Off-Plan Premium by Zone: Las Terrenas Pays More, Sosúa Pays Less

A discount on new construction sounds like a bargain. In most of the Dominican markets we track, it is closer to a warning. And a premium on off-plan, the thing every buyer is told to haggle down, is sometimes the most rational price in town.

Evalúa's November 2026 listing data shows off-plan condos asking almost 19% more per square metre than resale in the Las Terrenas East corridor. In Sosúa, 25 km (about 16 miles) of north-coast highway from Puerto Plata, they ask almost 11% less. Same country, same buyers, same CONFOTUR law, and the gap runs in opposite directions. This article explains why, and what each sign tells you before you sign a reservation.

01What Is the Pre-Construction Premium in the Dominican Republic?

The pre-construction premium is the difference between what off-plan units ask per square metre and what existing resale condos ask in the same zone. In Evalúa's data (2 November 2026) it ranges from +18.9% in Las Terrenas East to −12.6% in Puerto Plata. It is positive in most Samaná and Santo Domingo zones and negative in Sosúa, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana and La Romana.

Textbook logic says off-plan should sell at a discount. You pay early, you wait 18–36 months without rent (our indicative range, not a measurement), and you carry the risk that the developer runs late or never finishes. Investors usually want 10–20% off for that. In the Dominican Republic the gap often runs the other way, because off-plan is a different product. The units are newer, they often come with CONFOTUR, they sit on different land and they come with payment plans. The premium shows what buyers pay for those differences. The textbook discount assumes the products are the same.

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02How Big Is the Off-Plan Gap, Zone by Zone?

The table below compares the median pre-construction asking price with the median resale apartment/condo asking price in each zone. Sample sizes are in the columns so you can see where the reading is solid and where it is thin. All data is from Evalúa's listing set as of 2 November 2026.

Cabrera / Río San Juan shows the widest gap (+28%), but there are only 11 resale listings, so we leave it out. For the two zones in the title, the live bands below give the current medians and middle-50% ranges.

At the November 2026 snapshot, Las Terrenas East resale condos asked a median $2,400/m² (n=65) and off-plan asked $2,853/m² (n=61). Sosúa ran the other way: resale condos at $2,233/m² (n=253) and off-plan at $1,994/m² (n=99).

03Why Does Off-Plan Ask More in Las Terrenas?

Off-plan asks more in Las Terrenas mainly because new supply there costs more to build. There are three reasons: land prices, zoning limits and tax treatment.

Land. In the Portillo corridor, lots under 2,000 m² ask a median of about $250/m² of land (n=13), and the whole East zone's median is about $268/m² (n=32). In Sosúa the zone's median is about $95/m² (n=89). Developers pass land cost through to the price per built square metre. That pressure is far stronger in Las Terrenas East than in Sosúa.

Zoning. The Samaná north coast is governed by MITUR's Resolución 06/2011, which caps ground coverage, height and density for each environmental unit. On the first line, the 40 m strip inland of the 60 m public maritime zone, buildings are limited to two levels. Developers can't add floors to spread the land cost, so less floor area carries each dollar of land. Resale stock was mostly built under the same caps, but it was built on land bought years ago at lower prices.

CONFOTUR. A project classified under Ley 158-01 passes its benefits to the first buyer from the developer. That buyer pays no 3% transfer tax, no IPI for 15 years from completion of construction (Ley 158-01 Art. 7, as amended by Ley 195-13), and no income tax on rental income over the same period. A resale buyer gets none of this. Art. 4 Párrafo IV, added by Ley 195-13, excludes later transfers to third-party acquirers. Many Las Terrenas projects are classified, so some of the off-plan premium is really the price of those tax benefits.

Las Terrenas Core shows only a +4.9% premium. Most new projects there are infill on small town lots, so the land and finish differences from the existing stock are smaller. For more on how the corridors differ, see our breakdown of why the Portillo corridor costs more than Inland.

04Why Is Sosúa Pre-Construction Cheaper Than Resale?

Sosúa off-plan asks less mainly because of what gets built and where, not because the market is weak. Our data shows the gap but not the cause. Three explanations fit the numbers, and each can be checked.

1. Location mix. Sosúa's resale stock includes established condos close to the bay and the town centre. Much of the newer pipeline appears to sit further out, where land is cheaper. If that's true, buyers are comparing off-plan in one location with resale in a better one, and the discount is fair.
2. Developer competition. Sosúa has 99 off-plan listings against 253 resale. In Puerto Plata next door, off-plan listings (93) outnumber resale (87). When many projects compete for the same buyers, prices drop.
3. Build-cost headroom. Evalúa's contractor surveys put standard construction at roughly $1,200/m² and high-end at about $1,600/m². These are indicative estimates, not medians. At $1,994/m², a Sosúa developer has around $800/m² left for land, permits, marketing and margin. At $2,853/m² in Las Terrenas East, the room is far wider. Thin margins push developers to cut prices.

Supply alone doesn't explain the split. Off-plan is 48% of condo-type listings in Las Terrenas East, and the zone still carries a premium. Punta Cana's pipeline is similar in share and carries a discount. The difference seems to come from land cost and location. Las Terrenas has little cheap land left that is still close enough to the beach to sell well. The coast around Sosúa and Puerto Plata still has plenty.

05What Does the Premium Cost on an Actual Unit?

To see the effect in dollars, take an 80 m² (861 sq ft) two-bedroom priced at each zone's median. Closing costs follow Evalúa's standard model: about 5% on resale and about 2% for a first buyer in a CONFOTUR project. Legal, notary and registration fees still apply with CONFOTUR. Only the 3% transfer tax is waived.

