Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayey and San Juan, Puerto Rico

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayey: $2,156 a month against $2,520 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Cayey
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Cayey Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Cayey

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,156

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cayey and in San Juan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cayey and in San Juan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,156 in Cayey versus $2,520 in San Juan.

Cayey $2,156
San Juan $2,520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,430 in Cayey versus $3,581 in San Juan.

Cayey $3,430
San Juan $3,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,704 in Cayey versus $4,641 in San Juan.

Cayey $4,704
San Juan $4,641

Living in Cayey costs roughly 14% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cayey 59% above, San Juan 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.05 $19.05

$19.61 $19.61

-2.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.6 $83.6

$83.1 $83.1

0.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 $9.04

$9.17 $9.17

-1.42%

Cappuccino

$3.52 $3.52

$3.54 $3.54

-0.56%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.91 $1.91

-4.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.46 $1.46

2.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.95 $2.95

1.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 $5.12

$4.95 $4.95

3.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.22 $2.22

-1.35%

White Bread (500g)

$3.61 $3.61

$3.57 $3.57

1.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$2.44 $2.44

-3.69%

Eggs

$7.33 $7.33

$7.54 $7.54

-2.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.51 $12.51

$12.48 $12.48

0.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 $9.59

$9.41 $9.41

1.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 $13.27

$13.34 $13.34

-0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.04 $5.04

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.66 $2.66

-0.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.79 $4.79

$4.99 $4.99

-4.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$4.69 $4.69

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.77 $3.77

-1.06%

Onion (1kg)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.85 $3.85

4.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.37 $3.37

$3.36 $3.36

0.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.61 $1.61

-2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.22 $12.22

$11.98 $11.98

2.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 $15.40

$15.81 $15.81

-2.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 $3.13

$3.09 $3.09

1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 $3.96

$4.02 $4.02

-1.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 $0.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.54 $30.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.48 $2.48

2.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.47 $1.47

3.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.65 $41.65

$42.26 $42.26

-1.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.26 $1.26

-19.05%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.0K $35.0K

$35.3K $35.3K

-0.92%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.6K $27.6K

$28.1K $28.1K

-1.74%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$318 $318

$322 $322

-1.06%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$70.5 $70.5

$68.4 $68.4

3.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 $69.7

$69.9 $69.9

-0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.63 $40.63

$40.57 $40.57

0.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 $7.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.09 $10.09

$10.46 $10.46

-3.54%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$812 $812

$814 $814

-0.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$11.7K $11.7K

7.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.0 $57.0

$56.6 $56.6

0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 $60.8

$62.3 $62.3

-2.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$109 $109

-1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 $113

$112 $112

1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 $1,215

$1,994 $1,994

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$801 $801

$1,124 $1,124

-28.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 $2,414

$3,507 $3,507

-31.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 $1,784

$1,634 $1,634

9.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,463 $7,463

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,563 $4,563

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,643 $3,643

$3,096 $3,096

17.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cayey: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Juan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cayey

$801 37.2%

San Juan

$1.1K 44.6% 40.2% $323

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayey

$458 21.3%

San Juan

$460 18.3% 0.3% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Cayey

$413 19.2%

San Juan

$414 16.4% 0.2% $0.9

Eating Out

Cayey

$260 12.1%

San Juan

$265 10.5% 1.9% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Cayey

$153 7.1%

San Juan

$153 6.1% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Cayey

$61 2.8%

San Juan

$62 2.4% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Cayey

$10 * 0.5%

San Juan

$43 1.7% 326% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,215 in Cayey and $1,994 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cayey pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $84 in Cayey vs $83 in San Juan. Groceries flip the comparison at $413 vs $414, with Cayey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Cayey

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

16:30 4:30 PM

Same time as Cayey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,999

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cayey San Juan 40 km

From you

Cayey
San Juan

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cayey vs San Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,156 in Cayey and $2,520 in San Juan, so Cayey is about 14% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Cayey, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,215 in Cayey versus $1,994 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $812 in Cayey versus $814 in San Juan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,156 per month in Cayey versus $2,520 in San Juan – Cayey is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Cayey gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.