Cost of living in Puerto Rico — 2015

BUMP to keep this topic in sight.

Bus ride in the metro area is now $ 0.75 I heard; Tren Urbano: $ 1.50. (both prices for a one way trip)

I'll check more prices next week...

Great prices!  I wish there were busing all over the island.  It would be so helpful and handy.

Unfortunately the public transportation system is limited to the SJ metro area. It would be nice having other options to get around the island.

Will add one to the original list:

Fruit has been quite expensive lately - $10 for a bag of grapes!  We typically shop at the commissary on the army base, which is normally cheaper than local supermarkets.  Can't wait for the mango trees to start producing fruit!

Also, the last time I used the train/bus they honored transfers, so I didn't get charged when I got on the bus from Sagrado Corazón to OSJ.

We have been living in Quebradilla for 7 months now and find that the cost of pretty much all food is high compared to NY prices. We haven't bought Bacon at all since we got here ex cept for one time that I got it for $2.99 and it was terrible.

The orange juice is also high at $4.99 for a container and forget about ice cream, it is so high at $6-7 a half gallon.

Gas has been pretty low at 57 cents a liter but is going up. Regular cable, electricity and water come out to be about $110.00 for all 3 on average. Internet is another $62.00 with Claro.

So thank goodness that we have most meals here and don't have to travel to work.
Schooling is free for my grandson in town nut am seriously considering moving him to a bilingual school which would run about $200 per month after initial cost of $450, but this doesn't include uniforms and books.

So that is pretty much it, we haven't been to the movies yet and don't go out to many restaurants and bars

That is good for $110 for water, electric, and cable total per month.  We pay way more here in Illinois.

The cost of owning property is much lower than on Long Island, NY.  In NY the property taxes on my modest three-bedroom house were $12,000 a year. In Puerto Rico, the property taxes on my three-bedroom home are about $1,500 a year.  BUT, since I moved here from  outside of Puerto Rico, I am exempt from paying property taxes for five years.
In Puerto Rico I do not have to spend $1,200 a year on a heating bill.
In Puerto Rico, there was no sales tax when I bought a new car and the insurance is about $300 a year. In New York,  I would have paid 8.5% sales tax.That is a savings of $1,700 on a $20,000 car  My New York  car insurance was about $1,500 a year.
In Puerto Rico, it cost me a total of $31 to get a drivers license.  In New York, it costs $80 to renew a license.

Oh, my goodness the R/E taxes in NY are extreme!  We pay $3,000 on a modest home 1500sq ft. on 2 acres. I'm surprised there wasn't a sales tax on a car.  How about import taxes?  I just paid $30 to renew my drivers license.

So you don't have to pay property tax for 5 years?  Can you share what your utilities bills cost? 
Thank you for any information~

Ah, Frogrock, you made my heart skip a beat.  We are from Long Island and hope to move to Palmas del Mar.  Our taxes are more than $12,000, heating oil about $2000 per year, and yes, outrageous car insurance prices.  I was looking at the website for Ralph's for groceries and their circular shows very similar prices to those at Pathmark or Stop and Shop.  Since we will be leaving our three adult kids who still live in the house with us, I'm sure our expenses will drop drastically...LOL.

Another helpful planning resource is the cost of electricity per kilowatt-hour.  Here in PR (depending on what source you read) it is between 25 and 27 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is about twice the price of mainland electricity. 

When we were living in OSJ, we learned to drastically cut back on our air conditioning.  Running one a/c unit in one bedroom only at night (set at 78), our electricity bill was $350-400 per month.

The power company, PREPA, is currently undergoing some restructuring.  It will certainly be interesting to see what that will do to electricity costs.

The electric, I guess would be my concern, too.  But we wouldn't have a heat bill like now so maybe it averages out.  I was reading a PR blog and this couple was saying it was hard to find good produce which I just couldn't understand.  They have since moved back to the mainland after 5-6 years.  We  only eat veggies and some fish.

Shuttzie- Go to the farmers market in Rincon on Sunday afternoon when you get there. You will be able to access all the great produce you want through those people. And you are guaranteed to make some friends while you are at it. Also there is a vendor at that market that lives up in the mountains and picks his own coffee beans, roasts and ginds them for sale at the market

Yep, we'll most definitely check it out.  I don't think veggies will be a problem at all.  We always have managed and supplemented with what was in the stores.  I may have to try the coffee from the farmer's market, too. 

Frogrock, we come from Long Island also. We were from Selden in Suffolk County, where were you from?   I see that now you have moved to Humacao, we have family there and it is a nice town. We almost leased a place in Yabucoa but when I saw this house, I fell in love.

I agree that the taxes, etc are very high in NY but we really left because of the cold and snow.  My husband is originally from San German and it was his turn to pick a place since I had chosen Florida a few years go and we eventually went back to NY. but we are here to stay. Surprisingly, I have adjusted fantastically. I love our little town- Quebradilla and our neighbors are great.

When you changed your NY license, did you take a written test? I haven't done it yet and have heard that for some people over a certain age, they waive the test. Have you heard that?  $30.00 is great to renew your license, if I remember right, it cost me about $70.00 or so in NY.

