Short answer: On the ground in the Dominican Republic, plan on roughly $50–80 (about RD$3,000–4,800) per person per day on a guesthouse-and-comedor budget, $120–220 (about RD$7,200–13,200) in a comfortable hotel or mid-range all-inclusive shared by two, and from about $350 (RD$21,000) for luxury resorts and villas. A week therefore costs about $350–560, $840–1,540 or from about $2,450 per person, before flights. For a reality check, foreign visitors spent an average of about $171 per person per day in 2025 and stayed just under eight nights, according to Central Bank figures reported in the Dominican press.
The Dominican Republic is one of the best-value beach destinations in the Caribbean, but two things shape your budget more than anything else: whether you stay all-inclusive, and the 28% in tax and service charge that is added to many hotel and restaurant prices. Outside the resorts, a big plate of rice, beans and stewed chicken costs a few dollars and city transport is cheap. This guide breaks it all down with figures from official sources where they exist, so you can build a realistic budget for your own trip to the Dominican Republic. The currency is the Dominican peso (RD$), and the Central Bank’s reference rate was about RD$60 to the US dollar in early October 2026; peso figures here are rounded at that rate. US dollars are widely accepted in resort areas, and our Money exchange tool has today’s rate.
Dominican Republic daily costs at a glance
These example days are built from the prices further down this page: one person, one day in a popular area such as Santo Domingo or Punta Cana. They leave out flights and souvenirs. On an all-inclusive stay, the bed and food lines are one price.
| Per person, per day | Budget | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Guesthouse or simple hotel room, often shared: $25–40 | Half of a comfortable double or a mid-range all-inclusive for two at $120–250: $60–125 | Half of a luxury resort room or villa: from about $250 |
| Food | Breakfast and two plato del día meals at a comedor (about RD$250–450 each): $18–25 | A local lunch plus half of a RD$3,000 dinner for two with tax and service, and drinks: $35–55 (included if all-inclusive) | Resort and restaurant dining with drinks: included or about $100 |
| Transport | Guaguas, metro and shared rides: $3–8 | Uber or taxis, or a share of a transfer: $10–25 | Private transfers and drivers: about $50 |
| Sights | Beaches and the Zona Colonial on foot: $0–10 | A guided day trip or museum visits: $15–40 | Catamaran charters, golf or private guides: from about $50 |
| Total | About $50–80 (RD$3,000–4,800) | About $120–220 (RD$7,200–13,200) | From about $350 (RD$21,000) |
Tax and service rates are official; meal and fare figures are typical October 2026 Santo Domingo prices from the crowd-sourced Numbeo index; room, transport and tour figures are our typical ranges for the main tourist areas, the same ones used in our destination guides. Treat them as typical ranges, not quotes, and check whether a price includes tax.
What visitors actually spend in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Central Bank surveys departing visitors and publishes their average spending. According to its figures as reported by the Dominican newspaper El Día, non-resident foreign visitors spent an average of $170.94 per person per day in 2025, up from $167.75 in 2024, and stayed an average of 7.85 nights, down from 8.01. That works out to roughly $1,340 per person for a typical stay, and it sits right in the middle of our mid-range day.
Keep in mind that much of that money goes to all-inclusive packages, often paid before the trip. Travelers who stay in town hotels and eat at local comedores spend far less per day, and those on luxury resorts and private villas far more.
On our Travel costs by country scale, which compares hotel, restaurant and transport prices with the United States (US = 100), the Dominican Republic scores 55. In plain words, a typical room, meal or ride costs about 45% less than in the United States. That makes it cheaper than Mexico (69) and Puerto Rico (78) on the same scale, and about level with Jamaica (53). Resort packages and excursions sold in dollars often feel closer to US prices than the index suggests.
Accommodation costs
Most visitors to the Dominican Republic stay at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, Bávaro, La Romana or Puerto Plata, where meals, drinks and most activities are in one price. Outside the resort zones, there are guesthouses, boutique hotels in Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial and small beach hotels in Samaná. As typical ranges:
- Guesthouses and simple hotels: about $25–60 a night for a double, most common in towns, Las Terrenas and Cabarete.
- Comfortable hotels and boutique hotels: about $120–250 a night for a double, including in the Zona Colonial.
- Mid-range all-inclusives: a similar range per night for two, with food and drink included, which makes them good value for families.
- Luxury resorts and villas: from several hundred dollars a night, especially in Cap Cana and at Casa de Campo.
When a rate is quoted before tax, Dominican hotels add the 18% ITBIS (the national value-added tax) and a 10% legal service charge, 28% in all. Packages sold abroad usually include them, so compare total prices. Villa rentals at Casa de Campo often add further resort fees, so ask for a total. Rates are highest from Christmas to Easter and lowest in September and October.
Food and drink costs
The cheapest and most Dominican way to eat is at a comedor, a simple local eatery serving the plato del día, usually la bandera: rice, red beans and stewed meat with salad, for about RD$250–450 ($4–7.50). Numbeo’s October 2026 figures for Santo Domingo show a meal at an inexpensive restaurant at about RD$600 ($10) and a three-course dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant, without drinks, at about RD$3,000 ($50). A half-liter of local draft beer costs about RD$150 ($2.50) and a cappuccino about RD$140 ($2.30). Expect higher prices in Punta Cana’s restaurants and beach clubs.
Check the menu: many restaurants list prices before the 18% ITBIS and the 10% service charge, so a RD$1,000 bill becomes about RD$1,280. According to the official tourism site, tap water is not safe to drink, so budget for bottled water, which is cheap at any colmado (corner store).
