Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,241 a month against $2,500 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index

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Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,241 in Fajardo versus $2,500 in San Juan.

Fajardo $1,241
San Juan $2,500

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,954 in Fajardo versus $3,548 in San Juan.

Fajardo $1,954
San Juan $3,548

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,667 in Fajardo versus $4,596 in San Juan.

Fajardo $2,667
San Juan $4,596

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Fajardo is 9% below, San Juan is 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 $9.80

$18.78 $18.78

-47.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 $82.1

$81.9 $81.9

0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.44 $9.44

$9.23 $9.23

2.28%

Cappuccino

$3.66 $3.66

$3.57 $3.57

2.52%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$1.83 $1.83

5.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.92 $2.92

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.90 $4.90

4.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 $2.11

$2.16 $2.16

-2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.66 $3.66

0.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

Eggs

$7.46 $7.46

$7.30 $7.30

2.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$12.39 $12.39

-0.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$9.70 $9.70

-2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$13.35 $13.35

-0.67%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$4.96 $4.96

2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.65 $2.65

-2.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$4.91 $4.91

-3.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$4.78 $4.78

-1.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.69 $3.69

0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$3.86 $3.86

1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.40 $3.40

$3.44 $3.44

-1.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.65 $1.65

-2.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.33 $11.33

$11.76 $11.76

-3.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$15.36 $15.36

0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.14 $3.14

-1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$3.94 $3.94

2.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.28 $30.28

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.44 $2.44

1.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.54 $1.54

-1.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 $41.58

$42.10 $42.10

-1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.18 $1.18

5.08%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$34.8K $34.8K

-0.55%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$28.0K $28.0K

0.97%

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

$316 $316

$320 $320

-1.17%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$68.3 $68.3

3.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 $70.0

$71.2 $71.2

-1.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 $7.39

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 $10.47

$10.43 $10.43

0.38%

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

$835 $835

$836 $836

-0.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$12.5K $12.5K

0.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$57.3 $57.3

-3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 $61.8

$61.6 $61.6

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$110 $110

-2.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 $1,007

$1,934 $1,934

-47.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,515 $3,515

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,447 $7,447

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,654 $4,654

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,719 $2,719

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 Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Last update for San Juan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fajardo

$457 36.8%

San Juan

$459 18.4% 0.6% $2.6

Groceries & Markets

Fajardo

$412 33.2%

San Juan

$414 16.6% 0.6% $2.3

Eating Out

Fajardo

$189 15.3%

San Juan

$258 10.3% 36.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Fajardo

$152 12.3%

San Juan

$154 6.2% 1.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7%

San Juan

$62 2.5% 196% $41

Getting Around

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8%

San Juan

$44 1.7% 333% $34

Accommodation & Living

Fajardo

- * 0%

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4%

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 $1,007 in Fajardo and $1,934 in San Juan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82 in Fajardo vs $82 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $414 per month, with Fajardo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

Same time as Fajardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,647

322,854 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fajardo San Juan 51 km

From you

Fajardo
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

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

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in San Juan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,862 in Fajardo and $3,751 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,007 in Fajardo versus $1,934 in San Juan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $835 in Fajardo versus $836 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 $1,241 per month in Fajardo versus $2,500 in San Juan – Fajardo is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Fajardo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.