Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Louisville, KY

For one person, living is cheaper in Louisville, KY: $2,149 a month against $2,500 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Louisville, KY
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Louisville, KY Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,500

/mo nomad

Louisville, KY

🇺🇸 United States

$2,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Louisville, KY

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,500 in San Juan versus $2,149 in Louisville, KY.

San Juan $2,500
Louisville, KY $2,149

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,548 in San Juan versus $3,314 in Louisville, KY.

San Juan $3,548
Louisville, KY $3,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,596 in San Juan versus $4,479 in Louisville, KY.

San Juan $4,596
Louisville, KY $4,479

Living in San Juan is roughly 16% more expensive than in Louisville, KY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Juan 84% above, Louisville, KY 58% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 $18.78

$14.74 $14.74

27.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 $81.9

$72.8 $72.8

12.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 $9.23

$9.48 $9.48

-2.64%

Cappuccino

$3.57 $3.57

$5.14 $5.14

-30.54%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$2.16 $2.16

-15.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.56 $1.56

-3.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$6.15 $6.15

-52.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 $4.90

$6.90 $6.90

-28.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.76 $0.76

184.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 $3.66

$3.26 $3.26

12.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$5.00 $5.00

-51.00%

Eggs

$7.30 $7.30

$3.68 $3.68

98.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 $12.39

$15.32 $15.32

-19.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.70 $9.70

$12.11 $12.11

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 $13.35

$16.59 $16.59

-19.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 $4.96

$5.43 $5.43

-8.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.61 $1.61

64.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.91 $4.91

$4.56 $4.56

7.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$4.82 $4.82

-0.83%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$2.68 $2.68

37.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.04 $3.04

26.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.44 $3.44

$2.17 $2.17

58.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 $1.65

$2.38 $2.38

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.76 $11.76

$8.95 $8.95

31.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.36 $15.36

$15.66 $15.66

-1.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.76 $2.76

13.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 $3.94

$3.77 $3.77

4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.78 $1.78

-56.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.28 $30.28

$49.22 $49.22

-38.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.80 $2.80

-12.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.41 $1.41

9.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.10 $42.10

$29.82 $29.82

41.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 $1.18

$0.94 $0.94

25.53%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$33.0K $33.0K

5.50%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$26.6K $26.6K

5.36%

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

$320 $320

$176 $176

82.21%

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

$68.3 $68.3

$58.5 $58.5

16.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$66.4 $66.4

7.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.05 $41.05

$17.80 $17.80

130.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 $7.39

$2.45 $2.45

201.63%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 $10.43

$11.09 $11.09

-5.95%

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

$836 $836

$1,246 $1,246

-32.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$16.0K $16.0K

-21.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 $57.3

$50.8 $50.8

12.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.6 $61.6

$42.05 $42.05

46.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$95.7 $95.7

14.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$112 $112

2.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 $1,934

$1,372 $1,372

40.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$925 $925

19.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,515 $3,515

$1,785 $1,785

96.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,606 $1,606

$1,761 $1,761

-8.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,447 $7,447

$2,775 $2,775

168.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,654 $4,654

$1,827 $1,827

154.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,719 $2,719

$3,980 $3,980

-31.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

6.57

-0.30%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for San Juan: October 24, 2026

Last update for Louisville, KY: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.4%

Louisville, KY

$925 43.1% 16.6% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$459 18.4%

Louisville, KY

$300 14% 34.6% $159

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.6%

Louisville, KY

$414 19.3% 0.1% $0.6

Eating Out

San Juan

$258 10.3%

Louisville, KY

$267 12.5% 3.5% $9

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.2%

Louisville, KY

$135 6.3% 12.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.5%

Louisville, KY

$40 1.9% 35.4% $22

Getting Around

San Juan

$44 1.7%

Louisville, KY

$66 3.1% 52% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,934 in San Juan and $1,372 in Louisville, KY. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Louisville, KY pays 46% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82 in San Juan vs $73 in Louisville, KY. Groceries flip the comparison at $414 vs $414, with San Juan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇺🇸 Louisville, KY

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

21:24 9:24 PM

1 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

612,780

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

San Juan Louisville, KY 2,910 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
Louisville, KY

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 Louisville, KY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Louisville, KY wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in San Juan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Louisville, KY the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in San Juan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,934 in San Juan versus $1,372 in Louisville, KY. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in San Juan runs roughly 38% less than in Louisville, KY. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,500 per month in San Juan versus $2,149 in Louisville, KY – Louisville, KY is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Louisville, KY 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.