Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Luquillo: $1,257 a month against $2,520 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
Learn more

Luquillo Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,257

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,257 in Luquillo versus $2,520 in San Juan.

Luquillo $1,257
San Juan $2,520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,014 in Luquillo versus $3,581 in San Juan.

Luquillo $2,014
San Juan $3,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,772 in Luquillo versus $4,641 in San Juan.

Luquillo $2,772
San Juan $4,641

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Luquillo is 7% below, San Juan is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.14 $19.14

$19.61 $19.61

-2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 $83.3

$83.1 $83.1

0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 $9.03

$9.17 $9.17

-1.53%

Cappuccino

$3.68 $3.68

$3.54 $3.54

3.95%

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

$1.65 $1.65

$1.91 $1.91

-13.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.46 $1.46

3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.95 $2.95

4.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 $2.30

$4.95 $4.95

-53.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 $2.15

$2.22 $2.22

-3.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.73 $3.73

$3.57 $3.57

4.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.44 $2.44

-0.41%

Eggs

$7.26 $7.26

$7.54 $7.54

-3.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.47 $12.47

$12.48 $12.48

-0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.49 $9.49

$9.41 $9.41

0.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.24 $13.24

$13.34 $13.34

-0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$5.04 $5.04

0.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.66 $2.66

-4.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$4.99 $4.99

0.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$4.69 $4.69

0.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 $3.87

$3.77 $3.77

2.65%

Onion (1kg)

$3.88 $3.88

$3.85 $3.85

0.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.50 $3.50

$3.36 $3.36

4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$1.61 $1.61

-0.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.18 $12.18

$11.98 $11.98

1.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.02 $12.02

$15.81 $15.81

-23.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$3.09 $3.09

-3.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 $4.12

$4.02 $4.02

2.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 $0.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.54 $30.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.48 $2.48

2.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.47 $1.47

0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.74 $42.74

$42.26 $42.26

1.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.26 $1.26

-34.13%

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

$34.1K $34.1K

$35.3K $35.3K

-3.37%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$28.1K $28.1K

0.89%

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

$272 $272

$322 $322

-15.50%

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

$69.3 $69.3

$68.4 $68.4

1.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.9 $68.9

$69.9 $69.9

-1.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 $40.57

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 $7.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 $10.44

$10.46 $10.46

-0.19%

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

$822 $822

$814 $814

1.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.7K $11.7K

7.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.3 $56.3

$56.6 $56.6

-0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.2 $60.2

$62.3 $62.3

-3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$109 $109

-1.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$112 $112

2.08%

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)

$4,143 $4,143

$3,096 $3,096

33.81%

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 Luquillo: 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

Luquillo

$410 32.6%

San Juan

$460 18.3% 12.2% $50

Groceries & Markets

Luquillo

$406 32.3%

San Juan

$414 16.4% 1.9% $7.6

Eating Out

Luquillo

$257 20.5%

San Juan

$265 10.5% 3.1% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Luquillo

$152 12.1%

San Juan

$153 6.1% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7%

San Juan

$62 2.4% 194% $41

Getting Around

Luquillo

$9.9 * 0.8%

San Juan

$43 1.7% 335% $33

Accommodation & Living

Luquillo

- * 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

Luquillo pays 34% 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 $83 in San Juan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $414 per month, with Luquillo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🇵🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

Same time as Luquillo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

322,854 Capital

💱 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 San Juan 43 km

From you

Luquillo
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

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

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

Average pay runs 34% higher in Luquillo, 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 $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 $1,257 per month in Luquillo versus $2,520 in San Juan – Luquillo is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,257 in Luquillo versus $2,520 in San Juan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Luquillo but tight or insufficient in San Juan. 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.