'étranger, Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (France). Checked 15 October 2026. Under République dominicaine: "École française Théodore-Chassériau, Las Terrenas" with école only. A 2009 list, so it shows the school existed then, not its status today.
- [W3] Climate normals 1991–2020, Arroyo Barril (WMO 78466), nearest station, National meteorological service of the Dominican Republic (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Arroyo Barril (19°12′02″N 69°25′59″W, 37 m), about 17 km from Las Terrenas by coordinates and on the other side of the peninsula from the north coast; not in the town. Mean daily highs 30.0 °C (January) to 32.5 °C (September); used only for the weather type (warm), not for the comfortable-month count (1: January).
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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).
- [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).
- [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.
- [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.