Last update: Nov 2026

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

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.

120

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Dorado
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Dorado Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,520

/mo nomad

Dorado

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

San Juan $2,520
Dorado $1,270

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

San Juan $3,581
Dorado $2,010

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

San Juan $4,641
Dorado $2,749

Living in San Juan is roughly 98% more expensive than in Dorado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 $19.61

$18.77 $18.77

4.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 $83.1

$83.5 $83.5

-0.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$8.96 $8.96

2.34%

Cappuccino

$3.54 $3.54

$3.62 $3.62

-2.21%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$1.92 $1.92

-0.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.51 $1.51

-3.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 $2.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$5.09 $5.09

-2.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.21 $2.21

0.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.55 $3.55

0.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.39 $2.39

2.09%

Eggs

$7.54 $7.54

$7.13 $7.13

5.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 $12.48

$12.41 $12.41

0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$9.87 $9.87

-4.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$13.18 $13.18

1.21%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$4.92 $4.92

2.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.55 $2.55

4.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.88 $4.88

-3.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.89 $3.89

-3.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.94 $3.94

-2.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.42 $3.42

-1.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.59 $1.59

1.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$12.11 $12.11

-1.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$15.75 $15.75

0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.07 $3.07

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.05 $4.05

-0.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 $0.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.54 $30.54

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 $2.48

$2.44 $2.44

1.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.52 $1.52

-3.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$42.32 $42.32

-0.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.06 $1.06

18.87%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$35.0K $35.0K

0.73%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$28.3K $28.3K

-0.86%

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

$322 $322

$318 $318

1.17%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$27.82 $27.82

145.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$69.6 $69.6

0.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 $40.57

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 $7.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 $10.46

$10.66 $10.66

-1.88%

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

$814 $814

$824 $824

-1.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K $11.7K

$6,469 $6,469

80.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

-0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 $62.3

$61.1 $61.1

1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$107 $107

2.13%

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 San Juan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dorado: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.6%

Dorado

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$460 18.3%

Dorado

$415 32.7% 9.7% $45

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.4%

Dorado

$413 32.5% 0.1% $0.4

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 10.5%

Dorado

$259 20.4% 2.2% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$153 6.1%

Dorado

$151 11.9% 1.1% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.4%

Dorado

$21 * 1.7% 65.3% $40

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.7%

Dorado

$10 * 0.8% 76.8% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇷 Dorado

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

12,172

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Dorado 15 km

From you

San Juan
Dorado

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

San Juan vs Dorado: 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 $3,781 in San Juan and $1,906 in Dorado 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 $814 in San Juan versus $824 in Dorado. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,520 per month in San Juan versus $1,270 in Dorado – 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.