Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Luquillo: $1,257 a month against $2,520 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Luquillo
Learn more

Luquillo Living Index

Jump to prices

San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,520

/mo nomad

Luquillo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,520 in San Juan versus $1,257 in Luquillo.

San Juan $2,520
Luquillo $1,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,581 in San Juan versus $2,014 in Luquillo.

San Juan $3,581
Luquillo $2,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,641 in San Juan versus $2,772 in Luquillo.

San Juan $4,641
Luquillo $2,772

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

The two cities straddle the global median: San Juan is 86% above, Luquillo is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 $19.61

$19.14 $19.14

2.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 $83.1

$83.3 $83.3

-0.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$9.03 $9.03

1.55%

Cappuccino

$3.54 $3.54

$3.68 $3.68

-3.80%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$1.65 $1.65

15.76%

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

$3.09 $3.09

-4.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$2.30 $2.30

115.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.15 $2.15

3.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.73 $3.73

-4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.43 $2.43

0.41%

Eggs

$7.54 $7.54

$7.26 $7.26

3.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 $12.48

$12.47 $12.47

0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$9.49 $9.49

-0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$13.24 $13.24

0.76%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$5.09 $5.09

-0.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.53 $2.53

5.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$5.00 $5.00

-0.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.73 $4.73

-0.85%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.87 $3.87

-2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.88 $3.88

-0.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.50 $3.50

-4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.60 $1.60

0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$12.18 $12.18

-1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$12.02 $12.02

31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$2.99 $2.99

3.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$4.12 $4.12

-2.43%

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

$2.54 $2.54

-2.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.48 $1.48

-0.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$42.74 $42.74

-1.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$0.83 $0.83

51.81%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$34.1K $34.1K

3.49%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$28.3K $28.3K

-0.89%

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

$322 $322

$272 $272

18.34%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$69.3 $69.3

-1.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$68.9 $68.9

1.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 $40.57

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 $7.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 $10.46

$10.44 $10.44

0.19%

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

$814 $814

$822 $822

-1.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K $11.7K

$12.6K $12.6K

-6.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

$56.3 $56.3

0.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 $62.3

$60.2 $60.2

3.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$108 $108

1.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$114 $114

-2.04%

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

$4,143 $4,143

-25.26%

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 Luquillo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.6%

Luquillo

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$460 18.3%

Luquillo

$410 32.6% 10.8% $50

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.4%

Luquillo

$406 32.3% 1.8% $7.6

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 10.5%

Luquillo

$257 20.5% 3% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$153 6.1%

Luquillo

$152 12.1% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.4%

Luquillo

$21 * 1.7% 66% $41

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.7%

Luquillo

$9.9 * 0.8% 77% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

Luquillo pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83 in San Juan vs $83 in Luquillo. Groceries flip the comparison at $414 vs $406, with Luquillo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇷 Luquillo

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

20,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Luquillo 43 km

From you

San Juan
Luquillo

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 Luquillo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Luquillo is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% 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.

Childcare runs $814 in San Juan versus $822 in Luquillo. 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 $1,257 in Luquillo – Luquillo is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,257 in Luquillo versus $2,520 in San Juan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Luquillo but tight or insufficient in San Juan. The gap between the two cities makes Luquillo 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.