Summary
In 2026, a long-term 1-bedroom in Punta Cana-Bávaro asks a median of $1,150 a month and a 2-bedroom $1,500 (CLIC Inmobiliaria, March 2026, 1,129 listings). These are asking rents, not signed leases.
Studios are rare in listings and nobody publishes a median for them. Our rough estimate is RD$38,000 (about $620) a month.
Rent per m² is about $18 a month for a median 1-bedroom (65 m²) and about $14 for a median 2-bedroom (108 m²).
No one measures a year-on-year rent change in Punta Cana. Inflation was 5.12% in September 2026, and under Law 85-25 a lease that says nothing can't raise rent by more than 10%.
The most expensive sectors are Cap Cana (median $2,500) and Punta Cana Village ($2,450). The cheapest are Pueblo Bávaro ($650) and Verón ($750).
Young professionals mostly rent in Downtown Punta Cana, Bávaro and Ciudad Las Canas, where medians run from $1,200 to $1,700. Families look at Punta Cana Village, Cocotal and Vista Cana.
By our rough estimate, 65% to 75% of investor-style long-term tenants want furnished units, which ask about $98 to $295 more per month.
There is no official vacancy figure. CLIC puts long-term occupancy above 90%; our estimate for well-priced furnished units is 5% to 7% vacancy.
A long lease beats the average Airbnb: a $250,000 2-bedroom rented at $1,500 nets about 3.7% before income tax, against about 1.4% for an average 2-bedroom Airbnb open all year.
Supply is the risk. RE/MAX counts more than 50 off-plan projects in its Punta Cana sample, and an October 2026 listings snapshot (Apartamentos en RD) gave a Bávaro median of $900 across all sizes, against $1,250 at CLIC in March.
IPI property tax only starts above RD$10,695,494 of appraised value: a $250,000 condo appraised at its price pays about $760 a year. Condo fees in real listings run $185 to $350 a month.
Companies that pay rent to an individual now withhold 15% (Law 30-26). As a non-resident, budget for the 27% non-resident rate on your Dominican rental profit.
Bottom line: if you buy to rent long term, plan on $1,150 for a 1-bedroom and $1,500 for a 2-bedroom, and buy at a price where that rent gives you at least 6.5% gross.
Studio, 1-bed, 2-bed: what rents look like and where they are heading
What's the average monthly rent for a studio in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, a furnished studio on a long lease in Punta Cana rents for roughly RD$38,000 (about $620) a month. That is our estimate: studios are a small share of listings and no portal publishes a studio median.
Most studios ask roughly RD$30,000 to RD$44,000 a month (about $490 to $715), well below the $1,150 median for a 1-bedroom.
The cheapest studios are inland or in simpler condo projects. Studios in Cap Cana, Los Corales or El Cortecito cost more because tenants pay for security, beach access, furniture and short drives.
What's the average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, the median long-term 1-bedroom in Punta Cana-Bávaro asks $1,150 (about RD$70,700) a month, for about 65 m², based on 349 listings counted by CLIC Inmobiliaria in March 2026.
The spread is wide. In an October 2026 snapshot of Apartamentos en RD listings, 1-bedrooms in Bávaro asked about $700, while Cap Cana 1-bedrooms asked about $1,350. Global Property Guide's prime sample puts a Punta Cana 1-bedroom at $1,250 (Q3 2026).
The cheaper 1-bedrooms are in Pueblo Bávaro, Verón, White Sands and inland Bávaro. Cap Cana, Punta Cana Village and furnished units near the beach in Los Corales and El Cortecito sit at the top.
What's the average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, the median long-term 2-bedroom in Punta Cana-Bávaro asks $1,500 (about RD$92,200) a month, for about 108 m² (CLIC Inmobiliaria, March 2026, 627 listings). 2-bedrooms are more than half of the long-term stock.
Cheaper 2-bedrooms exist: in Bávaro they asked about $1,000 in our October 2026 Apartamentos en RD snapshot. Global Property Guide's prime sample gives $1,800. A 3-bedroom asks a median of $1,700 for about 156 m² (CLIC).
The cheapest 2-bedrooms are in Pueblo Bávaro, Verón and parts of Bávaro. The most expensive are in Cap Cana, Punta Cana Village, Cocotal and beach-adjacent El Cortecito.