Getting around: buses, Uber, the metro and car hire
- Intercity buses: air-conditioned coaches run by Caribe Tours and Metro Tours link Santo Domingo with Santiago, Puerto Plata, Samaná and other towns, and Expreso Bávaro runs between the capital and Punta Cana in about three hours. They are the cheapest comfortable way to cross the country.
- Guaguas and shared taxis: local minibuses and carros públicos are cheaper still, but crowded and slower.
- Santo Domingo Metro and cable car: the regular fare is RD$20 (about $0.35) a ride, and the cable car charges the same.
- Uber and taxis: Uber works in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Punta Cana and Puerto Plata and avoids haggling; elsewhere, use taxis called by your hotel and agree the fare first. Numbeo puts a Santo Domingo taxi at about RD$200 to start plus about RD$135 per kilometer.
- Car hire: useful for the north coast, Samaná and the mountains, but driving is hectic, the main highways have tolls, and the tourism ministry itself suggests avoiding driving at night. Many visitors prefer transfers or a private driver.
Sightseeing costs and free things to do
Some of the best things in the Dominican Republic cost nothing. The beaches are open to everyone, and walking Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial, past the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor, the oldest in the Americas, Calle Las Damas and the Ozama Fortress, is free from the outside. Museums such as the Alcázar de Colón charge modest entry fees; check them on arrival.
The big extra costs are organized excursions: catamaran and snorkeling trips from Punta Cana, boat days to Saona Island from Bayahibe, whale-watching in Samaná Bay from mid-January to March, boat tours of Los Haitises National Park and the waterfalls at Damajagua near Puerto Plata. These are sold by private operators at their own prices, usually in dollars, and the national park entry fee is normally included in the tour price; ask before you book. Other good-value experiences include the Teleférico up Pico Isabel de Torres in Puerto Plata, a hike to the Salto El Limón waterfall, and a night of winter-league baseball at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, from October to January.
Taxes and visitor fees
- ITBIS: the value-added tax is 18%, applied to hotel rooms, restaurant meals and most goods and services.
- Service charge: 10% in restaurants, bars and hotels, shared among the staff. With ITBIS, that is 28% on prices quoted before tax.
- Tourist card: $10, already included in the price of all air tickets issued outside the Dominican Republic since 2018, according to the tax authority (DGII). Visitors arriving by sea or land buy it on arrival.
- Departure tax: $20, which the official tourism site says is included in your airline ticket.
- E-ticket: the electronic entry and exit form at eticket.migracion.gob.do is free. Fill it in for both arrival and departure, and ignore look-alike sites that charge a fee.
- Longer stays: tourists are normally admitted for 30 days; staying longer means an extra fee to the immigration authority when you leave, on a sliding scale.
For a normal air traveler, that means no entry or exit fees to pay in person.
Tipping in the Dominican Republic
The 10% service charge is on most restaurant and hotel bills, but the official tourism site says an extra tip of about 10% is customary for good service. At all-inclusive resorts, small cash tips for bartenders, servers and housekeeping are common, and guides and boat crews on day trips appreciate a tip too. Taxi drivers do not usually expect one. Our tip calculator does the sums for you.
Money-saving tips for the Dominican Republic
- Travel after Easter or in late spring. Prices fall after Holy Week, and May and June are still good beach months before the hurricane-season peak. September and October are the cheapest of all. See our best time to visit the Dominican Republic guide.
- Do the all-inclusive math. With 28% added to restaurant bills, an all-inclusive often costs less than paying as you go in Punta Cana, but in Santo Domingo, Samaná or Cabarete, eating out is cheaper.
- Pay in pesos in towns, colmados and local restaurants; dollar prices usually use a poor rate.
- Eat at comedores for lunch, when the plato del día is the best deal.
- Take the bus between regions instead of private transfers, and Uber instead of street taxis in cities.
- Check for “+ITBIS” or “impuestos no incluidos” on menus and rate cards before you compare prices.
For a route that combines the capital, the beaches and Samaná, see our Dominican Republic itinerary, and for help choosing where to go, our list of the top places to visit in the Dominican Republic.
Plan your trip: our free trip planner can build a day-by-day plan for the Dominican Republic from our guides, including Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Samaná and Puerto Plata. Then use the Money exchange tool to turn pesos into your own currency, and the Destination weather tool to pick your dates.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for a week in the Dominican Republic?
Using the example days above, seven days on the ground cost roughly $350–560 (about RD$21,000–33,600) per person on a tight budget, $840–1,540 (about RD$50,400–92,400) mid-range, and from about $2,450 (about RD$147,000) in comfort, before flights. If you book an all-inclusive package, most of that is paid in advance, and you need only spending money for tips, excursions and souvenirs.
Is the Dominican Republic expensive?
Not by Caribbean standards. On our cost scale it scores 55 against 100 for the United States, cheaper than Mexico and Puerto Rico. Local food and transport are inexpensive; resorts, excursions and restaurant bills with 28% added are where costs climb.
Do I need cash in the Dominican Republic?
Some. Cards work in hotels, resorts and most restaurants, and dollars are accepted in resort areas. Carry pesos in small bills for colmados, street food, guaguas, tips and rural areas, and use ATMs inside banks, malls or hotels.
Are taxes and tips included in Dominican prices?
Often not. Many hotels and restaurants add 18% ITBIS and a 10% service charge, 28% in total, unless the price says it includes them. Packages sold abroad usually include both. An extra tip of about 10% for good service is customary.
Do I have to pay a tourist card or departure tax at the airport?
Not if you fly. The $10 tourist card and the $20 departure tax are included in airline tickets issued outside the country. The e-ticket entry and exit form is free.
What is the cheapest month to visit the Dominican Republic?
September is the cheapest and quietest month, followed by October, in the heart of the rainy and hurricane season, when some small hotels close for a few weeks. For a balance of price and weather, try late April to June, after Easter and before the summer school holidays.