Cost of living in Puerto Rico — 2015

Hello Gary

Yes my utilities bill when down specially with the electric. It when down because I invested lots of $$$ over the years acquiring one or two at a time energy star appliances like the fridge, a gas range, washer and dried all energy star. Changed all lights in the house inside and out to LED, changed 4 window Air cons to 4 high efficiency Mini-splits Air cons which makes a huge difference. I change all cell phones from Claro to prepaid T-mobil got a special 5G data Unlimited Text and 100 min talk for $30 each plus tax at Walmart. Choice cable TV Internet and TV for $55 plus tax.
My electric bill for February 2015 is $142.85 for 640 kwh at a cost of .21 cents a kwh. I am planing on making further changes like installing a small solar panels  systems to be used only with the fridge and mini-splits air cons. That will cut my electric bill even more but that is out in the next few years.

If you wish to install mini-splits air conditioners that are really efficient shop for: Misubishi Electric from Roger Electric, Trane from Home Depot, Panasonic from Oldachpr or  Daikin from Airconpr.

Great info, Jose. Thanks.

Wow, that's impressive!
I just checked my last electricity bill: $ 114.57 for 496 kWh. We don't have (need) A/C up here in the hills, it cools down nicely at night. We do use fans, of course.

LED lights sounds like a plan - we use "normal" energy save lamps.

Right now I'm looking into energy saving for  my computer network (which I need for my work). The server takes a lot of power... I'm looking into a energy friendly NAS unit (network attached storage) so I don't need to run the server for 16 hours per day.

Two cell phones with unlimited everything (no data cap) and mobile broadband internet for the office sets me back $220 monthly.

We spend like $350-$400 on food. A pretty decent cup of coffee can be had for as little as 45 cents here in the campo; a decent breakfast in a panaderia is around $5.
Plenty local places with traditional PR food serve dinner for 6-8 bucks, a whole grilled chicken goes for $6.
The other day I bought a great speciality coffee in a 'hacienda' around here for $15 per pound. Not cheap but WOW! what a great taste!

I'm retired and living with my wife in a nice 1 bedroom condo in Isla Verde for about $1500 including water and cable. We use a fan once in a while but don't need a/c. The TV is on a lot and the computer is too. Electric runs about $75/mo. Our car is paid for, and, since it's old, the insurance is cheap. We buy a tank of gas about every three to four weeks. Our vice: Starbucks.

Our main activity is strolling the beach - it's our back yard - and the neighborhood of hotels, restaurants and shops. My income, after taxes and health insurance, is about 3,500/mo. Of that, I end up saving about $800 - 1,000 per month.

I just don't think I could live this happily, comfortably and cheaply anywhere else.

For those that list their housing costs, whether they bought or renting, the ones that LIST THEIR LOCATION and # of bedrooms/baths do it right.  Some are listing the cost without listing the city, which is not as helpful as it could/should be if they listed their location as well.  Thanks

Good point. Don't forget to add if you have an ocean view. When I rented a two bedroom in an Isla Verde condo I had a near-180 degree ocean view and large balcony. It cost me $1,200 per month nothing included. The condos on the side opposite the ocean were significantly cheaper. About 1/3rd to 1/4th less if I recall correctly.

How much does it cost to live in Puerto Rico? About 10% more than in Santa Barbara, CA (a very expensive place)

We are a family of four, two teenagers.

> accommodation prices: $3000mo for 3bd/2ba 17th floor full ocean view and 2 parking spaces.  But if you live 5 miles inland, for $2,500mo you'd have 3000sq ft and a pool in a gated neighborhood.

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc.) Don't know.

> food prices (your monthly budget): For my family, Groceries $600, $1,200mo dining out (typical lunch at an average place is $17 per person, dinner at an average place with 1-2 beers is $25pp, a middle of the road nice place is $50pp. A fancy restaurant with a OK bottle of wine will be $150pp

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance):  20% less than the US, except Chiropractic is $50 per visit and they won't touch you without xrays on the first visit

> education prices (if you need to pay):  Private school (a must here) $12,000per year per child

> energy prices (oil, electricity): 10% less than CA

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone) $100mo bundled Internet/Phone/TV.

