Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Guaynabo: $1,857 a month against $2,520 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Guaynabo
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Guaynabo Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,520

/mo nomad

Guaynabo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,520 per month in San Juan vs $1,857 in Guaynabo, rent included.

San Juan $2,520
Guaynabo $1,857

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in San Juan vs $2,934 in Guaynabo, rent included.

San Juan $3,581
Guaynabo $2,934

A family of three spends $4,641 per month in San Juan vs $4,011 in Guaynabo, rent included.

San Juan $4,641
Guaynabo $4,011

San Juan costs about 36% more than Guaynabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both San Juan and Guaynabo sit above the global median – San Juan by 86%, Guaynabo by 37%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 $19.61

$18.91 $18.91

3.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 $83.1

$79.1 $79.1

5.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$9.02 $9.02

1.66%

Cappuccino

$3.54 $3.54

$1.80 $1.80

96.67%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$1.34 $1.34

42.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.22 $1.22

19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.96 $1.96

50.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$3.97 $3.97

24.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 $2.22

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.27 $3.27

9.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.32 $2.32

5.17%

Eggs

$7.54 $7.54

$6.15 $6.15

22.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 $12.48

$12.38 $12.38

0.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$9.66 $9.66

-2.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$13.29 $13.29

0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$5.18 $5.18

-2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.51 $2.51

5.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.81 $4.81

3.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.67 $4.67

0.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$2.60 $2.60

45.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$2.03 $2.03

89.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.52 $1.52

121.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$11.17 $11.17

7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$15.69 $15.69

0.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.83 $2.83

9.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.91 $2.91

38.14%

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

$2.47 $2.47

0.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.54 $1.54

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$42.38 $42.38

-0.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.02 $1.02

23.53%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$34.3K $34.3K

2.86%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$27.4K $27.4K

2.48%

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

$322 $322

$319 $319

0.81%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$49.62 $49.62

37.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$69.1 $69.1

1.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 $40.57

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 $7.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 $10.46

$10.30 $10.30

1.55%

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

$814 $814

$817 $817

-0.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K $11.7K

$12.4K $12.4K

-5.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

$57.3 $57.3

-1.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 $62.3

$50.1 $50.1

24.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$99.1 $99.1

10.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$114 $114

-1.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,994 $1,994

$892 $892

123.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 $1,124

$630 $630

78.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,507 $3,507

$2,530 $2,530

38.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 $1,634

$1,379 $1,379

18.49%

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

$3,467 $3,467

-10.68%

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 Guaynabo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.6%

Guaynabo

$630 33.9% 43.9% $494

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$460 18.3%

Guaynabo

$438 23.6% 4.8% $22

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.4%

Guaynabo

$386 20.8% 6.7% $28

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 10.5%

Guaynabo

$228 12.3% 14% $37

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$153 6.1%

Guaynabo

$144 7.8% 5.8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.4%

Guaynabo

$21 * 1.1% 66.5% $41

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.7%

Guaynabo

$10 * 0.6% 76.5% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,994 in San Juan versus $892 in Guaynabo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Guaynabo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in San Juan versus $79 in Guaynabo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $386 – making Guaynabo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇷 Guaynabo

🕒 Local time

16:42 4:42 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

68,491

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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San Juan Guaynabo 12 km

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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 Guaynabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,520 in San Juan, $1,857 in Guaynabo – Guaynabo comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,781 per month in San Juan and $2,786 in Guaynabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guaynabo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $892 there versus $1,994 in San Juan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in San Juan and $79 in Guaynabo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in San Juan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,520 in San Juan and $1,857 in Guaynabo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,857 in Guaynabo to $2,520 in San Juan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.