Transport budget for one week in the Dominican Republic

The itinerary we used for the maths

To keep the budget comparable, we used the route we get asked about most: landing at Punta Cana airport, which handled 71.9% of the country's arrivals of non-resident foreigners in 2025, according to the Central Bank, two nights in Santo Domingo, three in Las Terrenas and back to Punta Cana for the flight home. That is four long legs: Punta Cana to Santo Domingo (200 km, roughly 3 hours according to the operator), Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas (140 km, about 2 and a half hours by our estimate), the same way back and then Punta Cana again. There is no direct bus between Punta Cana and Las Terrenas, so Santo Domingo is the compulsory connection.

The bus budget: what the long legs cost

The long legs are the cheap part of the trip. With assisted booking, Punta Cana to Santo Domingo costs from 25 USD per person and Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas from 25 USD, ticket included: the four legs add up to from 100 USD per person, paid before you set off. On your own, carry the money for the tickets in pesos, in cash and in small notes.

The short leg nobody budgets for: airport, stop and hotel

What inflates the budget is not the bus but the short rides around it. From Punta Cana airport to the stop in Bávaro it is about 20 minutes by Uber or official taxi. In Santo Domingo, terminal to hotel and hotel to the Asotrapusa stop are 10 to 15 minutes each. In Las Terrenas the centre is walkable and the beaches are a motoconcho ride away. The Uber fare is shown in the app before you request it, and with an airport or hotel taxi it is best to agree the price before you get in. We put no dollar figure on this item because we have no measured data: note each price on day one and adjust the rest of the week. Sharing the rides as a couple halves it.

The same week by private transfer

For comparison, we took our own July 2026 private transfer estimate per route, which is not a quote. Punta Cana to Santo Domingo runs about 125 to 200 USD per vehicle, and Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas about 200 to 260 USD. The four legs of the itinerary land between 650 and 920 USD per vehicle, door to door, with no taxis in between. For a solo traveller that is 650 to 920 USD against from 100 USD for the four legs with assisted booking. For four people the bus costs from 400 USD in total: the gap narrows, because the transfer is split four ways, but the bus still wins on price. What you buy with the transfer is time and comfort: hotel pick-up, no waiting at a stop and no change of vehicle in Santo Domingo.

How to cut the budget without missing your flight

Three habits save more than any trick. First, change your money into pesos in town rather than at the airport. Second, share the airport taxi with other travellers from the same flight who are heading to the stop. Third, never book the last departure of the day for the leg that connects with your flight: the one before leaves a plan B and avoids the emergency night transfer, which is the most expensive item of the whole week. If you would rather have us prepare all four legs, Guagualine assisted booking starts at 25 USD per person and leg, with secure payment when you book and a full refund if we cannot get your ticket, and we reply by WhatsApp or email.