> price for a good menu in a traditional restaurant $20 per entre

> price for a coffee or a drink: $1.00 for a cafe con leche, $12 for a cocktail

> price for cinema tickets:  $9.50

Do not hesitate to add items to this list! Tolls if you live out of the metro area are pricey, I don't have any tolls daily, but a friend of mine in Dorado spends $400mo.  Parking the car is $10 for dinner in public parking, $25 if at a hotel.  There is free vale parking at nearly any restaurant.  Vegetables are crazy expensive, a head of broccoli in CA is $1.50, in San Juan its $6.00. 

The above said, I am in love with PR and hope to never move.  It is paradise, it just costs a bit to live here.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

crazy prices! Movie tickets are $6.50 for Caribbean Cinemas, but there are smaller theaters for $4.50... living in SJ is like living in any city... expensive...

Glad I don't live in the city. 

Out here live is different and a whole lot cheaper.

Electricty is definitely more expensive in PR than in Santa Barbara.  I just checked online and the average price/kWh in St. B is 11.8 ct. I paid 22.3 ct/kWh on my last bill.

I have some questions about housing. I plan to go to Fajardo general area.
How big of a difference there is between the government assessed house value and the actual asking price?
What sort of markup do you see between what is being asked versus what the owner will accept?
Do banks accept loans for the asking price or the government assessed house value?

Here in Massachusetts, the asking price is fairly close to the assessed value since the government loves to charge you as much tax as possible.

If this is off-topic please let me know
Thanks

GreggK wrote:

Food- Most food in the supermarkets is ultra expensive. Plantains cost us $1 ea.3 years ago, moved to Florida and they were 15 cents each. Milk was $6 a gallon, meat was high and of dubious quality. My stepdaughter who lives in Ponce tells me that boneless skinless chicken breasts are going for $24 a pound. I can't verify that personally. But she says in most cases it's cheaper to eat out than buy groceries and cook at home.  Most produce was from other Latin countries. From what i understand, the high cost of produce is partly the result that the growers have to pay the workers at least minimum wage. We don't have that in the states. Farming is not a big industry in PR.

I checked the price of boneless chicken breast online at Ocono supermarket and the price was very similar as here in the US. Maybe $24 is really $2.40?

People with a good backyard a lot of times raise chickens, plant avocados, tomatoes, green peppers, mangoes, bananas and other stuff. They also exchange produce with their neighbors. That keeps prices down and limits the amount of expensive frozen stuff.

I plan to do some planting, do some fishing and maybe raise some chickens when I retire in PR. No I will not name the chickens, they are for food.

On a serious note, Happy Mothers Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mac00677 wrote:

crazy prices! Movie tickets are $6.50 for Caribbean Cinemas, but there are smaller theaters for $4.50... living in SJ is like living in any city... expensive...

In Massachusetts, movie tickets are about 8.50 for regular movies and 14.00 for 3D movies. Then popcorn, candy, drinks, and next thing you know your paycheck is gone.

To eat cheap you might need to do some sleuthing in your community. In Ponce I have a farm. lots of bananas, guanabana, passion fruit, papaya, mangoe, guava, arugula, kale, bok choy. lemon grass, turmeric, available in a year should be pomegranites, carambola, rambutan, coconut, avacado and maybe more. I buy fish at the Fisherman's co-op I recall fresh yellow tail snapper is about $6-$7 lb. Most coastal towns have one. Free range chicken from the agricola store where you buy animal feed, etc. On weekends we have a local flea market where you can buy plantains and bananas by the stalk that might have up to 10 bunches for maybe $10. or you go to the fresh market place and buy wholesale in the morning. Road side stands are abundant too where I have seen large bags of oranges for $5. Think of country living rather than city living to live economically. I do shop at Sams for some bulk items like Kerry Gold cheese and butter, chips, nuts, etc. Cask and carry is a good place to buy canned beans and other canned goods by the case. Living efficiently is part of the Puerto Rican journey. eating economically in Puerto Rico is an acquired skill and many Puerto Ricans do not have the desire to utilize time to figure it out. Food stamp dependency has limited their creative drive I think. My goal is to be a self sufficient as possible and make every step part of the adventure.

