Moving to Dominican Republic from Chile
What to Expect
Considering a move from Chile to Dominican Republic? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Chile to Dominican Republic, you would find that Dominican Republic is 4.3% more expensive than Chile overall. A CLF1,900 salary in Chile would need to be roughly DOP4,850,000 in Dominican Republic to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Santo Domingo averages 87°F vs 73°F in Santiago, making it significantly warmer.
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A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Chile and Dominican Republic.
What does your salary buy?
CLF1,900 → DOP4,850,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Dominican Republic
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 9.6% less
Groceries
pay 6.2% more
Transportation
pay 2.3% more
Housing
pay 19.1% more
Childcare
pay 34.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.1% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Dominican Republic cost about 1% more than cities in Chile.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from Chile to Dominican Republic.
Who's moving to Dominican Republic?
Top countries of origin for Dominican Republic's foreign-born residents.
- 496,112
- 34,063
- 14,626
- 7,272
- 4,780
- 4,375
- · · ·
-
19.661
Chile
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Dominican Republic compared to Chile.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Chile generally does better on safety, though Dominican Republic leads in feel safe walking at night.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Dominican Republic generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Chile leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Chile generally does better on environment, though Dominican Republic leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Chile performs better than Dominican Republic across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Chile generally does better on employment & economy, though Dominican Republic leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Chile performs better than Dominican Republic across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), Chilean Tax Administration (2016), Direccion General de Impuestos Internos (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Santiago | Santo Domingo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 84°/55°F (29°/12°C) | 85°/67°F (29°/20°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/44°F (19°/7°C) | 87°/72°F (30°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 89°/73°F (31°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 79°/51°F (26°/10°C) | 87°/71°F (30°/21°C) |
View all months
| Month | Santiago | Santo Domingo |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 86°/56°F (30.1°/13.3°C) | 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.6°C) |
| Feb | 85°/55°F (29.5°/12.8°C) | 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.7°C) |
| Mar | 81°/53°F (27.4°/11.4°C) | 85°/68°F (29.6°/20.2°C) |
| Apr | 74°/47°F (23.1°/8.6°C) | 86°/70°F (30.2°/21.1°C) |
| May | 65°/44°F (18.5°/6.4°C) | 87°/72°F (30.4°/22.2°C) |
| Jun | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.0°C) | 87°/73°F (30.8°/22.9°C) |
| Jul | 60°/39°F (15.3°/3.9°C) | 88°/73°F (31.3°/22.8°C) |
| Aug | 63°/41°F (17.1°/5.1°C) | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.7°C) |
| Sep | 67°/44°F (19.4°/6.8°C) | 89°/73°F (31.4°/22.7°C) |
| Oct | 73°/47°F (22.9°/8.6°C) | 88°/72°F (31.1°/22.3°C) |
| Nov | 79°/51°F (26.1°/10.3°C) | 87°/71°F (30.6°/21.4°C) |
| Dec | 84°/54°F (28.8°/12.2°C) | 85°/69°F (29.6°/20.3°C) |
Data:
Dirección Meteorológica de Chile,
Oficina Nacional de Meteorologiá
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Chile and Dominican Republic. To live, work, or study long-term in Dominican Republic, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Dominican Republic's immigration authority.
Chile passport holder visiting Dominican Republic
Visa Free
Dominican Republic passport holder visiting Chile
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Dominican Republic than Chile?
On average Dominican Republic is around 4% pricier than Chile, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Dominican Republic?
Budget about DOP1,212,500 for 3 months in Dominican Republic (based on a CLF1,900 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Dominican Republic?
Connectivity is usually fine (Dominican Republic: 11.2 fixed broadband per 100). What actually decides it is legal: does Dominican Republic offer a digital nomad visa, will your employer permit overseas work, and where are you tax-resident?
Is Dominican Republic safe for expats?
Chile generally does better on safety, though Dominican Republic leads in feel safe walking at night. The homicide rate in Dominican Republic is 10.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.3 in Chile. About 40% of people in Dominican Republic feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Dominican Republic compared to Chile?
Dominican Republic generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Chile leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Dominican Republic, compared to 33.3 in Chile. Dominican Republic scores 77 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Chile: 82).
What's the weather like in Dominican Republic compared to Chile?
The average high temperature in Santo Domingo is 87°F, compared to 73°F in Santiago. Santo Domingo receives around 57.0 in of rainfall per year, while Santiago gets 13.5 in.
What language do they speak in Dominican Republic?
Both Chile and Dominican Republic share the same official language: Spanish.
