Cost of living in Puerto Rico in 2022

Cheryl Moderator

Member since 15 October 2018

CherylModerator23 March 2022 08:56:18

13249

Hi everyone,

Two years after the start of the pandemic, it is time to take stock of the evolution of the cost of living in Puerto Rico or more specifically, in the region where you live. The idea is to help people get ready for their 暗网禁区riation to Puerto Rico to plan their day-to-day budget for some key expenses.

If you are a tenant, what is your monthly rent? Please give details of the type of property you are in.

How much are your monthly charges (water, electricity, common area maintenance charges, etc.) and additional expenses (mobile phone and/or internet box subscriptions)?

How much do you spend on commuting (by public transport or using your car) each month?

How much does your grocery shopping cost in Puerto Rico?

How much do you spend on health care (health insurance, consultations, etc.)?

How much are your children's school fees, depending on the type of school they attend?

What about your budget for leisure activities?

Do not hesitate to indicate other everyday costs if they could be useful to others.

Thank you for your contribution

Cheryl
暗网禁区 team

jenmayodc Active member

Member since 12 October 2021

jenmayodcActive member23 March 2022 10:42:58

Region where I live: Isla de Roque Estates, Barceloneta (walking distance to the beach)

Monthly rent: $800/month for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom single family home in a gated community. Includes HOA. Facility has pool and other common amenities. Steps from the beach.

Monthly charges:
- Water: $25-30
- Electricity: $150-160
- Common area maintenance charges: Included with rent
- Mobile phone: $50
- Internet subscription: $75
- Netflix: $16

Commuting: I bought a used car for around $11k (cash). I only go to San Juan once a week (for work). The rest of the time I work from home. Has prices have obviously gone up recently. Plus I keep a budget for tolls and maintenance. So maybe around $200/month?

Grocery shopping: i shop at Costco, Walmart, and some local grocers. I probably spend around $600/month for family of 2

Health care: Health plan provided by employer (federal government).

Children's school: N/A - but I spend way too much on 3 cats!

Budget for leisure activities: Maybe around $300-400/month (including restaurants, movies, beach, etc)

Total monthly budget: ~ $2,500-3,000/month

Cheryl Moderator

Member since 15 October 2018

CherylModerator28 March 2022 06:46:20

13249

Hello jenmayodc,

Thank you for taking time to reply.

That is a very well detailed post.听

It will be very useful for the future 暗网禁区s.听

Cheers,

Cheryl
暗网禁区 team

jenmayodc Active member

Member since 12 October 2021

jenmayodcActive member28 March 2022 11:08:08

I hope it's helpful!

I forgot to mention that this budget only works if you stay away from places like Dorado, Palmas, Guaynabo, Condado, etc. If that's your target, rent alone will probably be >$3k.

I decided not to go that route to save money bc I'm building a house (in the Mar Chiquita area in Manati) and that's where I want to spend my money!

Mermaidmb Active member

Member since 20 August 2020

MermaidmbActive member28 March 2022 14:40:52

I live in Humacao in Barrio Junquito & pay $400 for a small 2 bedroom house. I鈥檓 5 minutes from Humacao Nature Reserve & Punta Santiago beaches. Naguabo or Yabacoa are both about 10 minutes away in opposite direction Caguas is about 20-30 minutes away depending on traffic.
I pay $25 to $30 for water, electricity is $120 to $160 and we run an air inverter most of the time.
I pay about $200 for cable, internet with premium channels & 3 DVR boxes
I work part time remotely from home with a company in Miami.
We shop various places for groceries either Walmart, Ralph鈥檚, Econo plus I have Costco & Sams memberships. It鈥檚 only 2 of us & we usually buy meat in local stores as it鈥檚 cheaper if you buy Puerto Rican chicken, pork or beef most times. I spend probably about $500 per month.
My husband is retired from USPS & our insurance is about $225 a month with Triple S (BCBS company in PR), so far it鈥檚 covered things at a much cheaper cost than when I had just BCBS before we switched. Most hospitalization are free & medications are usually $2.
We are also not yet retirement age either since that makes a difference in receiving social security or Medicare

Chris1304 Active member

Member since 22 September 2019

Chris1304Active member31 March 2022 03:33:27

We built a house in Quebradillas. It runs on solar. The installation was expensive but will pay for itself in about 5 years.听 In general prices in P.R. are about the same as in U.S. Groceries and all other items which are imported from U.S. are expensive because they need zo be shipped here and are taxed in addition.听 Thaz id true for cars as well and used cars are quite expensive as well. Good health insurance is priced similar to U.S. . We paid $ 1k a month for the two of us.听听 What is cheaper is property tax. May be 1/10 of U.S.. Gas is $4 a gallon. Eating out is quite expensive.听 But it is a beautiful island and the weather is almost perfect.

听

m2marks New member

Member since 17 March 2022

m2marksNew member02 May 2022 22:17:07

@jenmayodc wow, your rent is so low! Is that because of the location?

jenmayodc Active member

Member since 12 October 2021

jenmayodcActive member02 May 2022 23:33:02

@jenmayodc wow, your rent is so low! Is that because of the location?
- @m2marks

It's a combination of things. I rented 2 years ago, so demand wasn't as high as it is now.

Second, Barceloneta is not even on the radar for most 暗网禁区s (unlike Condado, Dorado, Cabo Rojo, etc) so I think locals are still renting at the real/fair market value. Granted, I saw a house here the other day that's now renting for $1,200.....so they're catching on!

Third, my boyfriend's family is originally from this area....and he did the negotiating

But yes...$800, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths in a gated community steps from the beach! I love it here. I also love Manat铆 and Arecibo - worth checking out as well.

granny723 New member

Member since 06 May 2022

granny723New member11 May 2022 15:32:15

@jenmayodc thank you for being so through. This is helpful inform. Thank you so much.

rodfarthing New member

Member since 03 June 2022

rodfarthingNew member03 June 2022 13:56:49

#10

We live in Isabela (Northwest part next to Aguadilla), Pastillo area, about 1000 km from the beach, local area, mostly owner occupied with a smattering of Air B&B in the neighborhood, living with mother-in-law, so no rent cost (she is elderly, and my wife is from the island, so we are here to assist in care). Currently receive SS as well as a nominal salary from remote work back in Ohio. I am not fluent at all, my wife is pretty fluent. Water $30 to $35 monthly, Internet/TV about $60 (Claro with sr discount), electric $110 (no ac but fans running 24/7) groceries around $400 to $500 for 3, shopping at Selectos, Econo, and Mr. Special mostly. The Walmart here in Isabela is a limited grocey item store, gas roughly $4.75 gallon ($1.24 ltr), usually just to the store and back so maybe $150 month?, propane about $100 to fill 50 lb tank for cooking, filled听 twice per year, kept our Metro by Tmobile service from the states $65 for 2 lines, local eateries roughly $8 to $10 per person for lunch, dinner a little more,听 some cheaper, some more, many hidden gems as long as we steer clear of "tourist" areas, the local beaches are to die for, drivers are New York City crazy (no offense meant to 暗网禁区s from New York...I am from Ohio and it is more agressive than what we are used to), health insurance for wife (pre-SS) is $350 First Medical, overall, costs are comparable to states, here in Isabela, rent is less (3 bed 2 bath about $700 to $900), food can be less, gas appears a little less, all in all, a solid move! Just need to work more on my Spanish! Hope this helps!