Apartments for rent in Santo Domingo Este

What Santo Domingo Este is like

Santo Domingo Este is the municipality of Santo Domingo province that lies east of the Ozama river. It is a city in its own right, with very different neighbourhoods: established middle-class areas such as Ensanche Ozama, Alma Rosa and Isabelita, the shopping corridor of San Vicente de Paúl Avenue with the Megacentro mall, and new developments spreading towards San Isidro and Ecológica Avenue.

It is also home to the Columbus Lighthouse (Faro a Colón), Los Tres Ojos National Park and, on the seafront Avenida España, the National Aquarium.

Getting around

The bridges over the Ozama (Duarte, Juan Bosch, Mella and the “17” bridge, among others) link the municipality with the Distrito Nacional, and at rush hour they are the main bottleneck. Metro Line 2 crosses the river and runs along San Vicente de Paúl Avenue to Concepción Bona station, opposite Megacentro, which makes a big difference if you live nearby.

The Las Américas highway leads to Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) and the beaches of Boca Chica and Juan Dolio; the San Isidro highway leads to San Isidro Air Base and the newer residential areas.

New-build and affordable housing

Much of Greater Santo Domingo's recent construction is in this municipality. Ciudad Juan Bosch is the state's flagship affordable-housing project, built through a public trust with private developers, and other first-home apartment projects have sprung up around it.

If you buy an affordable (bajo costo) home, ask whether it qualifies for the government bonus that covers part of the ITBIS sales tax and on what terms; if it is off-plan, ask for the trust (fideicomiso) details and the delivery date.

What to check before deciding

Prices vary a lot from one neighbourhood to the next, so compare the price per square metre of the specific area, not the whole municipality. Check whether the building has a generator or inverter, a water cistern and pump, and how long it takes to cross the bridge at the time you leave for work.