Living in The Dominican Republic 2007:

What if someone told you that it was possible to pack your bags and relocate to a place whereby you can buy a brand new home for 25 per-cent of the current value of the home you are now living in (sell your current home, buy a brand new home of similar size for less than half that amount or maybe even one fourth, and place the difference in the bank so you can live off the interest) - would you consider it? What if someone told you that this new destination offered the opportunity for you to have a monthly income from bank account interest locally tax-free, sufficient enough with the equivalent of US$100,000 in the bank to cover your monthly living expenses (utilities, food shopping, golf fees or other leisure activities) - would you be interested to learn more? If the answer to both these questions is YES - then this is the benefit in brief for Americans and Europeans who have in interest in relocating to the Dominican Republic (year round temperate weather with no snow does not hurt either).
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In reality you do have a large number of choices if you are contemplating relocating to another country or jurisdiction. Obviously for most people, some topics or questions in common involve cost of housing, cost of living, infrastructure and amenities, climate and lifestyle (leisure activities, etc.) plus maybe even location. If you have already made up your mind that you would like to live some where in the warm and sunny Caribbean, then the Dominican Republic may in fact be a surprising choice for you. Located only 3 hours or less by airplane from many major US cities, the Dominican Republic is certainly close enough to visit family and friends (or for them to come and visit you also). In addition, direct flights to France, Germany, Spain and Holland (just to name a few) make it a very convenient hub for International travel as well. But that is probably not the largest benefit. Which is to say, if you are going to relocate somewhere, obviously you want the opportunity to live better on less than where you are right now. This is especially true if you are contemplating this kind of move in conjunction with retirement. However, you might also be surprised to find out that an early retirement (if you are in your forties or fifties in terms of age) might be very possible in the Dominican Republic right now with the current assets that you have at the moment, where as such an idea almost impossible in North America or Europe (or certainly not without a very drastic reduction in lifestyle).