METHODOLOGY
How the DR Living Index Scores Are Built
Every town on this site is scored on the same five factors, on the same 0 to 10 scale, using the same process. This page explains exactly how those scores are set, so you can judge how much weight to give them.
Last updated: 10 June 2026
The five factors
Each town is scored from 0 to 10 on five factors. A higher score is always better for the person living there.
Cost of Living
What a typical expat or couple spends per month including rent, groceries, eating out, utilities and transport. A higher score means your money goes further.
Safety
Levels of petty and serious crime, how safe residents report feeling day to day and at night, and how much routine precaution daily life requires.
Healthcare
Quality and proximity of clinics and hospitals, access to English-speaking doctors, specialists and pharmacies, and realistic emergency response.
Internet
Fibre availability, typical real-world speeds, reliability, and the stability of the power supply behind it. Weighted heavily because so many movers work remotely.
Lifestyle
Beaches, nature and climate, the restaurant and social scene, the size of the expat community, and how much there is to do week to week.
Overall Score
An editorial rating of how good daily life is for a typical expat. Informed by the five factors but not a mechanical average: one serious weakness, like no nearby hospital, affects everything else.
How to read the scale
A genuine strength
Few or no meaningful compromises in this area.
Workable with trade-offs
Fine for many people, a dealbreaker for some.
A real limitation
Plan around it, or pick somewhere else.
Where the data comes from
Scores are set editorially using published data, current local prices, input from expats living in each town, and first-hand experience of living in the Dominican Republic. Cost ranges reflect what foreign residents actually spend, not local-only budgets or tourist prices.
How often scores change
Every town is reviewed at least annually, and sooner when something material changes: a new hospital, a fibre rollout, a sustained shift in rents. The Last updated date on each town page shows when its data was last revised.