Visiting the Dominican Republic
How much does it cost?
We arrived in the Dominican Republic for the first time in June 2019. We sailed from Mayaguana, Bahamas through the Turks and Caicos straight to Ocean World Marina in Cofresi, Dominican Republic. The first time visiting any place is always a learning experience. We enjoyed our time here but did spend more than we expected. Here is a list of everything we spent while visiting the Dominican Republic.
Customs
We decided to check-in at Ocean World Marina rather than Luperon because we heard the customs process was easier at the marina. With this being our first time we figured going the easier route was a smart decision. We are very glad we arrived at Ocean World because the info we received was very true.
The clearance process includes meeting with the Navy, Drug Enforcement, Customs, and Immigration. All officers are on-site and the marina concierge helped us communicate with all parties. The process was quick and stress-free.
Customs total (for two people and our boat): $100
*If you are interested in costs and requirements for bringing a dog to the Dominican Republic click HERE*
Groceries
We needed to completely restock when we arrived in the Dominican Republic. Sailing in the outer islands of the Bahamas is amazing but fresh fruits and veggies are not always easy to find. We found a large grocery store similar to a Wal- Mart and completely restocked.
Puerto Plata
La Sirena $375
Ocean World Market $12
Samana
Marina Puerto Bahia Mini Mart $67
Groceries Total: $454
Restaurants
Los Charro $50
Los 3 Cocos $58
Chris and Mady’s $35
Ocean World Terrace $17
Ocean World Terrace $25
27 Waterfalls Breakfast $7
Marina Puerto Bahia Restaurants: $44, $41, $25, $32, $46, $31
Bakery $28 (Birthday cake, coffee, and snacks)
Restaurants Total: $439
Fuel
Unfortunately, the majority of our travels along the north coast of the Dominican Republic included motoring. The trade winds constantly blow out of the east and that just happened to be the direction we were headed. We avoided sailing and motoring straight into the wind by only traveling at night during the night lee. However, even traveling at night included motoring and in turn, burning more fuel than we would have if we could have sailed!
Ocean World
Gas: $56
Diesel: $118
Marina Puerto Bahia
Diesel: $64
Fuel Total: $238
Dockage
We always prefer to anchor out. In the Dominican Republic, there are MANY beautiful places with the potential to anchor although if there is not a customs location nearby you are prohibited to get off the boat. For this reason, we spent the majority of our time in the Dominican Republic at marinas. You can learn more about the customs process and what a despacho is here.
Ocean World Marina
75 x 5 days = $375
Marina Puerto Bahia
61x 10 days = $610
Dockage Total: $985
Water
Ocean World Marina
$10
Marina Puerto Bahia
$10
Water Total: $20
Laundry
We usually live in our bathing suits but while sailing offshore everything tends to get damp and smelly… We needed to wash towels, sheets, comforters, and our daily clothes.
Ocean World Marina
$35
Marina Puerto Bahia
$15
Laundry Total: $50
Boat Parts and Accessories
The Caribbean heat had us realizing we needed extra shade. Ocean World had a canvas maker on site and our custom canvas was completely finished and installed in two days for less than we were quoted in the U.S. (it was also done way faster!). Besides the canvas, we also needed courtesy flags for both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico and a few other parts for the boat.
Custom Canvas $695
Dominican Flag $20
Puerto Rico Flag $ 20
Stainless Steel Hardware: $71
Fishing Belt: $20
Boat Parts and Accessories Total: $826
Other
With this being our first time in the country we wanted to experience all the must do’s! We rented a car and hired a few guides to make sure we experienced as much as possible.
Car Rental:
$131
Excursions and Tour Guides
27 Waterfalls: $25
Jordan (waterfall/Puerto Plata guide) : $20
Miguel (Cable Car Guide): $30
Rinaldo (short hike guide): $10
Miguel (motorcycle ride to hardware store): $10
Other Total: $226
Total Cost to Visit the Dominican Republic: $3,338
The numbers listed above are OUR costs of visiting the Dominican Republic. Your numbers can range drastically depending on where you go, how often you go out to eat, how much you sail, and how often you prefer to be at a marina. This was our first time in the Dominican Republic and we learned that marinas are a big factor in our total cost. If we go back we will try to visit Luperon and anchor rather than dock which will save a bit of money!
If I divide our total costs by our 20 days in the Dominican Republic we average about $166 a day for two people and a dog.
Compared to our trips to the Bahamas this is more than double our average daily cost. If you want to see what we spent during 60 days in the Bahamas click here! (Hint it was only a few dollars more for more than double the time :O)
Sierra
I think you should back out the $826 for parts etc from your average per day as that stuff was definitely not normal expenses.
We’re in Luperon on a mooring which we are paying $50 per month for. Our average monthly expense here has been around $1000 for the two of us. We purchase water in 5 gallon bottles at a cost of $1 per bottle delivered to the boat. Meals can be purchased for 100 to 350 pesos ($2 to $7) per person and beer is around $2.50 per bottle. If we tried we could bring our monthly expense down even lower but we like to socialize too much. And the check in process was pretty painless for us. Immigration
We’re in Luperon on a mooring which we are paying $50 per month for. Our average monthly expense here has been around $1000 for the two of us. We purchase water in 5 gallon bottles at a cost of $1 per bottle delivered to the boat. Meals can be purchased for 100 to 350 pesos ($2 to $7) per person and beer is around $2.50 per bottle. If we tried we could bring our monthly expense down even lower but we like to socialize too much. And the check in process was pretty painless for us. Immigration, agriculture and customs are all together with the commandant a short walk up the hill.
Wow, thats great. It cost me 6k here in California, staring out at black top and concrete all day. Lol
Thank you for the info… its good to know what your getting into before you go… also you spent money on your boat… which we should all budget for because things happen… wish me luck… ill be going solo…