Well welcome to Puerto Rico. Enjoy this beautiful sunshine and weather. I am especially happy today not to be there for the blizzard.

Ralph's in Humacao is fantastic. Very well stocked with many items that we are used to and it is very big and clean. I am sorry that we don't have one on this side of the island.  My friend in Humacao says that they are a family owned business. Enjoy your shopping.

I think something is wrong with Tonie's Utilities total of $110.  Water is about $40 a month.  We knew Electricity was high when we moved here, so we basically sweat all day in our condo and only use the A/C (and not really cold) at night in 2 bedrooms and our electric bill is $300-$400 a month.  T/V and Internet is a little over $100 for the basic plan - quite a bit higher than we paid in the U.S.  Food is crazy high - especially fruit and veggies - go figure as those are things they can grow here easily.  I can buy Pineapples and bananas for much lower in Mass than I can here in P.R.!!

I did not have to take the drivers test.  You need your New York license, social security card, and either passport or birth certificate and proof you live  in Puerto Rico, such as a utility bill. You get the medical certificate from a vendor. They are right outside the DTOP office. It consisted of an eye test and answering some questions about health. Then you have to purchase $11 in 'stamps' to pay for the license.  They now take your photo at DTOP.
If you adapt the Puerto Rican lifestyle going to various government offices is fun because you meet many people. Ricans don't sit quietly: they always start a conversation.
The odd part about moving to Humacao is that many people speak English.  Strangely, I have to get used to it.  I am far from being fluent in Spanish, but where I lived in Arroyo, I was more immersed in the local culture. There were fewer Americanos.
Thanks for the info about Ralphs.  Being single, I am not much of a grocery shopper, and the locally made food is very tempting.  My mainstay is the panaderia.  Does the mint in my drink qualify as a leafy green vegetable?

Your electric bill is outrageous.  The highest I ever paid was $40 for a month, when I had visitors from the US who used the air conditioner all day and night in the bedroom.  If you have the time, you might want to check it out. It couldn't hurt! Maybe ask your neighbors what they are paying.  The Puerto Rican electric company once sent my brother an extremely high bill when a new meter was installed.  He went to the office and they fixed the error. Of course, being Puerto Rico, he had to spend a long time at the electric company office.

Oops! Forgot to answer your question. I lived in East Islip.

Frogrock, we are just up the road from you in Central Islip, right by Southern State and the courthouses.  We'll definitely have to connect when we get there.  I'm sure you're aware of the two feet of drifting snow outside right now and still coming down.  Yuck!!!!

Okay so my calculations were a little off for the cable, water and electricity. It was more like $175.00 or so depending on the water bill, which went up $20.00 this month and it wasn't with us using alot of water, it was that darn tax that they charge. My husband called and was told that it is a fee that they charge to maintain the pipes or whatever.

Anyway, our cable bill is about $52,.00 per month, electricity is about $60.00 give or take a few dollars and then the water that was over $60.00 this month with that extra charge.  Thankfully, we do not have a/c and don't really use our fans because we have a great breeze here.

Another that I forgot to add to my previous post was that we have b een eating tomatoes from our garden for over a month so that we don't have to buy any and all during the summer we ate 1-2 avocados a day from our gigantic tree. My husband who has the green thumb has currently planted green beans, lettuce, eggplant and various other veggies that we won't have to buy.  I am glad he loves to do that because if it was up to me, we would be spending alot more at the market for veggies.  We also have lemons and grapefruit(which I am dying to try once they are big enough).

Thanks for the license info. I will have to go to the DTOP Aguadilla and see if I can get my license renewed there or may have to go to Arecibo since we live in Quebradilla. I called a couple of times and there was a long wait on the phone for the info.

Enjoy your life there in Humacao and if you feel lonely for some Americans, all you have to do is go to Palmas Del Mar, there are always many there. They have a nice Casino there.

Take care,
Tonie

Tonie, your fresh produce is making me salivate! Does anyone know where I can find a good "farmers market" in San Juan? I would like to buy more local produce.

Hi Suzanne:
Every Saturday morning (8am-noon) there is a farmers market in the courtyard of the San Juan museum. Lots of good stuff.   My favorite is the vendor selling fresh bread. We really like the pumpkin bread. I usually grab a ginger lemonade as well while strolling around.

For an authentic market experience you can head over to La Placita in Santurce or the market in Rio Piedras. We went to the one in Rio Piedras with my Spanish class.

Once a month there is one over at the Ventana del Mar in Condado. Haven't been to that one lately but I remember it being fun.

Enjoy!!

Thank you! I know where I will be on Saturday morning!

Hi everybody,

It would be best if we can concentrate on the topic Cost of living in Puerto Rico only.

There is a list of questions that the Expat.com team has asked, do not hesitate to answer in the most accurate way to some of these questions please. It will help a lot of members

Thank you

Priscilla

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.

Electricity and water- Prices are through the roof in most places. A lot of people turn to illegal hookups to get it free or low cost. If you move into a place and they found out the previous tenent was hooked up illegally, you are responsible for paying the unpaid charges before you can get your power turned on. That's what I'm told.