Eat at Bebo's in the metro area. Great Puerto Rican food.

Can you grow Strawberries in PR?

You can grow strawberries and almost any vegetables. When the rainy season comes it may be to wet for somethings if you are in the moist part of the Island.

Hi Every one,
I am making plans to retire in the east of PR. I have a budget here that may or may not be in the ball park for living in Puerto Rico. I would love to hear what you think and what changes you recommend I make:

Mortgage                   $    0.00 -- House, We plan to pay cash for the house
Entertainment              $200.00 -- Out to dinner about twice a month
Groceries              $600.00
Property Tax              $125.00 --- 1,500 a year on 150,000 house
Home Insurance      $  70.00 --- 850 a year
Medical insurance     $700.00 --- Private plan for 2
Pharmacy             $200.00
Electricity                     $400.00 - 2 air conditioners running at night
Water                     $70.00
Propane                     $100.00
Gasoline                     $120.00 -- Mostly to stores and beach travel we stay mostly at home
CableTV/Internet     $120.00
Cellular Phone     $120.00
Other                     $50.00

mac00677 wrote:

Yes, things are expensive here, but even though utilities are higher, there's no way you should be paying $100-$130/mo for WATER!?  Our water is $20-$30/month...Electric $60-$80 Rent $275/mo (2Br home on 6+ acres, with many fruits & vegetables growing naturally, in addition to some veggetables we've planted ourselves.). I think the savings are worth the effort of a 9min drive to the beach.

Where do you live for $275 a month? 9 minutes from the beach? That's incredible. Please let me in on your secret :-)

IhateTaxes wrote:

$275?! Where do you live? I want to be wherever you are!

Sorry - this was in response to someone's post on here that I can't find now. Can't quite figure out how to delete it. Although, I'm allowed to edit apparently !

That may have been me! I live in the hills, just outside of town, in Rincon... 9min drive, from my front door, to the parking lot, at the local beach. My wife and I rent a 2br/1ba home of cement, situated on 6.5 acres of land... we have lots of fruit trees, bananas, plantains, breadfruit, cranberries, avocados, mangos, etc. (the landlord is building an additional large bedroom, with private bath, and had told us he will not raise the rent, woohoo!)

shit luck, just luck! I see houses for around $300 often. If you're renting and have a six month lease, take some time to drive around the back roads, looking for signs. Talk to ppl who know other ppl, and ask around for rentals... very country here, just the way I like it!

Your place sounds lovely, Mac!  We eat so many veggies/fruit that you situation would be ideal for us

mac00677 wrote:

shit luck, just luck! I see houses for around $300 often. If you're renting and have a six month lease, take some time to drive around the back roads, looking for signs. Talk to ppl who know other ppl, and ask around for rentals... very country here, just the way I like it!

I just may follow your lead, sell my place when ready, and rent a place in PR for 6 months or so while we look for the dream house. Makes more sense than my original plan of making multiple trips to find the right place, then buying it and then selling the house in the mainland.

I like the 6 month rental option better as I would be in PR all the time and can deal with paperwork lawyers etc. Also I would have the money from the sale of the mainland house to put down on the place.
Thanks

how low are rents?  can i live in rincon or thereabouts on social security?

tequilaboogeyman wrote:

how low are rents?  can i live in rincon or thereabouts on social security?

Take the time to read the whole thread and you'll find prices from around $300.
If that's low enough for your income is something you should decide.

tequilaboogeyman wrote:

how low are rents?  can i live in rincon or thereabouts on social security?

That is hard to say, it depends on how much you get from Social Security. Check the whole thread, lots of numbers for just about every possible expense.

We moved here about 8 months ago.. Family of 3 : Monthly expenses.

