Costs, Currency, Credit Cards, and Tipping in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is an interesting place when it comes to prices. Certain things that involve a service being provided – a private driver, someone to clean your home, a worker to sew jeans, or a baseball groundscrew – feel almost criminally cheap. Locally-produced items such as clothing, produce, meat, and snacks will also seem inexpensive to most travelers. However, since it’s an island economy, anything imported can be very expensive – vehicles, gasoline, appliances, food, and drink.

Local Spend

I feel that it’s important that we intentionally support the Dominican economy. At least around 30% of Dominicans live in poverty, and even with a wealthy upper class buoying the statistics, the average monthly salary is around $600.

Rather than just skim the culture as fortunate tourists, we will have an impact on the local communities that we visit. I have earmarked approximately 70% of your tour price as “local spend” that will stay in the Dominican Republic.

How much will I spend on the ground?

Since your breakfast and at least one other meal each day are included in your tour cost, your on-the-ground expenses will be minimal. Most of the money you spend will be on ballpark food/drink and souvenirs.

Ballpark food and drink are much less than U.S. stadium prices. Not dirt cheap, but you’d be hard-pressed to spend more than $20 per game (unless you go big on alcoholic beverages). Ballpark souvenirs are closer to U.S. prices than the food and drink, but still relatively inexpensive. For example, I’d expect to pay around $30-$40 for a cap and $80-$120 for a jersey.

We will have opportunities to buy Dominican cultural souvenirs. Those tend to be affordable, but there’s a wide range of items available. What you spend will depend on your preferences more than on Dominican prices. For example, some of you may want to buy cigars, rum, or art; those can range from around $5 to $100.

You’ll also want to spend some money stocking your hotel room with bottled water (don’t drink Dominican tap water!), snacks, and perhaps some Presidente beer. We will do a grocery store run so you can do that. Those items are cheap – you should be fine budgeting $5/day.

Cash

While U.S. dollars are accepted at some establishments and as tips, I recommend having Dominican pesos on hand. However, you don’t need to get pesos ahead of time.

This is what I recommend:

• Before the tour, withdraw as much USD as you think you’ll need for the entirety of the tour. Have some small USD bills to give as tips upon arrival (bellhop, for example).
• As soon as possible, we will help you exchange USD for pesos at a local exchange bank with fair rates. If you need some pesos before you’re able to make an exchange, you can borrow from me.
• Don’t keep more cash on you than you’ll need in a day; keep your extra money in the hotel room’s locked safe.

That said, you can also buy Dominican pesos at your local bank. They don’t offer the best rate, but it sure is convenient to arrive with local currency in hand. If you want to go this route, inquire with your bank now, as they are unlikely to have pesos on hand and will need to order them for you.

Credit and Debit Cards

Places where you can spend significant money – restaurants, supermarkets, and ballpark team stores – accept credit cards.

Check two things before using your card:

1. Does it charge international transaction fees? If yes, you might want to avoid using your CC.
2. Is a travel notification required to make sure your transactions aren’t blocked? Most CC companies no longer require this.

If you don’t incur any fees, I’d use your card for bigger purchases to reduce the pesos you need.

Bring your debit card in case you need to withdraw cash from an ATM, but just use it as a backup. Withdrawing from Dominican ATMs with a U.S. debit card can be finicky and expensive (due to fees), and I wouldn’t rely on it.

Tipping

I will take care of tips for any group activities or meals. However, you may find yourself in a situation where you wonder if a tip is necessary. The Dominican Republic is primarily a service-based economy; there is always someone to do something for you, and many Dominicans’ income depends on performing tasks you may deem unnecessary.

Have small bills and coins on you to take care of these people – the person who bags your groceries, serves you food, or carries your luggage.

In most cases, there is no expected tip amount – anything would be appreciated. Dominicans often just tip with a couple of coins. In most cases, a dollar or two is plenty, but more is welcome.

Although it is not expected or required, you’re welcome to tip your driver to or from the airport. Five dollars would be more than enough.

For the few instances you may eat at a restaurant outside the tour’s included group meals, I’d recommend adding 10% (no more than 15%) in cash; tips added to a credit card bill are rarely passed on to the server.

Tipping Our Staff

Our local guides receive more-than-fair compensation for their work, and they and I don’t expect you to give anything extra. There is no pressure or obligation to tip your local guides.

That said, you are welcome to tip them at the end of the tour. Around $20 is very reasonable, and about $50 is more than enough. If you feel compelled to give them more (or less), they will accept with gratitude.

Please do not tip me – you have already compensated me with your tour purchase. If you feel compelled to acknowledge a tour well-run with your money, please direct those funds to our local guides or purchase a gift card for future tour credit or other merchandise from our online store.