Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Gurabo: $1,207 a month against $2,500 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Gurabo
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Gurabo Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/mo nomad

Gurabo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,500 per month in San Juan vs $1,207 in Gurabo, rent included.

San Juan $2,500
Gurabo $1,207

A couple spends around $3,548 per month in San Juan vs $1,857 in Gurabo, rent included.

San Juan $3,548
Gurabo $1,857

A family of three spends $4,596 per month in San Juan vs $2,506 in Gurabo, rent included.

San Juan $4,596
Gurabo $2,506

San Juan costs about 107% more than Gurabo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Juan sits 84% above the global median, while Gurabo is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 $18.78

$10.02 $10.02

87.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 $81.9

$65.2 $65.2

25.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 $9.23

$8.92 $8.92

3.48%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$2.97 $2.97

20.20%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$1.46 $1.46

25.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.98 $0.98

54.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$3.02 $3.02

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$3.44 $3.44

42.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$2.11 $2.11

2.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.05 $3.05

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$2.44 $2.44

0.41%

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$5.08 $5.08

43.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$12.60 $12.60

-1.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$9.91 $9.91

-2.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$13.08 $13.08

2.06%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$5.14 $5.14

-3.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$2.14 $2.14

23.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.73 $4.73

3.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.72 $4.72

1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.70 $3.70

-0.27%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.99 $3.99

-3.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 $3.44

$3.37 $3.37

2.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$1.59 $1.59

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$11.81 $11.81

-0.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 $15.36

$9.96 $9.96

54.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$1.77 $1.77

77.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$2.53 $2.53

55.73%

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

$1.46 $1.46

5.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.10 $42.10

$41.26 $41.26

2.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.02 $1.02

15.69%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$34.6K $34.6K

0.64%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$28.2K $28.2K

-0.65%

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

$320 $320

$327 $327

-2.04%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$68.1 $68.1

0.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$70.7 $70.7

0.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$10.10 $10.10

306.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 $7.39

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 $10.43

$10.32 $10.32

1.07%

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

$836 $836

$837 $837

-0.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

-0.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$56.9 $56.9

0.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$61.9 $61.9

-0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$108 $108

1.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$112 $112

2.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 $1,934

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 Gurabo: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4%

Gurabo

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$459 18.4%

Gurabo

$465 38.5% 1.3% $6

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.6%

Gurabo

$375 31.1% 9.4% $39

Eating Out

San Juan

$258 10.3%

Gurabo

$174 14.4% 32.6% $84

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.2%

Gurabo

$152 12.6% 1.2% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.5%

Gurabo

$31 2.6% 50.4% $31

Getting Around

San Juan

$44 1.7%

Gurabo

$9.8 * 0.8% 77.5% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in San Juan versus $65 in Gurabo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $414 vs $375 – making Gurabo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇷 Gurabo

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

45,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Gurabo 28 km

From you

San Juan
Gurabo

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 Gurabo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan costs about 107% more than Gurabo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in San Juan and $1,811 in Gurabo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in San Juan and $65 in Gurabo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in San Juan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,500 in San Juan and $1,207 in Gurabo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Gurabo to $2,500 in San Juan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.