Mortage: $0  ( we bought our house cash $85K)
House tax: $0
Water:$ 44.93
Electricity: $85.34. Might go up. My hubby is worried about no AC in the summer. He's German doesn't do well with heat.
Groceries: About $400 . Everytime we do a "quick stop" I spent at least $40.
Private School for my child: $230 month. + yearly tuition $200. +Books $279.34 .. didn't keep up with uniform prices
Gas: $120. We only have one car and my hubby has to pick me and drop me off constantly Need to get another car!
Internet: $45.
Movies? ... Netflix lol
Gym: $10 month.   Were veterans and use the municipal gym.  $15 for students. I think is $20 normally.. not sure
Garbage pickup: $0
Car Insurance: $ 100 year
Car tax: $0
Medical Insurance:$0. We qualified for free insurance. Copay for meds $2.
We don't go out to eat much. My hubby loves the Econo grocery store cafetería lol. Massive plates of food. (rice,beans, side dish, Meat and a soda) for $3.50. We usually just get one plate and share.

Not fancy going out but it sure beats cooking and dishes!!  yes we're penny pinchers. !

I'm in Xray tech final practice with a posible job really son  (yay!!)  .We're making it with a steady income of $1700 a month (GI Bill).  Hope this helps!

taylor_girl wrote:

We moved here about 8 months ago.. Family of 3 : Monthly expenses.

Mortage: $0  ( we bought our house cash $85K)
House tax: $0
Water:$ 44.93
Electricity: $85.34. Might go up. My hubby is worried about no AC in the summer. He's German doesn't do well with heat.
Groceries: About $400 . Everytime we do a "quick stop" I spent at least $40.
Private School for my child: $230 month. + yearly tuition $200. +Books $279.34 .. didn't keep up with uniform prices
Gas: $120. We only have one car and my hubby has to pick me and drop me off constantly Need to get another car!
Internet: $45.
Movies? ... Netflix lol
Gym: $10 month.   Were veterans and use the municipal gym.  $15 for students. I think is $20 normally.. not sure
Garbage pickup: $0
Car Insurance: $ 100 year
Car tax: $0
Medical Insurance:$0. We qualified for free insurance. Copay for meds $2.
We don't go out to eat much. My hubby loves the Econo grocery store cafetería lol. Massive plates of food. (rice,beans, side dish, Meat and a soda) for $3.50. We usually just get one plate and share.

Not fancy going out but it sure beats cooking and dishes!!  yes we're penny pinchers. !

I'm in Xray tech final practice with a posible job really son  (yay!!)  .We're making it with a steady income of $1700 a month (GI Bill).  Hope this helps!

I am curious about the medical being 0. Is it because you work for the hospital?
45 for Internet, what speed?
You did not say anything about regular tv.
Car tax is 0, did you buy the car in the island or took it with you from the mainland?

Please explain
Thanks

i am in wv and live only on social security retirement......can i do that in rincon?

I have a friend doing that, but he has no car.. So it is possible. Let's see.
Essential costs:
rent: $500 (plus electric and water if not included) (you could get a place near or in rincon town (pueblo).
food: $300 (the cost really depends on what you eat, so it can be more or less)

So $800 or $900 then + whatever.

It's certainly more possible to live on SS in rincon that's of other places, and you have great community, beaches.

wvsurferdude wrote:

i am in wv and live only on social security retirement......can i do that in rincon?

The best answer is that it depends on how much you get from social security today.
Also it depends if you are willing to get a room at a house, or share an apartment with others. This may run you 300 or 400 a month versus 500 to 600 if you were looking for an apartment on your own.
Knowing Spanish would make the above easier.

Here is some practical advice so you can figure it yourself:
1) make a list of all your current expenses like (room, electric, water, food, etc).
2) Take a look at your Electric bill, double that since in most states in the US the price for kilowat hour is 11 cents and in Puerto Rico is around 22 cents.
3) Take a look at your water, add about half of the cost of water to your average water bill
4) Take a look at your food bill, add 15% or 20%
5) Keep the other items the same except for room which will depend on sharing a room, sharing an apartment, or unshared apartment.

You should be able to figure out if the money will be enough from the above.

