Las Terrenas is a multicultural town that has stayed a secret from North Americans until a couple of years ago. But for decades this has been the chosen home of countless European expats.
Everyone I talked to said how safe they felt in Las Terrenas. Having just been a couple days before in Santo Domingo, I felt this too. While in the capital theft is pretty common, in Las Terrenas I was assured that it isn’t. Catcalling is standard in the DR, but I didn’t feel threatened by it in this town.
The temperature in Las Terrenas is pretty consistent throughout the year. Annual average highs are about 30°C (85°F) and annual average lows stay at about 21°C (69°F). It has a typical tropical weather, and it rains a lot—about 170 days every year. February is the driest month, while May has the most precipitation.
For the most comfortable life in Las Terrenas and the DR in general, I recommend you learn panish. You’ll find a lot of expats from Europe and North America, but without at least basic conversational Spanish, your interactions will be limited to the expat community. Most individuals in the service sector will be locals, and you’ll miss out on making important connections among your new community.
The official currency of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican peso. The exchange rate at the time of writing is 54.76 pesos per US$1. Properties and luxury items are paid in U.S. dollars, but your day-to-day expenses will all be in pesos.
The most common mode of transport is either a motorcycle/scooter bike or an ATV. When the town started to develop, European expats modeled the streets on European cities. This means narrow, winding streets.
Plenty of cars are around as well, but it’s just easier to navigate town in these smaller vehicles. If you want a taxi, stop looking for those yellow cars… taxis in this town are motorbikes, so be prepared to hop on if you’d rather not walk.
