Nobody daydreams about currency exchange while planning a Caribbean vacation. But money questions are the ones that catch travelers off guard the moment they land: Do I need pesos, or will dollars work? Is that street ATM safe? Did the restaurant already add the tip, or am I supposed to leave one? Get these wrong and you either overpay all week or spend your vacation doing mental math.
Here is everything you need to know about handling money in Sosúa, Cabarete, and Puerto Plata — from a team that lives here year-round.
The Currency: Meet the Dominican Peso
The official currency is the Dominican peso (DOP or RD$). In recent years the exchange rate has hovered in the neighborhood of 58–63 pesos to the US dollar — check a live rate before you fly, since it drifts. Bills come in 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 peso denominations. A quick mental shortcut: divide pesos by 60 and you have a rough dollar figure. A 300-peso lunch? About five dollars.
US dollars are widely accepted in tourist areas, and many rental rates, excursions, and restaurant menus in Sosúa and Cabarete are quoted in dollars outright. So why bother with pesos at all? Because the moment you step outside the tourist bubble — colmados, produce markets, local eateries, motoconchos — pesos get you local prices, while paying in dollars often means a rounded-up "tourist rate." For a week-long stay the difference adds up to real money.
Dollars vs. Pesos: The Simple System
- Pay in dollars: accommodation, airport transfers, excursions and tours, dive shops, higher-end restaurants that quote in USD.
- Pay in pesos: colmados, markets, street food, local restaurants, taxis, motoconchos, pharmacies, small shops.
- Golden rule: whichever currency you use, know the price before the service happens — especially with taxis and motoconchos. Agree first, ride second.
One more tip: bring clean, newer US bills. Torn, heavily worn, or older-series notes are often refused by banks and businesses alike.
ATMs: Where to Withdraw Without Worry
ATMs are the easiest way to get pesos at a fair rate, and the North Coast has plenty. The safe-use playbook is simple:
- Stick to bank-attached machines — Banco Popular, Banreservas, BHD, and Scotiabank all have branches in Sosúa, Cabarete, and Puerto Plata. Machines inside bank lobbies or supermarkets (like Playero in Sosúa) are the best choice.
- Withdraw during the day, ideally when the branch is open. Skip standalone street machines late at night.
- Expect limits and fees. Most machines cap withdrawals around 10,000–20,000 pesos per transaction, with local fees of roughly $5–8 USD on top of whatever your home bank charges. Fewer, larger withdrawals beat many small ones.
- Always choose to be charged in pesos, not dollars, if the machine offers a choice. That "convenient" dollar conversion (dynamic currency conversion) bakes in a poor exchange rate — the same applies to card terminals in shops and restaurants.
- Tell your bank you are traveling so your card is not frozen after the first foreign withdrawal.
Exchanging Cash: Banks and Cambios
If you prefer exchanging cash, the dedicated exchange houses — cambios — in downtown Sosúa and Cabarete offer rates very close to the official one, usually better than banks for walk-in exchanges and dramatically better than airport kiosks or hotel front desks. Exchange enough at the airport for your transfer and first meal if needed, then do the bulk of your exchanging in town. Bring your passport; banks always require it and cambios sometimes do.
Credit Cards: Useful, With Caveats
Visa and Mastercard are accepted at supermarkets, established restaurants, pharmacies, gas stations, and tour operators across the North Coast. But the Dominican Republic is still a cash-first country at street level. Colmados, beach grills, market stalls, and moto drivers are cash-only, and some smaller businesses pass a card surcharge on to you. The practical setup: cards for big purchases, pesos in your pocket for everything else, and a backup card stored separately at your villa in case one goes missing.
Tipping: What's Expected (and What's Generous)
Here is the part that confuses almost every first-time visitor: Dominican law adds a 10% service charge to restaurant bills automatically, listed as "propina legal" alongside the 18% ITBIS tax. That service charge rarely reaches your actual server in full — so the local custom is to leave an additional 10% or so in cash for good service, directly on the table.
- Restaurants: service is included; add ~10% cash extra for good service.
- Housekeeping: $2–5 USD (or 100–300 pesos) per day, left daily rather than at checkout so it reaches whoever cleaned that day.
- Airport transfer drivers: $5–10 depending on distance and luggage wrangling.
- Tour guides and boat crews: $10–20 per person for a full-day excursion; more if they made the day special.
- Taxis and motoconchos: no formal tip expected — rounding up the fare is appreciated.
- Grocery baggers and gas attendants: 25–50 pesos is a kind gesture that goes a long way.
Tips here are not just politeness — for many workers in tourism, they are the meaningful part of the paycheck. A few dollars a day from you translates into real impact locally.
A One-Week Cash Game Plan
For a couple staying a week in a villa with a kitchen, a comfortable rhythm looks like this: land with $100–200 in small US bills, withdraw 15,000–20,000 pesos from a bank ATM on day one, pay your big-ticket items (lodging, excursions) by card or dollars, and use the peso stash for colmado runs, lunches, taxis, and tips. Most couples find that $300–500 in pesos covers a full week of day-to-day spending outside of accommodation and tours — one of the many reasons the North Coast remains one of the Caribbean's best-value destinations.
Money sorted, the rest is easy: beach, breeze, and the best sunsets in the Caribbean.