Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Toa Alta

For one person, living is cheaper in Toa Alta: $1,234 a month against $2,253 in San Juan, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Toa Alta
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Toa Alta Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$2,253

/mo nomad

Toa Alta

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,234

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Juan and in Toa Alta

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

A single person spends $2,253 per month in San Juan vs $1,234 in Toa Alta, rent included.

San Juan $2,253
Toa Alta $1,234

A couple spends around $3,373 per month in San Juan vs $1,933 in Toa Alta, rent included.

San Juan $3,373
Toa Alta $1,933

A family of three spends $4,494 per month in San Juan vs $2,633 in Toa Alta, rent included.

San Juan $4,494
Toa Alta $2,633

San Juan costs about 83% more than Toa Alta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Juan sits 67% above the global median, while Toa Alta is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.43 $19.43

$12.77 $12.77

52.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 $82.3

-0.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 $9.43

$8.97 $8.97

5.13%

Cappuccino

$3.56 $3.56

$3.47 $3.47

2.59%

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

$1.83 $1.83

$1.54 $1.54

18.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.41 $1.41

2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 $3.04

$2.97 $2.97

2.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 $5.13

$5.06 $5.06

1.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.23 $2.23

-1.79%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$3.53 $3.53

4.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.40 $2.40

-1.67%

Eggs

$7.33 $7.33

$5.14 $5.14

42.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.75 $12.75

$5.07 $5.07

151.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 $9.55

$9.68 $9.68

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.21 $13.21

$6.38 $6.38

107.05%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$5.04 $5.04

1.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

Oranges (1kg)

$5.00 $5.00

$4.94 $4.94

1.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 $4.92

$4.71 $4.71

4.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$3.75 $3.75

-1.07%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 $3.90

$3.95 $3.95

-1.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$3.36 $3.36

5.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.59 $1.59

1.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.78 $11.78

$11.84 $11.84

-0.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.84 $15.84

$14.83 $14.83

6.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 $3.07

$2.95 $2.95

4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.93 $3.93

4.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 $0.71

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.97 $29.97

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.45 $2.45

3.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.48 $1.48

-1.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.26 $42.26

$42.49 $42.49

-0.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.18 $1.18

5.08%

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

$40.3K $40.3K

-0.03%

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

$27.7K $27.7K

0.05%

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

$327 $327

$317 $317

3.26%

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

$68.4 $68.4

$70.4 $70.4

-2.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 $70.4

$69.2 $69.2

1.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.46 $41.46

$27.67 $27.67

49.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.70 $7.70

Cinema Ticket

$10.40 $10.40

$10.35 $10.35

0.48%

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

$821 $821

$836 $836

-1.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K $12.5K

$12.6K $12.6K

-0.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$56.3 $56.3

-0.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 $61.4

$61.3 $61.3

0.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$110 $110

-0.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 $116

$112 $112

3.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 $1,802

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 $846

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,972 $2,972

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 $1,476

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,283 $7,283

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 $3,377

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,704 $2,704

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 11, 2026

Last update for Toa Alta: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$846 37.6%

Toa Alta

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$466 20.7%

Toa Alta

$456 37% 2% $9.5

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$417 18.5%

Toa Alta

$359 29.1% 13.9% $58

Eating Out

San Juan

$265 11.8%

Toa Alta

$208 16.8% 21.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$154 6.8%

Toa Alta

$153 12.4% 0.7% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$62 2.8%

Toa Alta

$48 3.9% 22.3% $14

Getting Around

San Juan

$43 1.9%

Toa Alta

$9.8 * 0.8% 76.9% $33

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 $82.0 in San Juan versus $82.0 in Toa Alta. Groceries tell a different story – $417 in San Juan vs $359 in Toa Alta – so Toa Alta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇷 San Juan

🇵🇷 Toa Alta

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

Same time as San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,854 Capital

74,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Toa Alta 16 km

From you

San Juan
Toa Alta

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 Toa Alta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Juan costs about 83% more than Toa Alta, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,379 per month in San Juan and $1,851 in Toa Alta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in San Juan and $82.0 in Toa Alta. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in San Juan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Toa Alta, where all-in costs run around $1,234, than in San Juan at $2,253. In Toa Alta it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Juan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Toa Alta costs $1,234 versus $2,253 in San Juan. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Toa Alta. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, San Juan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.