What Can I Buy With One Dollar In Cabarete?

Find out how far one US Dollar will go in Cabarete.

In this article we hope to answer the question: How far will ONE US Dollar go in Cabarete? We realize if you are planning a vacation, then you are also sorting out some sort of budget for your stay. We thought we could help by giving you some references as to what every day items will cost when you are here.

It is important to point out that the the legal tender of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican Peso, written RD$. Today you would be able to exchange 1 U.S. Dollar for about 50.08 Dominican Pesos. We only chose the dollar because it is understood by most countries to some extent. A quick Google search will provide you with a plethora of currency converters.

Now that we have all of the technicalities out of the way, let’s get down to some business! In order to get a well-rounded list of things you can buy with a dollar, we did a little community poll in a rather large Facebook group that exists for the Cabarete community. We are really excited at some of the answers we got because it really puts into perspective what people find important here. Also, keep in mind that most of these things do not cost exactly 50 pesos. As we say here in Cabarete, this is a “mas o menos” guide.

Let’s start with some of the mundane items, like toilet paper. For under a dollar (about RD$35), you can get 1 roll of Super Jumbo Scott toilet paper. Seems to be the TP of choice around town. Not sure if it has to do with cost or quality…we will have to leave that for another article.

Another mundane, yet necessary item: water. For under a dollar (about RD$45), you can get 1 botellón (big bottle) of water. You can pick them up about anywhere, literally. The first time you get one, you will have to pay RD$100 deposit for the bottle, but you can have that refunded when you are finished with it and bring it back. Otherwise, you can get a 20oz bottle of Dasani for RD$14.

Cabarete is a really cool place because we have a great public transportation system. “Great” meaning it is very easy to get anywhere in town, and a little further, cheap and readily available anytime of day or night. During the day and until dusk, for under a dollar (about RD$50), you can hop on a motoconcho and go anywhere (one way) in Cabarete. You can also catch a ride on the guagua to anywhere (one way) in Cabarete for the same price. At night and when you are in a hurry, you can catch a carrito ride all the way to Sabaneta for just about 2 dollars.

Now let’s get on to some good stuff! Like coffee! Coffee is a Dominican staple and a major export item for the country. At most places, you can get a good cup of coffee made in a greca for about RD$40. We would be willing to bet that this is the item that most people use as a gauge for what things will cost when they travel.

When it comes to fast snacks you can pick up at the register, 1 dollar goes as far as you would expect: 2 delicious made in Dominican chocolate bars, 1 imported mainstream chocolate bar, or 2 Bon fruit bars will satisfy your need for a sugar rush when the urge presents itself.

At the grocery store, local fruits and vegetables are the way to go! When you start getting into anything imported it starts to get more expensive. For 1 dollar you can get 1lb of yucca, 1lb of limon, or the ingredients it takes to make a plate of mangu y vegetales for breakfast (mashed platano, fried egg, small bell pepper, and small onion).

Moving on to street food (we decided to start with some healthier options, fried option coming later… don’t worry). There are all sorts of street food vendors in Cabarete. Some of them are set up in carts on the curbs. Some of them have been squeezed in between buildings. Some of them are walking around with their merchandise on top of their head or in a wheelbarrow. They are wheelers and dealers, so keep this in mind as you make your purchase. That being said, for about 1 dollar you can buy the following: 1 bundle (maybe 2 bundles, if you are a good negotiator or catch the vendor at the end of the day) of limoncillos. 1 fresh, cut in front of you with a big sharp machete, agua de coco. Your choice of fresh sugar cane (a big stick) or roasted corn. Sugarcane and roasted corn photo credit: Charlene & Pete

And we saved the very best for last. When we started the thread by asking the local community for their input on this post, this was the thing that everyone seemed to be most excited about. At the entrance to the , there is a place on the left, right before you get to restaurant Bliss, that serves fresh empanadas from 6am until noon. Suave and his sidekick are steadily slinging out a mix of chicken, cheese, and egg empanadas to the hungry crowd, so be prepared to wait a minute or two and you will be generously rewarded for your patience. For about RD$45 you are entitled to your choice of 2 empanadas and a small juice of the day (today was tamarindo or melon). We upgraded to the large cup of juice for an extra 10 pesos, slightly pushing our order out of the 1 dollar range, but totally worth it!

Here is a short little video of El Jefe Suave (we were just informed by the folks at We travel and Blog it is El Suave, not El Jefe..even better) doing his thang with a huevo empanada.

We hope you find this post useful! If you have any input on other things you can get for 1 dollar post it in the comments and we will investigate, take pics, and write another article on it. Big shout out to everyone on Everything Cabarete who helped by giving their input.