Depending on your income, you may be able to get food stamps and other government help, but I am not sure what the income level has to be for the island and I do not know how long you have to live in the island before you qualify.

For your meals, I suggest you do the cooking and visit farmers markets, you may also buy fruit and vegetables from your neighbors if they grow some. Also some women that stay at home may be willing to feed you every day for a fee and or maybe doing some chores, but likely that will require Spanish.

I know people in PR whose income is 300 a month, but they live in someones home, usually a relative and food is shared and cooked at home.
Make a budget as above and you should be able to see if it is practice or not to try to live in PR.
Good Luck.

Ah .... One more thing, bartering:
I am not sure how good of a surfer you are, but surfing lessons are expensive, you may be able to get some money or barter for surfing lessons or some other skill you may have.

Our water bill is between $20-$30 / mo.  Electricity $75-125 / mo. We do not pay property taxes.  We asked CRIM for assessment several times and still wait, CRIMs records say we own 1/2 a mountain.

Entertainment:  maybe we are just simple people, but we can find many spots to visit in PR and not spend a lot of money. El Yunque is free, Luquillo costs $5 to park all day, Old San Juan on Friday or Saturday afternoon to see people dance and play musical instruments, and walk around as sun sets: priceless.

Hi Taylor & Surfer on SS, and Mac0067

Taylor - We recently located to Rincon (2 weeks).  We are in Stella neighborhood, and I agree, you can definitely live on less than $2k per month.  Where are you taking your kid to school?  We are a mile from the public school on 115.  All ages are right next to each other.

Yes...I'm curious about insurance too.  Did you apply through ACA?  In Puerto Rico?  Also - how about dental? I found a dentist, but am waiting to get paid before going so I wonder about that here too.

Mac - your place sounds amazing!! 6.5 acres? $275/month!!!!

Surfer - I have a wonderful 3 bedroom apartment (it is a house with 2 apartments, one on top and one on bottom, so has it's own yard and feels like a large house) with a wonderful landlord who is constantly working on things.  We are a five minute walk to the beach.  Our apartment is $600/month.  I'm sure you can find a 1 bedroom a little cheaper, or get a roommate!  Also, from what I hear Aguada is cheap too (and close)

Depending on what you get for SS, Rincon is a very inexpensive place to live.  I don't have a car or cable...not needed for me.  We can entertain ourselves by going to the beach or out to eat once in a while.  There's a great farmer's market on Sundays and Thursday nights with live music etc.  The food is not so much more than the cost of food in AZ.  There are farm stands everywhere too!
Good luck,

Liz

thanks for answering my post.  it seems that u pay much less for utilities than most people there.  can i ask how u do that?  thanks, rick

thanx etilley

etilley, your place sounds exactly like what we are looking for.  Is your utilities included in your rent?  We stayed last February in Stella right next to Pinapple Inn and loved the neighborhood.

Hope this is ok ..... I found a web site where you can compare the cost of your state / city to different towns in Puerto Rico. I am not sure how accurate the information is, but if more people populate it (those in PR) and those in the States, the information would become more accurate.

Hope the link is allowed:http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Puerto+Rico&country2=United+States

Select the PR town and USA City/State to compare.

Hey guys just one comment to add I live in New York Con Edison charges 27 cents PKH so not as high as you might think in PR ....Johnny

The only problem with that rationale is that wages and employment in NYC are considerably higher than in PR. There are also waaay fewer power outages in NYC.

Hi All,

I'll be sure to let everyone know what my utilities are once I get my first bill.  We have a 3 bedroom house (split into 2 apartments.  I'm on top floor) and love it.  We set up the utilities 3 weeks ago.  Downpayment was $100 for electric and $60 for water.  Trash is paid for (where i come from we pay ourselves for trash).  Here in Stella, they have a sewer/water connection fee each month which ranges between $10 - $20 a month, even if you aren't connected but, in about 2 weeks I'll know how much we are really paying!

We have 3 wall units for AC (the landlord wanted us to be comfortable), but we avoid using them during hot months except for a while at night. 

Liz

Thanks for the update, Liz!