City in Dominican Republic
Punta Cana
Punta Cana is the resort district of Verón–Punta Cana in Higüey, with 138,919 residents at the 2022 census, up from 43,982 in 2010. Its airport took about 56% of the international arrivals recorded in 2025, and an international school has served the area since 2000. [N1] [A2] [I1]
Why it is here
Why Punta Cana is on the list.
A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.
- Punta Cana airport had 5,659,706 international arrivals in 2025, about 55.8% of the 10,136,415 recorded at the country's airports (ONE yearbook, as reported by a trade paper), and says it passed 11 million passenger movements, up 9.9%. [A1] [A2]
- Puntacana International School opened in 2000 for the Dominican population "as well as the foreign community" and teaches from toddler to 12th grade with the US Common Core for English and mathematics. [I1]
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
33 of 100WeakOwn figure
Punta Cana's own normals (airport station, WMO 78479): 5 comfortable months a year (January to April and December); the mean daily high is 28.5 to 32.0 °C all year, and rain is under 150 mm in every month.
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Punta Cana (WMO 78479). 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 Punta Cana.
How many people live in Punta Cana?
The Verón–Punta Cana municipal district, in Higüey municipality (415,084), had 138,919 residents in the 2022 census, up from 43,982 in 2010. Whether all of Bávaro lies inside this district was not confirmed, so the figure may not match the area people call Punta Cana.
How busy is Punta Cana airport?
It had 5,659,706 international arrivals in 2025, about 55.8% of the 10,136,415 at the country's airports (ONE yearbook, as reported by a trade paper). The airport says it passed 11 million passenger movements, up 9.9%. Which airlines fly from your home airport is not covered here.
Is there an international school near Punta Cana?
Puntacana International School says it opened in 2000 for the Dominican population "as well as the foreign community", is recognised by the Ministry of Education and teaches from toddler to 12th grade, with the US Common Core for English and maths. No international accreditation was read; fees are unknown.
What is the climate like in Punta Cana?
Mean daily highs run from 28.5 °C in January to 32.0 °C in August (1991 to 2020). Rain ranges from 50.4 mm in March to 135.3 mm in September. By Fernshore's rule (highs of 30 °C or under, rain under 150 mm) five months are comfortable: January to April and December. May to November run hotter.
What does it cost to rent in Punta Cana?
We have one advert: a furnished one-bedroom of 85 m² in Cap Cana asking US$1,500 a month (about RD$92,518), with maintenance, internet, filtered water and property insurance included and electricity separate. It is a single undated advert, not an average, so Punta Cana rents overall are not known.
What should visitors to Punta Cana know about health care and legal scams?
Canada's government lists Punta Cana among the places where ambulances are more reliable, but says private hospitals may ask for payment up front. It also warns of "pirate lawyers" in tourist areas, particularly Punta Cana, who offer help to detained foreigners and charge excessive fees.
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. Verón Punta Cana municipal district 138,919 (2022), 43,982 (2010) and 15,241 (2002); Higüey municipality 415,084; La Altagracia province 446,060. The ONE site itself refused automated access.
- [A2] Aeropuertos internacionales movilizaron más de 20.3 millones de pasajeros en entradas y salidas durante 2025, El Inmobiliario (Dominican trade paper; private), reporting the ONE Anuario de Estadísticas Económicas 2025. Checked 15 October 2026. Country total 10,136,415 arrivals and 10,163,633 departures in 2025; Punta Cana 5,659,706 arrivals and 5,671,183 departures, "approximately 55.8%" of national arrivals. The ONE yearbook itself was not opened.
- [I1] About us: Puntacana International School, Puntacana International School (own site). Checked 15 October 2026. Opened in 2000 "for the local Dominican population as well as the foreign community"; recognised by the Dominican Ministry of Education (MINERD); Spanish curriculum follows MINERD, English follows the US Common Core State Standards; toddler to 12th grade. No international accreditation was read on the site.
- [P1] Punta Cana, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Resort town in the easternmost region; "known for its white sand beaches, blue turquoise waters"; incorporated as the Verón–Punta Cana Touristic Municipal District in 2006, part of Higüey municipality. Secondary source, used for the sea setting only.
- [W2] Climate normals 1991–2020, Punta Cana (WMO 78479), National meteorological service of the Dominican Republic (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Punta Cana (18°33′50″N 68°21′34″W, 7 m). Mean daily highs 28.5 °C (January) to 32.0 °C (August); rain 50.4 mm (March) to 135.3 mm (September); May 129.3 mm. 5 comfortable months (January, February, March, April, December); May to November have highs over 30 °C.
- [A1] Aeropuerto de Punta Cana marca un hito histórico y cierra 2025 con récord consecutivo de vuelos y pasajeros, Punta Cana International Airport (own site). Checked 15 October 2026. "More than 11 million passengers movements in 2025", up 9.9% on 2024. The page also says the airport connects with 81 international airports in 26 countries (undated). No release date is printed.
- [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.
- [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.