Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luquillo and Carolina

For one person, living is cheaper in Luquillo: $1,257 a month against $2,259 in Carolina, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Carolina outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
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Luquillo Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Carolina
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Carolina Living Index

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Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,257

/mo nomad

Carolina

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Luquillo and in Carolina

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,257 in Luquillo versus $2,259 in Carolina.

Luquillo $1,257
Carolina $2,259

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,014 in Luquillo versus $3,120 in Carolina.

Luquillo $2,014
Carolina $3,120

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,772 in Luquillo versus $3,982 in Carolina.

Luquillo $2,772
Carolina $3,982

Living in Luquillo costs roughly 44% less than in Carolina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Luquillo is 7% below, Carolina is 67% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.14 $19.14

$13.23 $13.23

44.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 $83.3

$55.7 $55.7

49.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$9.90 $9.90

-8.79%

Cappuccino

$3.68 $3.68

$3.22 $3.22

14.29%

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

$1.65 $1.65

$3.05 $3.05

-45.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.78 $1.78

-15.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.06 $3.06

0.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$5.01 $5.01

-54.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.09 $2.09

2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.47 $3.47

7.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$1.75 $1.75

38.86%

Eggs

$7.26 $7.26

$4.53 $4.53

60.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$7.15 $7.15

74.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 $9.49

$8.29 $8.29

14.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$12.48 $12.48

6.09%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.06 $3.06

66.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.47 $2.47

2.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$2.54 $2.54

96.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$3.60 $3.60

31.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$2.92 $2.92

32.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.19 $3.19

21.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.50 $3.50

$1.99 $1.99

75.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$2.01 $2.01

-20.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$9.95 $9.95

22.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$17.66 $17.66

-31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$2.97 $2.97

0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$5.09 $5.09

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 $2.96

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.65 $39.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.74 $42.74

$49.68 $49.68

-13.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.19 $1.19

-30.25%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$39.2K $39.2K

-12.98%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$30.4K $30.4K

-6.70%

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

$272 $272

$590 $590

-53.94%

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

$69.3 $69.3

$51.0 $51.0

36.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$80.0 $80.0

-13.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.72 $10.72

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.51 $30.51

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 $10.44

$8.19 $8.19

27.47%

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

$822 $822

$501 $501

64.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$9,668 $9,668

29.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 $56.3

$90.6 $90.6

-37.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 $60.2

$25.06 $25.06

140.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$90.9 $90.9

18.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$90.3 $90.3

26.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 $1,063

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 $760

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 $1,218

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,516 $3,516

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,283 $2,283

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,143 $4,143

$2,035 $2,035

103.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

6.23

5.14%

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

Last update for Luquillo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Carolina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luquillo

$410 32.6%

Carolina

$721 31.9% 75.9% $311

Groceries & Markets

Luquillo

$406 32.3%

Carolina

$347 15.4% 14.6% $59

Eating Out

Luquillo

$257 20.5%

Carolina

$219 9.7% 14.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Luquillo

$152 12.1%

Carolina

$134 5.9% 12.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7%

Carolina

$27 1.2% 29.7% $6.2

Getting Around

Luquillo

$9.9 * 0.8%

Carolina

$51 * 2.3% 418% $42

Accommodation & Living

Luquillo

- * 0%

Carolina

$760 33.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Luquillo pays about 2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83 in Luquillo vs $56 in Carolina for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $347 per month, with Carolina cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🇵🇷 Carolina

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

Same time as Luquillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

138,304

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Luquillo Carolina 25 km

From you

Luquillo
Carolina

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

Luquillo vs Carolina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luquillo wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Carolina. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Luquillo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Luquillo is about 2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $822 in Luquillo versus $501 in Carolina. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Carolina – a meal for two runs $56 versus $83 in Luquillo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,257 in Luquillo versus $2,259 in Carolina, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Luquillo but tight or insufficient in Carolina. The gap between the two cities makes Luquillo 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.