thinking about living in Puerto Rico

Hi Mike
Welcome to the forum. As long as you stay away from Rincon in the west you are likely to find reasonable rents. Try Clasificados  http://www.clasificadosonline.com you should be able to find a rental place and used furniture. Most apartments or houses have no furniture, make sure you ask about stove and refrigerator since some places don't have it either.

350 rent is fairly common just a few miles from Rincon.

I would also suggest you purchase a car locally, transporting a car is expensive and the import taxes are ridiculous. A lot of people drive a 10-15 year old car.
Rey

Since you travel a bit I can only assume you do not have a pet. Having a pet can complicate getting a rental and will complicate things if you plan to travel.

hi Rey,

No pet. just me. I' m thinking of going there, staying in a hostel and while there looking for a place to rent. I have nothing I want to bring exceot for some clothes books papers etc I'll store or sell the furnishings here. Id love to find a place where im known. in Buenos Aires, although it was a big city my little neighborhood was small nough for me to know the people who ran the local shops nd my neighbors.

Id spend a few months getting settled and visiting place Ive wanted to see in th west.

retired mike wrote:

hi Rey,

No pet. just me. I' m thinking of going there, staying in a hostel and while there looking for a place to rent. I have nothing I want to bring exceot for some clothes books papers etc I'll store or sell the furnishings here. Id love to find a place where im known. in Buenos Aires, although it was a big city my little neighborhood was small nough for me to know the people who ran the local shops nd my neighbors.

Id spend a few months getting settled and visiting place Ive wanted to see in th west.

Sounds like a plan, what is the name of that famous tv show where everyone knows your name? LOL. Many small towns there in the west. Likely you can find an Airbnb for a week while you find a place.

Panama has gotten more expensive since I was stationed there in the latter half of the '90s but your dollar should still go a lot further there.

Unless you live at elevation though, Panama is even hotter than PR. Also, Ashford Hospital in Condado, PR is a very good hospital - better than anything in Pma or CR.

Depending on if you want to live at an elevation with a very pleasant climate but not on the seashore, I'd investigate Boquete and Vulcan in Chiriqui province, Panama. I'd also consider PR, of course. PR has better and more convenient air connections to Mass., naturally. I guess it just comes down to what works best for you.

You may be able to just rent a room at one of the locals, that will be even cheaper than a regular apartment.

There is a lovely little town on the East Coast called Punta Santiago.  Right on the water. Nice folks. Closer to the airport than the owns on the West Coast. You might want to put it on your list.

Flying or sailing?  If flying to Central America, you may want to be closer to San Juan (though the airport in Mayaguez ought to be able to get you to SJA easily enough).  If sailing, you might want to look at La Parguera.  A sweet town on the southern coast with good marine facilities.