Moving to Canada from Dominican Republic
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Dominican Republic to Canada — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Dominican Republic to Canada, you would find that Canada is 96.3% more expensive than Dominican Republic overall. A DOP4,390,324 salary in Dominican Republic would need to be roughly CA$177,891 in Canada to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English and French. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ottawa averages 52°F vs 87°F in Santo Domingo, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Dominican Republic to Canada.
What does your salary buy?
DOP4,390,324 → CA$177,891
To maintain the same standard of living in Canada
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.2 times more
Groceries
pay 80.3% more
Transportation
pay 17.8% more
Housing
pay 2.4 times more
Childcare
pay 2.9 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.1 times more
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 Canada cost about 64% more than cities in Dominican Republic.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Dominican Republic to Canada, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Dominican Republic to Canada · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to Canada?
Top countries of origin for Canada's foreign-born residents.
- 720,083
- 699,190
- 633,547
- 537,504
- 273,226
- 254,831
- · · ·
-
95.11,414
Dominican Republic
Key Indicator Comparison
How Dominican Republic and Canada stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Canada performs significantly better than Dominican Republic across all safety metrics.
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 Canada 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
Dominican Republic generally does better on environment, though Canada leads in air pollution deaths.
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
Canada performs significantly 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
Canada generally does better on employment & economy, though Dominican Republic leads in top income tax 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
Canada performs significantly better than Dominican Republic across all family life metrics.
Data: Direccion General de Impuestos Internos, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Santo Domingo | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 85°/67°F (29°/20°C) | 27°/10°F (-3°/-12°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 87°/72°F (30°/22°C) | 64°/45°F (18°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/73°F (31°/23°C) | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 87°/71°F (30°/21°C) | 41°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | Santo Domingo | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.6°C) | 21°/4°F (-6.1°/-15.3°C) |
| Feb | 85°/67°F (29.2°/19.7°C) | 25°/8°F (-4.1°/-13.3°C) |
| Mar | 85°/68°F (29.6°/20.2°C) | 36°/19°F (2.2°/-7.1°C) |
| Apr | 86°/70°F (30.2°/21.1°C) | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.6°C) |
| May | 87°/72°F (30.4°/22.2°C) | 66°/46°F (19.1°/7.7°C) |
| Jun | 87°/73°F (30.8°/22.9°C) | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.7°C) |
| Jul | 88°/73°F (31.3°/22.8°C) | 80°/60°F (26.5°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 89°/73°F (31.5°/22.7°C) | 77°/57°F (24.9°/14.1°C) |
| Sep | 89°/73°F (31.4°/22.7°C) | 67°/48°F (19.5°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 88°/72°F (31.1°/22.3°C) | 54°/37°F (12.5°/3.0°C) |
| Nov | 87°/71°F (30.6°/21.4°C) | 41°/27°F (4.8°/-2.8°C) |
| Dec | 85°/69°F (29.6°/20.3°C) | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.1°C) |
Data:
Oficina Nacional de Meteorologiá,
Meteorological Service of Canada
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Dominican Republic and Canada. To live, work, or study long-term in Canada, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Canada's immigration authority.
Dominican Republic passport holder visiting Canada
Visa Required
Canada passport holder visiting Dominican Republic
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Canada than Dominican Republic?
Day-to-day costs in Canada run about 69% higher than Dominican Republic on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Canada?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a DOP4,390,324 comparable salary, that's around CA$44,473 in Canada for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Canada?
With 42.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Canada can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Dominican Republic and Canada.
Is Canada safe for expats?
Canada performs significantly better than Dominican Republic across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Canada is 2.3 per 100,000 people, compared to 12.4 in Dominican Republic. About 88% of people in Canada feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Canada compared to Dominican Republic?
Dominican Republic generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Canada leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 25.0 doctors per 10,000 people in Canada, compared to 22.3 in Dominican Republic. Canada scores 91 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Dominican Republic: 77).
What's the weather like in Canada compared to Dominican Republic?
The average high temperature in Ottawa is 52°F, compared to 87°F in Santo Domingo. Ottawa receives around 37.1 in of rainfall per year, while Santo Domingo gets 57.0 in.
What language do they speak in Canada?
The official languages in Canada are English and French. In Dominican Republic, the official language is Spanish.