In Las Terrenas East, the CONFOTUR closing saving covers only about $5,000 of the roughly $36,000 price gap. The rest has to come from the rental-income tax exemption, newer construction and better resale value later. At 2026 rates, a fully rented unit netting about $15,000 a year would save roughly $3,000 a year in income tax. Ley 30-26 is phasing changes to the transfer tax, capital gains and rental income tax from 2027, so we don't project those savings past 2026. Confirm current rates with your own Dominican attorney before relying on them. Our CONFOTUR Savings Calculator shows the 2026 figures for your own price.

There is also the cost of waiting. A standard Las Terrenas two-bedroom grosses about $18,000–$20,000 a year on Airbnb at roughly 46–48% occupancy (Evalúa market model, May 2026). After 20% management and the 3% platform fee, that leaves about $14,000–$15,000 before carrying costs. Two years of construction means two years without that income. The off-plan buyer avoids HOA and maintenance during the build and usually pays in instalments, but still gives up a real amount of income. Our break-even occupancy analysis shows how quickly those numbers move.

In Sosúa the maths runs the other way. You pay less, you get CONFOTUR if the project is classified, and you get a new building. You still lose rent during construction, and the location may be worse. The key check is whether the unit's walk to the bay matches the resale units it is priced against.

06What This Means for Buyers

Read the premium as a test of what you're getting, not as a reason to say yes or no. Here's how to use it in each zone.

In Las Terrenas East and West, a premium up to about the zone median is normal. Anything well above it needs a reason you can verify: a confirmed CONFOTUR resolution, a first-line position or a finish level well above the resale stock. If a project asks above the zone median and has no CONFOTUR, you pay new-build pricing without the tax benefit that props it up.

In Las Terrenas Core and Cabarete, prices are close to parity. If you need rental income now, a well-run resale unit is usually the better buy, because it starts earning straight away.

In Sosúa, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana, treat the discount as something to investigate. Compare the off-plan unit with resale units in the same street or building class, not with the zone median. If the discount disappears on a like-for-like comparison, you are paying a fair price for a weaker location, not getting a deal. A large pipeline also matters when you sell. On delivery day your unit competes with dozens of identical ones. Our guide to selling DR property as a foreigner covers how that plays out at exit.

07What Should You Watch Out For Before Signing Off-Plan?

Wherever you buy off-plan, you are betting on the developer as much as on the property. These five checks have dates or documents you can verify.

• The use-of-land authorisation date. Under Ley 368-22 Art. 110, a land-use authorisation that is two years old or more is deemed expired if the authorised work never started. The developer must then reapply under the new rules. Ask for the issue date and evidence that work began.
• The environmental permit. MITUR's No Objection depends on it. Our guide to what an environmental permit costs a project explains what a fully permitted project should be able to show you.
• The land title. Confirm the parcel has a deslinde and a clean Certificación del Estado Jurídico through the Jurisdicción Inmobiliaria before paying anything beyond a refundable reservation.
• Beachfront claims. The 60 m strip inland from the ordinary high-tide line is public domain under Ley 305-68, and building in it is prohibited without Executive authorisation. "Oceanfront" can describe the view and the distance to the water. It cannot mean private sand.
• CONFOTUR on a resale of your own unit. If you plan to sell before the 15 years run out, your buyer won't inherit the exemptions. Price your exit assuming they pay the full transfer tax and IPI. Some projects hold each unit in an SRL whose shares can be sold instead. Confirm that structure with your own attorney. Don't rely on a pre-completion contract assignment, which counsel warns can be treated as a simulated act.

This article is market analysis, not legal or tax advice. Rates quoted are those in force for 2026; confirm current treatment with an independent Dominican attorney.

08Frequently Asked Questions

Is off-plan always cheaper than resale in the Dominican Republic?

No. In Evalúa's November 2026 data, off-plan asks more than resale in most Samaná zones, Santo Domingo, Santiago and Juan Dolio. It asks less in Sosúa, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana and La Romana. Cabarete is at parity.

How much more does pre-construction cost in Las Terrenas?

It depends on the corridor. Off-plan asks about 18.9% more than resale condos in Las Terrenas East, 11.3% more in the West and only 4.9% more in the town core. These are asking-price medians, so individual projects vary widely.

Are Sosúa pre-construction condos a good deal?

They can be. The median off-plan asking price is about 10.7% below resale, but some of that likely reflects locations further from the bay. Compare each unit with resale stock in the same area before treating the discount as savings.

Does CONFOTUR justify paying an off-plan premium?

Partly, and only if the project has a confirmed resolution and you are the first buyer from the developer. The waived 3% transfer tax and IPI exemption cover a small share of a Las Terrenas East premium. The larger value comes from the rental-income tax exemption, which applies only if the unit is actually rented.

Will the off-plan premium shrink?

Watch the pipeline. If Las Terrenas East off-plan listings keep growing faster than resale, or if Sosúa's discount widens past the −12.6% seen in Puerto Plata, pricing power is shifting to buyers. Global Property Guide reports national price growth slowing to +7.74% nominal (+2.97% real) in the year to Q1 2026, which also limits how much premium developers can sustain.

09Where Is the Premium Heading?

The reading to watch over the next 12 months is the ratio of off-plan to resale listings in each zone. In Las Terrenas East the two counts are already almost equal (61 against 65). When a wave of off-plan units completes, those units become resale stock. If they hold their pricing, the zone's premium was justified. If owners start cutting prices just after delivery, the premium was a marketing story, and the resale median will drop.

Sosúa and Puerto Plata face the opposite test. Their discounts close only if the newer, further-out locations attract enough buyers that later resales hold value.

Evalúa updates these medians as listings change, and our other market analysis articles follow the same zones. Before you reserve a unit, run it through the Evalúa Property Analyzer to see where its asking price sits against both off-plan and resale stock in its zone.