Foreigner-friendly: no special residency status needed to rent; passport plus proof of income generally suffices, and foreign tenants face no legal disadvantage
Modernized 2025 framework (Law 85-25, effective Aug 15, 2025) caps the housing deposit at two months and annual rent rises at 10%, and requires judicial approval for evictions
Nationwide 911 emergency line (live since May 2014) is free from any phone and operates 24/7; multiple traveler guides report multilingual handling, including English, in the main metro and tourist areas.
Strong private hospitals in Santo Domingo, Santiago and Punta Cana (CEDIMAT, Hospiten, HOMS) with English-speaking, often US-trained specialists and prices well below US levels.

Watch out for

Law 85-25 is new (Aug 2025) and its implementing regulations were still pending — practical details such as exactly how the deposit cap interacts with any advance rent remain to be clarified
Beyond the deposit, landlords commonly ask for the first month in advance (a '2 deposits plus 1 month advance' custom is widely cited), so up-front cash can reach roughly three months' rent
A short-term nomad without legal residency, a cedula or formal employment cannot use the public SDSS/SeNaSa coverage and must pay out of pocket or rely on private insurance.
Even at public hospitals, non-resident foreigners are billed the full cost of care; the public option is not free for visitors.

Cost of living

Santo Domingo

€1,000–€1,600/mo