Both work. The question is which one fits you.
Cabarete is a kite town with energy, an active expat scene, and a scrappier feel. Las Terrenas is a beach town with a European flavour, better restaurants, and a more settled pace. They attract different people for good reasons, and the wrong choice is easy to make if you’re going on photos alone.
What are they actually like to live in?
Cabarete sits on the north coast, 27 minutes from Puerto Plata airport. It was built by kitesurfers and still runs on that energy. The main road is loud, lined with restaurants and shops, and the beach is almost always windy. That’s the point. Around it, there’s a real town with local markets, motos, and a Latin pace of life that the beachfront strip doesn’t advertise.
Las Terrenas is on the Samaná Peninsula, about 2.5 hours from Santo Domingo by road. French and Italian expats started arriving in the 1980s and the town reflects that heritage. The streets are quieter. The restaurants are genuinely good. The beaches are wider and more varied. It costs more and feels more considered. Whether that’s a positive or not depends on what you’re after.
Which has better internet for remote work?
Cabarete has the edge.
Agora Cowork is the best established co-working space outside Santo Domingo. Fibre runs along the main strip. Starlink is widespread at well-set-up expat properties. Claro and Altice 4G covers most of the town as a backup. If your work is video-call heavy and you need a reliable desk environment most days, Cabarete has more options.
Las Terrenas has improved significantly over the last few years. Fibre is available and Starlink is spreading. You can run a business from there, but the dedicated co-working infrastructure is more limited. If you’re happy with a solid home office setup and don’t need the co-working social element, Las Terrenas is viable.
Power in both towns is manageable. Cabarete’s expat community has pushed hard on this over the years. Las Terrenas benefits from resort-adjacent infrastructure on parts of the peninsula.
Which is cheaper?
Cabarete.
| Cost | Cabarete | Las Terrenas |
|---|---|---|
| 1-bed apartment | $400-700/month | $500-900/month |
| Food (eating out) | $200-350/month | $250-450/month |
| Comfortable monthly total | $1,200-1,800 | $1,500-2,200 |
Las Terrenas has more European-priced restaurants. Cabarete has more local spots where you can eat well for very little. The gap is real, roughly $300-400/month for a comparable lifestyle.
Which has the better expat community?
Different communities. Both genuine.
Cabarete skews North American and younger. Digital nomads, kitesurfers, people on working sabbaticals. The Facebook groups are active, Agora runs events, and the beach sport scene pulls in people from everywhere. Social if you want it to be.
Las Terrenas has a larger European expat base. French and Italian residents who have been there 10-20 years. More retirees, more couples, more families with kids in international schools. The community feels more settled, less transient.
If you want to meet people fast and don’t care about demographics, Cabarete is easier to break into in the first two weeks. If you want a rooted, long-term expat community, Las Terrenas delivers that better.
Which has better beaches?
Las Terrenas. Not close.
Playa Bonita, Playa Las Terrenas, and the beaches stretching along the peninsula are wide, calm, and varied. You can find a quiet spot on most days. Cabarete’s main beach is built for wind sports. It’s great if you’re kiting or windsurfing. Less ideal for lying on with a book.
Encuentro Beach is 10 minutes from Cabarete by moto and is better for swimming and surfing. But it’s a separate trip. In Las Terrenas, the good beaches are at your door.
Which is better for families?
Las Terrenas. More international school options, a calmer daily environment, and the expat community skews toward families with children. The pace of the town suits kids and parents better than Cabarete’s louder, more nightlife-forward energy.
Which is better for digital nomads?
Cabarete. Better co-working infrastructure, more people doing the same thing, easier to find your tribe quickly.
Which is better for retirees?
Las Terrenas. Quieter, better quality-of-life infrastructure, a more established long-term expat scene, and beaches you can actually use every day.
The honest summary
Go to Cabarete if you’re a remote worker, you want nightlife and active energy, you’re on a tighter budget, or you want to be close to Puerto Plata airport.
Go to Las Terrenas if you’re retiring or semi-retired, you want genuinely good beaches every day, you’re bringing a family, or you prefer a quieter and more European-feeling town.
Not sure which fits you? Take the quiz.