What's the average rent per square meter in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, a median 1-bedroom in Punta Cana-Bávaro asks about $18 per m² a month ($1,150 for 65 m²), and a median 2-bedroom about $14 ($1,500 for 108 m²).
Bigger units cost less per m²: a median 3-bedroom works out to about $11. By sector, Downtown Punta Cana is about $18, Cap Cana about $16, Bávaro about $14, Punta Cana Village about $12 and Pueblo Bávaro about $8 (CLIC sector medians, all sizes).
Punta Cana asks more per m² than most Dominican cities because rents are set by tourism jobs, foreign tenants and furnished supply, not only by local salaries.
Rent per m² goes up when the unit is furnished, walkable to the beach, inside a gated community, or has strong air conditioning, parking, a pool, backup power and good internet.
How much have rents changed year-over-year in Punta Cana in 2026?
Nobody publishes a reliable year-on-year rent change for Punta Cana. There is no official rent index, and portals don't compare the same sample from one year to the next.
Our best read: rents on good, well-located furnished units are holding, while ordinary units face more competition. National inflation was 5.12% in September 2026 (BCRD), which is a fair ceiling for a normal renewal.
Demand is strong: Punta Cana airport handled about 6.38 million international passengers in January-June 2026, up 19.3%. But new condos keep arriving, which holds rents back.
For a tenant paid in pesos, the peso is about 3% stronger than in January 2026 (61.5 per dollar in October vs about 63.5), so a $1,150 rent now costs about RD$70,700 instead of about RD$73,100.
What's the outlook for rent growth in Punta Cana in 2026?
For the rest of 2026, expect small increases on good furnished units and flat rents, or discounts, on ordinary ones. We don't give a percentage because no data supports one.
What pushes rents up: airport traffic, hotel and service jobs, remote workers, expat moves and families who want a secure gated community.
The firmest areas should stay Cap Cana, Punta Cana Village, Ciudad Las Canas, Cocotal and well-located Bávaro or Los Corales condos.
The main risk is supply. RE/MAX counts more than 50 off-plan projects in its Punta Cana sample, and every finished unit that doesn't work on Airbnb ends up competing for long-term tenants, especially in car-dependent areas with no beach access.
Is a long lease now a better bet than Airbnb in Punta Cana?
For an average unit, yes. Take a $250,000 2-bedroom rented at the $1,500 median: that is $18,000 a year, or 7.2% gross.
After one empty month, about $200 a month of condo fees, 10% management, 1% of the price for insurance and repairs and about $760 of IPI, you keep about $9,190 a year: a 3.7% net yield before income tax.
The same unit on Airbnb, open all year at the 2-bedroom average (RD$7,182 a night, 36% occupancy, AirROI), grosses about RD$943,700 (about $15,300). After the 15.5% host-only fee (3% for hosts still on split fees), 20% to 25% management, cleaning and utilities, it nets only about 1.4% before tax. AirROI's published average for 2-bedrooms is lower still, RD$575,000 a year, because it includes part-time listings.
As a non-resident, budget for Dominican income tax on that profit either way (the general rate for non-residents is 27%).
What to do: buy for Airbnb only if your building allows short stays in its reglamento and similar units book well above 50%. Otherwise price the purchase on a long-term rent, and read our full numbers in our Punta Cana Airbnb analysis.
Are new condos pushing Punta Cana rents down?
Not across the board, but the pressure is real. RE/MAX counts more than 50 off-plan projects in its Punta Cana sample, and many of them were sold as Airbnb investments.
Airbnb occupancy stayed at about 36% over the last 12 months (AirROI) even though airport traffic rose 19.3% in January-June 2026. Owners who can't fill their unit on Airbnb switch to long leases, and that adds competition for the same tenants.
The listings show it. In March 2026, CLIC counted a Bávaro median of $1,250 across all sizes. Our October 2026 snapshot of Apartamentos en RD gave $900 for Bávaro (41 listings). The samples differ, so this is not a measured fall, but it is a warning.
What to check: compare the rent you are promised with CLIC's middle band for the sector (for all Punta Cana-Bávaro, half the listings ask $950 to $1,700). If a developer's "guaranteed rent" is above the top of that band, ask who pays the gap and for how long.
Which neighborhoods rent best in Punta Cana in 2026?
Which neighborhoods have the highest rents in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, the highest rents are in Cap Cana (median $2,500 for about 156 m²), Punta Cana Village ($2,450 for about 201 m²) and Ciudad Las Canas ($1,700 for about 97 m²), according to CLIC Inmobiliaria's March 2026 sector medians.
