Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

121

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
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Fajardo Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/mo nomad

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Fajardo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

San Juan $2,500
Fajardo $1,241

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

San Juan $3,548
Fajardo $1,954

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

San Juan $4,596
Fajardo $2,667

Living in San Juan is roughly 101% more expensive than in Fajardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 $18.78

$9.80 $9.80

91.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 $81.9

$82.1 $82.1

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 $9.23

$9.44 $9.44

-2.22%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$3.66 $3.66

-2.46%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$1.93 $1.93

-5.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.97 $2.97

-1.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$5.11 $5.11

-4.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.11 $2.11

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.69 $3.69

-0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$7.46 $7.46

-2.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$12.35 $12.35

0.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$9.45 $9.45

2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$13.26 $13.26

0.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$5.09 $5.09

-2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.58 $2.58

2.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.75 $4.75

3.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.70 $4.70

1.70%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.71 $3.71

-0.54%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.91 $3.91

-1.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.40 $3.40

1.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.61 $1.61

2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$11.33 $11.33

3.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 $15.36

$15.50 $15.50

-0.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$3.09 $3.09

1.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$4.04 $4.04

-2.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.28 $30.28

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.47 $2.47

-1.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.52 $1.52

1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.10 $42.10

$41.58 $41.58

1.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.24 $1.24

-4.84%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$34.6K $34.6K

0.56%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$28.3K $28.3K

-0.96%

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

$320 $320

$316 $316

1.18%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$70.6 $70.6

-3.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$70.0 $70.0

1.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 $7.39

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 $10.43

$10.47 $10.47

-0.38%

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

$836 $836

$835 $835

0.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$12.6K $12.6K

-0.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$55.5 $55.5

3.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$61.8 $61.8

-0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$107 $107

2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 $1,934

$1,007 $1,007

91.96%

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 San Juan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4%

Fajardo

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$459 18.4%

Fajardo

$457 36.8% 0.6% $2.6

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.6%

Fajardo

$412 33.2% 0.6% $2.3

Eating Out

San Juan

$258 10.3%

Fajardo

$189 15.3% 26.7% $69

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.2%

Fajardo

$152 12.3% 1.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.5%

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7% 66.2% $41

Getting Around

San Juan

$44 1.7%

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8% 76.9% $34

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

Dining out: $82 in San Juan vs $82 in Fajardo. Groceries flip the comparison at $414 vs $412, with Fajardo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🕒 Local time

11:52 11:52 AM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

11,647

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Fajardo 51 km

From you

San Juan
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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 Fajardo: 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 $3,751 in San Juan and $1,862 in Fajardo 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: $1,934 in San Juan versus $1,007 in Fajardo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $836 in San Juan versus $835 in Fajardo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $2,500 per month in San Juan versus $1,241 in Fajardo – 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.