Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Dorado: $1,270 a month against $2,520 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Dorado
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Dorado Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Dorado

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,270

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dorado 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 Dorado and in San Juan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,270 in Dorado versus $2,520 in San Juan.

Dorado $1,270
San Juan $2,520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,010 in Dorado versus $3,581 in San Juan.

Dorado $2,010
San Juan $3,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,749 in Dorado versus $4,641 in San Juan.

Dorado $2,749
San Juan $4,641

Living in Dorado costs roughly 50% less than in San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dorado is 6% below, San Juan is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.77 $18.77

$19.61 $19.61

-4.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 $83.5

$83.1 $83.1

0.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 $8.96

$9.17 $9.17

-2.29%

Cappuccino

$3.62 $3.62

$3.54 $3.54

2.26%

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

$1.92 $1.92

$1.91 $1.91

0.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.46 $1.46

3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 $2.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.95 $4.95

2.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.22 $2.22

-0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$3.57 $3.57

-0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 $2.39

$2.44 $2.44

-2.05%

Eggs

$7.13 $7.13

$7.54 $7.54

-5.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.41 $12.41

$12.48 $12.48

-0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 $9.87

$9.41 $9.41

4.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 $13.18

$13.34 $13.34

-1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$5.04 $5.04

-2.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 $2.55

$2.66 $2.66

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 $4.88

$4.69 $4.69

4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.77 $3.77

3.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.85 $3.85

2.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.42 $3.42

$3.36 $3.36

1.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$1.61 $1.61

-1.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.11 $12.11

$11.98 $11.98

1.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$15.81 $15.81

-0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$3.09 $3.09

-0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 $4.05

$4.02 $4.02

0.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 $0.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.54 $30.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.48 $2.48

-1.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.47 $1.47

3.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.32 $42.32

$42.26 $42.26

0.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 $1.06

$1.26 $1.26

-15.87%

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

$35.0K $35.0K

$35.3K $35.3K

-0.72%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$28.1K $28.1K

0.87%

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

$318 $318

$322 $322

-1.16%

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

$27.82 $27.82

$68.4 $68.4

-59.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.6 $69.6

$69.9 $69.9

-0.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 $40.57

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 $7.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 $10.66

$10.46 $10.46

1.91%

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

$824 $824

$814 $814

1.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,469 $6,469

$11.7K $11.7K

-44.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 $61.1

$62.3 $62.3

-1.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$109 $109

-2.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

-0.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 $1,994

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 $1,124

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,507 $3,507

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

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)

$3,096 $3,096

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 Dorado: November 1, 2026

Last update for San Juan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dorado

$415 32.7%

San Juan

$460 18.3% 10.7% $45

Groceries & Markets

Dorado

$413 32.5%

San Juan

$414 16.4% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

Dorado

$259 20.4%

San Juan

$265 10.5% 2.3% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Dorado

$151 11.9%

San Juan

$153 6.1% 1.1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dorado

$21 * 1.7%

San Juan

$62 2.4% 189% $40

Getting Around

Dorado

$10 * 0.8%

San Juan

$43 1.7% 332% $33

Accommodation & Living

Dorado

- * 0%

San Juan

$1.1K 44.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇵🇷 Dorado

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Dorado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,172

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dorado San Juan 15 km

From you

Dorado
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

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

Dorado is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,906 in Dorado and $3,781 in San Juan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $824 in Dorado 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 $1,270 per month in Dorado versus $2,520 in San Juan – Dorado is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,270 in Dorado versus $2,520 in San Juan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dorado but tight or insufficient in San Juan. The gap between the two cities makes Dorado the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.