Cana Bay ($1,400), Cocotal ($1,300) and El Cortecito ($1,300) follow. Furnished executive units in Cocotal ask $1,500 to $3,000 (CLIC, first half of 2026).
Tenants pay these rents for security, beach access, marina or golf life, good roads and easy access to the airport, schools, shops and restaurants.
The usual tenants are foreign executives, remote workers, expat families, seasonal residents, hotel managers and higher-income Dominicans who want comfort and security.
By the way, we've written a blog article detailing what are the current best areas to invest in property in Punta Cana.
Where do young professionals prefer to rent in Punta Cana right now?
Young professionals in Punta Cana usually pick Downtown Punta Cana, Bávaro and Ciudad Las Canas, which are practical for work, shopping, gyms, cafés and nightlife.
Sector medians there were $1,200 in Downtown Punta Cana (for about 67 m²), $1,250 in Bávaro and $1,700 in Ciudad Las Canas (CLIC, March 2026). Listings on Avenida Barceló asked $750 to $1,100, depending on the stretch.
These areas attract young professionals because daily life is easier: shorter drives, better internet, more food delivery and closer access to hotel and service jobs.
Where do families prefer to rent in Punta Cana right now?
Families in Punta Cana usually prefer Punta Cana Village, Cocotal and Vista Cana, with Ciudad Las Canas and Pueblo Bávaro when they want more value.
Sector medians run from $1,200 in Vista Cana (about 75 m²) and $1,300 in Cocotal (about 112 m²) to $2,450 in Punta Cana Village, where many listings are large homes. Pueblo Bávaro is much cheaper, at about $650 (CLIC, March 2026).
Families choose these areas because gated security, parking, pools, supermarkets, quieter streets and schools matter more to them than being on the beach.
Schools that drive family demand include Heritage School and Punta Cana International School, plus the UNIBE and UCE campuses in the area.
Which areas near transit or universities rent faster in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, the fastest-renting practical areas are Avenida Barceló and Pueblo Bávaro, Downtown Punta Cana, and Ciudad Las Canas or Cap Cana near UNIBE.
No portal publishes days on market. From listing turnover, well-priced apartments there seem to go in roughly 20 to 35 days, while larger or overpriced units take closer to 45 to 60 days.
Being close to a main road, a campus, the airport route or a job cluster adds roughly RD$6,000 (about $98) to RD$18,000 (about $295) a month in the listings we compared. In Punta Cana, "transit" means roads and bus routes: there is no metro.
Which neighborhoods are most popular with expats in Punta Cana right now?
The top expat rental areas in Punta Cana are Cap Cana, Punta Cana Village and Los Corales or El Cortecito, with Cocotal, White Sands, Vista Cana and Ciudad Las Canas also drawing many foreign renters.
Sector medians in these areas run from about $1,050 in White Sands and $1,106 in Los Corales to $2,500 in Cap Cana (CLIC, March 2026). Furnished, beachfront or gated units ask more.
Expats come for furnished apartments, security, English-friendly services, beach or pool access, reliable internet, parking and easy access to restaurants and supermarkets.
The most visible expat groups are Americans, Canadians, French, Italians, Spanish and other Europeans, plus Latin Americans who want a seasonal or full-time Caribbean base.
And if you are also an expat, you may want to read our exhaustive guide for expats in Punta Cana.
Who rents, and what do tenants want in Punta Cana right now?
What tenant profiles dominate rentals in Punta Cana?
The three main tenant groups in Punta Cana are foreign remote workers and seasonal residents, hotel or airport professionals, and local families or workers tied to tourism.
Our rough split, not an official figure: foreign renters about 35% of investor-style apartment demand, hotel and airport professionals about 30%, local families and workers about 25%, and students, staff and mid-stay tenants the remaining 10%.
Foreign renters usually want furnished studios and 1-bedrooms, hotel professionals practical 1- or 2-bedrooms near work, and families secure 2- or 3-bedrooms with parking.
If you want to optimize your cashflow, you can read our complete guide on how to buy and rent out in the Dominican Republic.
Do tenants prefer furnished or unfurnished in Punta Cana?
By our estimate, about 65% to 75% of investor-style long-term tenants in Punta Cana want furnished or semi-furnished units, and about 25% to 35% want unfurnished ones.
