Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Santa Isabel

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Isabel: $1,298 a month against $2,520 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Santa Isabel
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Santa Isabel Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,520

/mo nomad

Santa Isabel

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Santa Isabel

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

A single person spends $2,520 per month in San Juan vs $1,298 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

San Juan $2,520
Santa Isabel $1,298

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in San Juan vs $2,045 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

San Juan $3,581
Santa Isabel $2,045

A family of three spends $4,641 per month in San Juan vs $2,791 in Santa Isabel, rent included.

San Juan $4,641
Santa Isabel $2,791

San Juan costs about 94% more than Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

San Juan sits 86% above the global median, while Santa Isabel is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.61 $19.61

$19.18 $19.18

2.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 $83.1

$82.6 $82.6

0.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.17 $9.17

$9.06 $9.06

1.21%

Cappuccino

$3.54 $3.54

$3.61 $3.61

-1.94%

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

$1.91 $1.91

$1.89 $1.89

1.06%

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

$3.02 $3.02

-2.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 $4.95

$5.07 $5.07

-2.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.31 $1.31

69.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 $3.57

$3.40 $3.40

5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.42 $2.42

0.83%

Eggs

$7.54 $7.54

$6.21 $6.21

21.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 $12.48

$12.41 $12.41

0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$9.82 $9.82

-4.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 $13.34

$13.10 $13.10

1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.04 $5.04

$5.01 $5.01

0.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.54 $2.54

4.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.99 $4.99

$4.94 $4.94

1.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$4.67 $4.67

0.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$3.85 $3.85

-2.08%

Onion (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.88 $3.88

-0.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.36 $3.36

$3.37 $3.37

-0.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.65 $1.65

-2.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$12.04 $12.04

-0.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.81 $15.81

$15.50 $15.50

2.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$3.14 $3.14

-1.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.94 $3.94

2.03%

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

$2.44 $2.44

1.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 $1.47

$0.66 $0.66

122.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$39.69 $39.69

6.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.09 $1.09

15.60%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$35.1K $35.1K

0.64%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$27.9K $27.9K

0.52%

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

$322 $322

$318 $318

1.26%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$68.5 $68.5

-0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$71.1 $71.1

-1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.57 $40.57

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 $7.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 $10.46

$10.62 $10.62

-1.51%

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

$814 $814

$826 $826

-1.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K $11.7K

$12.0K $12.0K

-2.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.6 $56.6

$56.7 $56.7

-0.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 $62.3

$62.2 $62.2

0.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$107 $107

1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 $112

$115 $115

-2.72%

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

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 Santa Isabel: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$1.1K 44.6%

Santa Isabel

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$460 18.3%

Santa Isabel

$457 35.2% 0.6% $2.6

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$414 16.4%

Santa Isabel

$398 30.6% 3.8% $16

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 10.5%

Santa Isabel

$263 20.2% 0.8% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$153 6.1%

Santa Isabel

$153 11.8% 0.3% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.4%

Santa Isabel

$21 * 1.6% 65.5% $40

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.7%

Santa Isabel

$5.8 * 0.4% 86.7% $37

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 $83 in San Juan versus $83 in Santa Isabel. Groceries tell a different story – $414 in San Juan vs $398 in Santa Isabel – so Santa Isabel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇷 Santa Isabel

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

23,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Santa Isabel 63 km

From you

San Juan
Santa Isabel

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 Santa Isabel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan costs about 94% more than Santa Isabel, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,781 per month in San Juan and $1,948 in Santa Isabel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,520 in San Juan and $1,298 in Santa Isabel. That makes Santa Isabel about 48% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 4% more in San Juan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santa Isabel, where all-in costs run around $1,298, than in San Juan at $2,520. In Santa Isabel it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. San Juan has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,298 in Santa Isabel to $2,520 in San Juan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.