Cars are a little more expensive but not by a great amount. Gas is about the same as in the states.

Rent- Surprisingly cheap. We rented a fairly new 2,000 sq. ft. house on 1/4 acre for $600 a month and a lot of people told us we paid too much.

Movies- Very reasonable. But for some reason movie theaters accept cash only.

Almost everything you buy on the island is more expensive because it has to be shipped in by boat or flown in.

In my opinion based on my experiences, if you are looking to move to PR and expecting to live cheaper, in most cases your hopes will be dashed.

Hello GreggK,

Thank you for this sharing of information ! It is very much appreciated

Priscilla

Thank you everyone for contributing, it is very helpful!

Hi everyone!

You're all making me think we're paying WAY too much for utilities.  Compared to a lot of you, ours is much more.

Electricity - $450 in the summer $250 in the winter
Water - $100-130/mo.
Internet - $80 - This is good, fast internet through choice cable. It includes the basic cable channels, which we don't watch because we're always busy doing something awesome here.

Fruit and veggie's are more than in the states. I try to buy all of mine from vendors on the side of the roads. They seem to have the best produce.

Milk is over $5/gallon.

The best food we've come across, at the best price and much less than the states, is grass fed beef. So delicious and less than half of what I was paying in the Utah.

Gas is .57/liter right now.

Our rent is $1600 for a 4 bedroom, beachfront condo. Not bad, considering what we're getting.

So, a lot of things here are more expensive but our favorite activities are all free and available year round. We love Puerto Rico!

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.

I would not mind being farther from the beach, especially is that means saving hundreds on rent and utilities. I should probably start a new message about how to find a low cost home in a good area.

Mac00677, that is a great find you have!  We are currently here in Rincon.  We would like to eventually find a place like that.  We are scouting out different areas.  It is all a learning experience/journey for us.

Thank you all for sharing.  Great information.  I will relocate in the Caguas area in 2017 and looking forward to coming back to PR.  I lived in both the Aguadilla area and San Juan from late 1990s and early 2000s and loved it.   

Networking, Jen... or just driving around. As I've always found, it's far cheaper to rent from a simple family; one's who don't even bother putting ads up, or involving real estate agents... it's the ones who simply post a sign out front. But there are so many small roads here, and for such a small island, there's a lot of roads to cover!

My family of 5 lives in Patillas, moved from NJ 18 months ago.

Rent $500  (4br/2ba house in an urbanizacion about 2min from town.)

Water - $58 / mth

Internet & Cable tv  $70 (we switched to Choice Cable...Claro has horrible service!)

Elecctric $225/month.   We run 2 a/c units at night because our windows dont have security bars, just screens and I am paranoid about leaving windows open at night. LOL

Food is expensive, $6 for milk..it seems I spend at least $80 everytime I buy the basics. We have changed our eating habits for the better though since I cook more now since the processed/frozen foods are outrageously priced.  You just learn to cook and eat differently to make your dollars stretch further.

Home goods/clothing are also more expensive.  I remember having to pay like $7 for a can-opener when we arrived and thinking how much I miss the US dollar stores!  The closest I have here is called Uno a Siete $1-$7 Hahaha.

I will give you a detail cost later.

Cost of Living in Puerto Rico 2015

I am retire military with a good income.

I live in Ponce the area my house is a 4 bedroom 2 Bath house 1900 sq ft. Original purchase price was $120,000 Mortgage payment is $600 with the insurance and FYI in Puerto Rico you do not pay property taxes on you first property. For renting a similar house or apartment you are looking at $600-$1000 give or take for rent in this area.

This are my monthly average expenses:

Electric average: $130-$185 depending on season. I do 4 have very high efficiency Mini-splits Air conditioners two of them are always running keeping the house cool, Gas range, High Efficiency Refrigerator and  water heater.

Water average: $60-$70

Groceries Average: $450-$600 We try to buy mostly organic and it is more expensive.There are lots of Super Markets, Malls and Walmart Super Centers.

Internet, Satelite TV, 3 Celphones average: $150

Private auto Insurance for 2 Cars:  $100. FYI all vehicles register in Puerto Rico have compulsory insurance that only cover the damages you may cause to other vehicles.

Transportation cost gas for two vehicles a car and a small SUV is around $140-$160 monthly.

Places to eat there are thousand from local street vendors (chinchorros) to fancy restaurants and all the American favorites. cost varies from .70 cents to a few hundred dollar$ depending were you go out and eat.

Now my most honest advise will be Stay the hell out of the Metropolitan Zone the rest of Puerto Rico is a completely different World, for economic living Look for the South, North or West if you want peacefulness and away from most people go Central,the East of PR is beautiful but Very Expensive. I live in the Ponce area and commute to the Metro area once or twice a week and is not to bad the driving as long you have a reliable fuel efficient car.

I hope this helps if you have any other question just ask.

Looks like your bills went down a lot.. 5 years ago you wrote you paid $ 365 for electricity and $ 200 for sat TV, internet en tel. (which sounds about right for electricity and pretty good for the other bill.)
My bills went up in the last five years - maybe you should check your most recent bills?