A furnished apartment usually asks about RD$6,000 (about $98) to RD$18,000 (about $295) more per month than a similar unfurnished one in the listings we compared.
Furnished units suit remote workers, seasonal residents, hotel managers, airport staff, people relocating and anyone who doesn't want to buy furniture for a short or uncertain stay.
Which amenities increase rent the most in Punta Cana?
The five amenities that lift rent the most in Punta Cana are beach access, gated security, a pool, reliable air conditioning, and good furniture with fast internet.
Roughly, in the listings we compared: beach access adds RD$9,000 to RD$18,000 a month, gated security RD$6,000 to RD$12,000, a pool RD$5,000 to RD$10,000, efficient air conditioning RD$4,000 to RD$9,000, and good furniture with internet RD$6,000 to RD$15,000. That is about $65 to $295 per item.
Backup power matters too. Outages still happen, and tenants pay more for a building with a generator or a unit with an inverter.
What renovations get the best ROI for rentals in Punta Cana?
The five renovations that pay back best in Punta Cana are inverter air conditioning, better mattresses, fresh paint and lighting, a strong Wi-Fi setup, and a practical kitchen or appliance refresh.
For a normal apartment, these upgrades cost about RD$180,000 to RD$410,000 in total (about $2,930 to $6,670) and can often add RD$6,000 to RD$12,000 a month in rent (about $98 to $195) once the unit is comfortable and turnkey.
Poor-return work: luxury marble, overdesigned bathrooms, expensive decorative furniture and high-end finishes in mid-market areas, where tenants care more about air conditioning, security and the electricity bill.
How strong is rental demand in Punta Cana in 2026?
What's the vacancy rate for rentals in Punta Cana in 2026?
No one publishes a rental vacancy rate for Punta Cana. CLIC Inmobiliaria describes long-term rentals as having stable occupancy above 90%, and our estimate for well-priced furnished apartments in 2026 is about 5% to 7% vacancy.
By our estimate, the strongest areas (Cap Cana, Punta Cana Village, Los Corales, El Cortecito, Cocotal) run at about 4% to 6%, and weak, poorly furnished or car-dependent units at about 8% to 12%.
Watch the supply: new condos keep arriving, and owners who give up on Airbnb switch to long leases. A unit priced above its sector's middle band can sit empty for months.
How many days do rentals stay listed in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, a well-priced long-term rental in Punta Cana usually stays listed for about 30 to 40 days, based on our listing checks (no portal publishes this figure).
Roughly: 20 to 35 days for good studios and 1-bedrooms, 30 to 50 days for good 2-bedrooms, and more than 60 days for overpriced luxury units or weak locations.
Price is what moves the needle. A unit priced well above similar ones in the same building can sit for months, while a fairly priced one with parking and backup power goes fast.
Which months have peak tenant demand in Punta Cana?
Tenant demand in Punta Cana usually peaks from December to April and from July to September.
December to April is high season with snowbirds and seasonal residents. July to September brings summer moves, families before the school year, and hotel and school staff renewing leases.
The weakest months are usually May, June and October. October is also still hurricane season (it runs to 30 November), and 2026 brought record sargassum to the east coast: about 9 million tonnes in the region in January-June.
What does Law 85-25 change for Punta Cana landlords?
Law 85-25, in force since August 2025, replaced the old rental law (Law 4314) and Decree 4807. It governs every long-term lease you sign in Punta Cana today.
The deposit is capped at 2 months of rent, and depositing it at Banco Agrícola is now optional. A lease with no written contract is presumed to last 1 year.
If the contract says nothing about increases, rent can't rise by more than 10% a year. You must give 90 days' notice before the end of the term.
Tourist stays of 90 days or less are outside this law. What to do: write the term, the increase clause, the currency and the exchange basis into the lease, and keep the deposit at 2 months or less.
What will my monthly costs be in Punta Cana in 2026?
What property taxes should landlords expect in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, many individual landlords in Punta Cana pay no IPI property tax at all. A combined taxable value of RD$13,000,000 would pay about RD$23,000 (about $375) a year.
IPI is 1% a year on the combined DGII-appraised value of your properties above RD$10,695,494 (about $173,900). A $250,000 condo appraised at its price pays about $760. DGII appraisals are often below market price.
Bills run from RD$0 to about RD$90,000 (about $1,460) a year for a typical landlord, more for big portfolios.
Units bought new in a Confotur-approved tourism project usually get an IPI exemption for 15 years, but resales and unapproved units don't. Check the project on MITUR's Confotur search before you buy. Retirees and owners over 65 living in their only home can also get exemptions or reductions.
What utilities do landlords often pay in Punta Cana right now?
In Punta Cana, landlords most often pay condo fees and building maintenance, sometimes water and internet, and in furnished rentals sometimes a capped electricity allowance.
Condo fees vary a lot: a 2-bedroom of 112 m² in Bávaro listed $185 a month (August 2026), and a 2-bedroom at Cana Bay listed $350 (June 2026). Internet runs about RD$1,500 to RD$4,000 a month, water RD$500 to RD$2,000, and an electricity cap RD$3,000 to RD$8,000 if you include one.
Make the tenant pay electricity, or cap it clearly in the lease. CEPM supplies much of Bávaro and Punta Cana, and air conditioning is what makes the bill expensive.
How is rental income taxed in Punta Cana in 2026?
In 2026, rent from a Punta Cana property is Dominican-source income and is taxable in the Dominican Republic. Resident individuals pay the progressive income tax, from 0% to 25%.
Since Law 30-26 (June 2026), a company or other withholding agent that pays rent to an individual landlord withholds 15% of the gross rent, up from 10%. A private tenant doesn't withhold.
Non-residents: Dominican-source income is subject to 27% withholding when a company pays it. If you rent to private tenants or tourists, you usually file through a local accountant, so budget for Dominican income tax on your profit (the general rate for non-residents is 27%).
Common deductions include documented repairs, maintenance, condo fees, insurance, management and other costs linked to the rental. Short stays are different: 18% ITBIS may apply to tourist lodging, and how it applies to an individual's Airbnb isn't settled, so check with an accountant.
Common mistakes: ignoring the 15% withholding when your tenant is a company, mixing short-stay and long-term income, not keeping Dominican expense receipts, and thinking foreign ownership makes the rent tax-free.
We cover these mistakes, among others, in our list of risks and pitfalls people face when buying property in the Dominican Republic.
Our methodology
This article estimates what long-term rents look like in Punta Cana and Bávaro in 2026: studios, 1-, 2- and 3-bedrooms, rent per m², the best-renting sectors, tenant demand, and a landlord's main costs and taxes. It also compares a long lease with Airbnb.
Bedroom and sector rents are listing medians from CLIC Inmobiliaria (March 2026, 1,129 listings), checked against an October 2026 snapshot of Apartamentos en RD and Global Property Guide's Q3 2026 sample. Rent per m² divides CLIC's median rents by its median sizes. Airbnb figures come from AirROI only (October 2025 to September 2026), and the long-lease yield uses the same cost model as our other Punta Cana articles. Airport traffic comes from Revista Mercado, inflation from the Central Bank (BCRD), and the off-plan count from RE/MAX.
Lease rules come from Law 85-25. Tax rules come from DGII and Law 30-26, and Confotur from MITUR. Condo fees come from two real listings.
We checked these figures in October 2026. Conversions use about 61.5 Dominican pesos per US dollar.
All rents are asking rents, not signed leases. Where we had no direct figure (studio rents, vacancy, days on market, tenant shares, furnished and amenity premiums, renovation costs), we estimated it from listings and say so. Your own rent will depend on the building, furniture, parking, backup power and how you price against nearby listings.
Key sources used for this analysis include CLIC Inmobiliaria Punta Cana rents, CLIC Inmobiliaria H1 2026 market report, Apartamentos en RD, Global Property Guide rental yields, AirROI Punta Cana, RE/MAX Metropolitana, Banco Central de la República Dominicana, tourism statistics, BCRD April 2026 tourism flow report, BCRD CPI database, Oficina Nacional de Estadística, CPI page, El Dinero on September 2026 inflation, Revista Mercado on airport traffic, Dominican Today on sargassum, Law 85-25 on leases, Law 30-26, DGII IPI page, DGII income tax page, DGII withholding calculator, MITUR Confotur search, CEPM electricity tariff page, Realtor.com International Bávaro listing, Lunovi Real Estate Cana Bay listing, Properstar Punta Cana rental listings, Properstar furnished condo listings, Realting Punta Cana long-term apartment listings, Astra Realty Punta Cana rentals, Everything Punta Cana long-term rentals, UNIBE and UCE.
